10: Do What You Want! Take It All Off…- Diary of a Single Girl – Greece

By: Maria Argyropoulos

10: “Do What You Want! Take It All Off…”

Not quite what you were expecting, is it?

…was the woman’s response when Emily asked if we could go topless on the beach.. Now, if this was the movies we would have all flung our tops into the ocean at that moment – but don’t get your fantasies going guys, as that’s not what happened.

In fact, my friends turned out to be rather shy – understandably so since back in the States such a thing is so shocking. For me the question was, especially after my German spa experience, if I had the nerve for a full Monty. But practicality won out, as parts of me have never seen the sun – and the thought of sunburn was just too much risk for me. ï¿½

“Do what you want” along with “why not?” (both said with Greek accents) became the themes of our two-week holiday in the Greek isles. Have a drink with breakfast? “Do what you want!” Dance on the bar? “Why not?” After all, it’s freedom!

I’d been looking forward to this part of my trip as it had been two months since I’d seen my kapelas (friends), and Greece is always more fun with a pareha (party). There were five of us: me; Emily, my volleyball friend; Mara, a friend through Em; Monica, my dance partner and sister of the heart; and Nevenka, friend of Em’s. Our agenda was sun, sand, sea, dancing, dining and (for some) flirting. We got overdoses of all of it.

Our first stop was Santorini, where we stayed at the brand-new and very pretty Pension George – “Only 10 minutes walk from town,” according to George himself. I’d warned the group about “Greek time” – everything is always 10 minutes away. I clocked the walk into town at 23 minutes.

Santorini’s (”Thira” to Greeks) main town is Thira or Fira, depending on which street sign you’re looking at. The island is actually one of the remnants of the rim of a now-undersea volcano, and the town is perched on the very top of the crater. It’s very picturesque with the typical whitewashed buildings, but unlike the rest of Greece that features bright blue, red and green doors and shutters, Santorini has opted for pastels in violet, pink, light blue, etc. These colors not only cover the doors and shutters but outline the form of the homes themselves. Some of you may remember Santorini from American Express commercials of a decade ago. Santorini is most famous for its black and red beaches made of volcanic pebbles and red clay. Walking barefoot on the black beach is comparable to walking on a freshly poured tar roadway on the hottest summer day.

We rented a car and explored the beaches and archeological dig, and I introduced the girls to a variety of fattening Greek food. The high season had not yet started so the island craziness was at a minimum, but we soon learned that dancing on furniture earns free shots. Dancing on benches, tables and bars is encouraged on the islands as the Greeks always love a party and besides, as one bouncer put it, “it brings the guys in.”

From Santorini we moved onto Ios, not so much for the scene as the scenery. A pension I had found years ago was worth the trip. The Kolatsani View used to be a couple of buildings outside of town at the top of a mountain with a spectacular view of the Aegean. Business had been good for Michael and Elizabeth as the place had doubled in size and now sported a gorgeous built-in pool hanging precariously over the cliff – all for 4000 drachmas per person per night – that’s about US$10.

I still had their original business card offering “Rooms for Rend” (yes, rend), much different from their current four-color card with perfect English. The Greeks have entered the 21st century. Of course, they didn’t remember me… Until I told them the story of 5 Swedish guys staying in the same room with three girls. The dawn of realization came over Elizabeth’s face, and I wasn’t sure if I was going to get booted in a moment.

“Aahh! I remember! Eight peoples in a room, I couldn’t believe it! Never so many people! Never again!” At least she said it with a smile.

Lonely Planet claims an “older crowd” hangs in the port area, but I think this older crowd doesn’t read LP as there was no one there, and unfortunately the town was overrun by drunken 17-year-olds (think spring break with no cops). Highly amusing to watch, and to remember that I’d been one of those drunks last time I was here.

Emily and I did manage to find the one person older than us on this island – he owned a bar in town… no wait, his cousin owned the bar… no, no, it was his uncle – he didn’t seem able to keep track of his story. He gave us free shots in an attempt to keep us there, as we kept trying to escape, but when he tried to nibble my fingers it was definitely time to go. Emily and I compared notes on his pick-up lines and discovered he’d used the exact material on both of us. Later, we found out his real role on Ios when we saw him trying to hawk rooms at the port.

Em was able to extend her holiday, so we caught up with Monica who’d gone onto Mykonos in search of her own adventures. We arrived to find her the queen of Mykonos. Everywhere we went her fans were begging her to get on the stage/bar/table to dance. She was quite the superstar, and I’m sure the best dancer these clubs had ever seen. She was so jacked up by the experience I swear she was grinning in her sleep.

Mykonos is the true adult playground of Greece with its romantic sunsets, singles scene and countless bars and shops. It’s THE spot Europeans and travelers worldwide come to in Greece. While still three weeks from season, the beach and town was pretty busy. The usual routine is to sun and swim at Paradise Beach – a typical Greek enhancement as it’s certainly not a paradise but a pebbly little beach. The main attraction here is the two bars that serve all day and start rockin’ at 6pm when they pump up the music and their paid dancers hop on the tables and bar to get the crowds rolling. Soon the free shots come out for anyone willing to join them.

Then it’s a quick nap around 8, then into town around 11 for dinner and onto the clubs to dance until morning. If it’s the weekend, you can head back to Paradise Beach to Cavo Paradiso, a third bar at the beach that opens at 4 am… And then you do it all over again tomorrow.

Toward the end of our stay we met six Italian guys who “bought” a table at Space, the newest “in” club. They invited us to join them, which saved us the 3000 drachma cover – an outrageous US$7. We danced the morning away and were filmed by a news station. We have no idea where it may, if ever, play, but I know a couple of people who’ll be glad if it never airs. We returned to Athens tanned and tired, but with great memories of our “girls’ week out.”