The Clampetts Arrive in Santorini!

 We spent our last day in beautiful Crete hiking through the island’s second largest gorge. There, along with a huge number of robust German hikers, we shared the path with about 100 sheep, a dozen goats and a shepherd who shared with us his just-picked walnuts. Other than the Germans, our experience could have taken place 500 years ago.  The evening was memorable as we spent it with a family on their farm, who still makes their olive oil the way in which their ancestors made it a century before. There, along with their two children and a varied assortment of relatives and friends, we learned how to make “dako,” the Greek version of bruschetta and of course, olive oil. We ate outside, along with the whole family, a delicious meal, where everything, including the lamb, either came from their farm or that of their neighbors. We all agreed that it was a night we would never forget. 

It was a late night and we knew that we had to leave our hotel at 6:15 AM in order to drive two hours to be on time for the ferry to Santorini.  My clean clothes had entered the “slim pickings” category and I was trying to match my go-to green travel pants, which I had already worn three times, with any of my remaining clean shirts.  In my rush to go to bed, I opted for a comfortable, but old grey t-shirt which I knew in my heart of hearts was not a clothing match made in heaven.  I consoled myself with the fact that our guide Doris, told us that the ferry could be cold and that we should wear a jacket. I figured that my other go-to item, my jean jacket, would perfectly hide my fashion faux paux.  

We arrived at the ferry and it was like no ride I had ever experienced! Besides the availability of waiters serving us our morning coffee, people were very smartly dressed, and yet, I remained unbothered, as jean jackets are very in-style—or so I am told. But when we arrived at the hotel, my bravado came crashing.  First, this is a really nice place.  We weren’t in the doors a minute, when we were whisked off to couches and told to relax, drink lemonade and learn about the hotel.  When I sat down and got a full view of the lobby and the other patrons, I thought that to all of them, the four of us must have looked like the Beverly Hillbillies arriving in CALEEFORNEEYA.  All of the female patrons had incredible bronzed tans with flowing long white or light-colored dresses.  After one quick look at them, I immediately thought that the restaurants on Santorini could not be doing well, since none of the females in the room looked like they hadn’t eaten in months, they were so rail thin.  I looked at my friend Judy, and we both started to laugh.  My jacket looked completely out-of-place, my recently purchased white sneakers were now a light brown because I hadn’t paid attention to an email from Doris and instead wore my sneakers instead of my much-needed hiking boots.  And then there was my sun hat.  I bought it on a very hot day in Athens, because at the time, I thought it was a bit different, as it had a whimsical ribbon in the back.  After looking at some pictures of myself wearing the hat, I can only now see that I look like Pride and Prejudice’s Elizabeth Bennett without the spit curls.  Judy looked no better, with her LL Bean outfit, her backpack from a rival tour company and a hat that I believe Gilligan wore on his own island.  It’s a wonder we were served that lemonade.

Matters got worse for Bob.  We decided to solve our laundry woes and get a load washed.  We stuffed as much as we could into the laundry bag provided for us in our room and Bob immediately returned to the lobby.  When the person at the desk asked for a breakdown of the clothing items we needed laundered, Bob realized that in our rush, we forgot to fill out the form. He realized that we could possibly be asked to leave the hotel if he dumped the bag on the lobby floor so that he could count the specific items that needed laundering.  He had the good sense to find the closest water closet to complete the form.

I am happy to report that we have not yet been asked to leave, but then again, we are here for another 36 hours and our clean clothes don’t arrive back to us until late tomorrow. It looks like Judy and I need to do a little dress shopping. By the way, the island is beautiful.