A true path follows no plan…

It’s spitting, as my favourite comedian says. It’s raining. It’s wet. It’s grey outside and I’m not even in England! It’s a bit miserable outside as I write this, sat in the busy square behind the Caldera view strip, but it’s still warmish. I’ve had breakie at the rather lovely (slightly posh by some accommodation standards I’ve seen) Loizos Residence and have been faffing on with my photos taken on the trip, ready to play around with the blog. I still haven’t got round to catching up with anymore homework since Sunday, but I know I’ll get there.

When I went on my first wander on Thursday it didn’t start well. I walked about 50m from the hotel and was greeted with the fantastic Caldera view. I’ve got a really good rate for the area at this hotel, managed to wangle BB too, and it’s a lot cheaper in general as it isn’t facing the ocean or volcano which is the famous Caldera view. I went inside a courtyard of some studios and I was taking a couple steps backwards taking a photo of the view I somehow managed to trip over a table umbrella stand, which was randomly sat there, nowhere near a table or an umbrella! I kind of stubmbled backwards, got my leg caught and I fell, putting my left hand out to stop me, hurting my recovering broken wrist and hitting my camera on the floor when my right hand made contact with it. I could have cried. I stood up and could feel my wrist aching and the back of my right knee (nice bruise I have now) and didn’t even want to look at my camera. Then I did that thing you do when you’ve just gone arse over tit….I checked to see if anyone had seen ha ha!! I think I got away without any witnesses. I pulled myself together and the angels must have been looking after me as my wrist is intact as well as my camera, thank goodness!

So I had a good explore around Fira, walking up and down the lanes and hills. I had lunch right on the front of the cliff top, a salad and 2 glasses of wine, and paid the equivalent of two meals and a bottle everywhere else not on the strip! But it was worth it. I’m finally here, have always wanted to visit and I’m doing it!

I ended up at the other end of the cliff ready for sunset, but as the weather had been so crap there wasn’t one!! And it was really windy! I ended up wandering back to the hotel, after buying some gifty things, and had an early one as I was knackered after the late travel from the night before.

Yesterday wasn’t as bad, although it was still raining on and off, so I did some more photos, caught up with homework notes then ventured out for food in the afternoon. I had a cheaper time of it as I came down to the square, where I’m sat now. €3 Gyros for lunch, yummo! I think I’m becoming addicted to the best Greek snack ever! I actually went back to the hotel to get changed as it was so cold. I put my hoody and Uggs on believe it or not (yes I packed them as I knew it would be cold weather in October / November and I thought I’d still be here!) I went back out for the sunset and had another treat – a seat at the cliff top bar and ordered a hot Mulled Wine Cocktail, €11!!!!!!!!!!!! It was lovely. The view was great, although me and the other customers were sat all rugged up and almost getting blown away with the wind. The sunset wasn’t great, it’s been really cloudy and wet, but it was nice to be there for it. I’m hoping I’ll get a proper one before I leave.

I then went down to the Irish Bar in hope of some people who wanted to be friendly and social! There are so many miserable, rude travellers around. And way too many loved up romantics for my single girl status liking ha ha! Nah, it’s nice to see people happy. The bar was dead! The Manchester guy behind the bar was ok craic and had a few funny tricks and jokes he shared with me and an English couple, then he closed at 9pm. I followed his recommendation and found the Tropical Bar, and I was so happy I did People! Friendly, fun people! And a hilarious barmaid called Jeanie, who reminded us all of Roseanne off the telly series years ago. It was good craic, and cheap drinks for happy hour until 11pm. I was a happy, drunk girl! Think I left about 1am and as I hadn’t eaten since my cheap lunch 12 hours earlier, yep, you guessed it, I got another €3 Gyros on the way home!!!