Day 21: Cave, Monasteries, Pottery and Beach!
Thursday, August 14th
Today’s travel blog is brought you by Brody in Ms. Hrvatin’s English class.
I woke up to Brennan’s excruciatingly loud alarm at 9:30 a.m. It was the kind of alarm that makes you want to clock a person in the face. But, of course, I didn’t. I rolled out of bed, half asleep, and began making my way down all five sets of stairs. Even though I was extremely tired, I jumped down each step. Eventually, I reached the lobby and signed my name on the sheet so the teachers knew I was alive and functional. The only thing on my mind was schoolwork. Even though I was in Greece, with beaches surrounding me, my essay had to be done. I ran back upstairs, all the way up to room 509, and opened up my laptop. As I typed away, my friends sent me messages about them at the beach without me. While my friends enjoyed brunch alongside the beach, I persisted with my essay. Part of me wanted to be with them, but part of me knew I’d regret it when the deadline came around and I hadn’t done the work. One thing I’ve learned on this program is that you have to check your priorities, and sometimes school work needs to get done. I went out onto the balcony, where the city view was incredible, and I knew that I would be thinking about this months down the line, when I was back in Calgary writing in -30 degree Celsius weather.
In the meantime, my friends, Aiden, Callum, Thomas, and Simon, were enjoying themselves at the beach. They went tubing all day. When they told me about it, they said it was enjoyable; it was a real adrenaline rush. Today also happened to be Harper’s 16th birthday. I asked her what she had done, and she talked about how she went parasailing and tubing as well. Having this day to take advantage of all this entertainment was made possible by the fact that the ferry from Tinos to Crete was cancelled, and we were graciously given a makeup “weekend” on a Thursday. After locking in all day, I finally finished my essay in the early afternoon. My friends and I decided to go to the grocery store down the road, where I purchased a colossal six-pack of water. My arms were screaming by the time we returned to the room, but I knew I would be thanking myself later when I had the water later that day.
Soon after, we decided to head out again, determined to find Crete’s most fake polo shirt. We walked along the beachfront until we found a shop. Inside, my eyes fell upon a Polo so fake, it basically screamed at me. The stitching was so off, the logo was at a horrible angle, the colours were a little too bright, and even the horse looked wrong; I knew instantly I had to buy it. Sometimes the best souvenirs aren’t the prettiest ones, but the ones that bring you the most laughs. By that point, our stomachs were growling, so we figured it was time for gyros. After looking around a little bit, we ended up at the Day Night Restaurant. The man outside assured me that they had the best chicken gyro in Crete, and for five euros, it was worth a try. Turns out he wasn’t lying, the gyros were incredible, stuffed with tender chicken, fries, and tzatziki that made our mouths water. We devoured them. Will and I even split the biggest ice cream in all of Crete, topped high with strawberries, the kind of dessert that looks too good to eat but tastes even better once you’ve taken a bite.
Our stomachs full, we started the long journey back up the hill to the Olympic Palladium Hotel. The walk was long, but we arrived at the room and finally opened one of those crisp, cold waters I had planned for. For the first time all day, I was properly refreshed. At 7:15 p.m., the hotel buffet had started. The buffet was okay, but Simon was taunting us with the 28 pieces of sushi he brought to the table instead. I couldn’t help myself and took some, even though I was already full from the gyro. Following dinner, a group of us headed down to the beach again. The evening air was cool, and the streets buzzed with music. We window-shopped, and I finally selected a few souvenirs for my mom and sisters. By the time we got back to the hotel. I fell into bed, ready for the best sleep I’d had during the entire program.
Tomorrow, we have one last day to enjoy the beach before we board an overnight ferry to Athens!
