We got up and had breakfast before Nikos picked us up and took us to the port. It's quite notable that he will be part of our Greek memories for years and years to come, and yet we were 'quick turnaround tourists' (I totally made that phrase up, lol) for him. As always, we need to be aware of our presence as you never know what kind of mark you can make on someone's experience!
We waited for the "Flying Cat" ferry and boarded rather chaotically - we had no idea where to put our luggage and when we figured it out, there was little room for our bags. We just sat them down and hoped for the best - it worked out fine. The ferry moved really fast so we were in Ios in no time (about 50 minutes). We ended up heading to the hotel (in a van) with the same folks that sat behind us on the plane - neat! They are our parents' age and are from Oshawa. After days with only broken English it was nice to converse easily. They commended us on taking this adventure while we can, noting that it gets harder the older you get.
We ended up at a hotel called Ios Palace, although we were supposed to go to Dionysos. We're not exactly sure what happened and we were looking forward to Dionysos as it had fabulous reviews on tripadvisor. Ios Palace however is an "option 3" hotel (i.e. more expensive, especially since we purchased the "option 1" package!). Needless to say, we aren't complaining! The hotel appears to be the largest in the area we are and is lovely (much busier than in our Naxos hotel that had approximately 10 guests... Or less, lol). Our room is on the top floor which has provided another spectactular view - mountains, beach, restaurants and the two pools of the hotel. It's pretty amazing. This view comes at a cost though, including not one but two elevators plus a hill and some stairs, lol. Jeff and I are grateful that we're mobile and able-bodied! We were sweaty messes when we first arrived and immediately turned on the air conditioning. This Greek sun is HOT! And it sure is tough (more like gross) to try and put sunscreen on your sweaty body.
We went for a quick walk after getting into our swimsuits and then opted for the pool as it was mid afternoon and we didn't think it was worth it to cough up the 5€ for the beach chairs seeing as we'd go tomorrow. The pool was glorious - 100% refreshing. We were in and out of it a number of times whe we felt our skin was starting to fry, lol. We wear lots of sunscreen and take shade breaks whenever we can. Neither of us wants to contend with a sunburn on vacation!!
We stopped at a mini market that sold grocery store items - we picked up the essentials, beer, water, chocolate and chips. Jeff bought oregano flavoured Lays and they were good! We'd eat them at home if they were available.
We opted to try a restaurant for dinner that was recommended in our Greece guide book called Drakos. It is known for seafood; and as Jeff would say, "When in Rome!" It was on the exact opposite end of the beach, which was only a 10 minute walk. We sat at a table next to the water.
Jeff ordered the catch of the day, which was an experience! He had to select the type of fish (red snapper, scorpion fish and some other grey unknown) and then select the specific fish to get weighed (for price) and dinner! He said the only fish he had heard of was the red snapper and the scorpion fish sounded "dangerous", lol!! When it arrived, it was literally just the cooked fish on a plate. Our server offered to open it up and remove the bones, which was greatly appreciated as it would have been a challenge and a half for Jeff. He had the fish (with a lemon and oil dressing) with bread and oil that came with the meal. I ordered a squid (calamari - did you know that the word "calamari is Greek!? I didn't!) stuffed with feta cheese, tomato and onion. It was risky for me as I've only ever had calamari fried - you know, so it's practically unrecognizable! I had kidded with Jeff that I didn't know what I'd do if the whole squid came... And of course it did, tentacles and head and all. It was mind over matter at that point. Thankfully the stuffing inside of it was delicious! I ate all of it but the tentacles - I just couldn't do it, lol.
During dinner we watched a young boy throw bread into the water to feed some fish - they really gobbled it down! We also people watched around us, including a family with two toddler boys. Jeff and I had read in our Greek guide book that children are adored and they are expected to assimilate/participate in adult life (i.e. adult food, long dinners, conversation) - we've noticed a number of parents appear quite lax with their children (not compromising safety) - no helicopter parenting here!!
We bumped in to our new Canadian friends on our way back to the hotel. As silly as it sounds, it's comforting/enjoyable to see 'familiar' faces - a little patriotic unity and similar culture unites!
Tomorrow will probably be a beach day - especially if this hot weather continues!
Until next time,
Amanda and Jeff xoxo
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