Skopelos - the most beautiful island in Europe

August 30 - September 2

Kalimera boys and girls...

And welcome to another edition of

'vivi explores the world'...

This time from one of the most beautiful places in Europe, as the title promises.

I am in Greece, as you know.

On my favorite island. (as you also know)

Yes, I know, it's already the 5th time I believe.

(or the 6th?) 🤔

But it will definitely not be the last time.

You know that now. :)

After a relatively quick flight (Höhö - pun intended!?) we arrived in the land of tzatziki in less than 3 hours... more precisely, we landed in Thessaloniki... Since I already had the pleasure of arriving here, I knew exactly where and how to proceed.... Nevertheless, we asked for information again... After that, we quickly got on the airport bus and went to the terminal where we continued to Volos... Volos is a port city, about 250 kilometers away from there, which I still remember very well, as my broken arm was treated there after the scooter accident 2 years ago... You know how that ended back then... 😉

Anyway, when we arrived there, we had to wait for about 2 hours until the ferry arrived... Luckily, there were taverns everywhere... And so we had our first souvlaki of the year there... Mmmhhh... Delicious! 😋

Well... Then the ferry came... And with it the beginning of all EVIL (in the absolute truest sense)...

I have traveled on the high-speed ferry many times... Countless times... You can reach paradise in 4 hours... And I was really looking forward to what was to come... Well... At least for a short time...

It was windy that day... (that's not new either)... The sea was relatively rough... The boat was rocking a little more than usual... I quickly realized that it bothered me more this time... So, I fixed my eyes on the moon, which could already be seen in the blue sky... I read somewhere that it should help... Well... About halfway through the journey, it was already behind us... And with it, all the fair-weather clouds that could be seen that day disappeared... So, I couldn't focus my gaze on anything on the horizon anymore, because there was simply nothing left... Dedüm! ... I was at a loss... My stomach started to develop a life of its own... It grumbled... The waves became bigger... My urge to vomit increased as well... I tried to move as little as possible... Tried to focus my gaze on something immovable in the cabin... The choice fell on the EXIT sign above a door opposite me... The wild ride continued...

Approximately 1 hour before we arrived, the ferry got even faster, the water even more turbulent... we took off... I mean, really... We landed abruptly... In a slanted position... My stomach finally turned... And it happened multiple times... Barf bags were handed out... About 5 people in the immediate vicinity used them... But I remained steadfast and forbade my inner stomach from aggressively finding its way out... But guys... It was a tough fight... Man, I felt so sick!!! Jule said I had no color left in my face... I focused solely on 2 things... On the exit sign and on the mantra in my head: DO NOT VOMIT!

VIVI-YOU WILL NOT VOMIT NOW!...

Rarely was something so difficult for me... Because the man behind us started spraying deodorant or perfume around him, which made everything even worse... I felt hot and cold... Transpiration level 9000... Circulation completely destroyed... Time didn't pass at all... Have you ever been seasick?

Then you know what I mean...

You haven't experienced it yet?

Then be glad and pray that you never will... :)

When we arrived, it wasn't over yet... No... It was only trembling that allowed me to walk on my own to the exit and I had to sit down first... Right in the middle of the asphalt... in the wind and in all the exhaust fumes right next to the boat... Screw it... Main thing is to have solid ground under my feet again... God, I felt sick... Still... Jule noticed another greenish tinge around my nose in addition to the unhealthy pale tone in my face... I looked exactly how I felt... And that lasted for a while...

Since we hadn't booked anything in advance (you know me), we had no choice but to sit there, wait for the worst to pass, and at the same time check out the accommodations...

In the end, we ended up directly across from the port in a small room that had everything we needed for the first night... I recovered from the past, Jule organized something to eat, and in the meantime I booked our fantastic accommodation for the remaining days online... which we have had since August 31...

And I'm telling you - it's awesome!

When you enter our room's terrace, your gaze falls on the turquoise sea right below us... The apartment is slightly elevated (fortunately we have a scooter) and therefore we have a phenomenal view over the Aegean Sea.

When you lie in bed, you can not only hear the sea, but also see it.

Indescribably beautiful.

Our (previously mentioned) scooter is unfortunately a bit weak for all the hills and switchbacks here, but we are bound by EU regulations and therefore I am not allowed to drive more than 50cc anymore (unlike in Asia)... Jule had to get off twice in the middle of the steepest slope because the scooter wasn't able to get us even 1 millimeter forward anymore... So, she walks, and I ride the mountain alone... (better than the other way around - hehe)... Well... One more reason for me to finally get a proper motorcycle license... 😎

Other than that... Yeah... We've already seen and experienced quite a lot here in the past 3 days... I have a favorite beach.

It's called MILIA.

It's simply unbelievable.

I'll show you a few pictures, then you'll understand what I mean even without words...

Whenever I think of Skopelos, MILIA is the first thing that comes to mind.

The sea.

Green all around us.

Pine forests as far as the eye can see.

And that's how it smells here too.

You notice it the most when you're riding the scooter around the island.

When you pass by olive and lemon trees, goat herds, walnut and plum trees, rock formations jutting out into the sea... Then, when the wind blows through your hair and you feel absolutely free... That's when you smell the pines very strongly.

And I love that.

Yesterday, we left early... To the other side of the island... To Glossa... There is a relatively famous rock that even played the lead role in a Hollywood musical.

Do any of you know Mamma Mia?

The movie? With Meryl Streep?...

Regardless of how the answer turns out... This film was shot on Skopelos... And the key scene was filmed on the aforementioned rock...

At the top of a rocky plateau, there is a small chapel... 105 steps (carved into the rock) lead up... Some parts are really steep... And I, as an old fear of heights, of course had to go up... Sometimes I don't even understand myself... :D

But the view from above makes up for a lot... 💙

When we drove back to the accommodation in the evening, about 2 houses away, our gaze fell on set up equipment, a small fluffy barking dog, and an old man waving to us...

So, we stopped and looked at the completely out of place equipment... Aaaah... A telescope and all that stuff... Although the old man hardly spoke English, he invited us with hands and feet to take a look at the universe. 🔭

The moon, yes, it was the moon, the telescope was focused on, was so close... You could see everything... Every crater... Elevations... You could even see the famous man in the moon walking there... 😁

He said we should come back later, he wanted to show us something...

Said and done.

An hour later, we were back on the spot.

Meanwhile, it had gotten dark... Another telescope was set up.

We looked through it... And phew.. It was exciting.

There was really SATURN!!!

Mega radiant with a clearly visible ring around the planet.

Just as you know it from pictures.

Hey. It was such a nice experience for both of us.

I was really amazed and couldn't get enough of looking at it.

The evening was only topped by the shooting star that crossed our path on the way back...

So right now, I can't think of a single reason to ever leave here...

With these words, I conclude the first blog entry...

OVER AND OUT, your cosmonaut.