Much like Alice followed the white rabbit down the rabbit hole, following Jenna into Gatwick airport is a game with few clues and no instructions…
Despite having known each other our entire lives, some-how we had never quite managed to tie up a holiday together (neither of us are very organised). So, in a very spur of the moment decision we decided to book a flight and rectify that. Having a lust for Greece and hearts set on an island adventure, we set off, mid-way between our birthdays, for Zakynthos Island in search of sun, tzatziki and more tzatziki…
Exclaimer: Boyfriends and family members were in a state of mutual concern as neither one of us was exactly the ‘mother goose’ type – but we made it back without a scratch and with both our passports, so congrats to us.
(That doesn’t mean that in one short week we didn’t nearly manage to get stranded penniless on the wrong side of the island, hitch hike our way to the tallest point and hijack a boat, of course.)
The Memory Highlight Reel
Zakynthos Island is a small Greek island that is most iconic for its Shipwreck Cove (that’s pinned onto every corner of the internet). Of course, we were always heading there, stopping off to swim with the turtles and bask in the calm, crystal waters…
We were based in a small, never-heard-of town called Keri (a universe away from Laganas, despite it being a short taxi ride away) and it really couldn’t have been more authentically Greece. Every morning we had the same elderly couple sat outside their house in the beating sun, smiling and speaking to (at) us as we walked past each day (we literally had no idea what they were saying but stand optimistic it was pleasant…)
Boat Takeovers and Crystals Waters
Everyone in the village was unbelievably friendly, and we were offered lifts around the island to save us money on the nearby tourist taxi services and we were even able to spend the day exploring the nearby island of Marathonisi (an absolute must) on a private boat for a fraction of the usual price (we felt like real bad bitches that day). It felt as if we were a part of the family for the short week we were there and it was very much the Mamma Mia fantasy we were both dreaming of.
From swimming in luminous blue waters as we watched the water dance off the white caves walls overhead to pulling up at a floating bar for a quick ice-cream top-up and even (badly) steering the boat back to land (or in the occasional circle). Truly one of the best days of my life.
Hitch-Hiking and Sunsets
We had heard that the best spot to soak up the sunset was at the very top of a very tall and windy cliff side and having literally been denied a moped (the owner very wisely decided we shouldn’t rent a scooter – we did consider briefly a tandem but in the end, we (read: Jenna) decided walking (read: hitchhiking) was the best idea for our collective travels…
Having optimistically started the low-key hike, it was beginning to dawn on us that we might just miss the sunset (we’re not hikers) and instead be left on the hillside, in the dark, with the goats. Before I breathed my usual “Jenna, no,” the girl already had her thumb out and was getting into a car with some equally rushing German girls – we made it.
Homemade Greek Cuisine in Lost Villages
We made two attempts to watch the sunset… During the first trip, the clouds were so thick the sun looked like the moon caught behind fog, which was beautiful in a strange, unexpected way. On our second attempt, we jumped out early to explore to village we were driving though, at risk of missing the sunset, after being drawn by the colourful, rusty buildings and the rainbow tapestries hanging from the walls. I hadn’t seen this on Pinterest, was this place even real?
We headed straight back for dinner after the sunset, to feed our tummies with home-made moussaka and freshly squeezed orange juice – all made out of the kitchen of a local women singing as she carried our oranges to her home. We were maybe one of three other guests there, sat out on the cobbled streets watching the other families enjoying food and drink around us. Sometimes the best moments are the complete accidents, and often the ones involving food…
