Until next time Sifnos!

Today (delayed post, oops!) is bittersweet - we say "until next time, Sifnos" and get ready for our next adventure! For the last 3 weeks, we have been soaking up every second and exploring all that Sifnos has to offer. And while the island is only 9 miles long, we feel like we have only scratched the surface.

Tete and Jeddo joined us for the last week and the kids were over the moon (pretty sure Tete and Jeddo were too). While we have met awesome people along the way, it was so amazing to be able to share our love of Sifnos with my parents.

 

Adventures

Throughout this trip, we have experienced many firsts as a family - one of our favorites was seeing a full moon rise. That's right - we were able to see the moon rise from the horizon in Akopfto, first starting as a strawberry red transitioning to yellow and finally white as it settled into the night's sky. It was a truly magical experience and one I hope all of us remember!

Profiti Ilias is a monastery that sits at the highest point on the island. It is quite the hike up so the kiddos had a special night with my parents so Kyle and I could do the hike. Profis is best hiked first thing in the morning or at sunset as you get a 360 degree view of Sifnos. Because of our love (especially Kyle's) of sunsets, we decided to do the evening hike up. We misread the distance and originally thought it was only a 1 hr hike versus the 1hr 50 min sign that was waiting for us at the trailhead. So we had to seriously book it up the mountain in order to make sunset. The views on the way up exposed a completely new part of Sifnos - more lush and rolling hills than we had experienced to date. And there were wild goats all around us as well as a huge field of sheep - so the sounds of animal bells and goats (on top of my "Kyle, can we seriously do this?") was our music to the top. We made it there just in the nik of time and man was the 45 minute vertical sprint worth it! We were welcomed with a 360 view of the island and a few of many other Cyclades islands in the distance. As we started our descent down, it started to get really dark so we experienced our first hike in the dark with headlamps of course. While a neat experience, hiking in the dark was further proof that I'm not meant to be an owl and live that night life.

 

Tour de Ceramics led by non other than Maki of course. Sifnos is known for its ceramics - dating back centuries with the potters spreading across all oceanfront properties in order to ship their products out by sea. Visiting various potters across the island was really special because it was yet another example of the deep generational roots and connections that exist across the island. While the kids were obsessed with the bunny and sweets kindly provided by the owners at our first potter, the adults were enthralled by the craftsmanship and history. 

Trying our hand at pottery decoration provided an even deeper appreciation for the craftsmanship we've seen throughout the island. The kids absolutely loved it and we have now all walked our way with our new ice cream bowl at home because let's be real that the kids will always refer to Sifnos as "sweet town".

And of course in our last week, we took my parents to some of our favorite spots like the walk from Platis Gialos to Faros, walking "To Steno" in Apollonia, and soaking up the beautiful water and sights in Platis Gialos. 

 

New Delicious Eats

The thyme lamb at Apokfto Taverna | Zucchini Balls at Cyclades | Shrimp pasta in Faros | Fresh cucumbers and tomatoes from a local farmer | All things at Nus (our last meal)

The Little Moments

Zane saying "Kalimera" and "Efcharisto" to everyone he meets and their faces lighting up | The joy on the kids facing pulling Tete and Jeddo from one place to another showing them their favorite things. 

And during our last dinner on the island, we went around the table sharing our favorite part of Sifnos. So I will leave you with that and hope, that one day, you get to experience the magic of this island too.

• Zaylee | finding colorful rocks and finding skipping rocks for Zane
• Zane | Fikiada Bay and finding sea glass, new foods like calamari, swordfish and lamb mastelo, all of the beaches, and getting to know how beautiful nature is (excuse me while my heart melts!)
• Kyle | sharing travel with the kids, the color of the water and the sand, being under water, sunset hike, and our hiking adventures like Fikiada that started as one big mistake but ended in one beautiful mistake
• Sammar | being transported back in time, hike from Platis Gialos to Faros, being able to walk out onto the beach everyday, and the feeling that time stood still and nothing mattered but being together

And a picture that says it all...