Sunset Hikes and Mussels

Whew! Ok I didn't want to flood the last post with too much- it's hard to believe this is all from one day! By now it was only 3pm and we were back at the hostel slathering on sunscreen and mentally preparing to hike the 15km (about 10 miles) from Thira to Oia, the other city on Santorini. We set out on a little path at the edge of the city and got very cocky from the paved and flat path through the pretty houses. Some of us even stopped for a mid-hike beer! We took frequent photo breaks.

Lord if this picture doesn't perfectly describe Nadav. He took it on my camera while we were waiting for the next one.

Well then the path ended and the real hike began. It was incredible. The further we walked the wilder the island became. Halfway there we lost sight of Thira and we couldn't see Oia at all- it felt like we were in the middle of nowhere! The island got so thin at one point the we could see the ocean on both sides. I wish these photos could do the experience justice.

I broke off from the group for about an hour and just walked by myself, listening to my sneakers crunch on the gravel and looking out over the ocean. For a little while I wished I could share the experience with someone back home but then I realized that this is my life! It's an incredible feeling to decide that you can be happy being alone. It opens up the whole world. After another hour we finally caught sight of Oia!

We made our way down to the cliffs at the very point of the town, and the island itself, to watch the sun set. As we walked we seemed to gather the crowds as everyone dropped what they were doing to sit on the cliffs for half an hour.

I didn't know there were places like this in the world, where an entire city stops for an hour to watch the sun set. At the end everyone clapped.

When the sun went down and the crowds dispersed we walked back through the now-dark town and found a wonderful little restaurant with a cliff-top balcony. It was run by two very sweet and accommodating British ladies who made no comment about our exercise gear and moved tables to seat us immediately. I had spicy feta dip with dark Greek bread, maybe pumpernickel, and mussels saganaki. I love mussels saganaki. It was the first time I'd ever tried it and it was a revelation. I may have embarrassed myself moaning over my plate and cradling my empty shells when it was done.

When we left the restaurant the city was dark but the houses lit up the hillside. We took the bus back to Thira (which took 20 minutes and made a mockery of our 4 hour trek). After showers and a few liters of water we went out for a night on the town, but that's another story!

Saturday we went sailing. Stay tuned!