While on the island of Samos, we found a wonderful hotel, the perfect antidote for stress and agitation.
The kind of hotel where I’d still be, just as we speak, keeping my eyes glued to the sky-blue sea, just almost under my balcony. The kind of place where I was surprised to realise I do not need a TV set! The endless waving sea and the shiny stars above are more than enough to watch, hours and hours… It is the “zen” kind of hotel, it gives and requires silence and care, it is tastefully decorated and lovingly taken care of by a traditional Greek family, Ms. Popi and her two children, son Giannis and his sister. See? I have to return there because, silly me, I forgot her name, sorry, sorry!
And we do have to return to Sunrise Hotel, because it is the best place to recharge your batteries, to let the sun wake you up in the morning, the place with blue waters and cold beers in the frige, the place that allowed us to indulge in the tinniest of guilty pleasures: a glass of misty-cold sweet Samos wine by the pool… A small but fancy and very clean blue pool that simply doesn’t allow crowds and noise.
With Sunrise Hotel it’s love at first sight – at the end of an Ireon road, no car jamming or scooter screetching will interrupt your Aegeean reverie, it is right next to the sea. Breakfast is a joy, simple, fresh, facing the sea on the terrace, drinking the perfect cup of coffee and listening to the waves and the smoothest piano music, playing softly in the corner. When Popi and her family greet you with a musical „Kalimera!” you know sun is up and day will be perfect.
So yes, we do miss the amazing honey-sprinkled Greek yogurt, the fresh bread, the cold fruits and the sunny laziness of the first morning coffee. And in the evening, well into the night, just sit and stare at the sky and pick a star and pick another star, while listening in total awe the best of music, picked up by Giannis, Nina Simone or Louis Armstrong, best choice for every evening while dressing up for a night in town… The central plazza looks totally deserted during the torid days and God, days are torid! At night, everything comes back to the liveliest of lives, city is full of lights and happy people, taverns feed customers with food, wine and joy of living. Then… back to Sunrise Hotel. Our tiny balcony right in front of the sea and stars. A stray cat – or two, visiting and cuddling, A cold beer and hours and hours of star and sea gazing and dreaming in the night, in the tiny balcony of the hotel which stole our hearts. Sunrise.
Thank you, lovely people, we shall gladly return.
Bogdan and Mona
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Am intalnit un hotel minunat pentru mintile noastre obosite si agitate cat am stat in insula Samos.
Un hotel din care am fi vrut sa stam si astazi cu ochii in marea cea zare albastra care se afla imediat aproape sub balcon, un hotel in care am descoperit de multi multi ani ca de fapt si de drept nu avem nevoie de televizor pentru ca marea spune totul si avem multe de vazut zacand ore in sir pe balconac, fie cu ochii in mare, fie cu ochii noaptea in stele, un hotel pe care noi l-am numit genul “zen” din categoria celor care au nevoie de liniste si atentie, care la randul lui este decorat cu mare atentie si tinut cu mare grija de o familie traditionala greaca, doamna Popi, fiul Giannis impreuna cu sora al carui nume, sa ne fie rusine, nu l-am retinut dar promitem sa o facem cand be vom reintalni anul viitor.
Pentru ca asa ne-am promis, ca Hotelul Sunrise e hotelul unde este clar de revenit si incarcat bateriile cu ochii in zare, cu rasarit care iti bate in geam, cu apa albastra si berea rece din frigider, cu mica noastra condescendenta de a ne lua un pahar de vin dulce de Samos si de-al bea cu gheata la mica dar cocheta si curata piscina a hotelului unde ne-am retras cateva zile, asa, intr-o mica aroganta.
Sunrise, un hotel care te cucereste inca de cand ajungi in fata lui, si unde prietenii de la Paralela 45 stiu cum sa ajungi, se afla chiar la sfarsitul unui mic drum de Ireon, deci cu nici un fel de agitatie de masina sau scuter in fata care sa se interpuna intra reveria ta cu ochii in Egee, unde placerea de a merge la micul dejun perfect echilibrat, cu painea si cea neagra si cea cu seminte, cu dulceata proaspata, cafeaua perfecta si detaliul care ne-a facut sa il mancam in liniste si sa ne bem cafeua pe mica terasa cu ochii in albastru valurit: muzica de relaxare si de atmosfera, in surdina, prelinsa pe langa un pian si un Buddha, intr-o sala de mese prietenoasa si mica, cu proprietari, fie mama, fie fiul, fie fiica care sa te intampine in fiecare dimineata cu un zambet si un cantat “kalimera!”.
Asadar ne e foarte dor de iaurtul cu miere, de painea proaspata, de fructele reci si lenea de cafea de dimineata. Si seara, pana hat tarziu sa stam si sa ne uitam iar si iar in zare si la stele si sa asteptam sa zarim “steluta aia portocalie, uite-o”, in timp ce cu bucurie si uimire auzeam o surdina de muzica de jazz sau acordurile unei Nina Simone sau un Armstrong bine temperati de fiul Giannis, sunete care sa se amestece perfect in fiecare seara in care intreaga suflare se gatea, pregatea, parfuma pentru cina, in fiecare zi o sarbatoare, asa ni s-a parut noua cel putin, zacand cu un motan la picioare, in balcon si doua zi cu inca doi adusi de primul, seara cand lumea din hotelul Sunrise se revarsa incet incet, randuri randuri, spre centru de Ireon care se anima brusc dupa o zi torida, fiecare zi e torida acolo, si unde nu vezi tipenie, noaptea tot mic centrul, plin de taverne, care mai de care mai colorate, se anima de larma si sunete si culoare si rasete. Si noi odata cu ei si apoi reintoarcerea la hotel unde cu o iar bere rece zaceam iar niste ore bune pana linistea se lasa peste insula si mare si noapte si luna, in micul balcon al hotelului care ne-a furat inima: Sunrise.
Multumim oamenilor de suflet si cu drag promitem sa revenim.
Bogdan & Mona
