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Greece was a much needed vacation for all of us. Paul had a day off in August and so we took a long weekend trip to Kos. It’s a very small Greek island near the coast of Turkey. (See right hand side for facts). We stayed at an all-inclusive Grecotel and our biggest decisions were along the following lines: To go to the pool or the beach? To have a beer or a cocktail? To eat icecream or crepes as an afternoon snack? To eat feta cheese at every meal? To play in the sand or jump in the waves? It was fantastic!
The kids met a lovely little girl named Emma who is American/French and living in Switzerland. The three of them spent hours going down the two water slides at the pool while Paul and I relaxed on the lounge chairs. The weather was hot, sunny, and a bit windy (we later learned Kos is a windy beach, perfect for kite boarding).
One day we rented a car and drove into the town after breakfast. We explored some of the Greek ruins, saw the port where the cruise ships dock, ate an apple near Hippocrates’ famous tree, and had the most amazing gyro sandwich for lunch.
Then we got back into the car and drove further along the coast to a thermal beach. The water is made hotter due to volcanic rocks, and it was incredible the temperature difference. Nicholas wasn’t thrilled with the sulfur smell, so we didn’t stay long. Lindsey had a massive meltdown walking back up the huge incline to the rental car. We were all ready for a popsicle when we got to the top.
We were told that sunset in this little town called Zia was higher in elevation and therefore a must so we got back in the car and went for a very adventurous drive. The rental car did not have GPS, and we had been using Paul’s iPhone and Google maps. It worked very well for the town and the thermal baths so we were pretty confident it would be fine for visiting Zia. Knowing that Lindsey tends to get car sick on steep, winding roads, we opted for a more direct route. When the paved road turned into a gravel path we should have gotten our first clue. Instead we proceeded along as we could tell we were making progress towards our final destination. When the gravel path turned into a dirt path much like what bikers would take through a forest, we should have turned around. But a quick look at the map and we were over halfway there. We proceeded at a very slow pace and held our breaths. The kids both fell asleep in their efforts to keep their eyes closed and not look out the window. My knuckles were white gripping onto the passenger door and Paul did not say a word, his brow was narrowed in concentration. We bumped along over rocks and tree roots for the longest 15 minutes of our lives and eventually came to a sign that pointed us to the town. Of course! We were quickly routed onto paved roads again and proceed up the mountain. At the top was a sign for a National Forest that we were pretty sure we had just illegally driven through! Luckily we had made it safely, and the only damage to the car was the copious amounts of sand/dirt that had accumulated on it! You can imagine on the way home we followed the proper route and managed to make it there in record time! It’s always an adventure when traveling with the Morrison family!
