Get Her to the Greek: Day Four

Our vacation had finally stopped turning on us, and we woke up feeling refreshed. Our plan for the day was to visit the beautiful Cliffs of Keri and Grampsas Winery.

But first….BREAKFAST.

After breakfast, we drove to the southwest portion of the island to find the famed Cliffs of Keri. You see some interesting things driving around the rural streets of a Greek island. This guy gets my vote for "best hitchhiker."

We didn’t plan it, as we didn’t even know what the hours were (actually, I didn't even know there were "hours"), but we were the first to arrive as they opened the café overlooking the cliffs. I suppose the vacation fairies had decided to take pity on us, since we’d endured some, ahem, “difficulties” to that point.

Being first meant we got the ABSOLUTE BEST TABLE with THE ABSOLUTE BEST VIEW.

Winning!

Much to the chagrin of the flood of professional bloggers that herded in after us. Seriously…they had EQUIPMENT with them. These 20-something year old girls would pull up, way overdressed for the setting, pull all kinds of selfie contraptions out of their trunk that they piled onto some absurdly patient boyfriend/husband/friend and then would spend the next 20 minutes working to get the ideal shot with their phones, only to run off as soon as they had it. Were they even able to see the place before them?

We took the time to take a few photos (with an actual CAMERA), but spent the next hour simply sitting in the sunshine, sipping wine, eating olives, and staring at the view. We watched as countless young couples showed up, spent the entire time there consumed with their phones and all of the selfies they could take, and as soon as they snapped the perfect shot, they were off to the next view, the next Instagram moment, the next selfie. They never even looked at the way the water turned from turquoise to cobalt to indigo as it moved farther from the shore, or the way the sun hit the waves, sending showers of sparkles rippling through the tide.

They didn't pause long enough to feel the warm sun on their skin or taste the crisp chilled rose.

It made me a little sad for them, these “dash and go” tourists. They were so consumed with showing someone else what a good time they were having that they failed to actually have a good time. I’m all for snapping a few great photos, but do it, be done with it, and then savor the moment. Be in the place. As I sipped my chilled rose and munched on a tangy olive, I heard the sound of the waves below. I nodded at the old man with the kind eyes who was reading a tattered book under the grape arbor. I watched the woman who was sitting under the portico sewing a flag as her needle went in an out with lightning speed. I held Matt’s warm hand and was simply happy to be in that place. I took the time to enjoy the simple beauty of the moment.

And in case you were wondering, NO Matt did not go out on that little finger platform that hung precariously over the end of the world.

We finished our wine and moved on to lunch in the nearby Keri Village. Keri Village was a tiny spot on the road filled with colorful buildings draped with ivy and cute little tavernas with brightly painted tables sitting in the street.

We settled on Sunset Taverna. Even though it wasn’t sunset, the view was lovely. With the ever present carafe of red wine, we enjoyed stuffed peppers, fresh bread, salad with grilled halloumi cheese, and shrimp wrapped in bacon.

Anyone have a guess as to what a Piza Toy Boynoy is? I really wanted to know.

“Where to next?” Matt asked as we savored the last bit of wine.

“I thought we’d stop by Grampsas Winery on the way back to the villa,” I replied.

“Grampa’s Winery? Are you serious? That sounds like something we’d have in Bean Station,” he said.

“GRAMPSAS,” I chuckled.

Located at the foot of a mountain in the village of Lagodopo, Grampsas is a small, family run boutique winery that produces some very good wines. We were greeted by a surprisingly professional 12 year old boy and Fred the cat, who couldn’t be bothered to wake up from his nap to acknowledge guests.

We were set up with a tasting and some snacks and left to enjoy the quiet courtyard.

Which came with KITTENS. Which was amazing.

Wine + kittens.

Baby animals make everything better. It was like the Cuddle Bus in Knoxville that lets you hold a puppy and drink a beer for $5 or that new baby goat yoga. Even I might do yoga with a baby goat.

The rest of the day was spent on loungers by the sea not doing much of anything and drinking our newly acquired bottle of “Grampa’s Wine” on our daybed.

We ventured to Lofos for dinner, a small restaurant not far from the villa that offered a commanding view of the valley below.

We started with sautéed mushrooms and a salad with sundried tomatoes and cheese, followed by a baked spaghetti and the “Lofos Special” pizza, all while discreetly feeding the cat under the table.

We couldn't believe it was already the end of our stay on Zakinthos. Next up...Kefalonia.