Today started off similarly to many other days, Mom went to the Lidl quite early, and got a few pastries and things for breakfast, but didn’t get too much stuff as she wasn’t sure what people wanted to eat. (Parent note: the Lidl is about a 35 minute walk from our Airbnb and I came back with a VERY heavy backpack and front pack, so it sure felt like I got a lot of stuff!)
When I woke up, one thing was very apparent, spring was definitely here, and that meant that so were the allergies. My allergies were really bad. They got much better after I took some antihistamine. I was still not in a great mood this morning because the antihistamine took a while to kick in. Breakfast was quite delicious though, the pastries the Mom had gotten were quite good.
We were also a little rushed this morning, because we had to be out of the Airbnb by 11:30 because the owner was coming in to clean it, so we were packing up sandwiches and snacks for our impending hike to Oía, a town at the western tip of the island. (Parent note: I'm sure all of you heading off to work/school in the morning have no sympathy for a "rush" to be out by 11:30!)
We left the Airbnb a couple minutes before 11:30 and set off in the direction of Oía. We walked along the side of the town that faced the caldera so we had excellent views.
After walking through the town, we got to a point where Kayla decided it would be better for her if she went back, so she did. I was a little tempted to join her as I wasn’t feeling the best, but ended up staying with the group.
We continued our the hike and I was walking at my normal pace, which is much faster than everyone else was going, so I would walk for like five minutes, turn around, and be well ahead of everyone else, so I’d sit on a rock and wait for everyone else to catch up.
This kept up for a little while and eventually, we stopped at a church and ate lunch, because it was the only place that we could see that had shade.
Don't tell Kayla that Connor was walking along the edge of this very sheer drop-off!
After lunch we continued on, this time, however, Connor also walked faster and kept up with me, and it was pretty nice to have company. We kept walking well ahead of everyone, and stopping every so often to let the rest of them catch up.
The hike itself was really cool, because it was along the ridge overlooking the caldera. Along this one stretch when I sped ahead of everyone, I stopped at this large rock that was covered in pebbles and tiny rock towers, and built a little rock tower of my own.
After everyone caught up we continued onward into this little section that was full of volcanic rock. It got pretty steep so I decided to just run down that bit(because why not), and went zooming down past everyone. Other people were having a bit more trouble on the slope, to be fair to them though, the rocks were not stable at all. This part was really cool because the rock also had a lot of holes in it, and the volcanic rock was almost bright red!
We continued onward along the cliff until we reached yet another church, I had gone well ahead of everyone else so I was just sitting on a bench for like five minutes until the rest of the crew caught up. We then took a little break, and then set off again.
There were lizards everywhere along the trail, and many different species, my favorite that I saw was a pretty big spotted one that had a blue and green underbelly.
After several hours of hiking, we reached the town. We came down into town right next to a bus stop, so we looked at the time table which said that the bus ram every half hour, and the next bus was at 3:50. It was 3:30 when we got to the bus stop. We decided that we were gonna walk around for a bit and take the bus home whenever we felt like it, so we walked off into town. We split up with Connor and Dad because the Nanas needed a bathroom, so we stopped at an ice cream shop with a bathroom. Griffin got some ice cream, and Mom and the Nanas got some to share, I opted out of having any and finished the chocolate I had brought. The town was very similar to Fira, with a lot of whitewashed buildings and lots of hotels under construction. The villas were all very beautiful.
After getting the ice cream, Mom checked the bus schedule online, which said that after the 3:50 bus, the next bus wouldn’t be for another hour and a half, it was 3:48. The Nanas, who did not want to need to wait another hour and a half, raced off towards the bus station, with Mom, Griffin, and I on their heels. Mom called Dad to let him and Connor know about the predicament, and they said that they’d try to make the bus. (Parent note: we had just gotten the ice cream and hadn't yet eaten it. So imagine the Nanas racing off to the bus stop with ice cream in hand, with us racing after them with spoons and napkins.)
We got close to the bus stop when we saw the bus go past us in the wrong direction, so we hoped that it would turn around and go back to the stop and go the way we wanted go, and after fifteen minutes of waiting at the bus stop, it did. We were quite excited and filed onto the bus, where there were no more seats left, but as we got on the bus, we were greeted by Dad and Connor, who had made it to a different bus stop and were able to get on the bus in time.
The bus ride home was perilous, the road was a two way road that was only wide enough in most parts for one car, and the drop off on the side of the road was steep.
We made it to Fira safe and sound, and on the walk back to the Airbnb, we split up yet again, the Nanas, Griffin, and I took a key and went straight to the Airbnb, while Connor, Mom, and Dad went to the supermarket to get a few provisions. Then Nanas and Griffin stopped at a little grocery store and got some ice, and I sped home.
After everyone got back and had a little rest, we went out to eat, again. And you’ll never guess what we got… gyros, again. But I’m not complaining, I could eat these gyros for every meal and never get tired of them, they’re so delicious.
We went out and split up, Mom, Dad, and I went to the place we went on the first day, while everyone else went to the place we went for lunch yesterday. The Nanas each got a salad this time around, and Kayla decided to get some Chicken chow mein from a different restaurant. Everyone else got gyros. The reason Mom, Dad, and I went to the place we went the first day, is because, even though it’s a little more expensive, it tastes better, and the guy who makes the gyros recognizes us because we’re practically regulars at this point, and makes sure to completely stuff our gyros every time, and this time, I even got a special seasoning. We all took our dinners home and ate.
After dinner, there was a little planning done for tomorrow, and then Connor and Kayla retired to the hot tub, Griffin wrote yesterday's blog, Mom and the Nanas read their books, and Dad and I just chilled on the couches. Then everyone started trickling into bed as always.
-Gage
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