Our 1.5 week Greece adventure officially kicked off in May 2024. We landed in Athens, spent the night at a hostel, and, well… let’s just say it was an experience…one that we’re glad we had but won’t be repeating. Ever. Not my vibe. Where you stay matters lol. On the bright side, we met some amazing solo travelers, and got a peak into the backpacker life (respect to those who do this full-time).

The next morning, we hopped onto the Seajet, which, despite its name, is actually a massive ship used for Greek island hopping. Destination…Milos, where we planned to stay for the next two days.

Sailing into Milos was something straight out of a dream. The ship squeezed between two mountains before revealing the island… beautiful.

Once we checked into our villa, we wasted no time and got ready to visit Sarakiniko Beach, a white volcanic rock beauty with clear waters, famous for cliff diving.

Now, Google Maps told us it was just a 40 minute walk away. And as Toronto girlies, we thought, “Psshhh, no big deal, we walk 40 minutes all the time.” Oh, how wrong we were and we were in for a treat.

Dressed in bikini Coachella core (flip-flops absolutely included), we embarked on what we thought would be a calm scenic stroll. Instead, we found ourselves walking through the blazing Mediterranean heat, navigating dirt roads and rocky hot ass terrain, and hyping ourselves up with delusional toxic positivity, repeating, “It’s fine, this is good exercise! We got this! We do this all the time!” We trekked through the actual boonies, where we half expected a snake or lizard to come to attack our toes.

And then… we hit the highway.

Cars zoomed past, honking at us to get off the road while we clung onto our sunhats. uh, how about picking us up instead? Rude much. At this point, our positivity levels were running dangerously low, and the thought of walking back to the villa was not happening. Not unless teleportation suddenly became an option.

Finally, after what felt like a big hike, we arrived at the entrance of Sarakiniko Beach. As we saw people pulling into the parking lot, I had one thought only:

“We need to make friends with someone who can drive us back to town.”

Let me tell you, we were NOT about to run on that highway again.

The beach was absolutely breathtaking…the contrast between the white volcanic rock and the deep blue waters was chef’s kiss. It looked exactly like the pictures we had seen online. Very tourist behaviour. After that chaotic 40 minute walk to get here, all the struggle instantly faded from our memory bank.

The first thing that caught my eye was the cave like holes carved into the side of the white volcanic cliffs. Curiosity took over, and we cautiously ventured into one of the tunnels. It was dark, eerie, and endless maze of interconnected paths. We could barely see where we were going, but the sight of those winding passageways was so eerie.

We wondered why the caves were there…they looked man made, and for a second, we thought maybe people lived here long ago. My friend, with her Spidey senses, could feel that there was a sudden drop ahead. We hesitated before deciding to jump carefully down the slope, our hearts pounding. As we made our way deeper, we noticed strange rock circles with sticks and leaves in the middle, and my mind immediately went to WTF happened here? I later found out from a Milos local that the tunnels were remnants of abandoned mining operations due to the risk of collapse. Knowing that, I was grateful we made it out before experiencing an impromptu cave-in.

Moving on, we explored the entire area, eventually reaching the cliff-diving spot where a group of people (mostly guys) were taking turns launching themselves into the water. It was tempting to join, but the waves looked rough, and something told me it wasn’t the day to test my luck.

Then, I saw her.

A girl in a stunning black swimsuit stepped up, fearless among the boys, and took her turn. There was something about her energy that completely captivated me. She radiated confidence, and it inspired me. I cheered her on as she took the plunge, and when she resurfaced near where I was standing, we started chatting.

She was visiting Milos for the week and staying at Hotel Adamas, which, funny enough, was a place I had considered booking before changing plans. My friend had wandered off to find a spot for us to settle, so I hung out with my new cliff-jumping friend for a while. She asked me to record a video of her next jump which I happily did…until I got distracted.

There he was.

A man who looked exactly like Henry Cavill, broad shoulders, sculpted body, Greek god vibes…you get the picture. My eyes locked onto him, but my eavesdropping skills were even sharper. I overheard him tell someone that he and his wife were visiting from Winnipeg. Damn it. Married.

Shaking off my momentary distraction, I followed the cliff-jumper girl on Instagram. Her feed was filled with adventure…camel riding, snowboarding, skydiving; she had this adventurous spirit that resonated with me. I jokingly asked if she could drive me and my friend back to town after the beach.

Her jaw dropped in shock when she realized we had walked there. She called us insane (fair) but, unfortunately, only had room for one on her quad. I thanked her anyway and went off to find my friend.

As I approached the beach, I heard my friend’s laughter, a familiar sound but with extra enthusiasm this time. I spotted her chatting with two guys, one of whom was somewhat cute. My first thought: YES, she found us a ride!

She waved me over excitedly in her signature flirty way, and the two men greeted me with smiles. The somewhat cute one shook my hand and introduced himself as Adonis. I hesitated for a second, and he immediately picked up on it.

“Something wrong with my name?” he asked, smiling with amusement.

A couple of weeks before the trip, my coworker constantly joked about me meeting ‘an Adonis in Greece’ for weeks. She even wrote me a letter at work and sent me a mini Zen garden with a note, manifesting it. And now, here I was, literally shaking hands with an Adonis in Greece. Maybe I’m a bit delulu but I’ve learned to love that part of me.

The two guys offered to drive us around Milos, and while my friend jumped at the opportunity, I hesitated. When I saw their Kia cube, I impulsively blurted out, “Is this your car?” in the most skeptical, slightly judgmental tone. My friend pinched me immediately and whispered, “Stop that! Let me do all the talking.” Even though, I knew she was thinking the same thing.

She had fully switched into flirt mode, a talent. Btw we get a lot of free stuff with this talent. As we got into the car, she gracefully complimented his driving, the way he turned right on the road, probably even the way he breathed. I watched her while squinting my eyes smiling because it was semi-performative. Girl knew how to gas a man’s ego up to get what she wants. This man was grinning like crazy.

Something in my gut told me that these guys might expect us to hang out later, which was confirmed when they kept insisting we go out with them that evening. We weren’t feeling it.

We made our first stop at Klima, a tiny fishing village with less than 20 residents, known for its colorful houses built into the rock formations by the sea. It was straight out of a postcard…serene and ridiculously photogenic.

Then I spotted the girl again, the cliff jumper girl, sitting on the edge of a dock, casually snacking on sour cream Pringles. What were the chances?

I walked over to say hi, and she immediately offered me a chip (like a true queen I would say). She then mentioned that the guys we were with had also invited to her to hang out, but since she was traveling alone, she declined. She gently reminded me to be careful but have fun, and I took the advice.

After our adventure, we headed back to our villa, rested and later walked into town as the sun set near the mountains. The golden glow was unreal. I couldn’t help but think about how locals got to experience this beautiful piece of nature every day. No wonder there such a sense of community here, the energy of this island was different. Peaceful, welcoming, untouched in some way.