Six friends scattered around the globe get together in the Greek island of Milos. What some would presume to be an uneventful night, turned out to be a momentous one full of surprises.
Who would have ever thought that the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” is actually true? Well, there are six girls who are scattered around the world and come together, live stories that sometimes seems unreal.
Well, maybe my friends and I aren’t protagonists in just one movie, but two. In fact, we undoubtedly have enough stories to make more than two movies. I do not mean those “back in the days” or “when I was [insert an age], we did this.” They are more like “I cannot believe we actually did that!” followed by a, “What were we thinking? Let’s do that again!”
Six friends. Yasmina, Ariadne, May, Ellie and Stela and yours truly. Six friends scattered around the globe: London, Brighton and Newcastle in England; Copenhagen in Denmark; and Michigan in the United States. We did not share a single pair of jeans though -- they are all much taller than me.
I always end the following story with “It was incredibly fun, I probably wouldn’t do it again, but it for sure makes a great story.”
It was summer of 2018, in the Greek island of Milos. We decided not to book our hotel for the last night, stay up all night and catch a ferry back to Athens in the morning.
11:30p.m. We began our adventure with a cold coffee to keep us up for the next 10 hours. We saw George, who worked in the boat we were in. Along with George were his eight friends, also from Milos. We soon learned each other’s names and everything else you learn about a person as you meet them.
1a.m. We took our conversation to the beach and bean bags. Time flew by. We were soon talking about our different lives. They were surprisingly inquisitive people, asking about our plans to move for college and how that felt.
3 a.m. Talking is fun, but building a bonfire is fun-ner. We walked by the shore of the beach and settled on an ample location. We gathered sticks and plants. Soon we had a decently sized bonfire and set some logs around it to sit on. Besides being bitten by thousands of not-so friendly mosquitoes, it was an exhilarating experience
5 a.m. They mentioned a lighthouse. We put out the fire and lighthouse it was. It was quite the unexpected hike, especially with sandals on. Again, unprepared and definitely untroubled. Rising to the top of the mountain, the sun rose with us. The outline of the mountain range far from us demarcated the color gradient: Orange, pink, violet and blue. As we reached the lighthouse, we finally looked back and whispered to ourselves a “wow.”
6 a.m. We could not stop admiring the scenery. As we walked back down to the beach, they led us to a tiny cave that really is nothing but a two sided rift. Again, unprepared and unworried to the point that, mentally, our sandals had become gladiator shoes that endured all the crazy adventures we pursued.
7 a.m. By the time we reached the city port, one by one, the family-owned shops began opening. I believe we walked the whole port three or four times, talking and laughing. It is incredible how each time we passed, we saw something new. It is like re-reading a book. You interpret it differently each time. Soon our friends headed home and the traveling-pant girls were on their own.
8 a.m. The bench looked appealing. Exhaustion led us to fall in love with the bench enough to lay ourselves and “rest our eyes”. The bad part is that we had already seen multiple ferries come and go, but ours. The funny part is that by that time, people were beginning their day. They looked at us and giggled innocently. I hope we sparked their inner youthful memories back. This is when I look back and say, “I would not do it again, but boy did we have fun.”
10 a.m. Never have I felt as thrilled to be on a ferry as I did that day. It is astounding how simple things can be blissful. We finally landed in Pireas, Athens’ port. With a smile in our faces and nothing but the thought of a good day’s sleep.
I hope this story shows you that these experiences are timeless. I hope this also reminds you to live knowing that the best things are truly unexpected and to leave some space in your heart for the unimaginable. Be observant of your surroundings, balance your virtual life with your real-life interactions. Prioritise collecting memories over things, and listen to stories. We all have surprisingly interesting ones.
And this one was founded on pure youthful exhilaration.
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