CAIT AROUND THE WORLD

May 27, 2023 — A lesson in always checking Google Maps so you know where it is that you’re staying: I booked to stay at Caveland Hostel (which was beautiful and really nice, don’t get me wrong) but I thought it was in Oia, another city on the (southern?) tip of Santorini (you may know it as the famous sunset spot on the island). When I checked on Google Maps yesterday to prepare to move there, I found out that it was not in Oia. It was actually about a half hour walk from Fira, heading in the opposite direction from Oia, and when I looked again, I found out that it faced the same side of the island that I had been on for the past two nights.

Now, the hostel may not have been located where I thought it was, but it still had a very lovely location and was very quiet. It offered free breakfast every morning, which was delicious, and had a pool (not that it was really warm enough outside to make use of it). There was also a family dinner night offered that I participated in and I loved that (but more on it later).

I checked out of my hostel in Fira and walked to Karterados. Maybe not the most brilliant idea on my ankle, but it felt mostly okay and I did not want to figure out the bus system yet, especially since I wasn’t even sure at the time that there was a bus to Karterados or how to get it.

Once I’d dropped my stuff off, I went into Karterados (Caveland was located a little outside the main area) and got coffee and brunch, which consisted of one seriously delicious waffle.

I still wasn’t able to get into the hostel when I headed back, so I decided to get my swimsuit on and sit by the pool, even though it wasn’t the best weather for it. I finished my book while I lay out, though I couldn’t tell you now which book it was.

After I got into my hostel room, I showered and chilled out for the rest of the afternoon. One really nice thing about the dorm room I was in was that there were 4 beds on an upper lever and they were single beds — not bunk beds! So I had a bed entirely to myself. Luxury.

I called home as I was walking along the main road, trying to decide what to do for dinner (the one downside of not cooking your own food — trying to figure out which restaurant to go to and how much to spend). When I called home, I found out that my mom and dad were out running some errands and they’d met up with my cousins! It was the first time on my trip that I’d actually talked to them on the phone and it was so good to see them. I couldn’t believe how much they’d grown since I left! Not being at home to see family is definitely one of the hardest parts about this trip, as amazing as it is and has been. I have to say, I was really glad at this point that I was only about two weeks away from seeing my family in Ireland.

After I got off the phone, I finally decided on a restaurant in Karterados called Katerina’s Taverna. I ordered a half litre of wine to go with some saganaki as an appetizer. Saganaki is fried cheese and it’s amazing. (I’m also a huge fried cheese fan and I actually hadn’t had this yet, even though it’s a very popular dish in Greece.) Then my main dish came. Oh, wow. I knew when I tried it that I’d be dreaming about that main for the rest of my life. It was pork tender fillets in feta cheese sauce, served with basmati rice and small chopped vegetables. And it was amazing. My text history with my family over this mean is actually hysterical, because I was absolutely raving. I can’t recommend this place or this meal enough if you’re in or near Karterados.

After dinner, I walked back to the hostel under a beautiful sunset sky, got ready for bed, and went to sleep.

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