Tuesday June 27, 2006 – Unspoken Tranquility Rule

Due to a 6AM flight to Santorini, we were at our hotel by 7:30 - way too early for check in. Even though the early departure was a little painful, we were very happy to have three full days in Santorini to unwind from my very hectic and stressful “man of leisure” lifestyle. The “intimate and informal” Perivolas made for a very memorable 5 year anniversary. It is a small hotel (15 rooms) consisting of restored 300 year old caves that were once the homes, stables, and wineries of indigenous fisherman and farmers. Not only was our whitewashed cave unique, but the hotel is perched on a hillside with a commanding view of Santorini’s caldera. When we first arrived and throughout our stay, we were mesmerized watching toy sized giant cruise ships and ferries puttering across it.

We so enjoyed the tranquility and sheer beauty of the place and that we almost embarrassingly only left the hotel for dinner and to stroll around Oia (the “town center” is only about a 15 minute walk away) a few times. We quite happily enjoyed breakfast, lounged reading in the shade of an umbrella, went to the sauna, to the infinity pool…and repeated the process over and over again; occasionally spicing the routine up with a Jacuzzi stopover and frosty beverage from the bar. The pool literally clung to the hillside so that we often hooked our arms on the side of it and just stared down across the caldera.

During the first two days you could tell that all the guests there really were respecting the amazing views and rustic beauty of the hotel. Each couple would quietly talk to themselves without altering the mesmerizing peacefulness that is Perivolas. None of the rooms have modern conveniences, so you never hear a noise anywhere on the property besides people softly talking and soft music coming from the hotel bar (if you are sitting near it). Unfortunately on the last day, two New York newlywed couples arrived and broke the unspoken tranquility rule, and interrupted the two full days of peacefulness with a constant unending stream of loud chattering by the pool.

We lovingly nicknamed the two new respective brides Long Island and Vera Wang. Long Island, was of course from Long Island, and had an accent to match her irritating personality. Vera Wang earned her nickname after asking Long Island, what kind of wedding dress she had. Long Island’s lengthy response of her dress length, cut, style…and inquiry of her verbal sparring partner’s dress type was met with a curt response solely of “Vera Wang.” Throughout the course of the day we learned of their jobs, apartments, wedding party size, husband’s professions… all shared not out of an interest of building a relationship but to win the metaphorical pissing contest. Although we were unintentionally always in earshot, we quickly found humor in Long Island’s “fear of catamarans” and “getting shooshed” at a previous hotel pool, Vera Wang’s feverish (aren’t you on vacation?) hourly workout routine and bird like eating habits, and their shared Barbie lifestyle. To top off the oratory nuisance, late in the day a bickering late fifty something Brooklyn couple and vacationing family with three kids in tow arrived poolside.

Regardless of the new additions on our last day, the trip was wonderful; especially having the opportunity to contrast Greece with Cyprus. As much as Cyprus attempts to identify itself with Greece, its proximity to the Middle East and centuries of Turkish rule has influenced their culture. During our quick little taste of Athens and Santorini we were delighted to be able to stroll along monuments accompanied by a cosmopolitan air, be mesmerized by whitewashed buildings and the brilliant Aegean Sea, experience “saffron encrusted” quality cuisine, etc...all attributes we had been expecting to find in Cyprus.