Friday, July 22, 2011

Impulse

That night I reorganised my schedule for the following fortnight, an exercise which cost me €120 in abandoned bookings, and priced rooms in Oia. They averaged €220 a night. Ouch. This was going to be a hell of an expensive impulse. But, as I always reason, memories last a lifetime and the cost of things you forget.

I got lucky in the morning and found a villa with a private balcony and a luxury pool for €160. Rooms are often discounted when you turn up at the last minute.  The risk, of course, is being turned away if they have no vacancy, but I was surprised to find quite a bit of availability, albeit peicemeal, in the high season.

So I had an unusual two-day vacation from my holiday, doing something I don't normally do: lounging poolside in the shade of an umbrella beneath a palm tree, reading a book and drinking beer (which, okay, I do). If I was going to do it, this was the place. A few couples and families joined me by the pool (I'm certain I was the only single person in all the Oia villas).  Though we all spoke different languages there was a camaraderie of shared indulgence between us. When one couple laughed we all smiled, and there was a generous familiarity between us. I even got it, why people holiday like this.

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