The Moment I Was Hooked

The Greek Islands. Sunrise. 25,000 feet up. Empty plane. Toffee cookies.

What could be better? I was so pumped to explore Santorini once we landed. To my surprise I was underwhelmed as soon as we got on land. Where are the cliffs? The white washed homes? The crystal clear water? All I could see was a hilly, beach town. It was pretty, but not what my eyes always dreamed of, not what I expected from the plane ride. Were we staying in the right spot? I became worried….we made it to our hotel too early to check into our room. “Check in is at 12:00pm”. It was only 7:00am…..Ok, time to explore.

Fira was just waking up….we were some of the only people walking around. From our hotel, we just started walking up. Straight up to a cobble stone street, white buildings with blue shutters everywhere. The smell of baking philo dough…gyro meat on it’s first turn on the rotisserie….baklava fresh out of the oven.

Then there were stairs. Lots of stairs. Were was this taking us? I had no expectations of where these stairs would end. As we got closer to the top, I looked up. I could see a restaurant at the top along a path. It had glass walls…must lead to something beautiful, right?

As I took my last step to the top I saw the water. Turn right, follow the ridge, quickly. Follow…As I turned a corner I got my first glimpse of the cliffs. Keep moving….keep looking…breathe. I followed the road to a convenient platform that gave way to a full panoramic view of the cliffs and caldera. Simply put: It took my breath away.

The soft blue, endless ocean in the dewy morning haze. The dark, volcanic cliffs, the white washed homes, built right into the ancient rock that supported it. Pops of bright colors strategically placed, inviting your eyes into an endless maze of windows, paths, and stairs. You could get lost in it forever.

I laid on the platform for a good 30 minutes, just soaking it up. I don’t want my eyes to ever forget this moment. The more I looked, the more I fell in love. Watching people emerge from their cliffside homes, saying hello to the day….reading the newspaper, drinking their coffee, eating breakfast, admiring the view. They knew they were the lucky ones.

And in that moment, I was the luckiest girl in the world. I knew this was it for me. The end of my life as I knew it….I would never be the same. I was hooked on travel.