Anticipating A Divine Honeymoon in Greece

“Steve?” Joanne calls from the study as she reads the latest email from Greece vacation experts Hellenic Holidays about their upcoming honeymoon. She checks the photos, and smiles in anticipation. “Steve!”

More silence.

With a small grunt of annoyance she gets up from her desk and heads into the living room where she had last seen him perusing the bookcase for their vacation reading. As she approaches, a faint snore indicates the reason for her new husband’s unresponsiveness.

There he is, laid out on the couch, the bottom part of his face hidden under the open pages of a glossy book. THE HISTORY OF THE ACROPOLIS, it announces in pseudo-ancient Greek lettering.

At the sound of the digital click of her phone’s camera, his light snoring stops abruptly. As he rouses himself and sits upright, his own phone pings. He had been tagged in an Instagram post. He looks at up at Joanne’s coy smile, then swipes at it.

“Busy busy, preparing for the Great Greek Honeymoon,” the caption under the picture of his sleeping figure reads.

“Well I did find the book I was looking for,” he notes.

“And it knocked you unconscious?”

“I was simply preparing my biological clock to cope with the jet lag,” he says. “It’s science.”

She laughs and hug/tackles him back onto the couch. They lie together in silence for a moment. “See, it’s quite nice here,” he says.

“Were you dreaming of the Parthenon? Are you excited for our guided tour?”

“I am. I’m so happy we’re going with an expert who’s going to know everything. All the details. Like why the ancient Athenians were so obsessed with centaurs.”

“Centaurs are pretty hot,” she says, as if by way of explanation.

“Gah!” he cries and clutches his chest as if she has mortally wounded him. But by this point he has come to terms with the fact that Joanne will never share his enthusiasm for archaeological minutiae. “Are you going to be bored by all of it?” he asks.

“I won’t,” she says. “I really want to see the Parthenon too. And I’m happy when you’re happy.”

And while that is true, privately she is also particularly looking forward to their time in the city after their sightseeing. Steve’s desire to revel in ancient history fully met, the evening and the day after are hers to plan. Together with Greece vacation experts Hellenic Holidays she has put together a robust list of places to explore for shopping, where to eat under the full moon with a view of the Acropolis, and where to go for cocktails and dancing. Excitedly she pictures wandering through this unknown city, a whole new world waiting to be explored.

“Anyway, after a couple of days we’ll be on Mykonos!” he says.

“Mykonoooos!” she whoops. She waves her hands as if dancing in a club.

“And Delos is going to blow our minds. The island of Apollo, god of light.”

“You know that you are the most gigantic nerd?”

“I know, but I got the girl,” he says giving her a squeeze. “Who I am also going to take to Naxos, because she wants to kitesurf.”

“I can’t wait to get out on the water! And I’m finally going to get you out there with me! Are you pumped?”

“I’m terrified,” he says.

“NERD!”

“But if I do get out on the water -”

“WHEN you get out on the water!”

“Yes, after I have mastered the sport of kitesurfing, you have to promise to make time for cheese and wine. They have some of the best.”

“Well it just so happens that cheese and wine are my second and third favorite things.”

He leans in close to her. “And what’s your first?” he whispers in her ear.

She licks her lips and whispers back, “Kitesurfing.” Steve laughs.

“And where am I on that list?”

“A close fourth. But, you know, I can’t promise that Santorini won’t push you down into fifth. You’ll have to be on your game.”

“Santorini! Saving best for last. I’m glad we decided to stay extra days. We’ll visit Akrotiri…”

“Remind me what Akrotiri is again?”

“It’s Santorini’s Pompeii,” Steve says animatedly, “a whole ancient city preserved under volcanic ash. Then we’ll sail around the volcano, we’ll walk through those amazing villages built on the cliff’s edge, we’ll go wine tasting, we’ll – ”

Joanne stops him mid sentence with a hand on his chest. “Maybe we shouldn’t plan too much. Maybe it might be nice to chill in the room for like a whole day.”

“Stay in the room? On Santorini? I know it’s our honeymoon and all but that sounds like a waste.”

“Have you seen the room?” she asks. On her phone she brings up the latest email from Hellenic Holidays. She shows him the picture.

“My God,” he says. “That’s our room?” She nods. “With that pool and that view?” She giggles almost deliriously.

“Akrotiri might have to wait.”