20 hours of travel, 2 plane rides, and a long cab ride later (long, because there was an EU meeting about Greece’s debt crisis close to our hotel), we were at our hotel in Athens, Greece. Athens is a great city, but since we had been there before, we designated it as our “recovery stop”. As it turned out, this stop was much needed. After such a rough flight, Ryan got a cough, so we took it easy with gyros and greek salad as the bulk of our diet.

The plane to our next stop was tiny with only 9 rows of four seats. It was a little scary getting in the air, but the end destination was completely worth it. We landed in Milos, home to some of my favourite beaches. To get to some however, you must go on off-road paths in a jeep to secluded and quiet spots. Mostly shielded by sand bars and rocky outcrops, these small, sandy alcoves have smooth, calm, crystal clear waters, letting you watch fish swim under the water in between larger rocks. These inlets, so distant from any civilization, have waters ranging from light turquoise, to navy blue. In short, very beautiful.

We also went to another beach which was easier to access, but more open to the ocean. A light breeze gently came up off the water, and the sand was soft and plentiful, stretching from the beach 200 meters into the open ocean. This inviting shoreline has no rocks or coral, and the gentle waves and small tides makes it an ideal place to swim.

The hotel where we are staying has a fantastic view. While there are only a few patches of sand, there are many calm inlets shielded by small rocky islands mere steps from our room. The chairs that overlook the ocean boast wonderful sunsets in the evening, and mild but refreshing breezes throughout the day. Tomorrow we will be leaving this paradise in search of a new adventure, ferrying to the island of Folegandros.