The Demise of Elizabeth Bennett asThe Clampetts Travels Continue

 Our last day in Santorini was lovely. In the morning, we went on a long hike on the cliffs of the island which, in light of the heat and our already exhausted calves, had a bit too much elevation. We were rewarded-like every day so far- with an incredible lunch.  Consistently, the food, while simple, is so fresh and delicious. Zorba’s, our go-to Greek take-out place at home is sadly a thing of the past.  I have been collecting recipes like crazy to recreate some of the things we have eaten.  

We then spent the afternoon on a catamaran circling and swimming in the blue waters of the Aegean Sea surrounding the island. The day ended with another view of Santorini’s sunset— as beautiful as the night before.  It’s impossible to believe that this show happens every night.  As perfect as the day was, there was a hiccup before boarding the catamaran. Due to the pretty significant island winds, my Elizabeth Bennett hat, which I was beginning to realize looked ridiculous on me, flew off my head and into the Aegean!  Within seconds, three people tried to save the hat including one young man with a hook, who was leaning so far over his little boat, I assumed he was going in head first! I kept yelling, “Don’t worry, it’s just a hat!,” even though I meant, “Don’t worry, it’s a really ugly hat!” As the water is so clear, you could see it, with its not-so-whimsical ribbon at the bottom of the sea.  Sadly,  (well, not so much) it’s gone forever. Being a glass-half full kind of gal, I now have a little more room for shopping purchases. Every cloud has a silver lining. 

We were up early and on our way for the 3 plus hours to the small island of Paros.  Supposedly, Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson own a home nearby and I am already on the lookout.  Any sign of them will be reported in detail.  

Our Clampett-esque behavior continued at breakfast, as Judy admired the pot in which her morning tea was served and thought that if she could ascertain the name of the company, she could buy it on Amazon and it would probably arrive before we even got home. It wasn’t as easy as it all sounds.  We all took a turn holding the pot above our heads attempting to read the pot’s maker. Of course, due to our advancing ages, none of us could see what the bottom of the pot said. We were either looking for our glasses, or, in my case, I had moved my spectacles down my nose, hoping that that would do the trick. It did not. It is also important to mention that the pot was half-full with hot tea!  I looked up to see three waiters with expressions that looked both quizzical and horrified at our behavior. Bob had the brilliant idea to take a picture of the bottom of the pot, so that we could expand it on Judy’s  phone and solve our problem. After maneuvering how to take a photo of the bottom of the pot and not the tablecloth, we successfully got a picture, only to find that  it was an unrecognizable emblem of some company none of us knew. I think she still look on Amazon.

Due to the country’s reliance on tourism, our ferry rides,  a pivotal component to Greece’s economy, were really top-notch. The seats were comfortable and snacks and coffee were served. My only problem? The way in which the luggage was stored.  As the ferry pulls into port, and the plank dropped, everyone and I mean everyone, runs on as fast as possible to store their luggage in the limited bins located at the car level of the boat.    I have experienced this twice since coming to Greece and I am reminded of a few “Braveheart” scenes when a painted-faced Mel Gibson and his men, storm their enemies.  It was pretty much the same without the war paint. And nobody gets a ticket to show that their luggage is safe.  On our way to Paros, we made two stops at other islands before arriving at our destination. We were sitting nowhere near our luggage and my worry was that someone getting off at one of the earlier islands and take our luggage.  To be honest, I was only concerned with one of the suitcases because the other one has a broken wheel and is too difficult for even us to move, let alone a would-be thief.  Happily, all the suitcases remained where we left them and we were ready to start our next adventure. 

Once again, I didn’t read much about our next hotel. I learned from our dear guide Doris, that this was a wellness center for us to unwind at the tail end of our trip.  Judy and I were in our usual LL Bean clothes and the men came in wearing their sun hats which I believe were last used in an “Indiana Jones” movie.  We were greeted by a host of staff, all ready to meet our every need. The problem? I think they were all wearing their pajamas  Needless to say, I got the giggles. When asked where we were coming from, I couldn’t think of Santorini and said, “Positano.”  Sadly, the Italian coastal city is not part of this itinerary. Between my LL Bean sweatshirt and my memory lapse, I’m sure they were very impressed.  We were handed a delicious drink and Bob proceeded to put it on a table, which left a ring. I looked up to see him wiping the table with his hands trying to whisk away the evidence.  It is a lovely place, but so far, the wellness part hasn’t started…..