Guest Blog by Oscar (with a little help from Chelsea)
As the sun let the moon clock off its night shift, we woke up on Folegandros Island and set off for Antiparos. First up we sailed over to the uninhabited island of Despotiko.
We weren’t the only GOATs on the island. Real goats were trotting all along the shoreline like they owned the place (which, to be fair, they probably do!).
Aunty Karen and Uncle Doug paddled ashore on the paddleboard to explore the Sanctuary of Apollo, one of the most important ancient sanctuaries in the Cyclades. It was built over 2,500 years ago and archaeologists are still uncovering more of the site today, which is pretty cool.
Meanwhile, Oscar and Chelsea jumped into the water. At first it was freezing cold, but when Aunty Karen swam over it somehow got warm. (Karen would like it officially noted that Oscar and Chelsea did not actually swim with her that day, so this scientific discovery remains unproven.)
Steve and family did not make it to the sanctuary. Instead, a certain television event had the family glued to the computer. NSW (the Blues) were taking on Queensland (the Maroons) in the State of Origin decider – Australia’s biggest annual rugby league rivalry and a best-of-three series where the winner takes all.
Last year Steve (aka Dad) watched Queensland win while sitting in the Cleopatra chair in KORA’s cockpit. This year that seat was officially banned for him because we weren’t risking another Queensland victory.
The series was tied 1-1, so everything came down to this game. There was cheering, booing, shouting at the screen, and definitely no time for everyone to visit Apollo. Maybe Apollo was sending some lucky vibes our way though, because NSW won 26–12!! KORA got very loud after that, and celebratory drinks were poured… well, for most people anyway. Oscar and Chelsea were apparently still recovering from the “warm water.”
Next we sailed by the famous Blue Lagoon, well known for it’s vibrant turquoise colours and crystal clear water that lets you peer down to the sandy floor. It’s insane that we got the opportunity to swim in this reknowned lagoon, but we only took a couple photos as it was too crowded to swim.
That evening we anchored in Psaraliki Bay on Antiparos and caught the dinghy ashore to explore the town.
Aunty Karen and Chelsea bought matching bracelets, which instantly made them feel super stylish. They were basically twins now. We were never, ever, ever going out of style!
We wandered through the little streets covered in bright pink bougainvillea, passed a church whose bells probably make a great tourist photo but a terrible alarm clock.
We did a little shopping. Mum (Catherine) bought a nice linen blouse and some other things. Uncle Doug stopped to buy a few gifts. Aunty Karen also asked whether one of the baskets in a shop came with everything inside it. (Sadly, the answer was no.)
There were cats everywhere. Oscar decided one of them sitting there on a chair looking all relaxed was Dad. It was a pretty good match, except the cat didn’t have a beer in one paw, the rugby league on TV, or Chelsea sitting beside him.
For dinner we found a lovely little restaurant in Antiparos Town. We enjoyed delicious lamb chops, grilled squid and lots of other Greek food. It wasn’t the sort of place you visit for the view – the restaurant was very nice, quaint and traditional, but not overlooking the water. Still, the food was so good that we accidentally forgot to take our usual group photo. Sorry!
We finished the night back on KORA watching TV late into the night – it is holiday time after all!
