Santorini… time out!
The first few days were spent at Perissa, a quiet suburb by the beach where we could recover from the extreme lifestyle enjoyed in Ios. It was the perfect mix of black sand, sleep and the opportunity to get stuck into my novel (somewhat fittingly called “The Perfectionist”). But more importantly, we held the inaugural Santorini Classic No Limit Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament. Nine players, €10 buy in and everything to play for, including the ultimate prize of peer respect. Despite being the most conservative bidder in the game, I managed to accumulate a tidy little chip total and was leading the game until struck down by two devastating hands against Ricky which saw my stack slashed by two thirds. Needless to say, a victory was not to be and I had to be content with third place and my money back. The epic game lasted more than 5 hours, with Ricky finally taking out the highest honours. As an aside, I’m quite sure I took the most people out of the game, which I will claim as a consolation prize.
We took a packaged tour (cringe!) around the island which included a boat trip to the volcano, swimming in sewerage (they called it hot springs) and a divine sunset at Oia. We also hired a hot little Fiat Punto cabriolet to hoon around the island and see some of the other sights, mainly beaches. There was a Red Beach, a Black Beach and surprise surprise, a White Beach.
As with all good tourists, we partook in the classic Santorini pastime of paintballing. The scene was set: Mario vs Luigi (we were given white t-shirts and red or green overalls) in a game of capture the flag. After a number of tense rounds, tempers flaring, a bit of friendly fire and some shots fired at the referees, the Marios came out on top. The shocking realization that I can take away from the experience is that I am extremely trigger happy. 11 clips of 100 bullets at €6 per clip. You do the math.
After a few days at the beach we decided it was time to trade in the sand and surf for something a little more cosmopolitan. We managed to find a magnificent hotel in town (Fira) for only €8 more per night. The hotel was right on the cliff face and the view was indescribable (see picture!). Not only that, but it was serenely quiet. It was simply breathtaking – sitting on our balcony, watching the sunset with beer in hand. It will definitely be tough to top that.
Following a good detox period of three or so days, we set out to explore the night life in Santorini and capture a few more flags. The clubs were generally quite massive, with the right mix of open air sections, stunning views and expensive drinks. A particular highlight was when a certain member of the touring party attempted to hook into a lovely lady until he was warned off by two flamers because “she” was, in fact, a transsexual. Nice.
Needless to say, Santorini will go down as one of the greats. But, as with gravity, what goes up must come down, and we were about to experience one of the all-time lows – Samos.
The first few days were spent at Perissa, a quiet suburb by the beach where we could recover from the extreme lifestyle enjoyed in Ios. It was the perfect mix of black sand, sleep and the opportunity to get stuck into my novel (somewhat fittingly called “The Perfectionist”). But more importantly, we held the inaugural Santorini Classic No Limit Texas Hold ’em Poker Tournament. Nine players, €10 buy in and everything to play for, including the ultimate prize of peer respect. Despite being the most conservative bidder in the game, I managed to accumulate a tidy little chip total and was leading the game until struck down by two devastating hands against Ricky which saw my stack slashed by two thirds. Needless to say, a victory was not to be and I had to be content with third place and my money back. The epic game lasted more than 5 hours, with Ricky finally taking out the highest honours. As an aside, I’m quite sure I took the most people out of the game, which I will claim as a consolation prize.
We took a packaged tour (cringe!) around the island which included a boat trip to the volcano, swimming in sewerage (they called it hot springs) and a divine sunset at Oia. We also hired a hot little Fiat Punto cabriolet to hoon around the island and see some of the other sights, mainly beaches. There was a Red Beach, a Black Beach and surprise surprise, a White Beach.
As with all good tourists, we partook in the classic Santorini pastime of paintballing. The scene was set: Mario vs Luigi (we were given white t-shirts and red or green overalls) in a game of capture the flag. After a number of tense rounds, tempers flaring, a bit of friendly fire and some shots fired at the referees, the Marios came out on top. The shocking realization that I can take away from the experience is that I am extremely trigger happy. 11 clips of 100 bullets at €6 per clip. You do the math.
After a few days at the beach we decided it was time to trade in the sand and surf for something a little more cosmopolitan. We managed to find a magnificent hotel in town (Fira) for only €8 more per night. The hotel was right on the cliff face and the view was indescribable (see picture!). Not only that, but it was serenely quiet. It was simply breathtaking – sitting on our balcony, watching the sunset with beer in hand. It will definitely be tough to top that.
Following a good detox period of three or so days, we set out to explore the night life in Santorini and capture a few more flags. The clubs were generally quite massive, with the right mix of open air sections, stunning views and expensive drinks. A particular highlight was when a certain member of the touring party attempted to hook into a lovely lady until he was warned off by two flamers because “she” was, in fact, a transsexual. Nice.
Needless to say, Santorini will go down as one of the greats. But, as with gravity, what goes up must come down, and we were about to experience one of the all-time lows – Samos.
posted by Aaron McGovern at 8:47 PM
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