My fifth day in Greece was jammed pack for sure. Up early again, we spent our morning in the island of Crete.

While walking to the city’s center, our tour guide told us we were on the “bypass mile.” Before World War II, Greece was on the “poor man’s diet” of fish, olive oil, vegetables, and bread. There were no processed, prepackaged foods. After the war, however, Greece gained access to these unhealthy foods and obesity rates dramatically rose. Doctors told overweight Cretans to walk the “bypass mile” everyday to try to improve their health. (Just another example of American consumerism making people’s lives better!)

The bypass mile is marked by a gold line that eventually leads to the city’s center. This gold line represents Ariadne’s thread, Adriane being a beautiful Cretan princess who fell in love with the hero Theseus. Theseus had to defeat the Minotaur in the King Mino’s (Ariadne’s father) labyrinth. It was believed to be impossible to get out of the labyrinth, but with Ariadne’s help Theseus defeated the minotaur. Ariadne and Theseus escaped the island to get married, but then Theseus abandoned her on the trip home (typical player). But then the Greek god Dionysus fell in love with Ariadne and married her, so in the end she upgraded.

Once we got to the center square, my family and I went to explore the island’s museum. And let me tell you, the things in that museum were old. Objects from Jesus’ time were among the most modern objects. It’s funny to think in the United States our country is so young that the things in our museums are barely 300 years old. It made me realize how insignificant my life is in the grand scheme of history of time, which can be disheartening but also helps me contextualize the importance of homework the “small stuff.”

The true event of the day, however, was visiting the island of Santorini. Santorini is one of the most famous Greek islands, notorious for its beauty and for being one of the locations the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants II was filmed!

As we approached the island, I was surprised that the village was located on the side of a cliff and not immediately next to the ocean. While you were in the village, however, you felt like you were right next to the water!

This island was even more packed than Mykonos. The crowd was overwhelming, and I would recommend if you want to visit this island you do it in the off season. The island was still beautiful, and I will never forget the beautiful sunset that marked the end of my Greek island hopping.