Italy To Greece

Have you been to Positano? It's a beautiful small village that is located on the Amalfi Coast of southern Italy. The moment I saw photos of Positano on IG, I put it on my list of places to wander. I would go there along with other places in the beginning of May. The fifth month of the year came and before I knew it I was on a nine hour flight to Italy. I landed in Rome and spent a few days there chatting with locals and eating more bruschetta than I've ever had. The ancient city was colder than I expected yet I enjoyed my stay. After spending the weekend in the home of The Colosseum, I took a train from Roma Termini to Naples and hopped on a crowded bus which took me to the Amalfi Coast, eventually ending up in Positano. Although it was an arduous journey that nearly took all day, it was one of the BEST parts of my entire trip. I booked a private bed and breakfast in Nochelle, a town sitting at the very top of Positano. The view from my room...I called it the "God View" because it was like looking down at part of the Earth. Indescribable! You would have to see it for yourself. I woke up early in the morning to eat breakfast provided by the host. I then made my way down 2000 WIDE steps into Positano. It was a BEAUTIFUL day with the weather being 73 degrees and partly cloudy. People were shopping, eating, drinking, purchasing boat rides and laying on the beach. I found a nice restaurant on the the sand which was 300 feet away from the water and sat down at a table. Soon, an Italian waitress came up to me. "Ciao! Are you ready to order?" She said in her heavy accent. I was more thirsty than hungry so I ordered a popular alcoholic beverage and an appetizer. I turned my head to look around the restaurant and see how people were vibing. Everyone was engaged in conversations with friends and family. Everyone looked happy. I couldn't help but notice two girls sitting behind me on a couch. They were gorgeous and also slightly intimidating. I couldn't hear them talking so I figured they were Italian. My "SoleTiger Senses" were going OFF THE CHARTS! Yes, I was afraid of approaching them in fear of being ignored and rejected in front of 100 people. Feeling incapable, I asked the waitress if she could help me out. "Do you want to pull up a chair to their table? You can go ask them for a picture yourself." She said and then walked off before I could respond. "Wait! Don't leave me alone!" I wanted to say to her. She was basically telling me to MAN UP. After a few more minutes pondering the meaning of my life I stood up, grabbed my chair and made my way to the girls' table. "Here goes nothing." I told myself. I sat my chair down next to the girls and greeted them. "Hey! How are you?" They both smiled and asked.

I was SHOCKED 😲 They didn't wave me off nor did they ignore me. Irish girls in Italy, they were on vacation for a few weeks before going back to work. I told them how they looked like models and that I wanted a picture of them. "Oh really? Okay!" Soon, I turned the conversation to their feet...

Next stop...Greece! When I was booking my flight to Italy, I said to myself "Let's go to Santorini." The Greek island is a picture perfect destination that I had on my MUST SEE list. I boarded an early morning flight from Naples Airport to Santorini International. When the plane touched down on the strip and I stepped off the ladder, I took a deep breath of fresh air and laid my eyes on the blue Aegean water in the distance. "I'm here." Santorini is an island which forms a crescent surrounding an active volcano. The Volcano erupted several times thousands of years ago (one instance was presumably during the time of Moses and the plagues of Egypt) forming a permanent caldera filled with water. A series of unfortunate events happened to create a beautiful outcome. There are rumors that Santorini could be the Lost City of Atlantis, although I don't think there is enough evidence to support that. To be fair though, there is a hotel on the island named Atlantis. After spending a few days at a MAGNIFICENT hotel in the village of Imerovigli, I made my way to Thira, the capital city of Santorini where I met a beautiful German brunette. She was sitting down with her friend who is also German. I sat down next to the girls, complimented them and soon started talking about their shoes. The girls wore sneakers so they thought it a little odd for someone to compliment their shoes. Once I asked for pictures of their feet, the beautiful Brunette tried convincing her friend who wouldn't budge. "No, I don't like my feet!" Then they started going back and forth in German. I was sitting there like "Whoa, this girl is really going to war for me!" I found the brown haired beauty's personality extremely attractive. She was getting me HOT and BOTHERED with her persistence. I wanted to see HER feet! She was reluctant at first, but once I reassured her on how gorgeous her feet were, she became a little more comfortable!

Thira is a busy town! It may be small yet it has the energy of a big city. Still, the vibe is easygoing and everyone seems to know each other. I was hungry after wandering the crowded cobblestone roads so I went to a small popular restaurant that served everything from gyros to hamburgers. It was located on a strip of shops. I enjoyed my meal outside. Of course, I saw plenty of beautiful women chatting with friends as they walked by. Many wearing sandals revealing their cute toes. "Be cool man, just eat and relax." I reminded myself. Moments later, two gorgeous Greek women passed me. One of them looked like a long legged supermodel. 😱 "Who the F%$# is THAT!!?" Suddenly I wasn't that hungry anymore. Actually I was but part of my appetite went to the woman I just saw. I could hardly play cool any longer but I still took the time to finish my meal. I stood up and as I turned to leave, there SHE was sitting with her friend just a few tables away from me. 😱 I was surprised to say the least. "Let's do it! You probably won't get another chance." So, with nervous tunnel vision I walked up to their table and politely interrupted their meal. She spoke little English so her friend acted as a translator. "My FEET!? Haha why??" Said the Greek beauty. She wore slides that showed her nude polished toes. The girls laughed as they scrolled through my Instagram. Her friend was very helpful. I don't think this would have happened without her. The friend encouraged her to participate while speaking Greek. I like the Greek language. You probably wouldn't recognize it unless you knew how it sounded. The girls sounded beautiful when they spoke. Soon, I was taking pictures of the Aegean model and her European size 41 feet!

The nightlife in Thira is LIT! There are numerous bars to choose from with diverse music and crowds in every setting. I partied with Greeks, Italians, Asians, and Australians while dancing to hip hop and house music. But it's not like I just walked in and everyone just flocked to me, I had to approach people and initiate conversations. Sometimes it got awkward when people gave me those "Don't talk to me." looks when I would say something to them. And trust that I got a lot of those! Overall though, people were welcoming. One night after leaving a club on my way to another, I spotted two girls wearing sandals walking from a bar. They looked friendly and unapproachable at the same time but I decided to try my luck. I had my small camera with me that was ITCHING to take some photos. I walked up beside the girls and asked to take pictures of their feet. "Our FEET!?? Really??? Are you sure?" I told them that I had a photography portfolio dedicated to my love for feet. They liked the idea and were happy to bare their soles!

The views in Santorini are INCREDIBLE! I admired the otherworldly appeal of the caldera from my hotel in Imerovigli. Waking up and stepping out on my balcony to see the volcano on my left and the popular town of Oia on my right was an indescribable feeling! Pictures of Santorini on IG are phenomenal, but ACTUALLY BEING THERE is a life changing experience! Unfortunately I was only in the quiet town of Imerovigli for two days so I said goodbye to privacy and hello to the populace of Thira! The capital town of Santorini is MUCH busier than my previous location. It's a small town with a big city vibe and also has marvelous caldera views. After a quick meal I made my way to the marketplace that was situated near the sea. The marketplace is filled with various stores and restaurants. While you're shopping you can stop to take a photo with some beautiful scenery of the Greek island behind you, or you can relax and enjoy the sunset on one of the benches overlooking the sea. It's a beautiful place to spend your day and a great spot to meet people. After taking only a few steps onto the bustling marketplace strip I noticed two tall GORGEOUS women walking while eating ice cream. One was Blonde and the other was Brunette. I could tell they were not Greek because they reminded me of American women. The slides on the girls' feet revealed their beautiful painted toes. "Wow!" My jaw dropped. Their presence had an undeniably GLOWING vibration. As they walked towards my direction, I hesitated and passed them without saying anything. "Get your mind right and get your a$$ over there!!!" I told myself. Quickly gathering some courage, I approached and complimented the two on their style. "Thank you!" The long legged beauties said in cute Irish accents. "Our FEET!?? Haha we don't get compliments on those." The Blonde reacted as she nervously shuffled her feet. "I LOVE how your toes are painted, they look great!" I opened up to them about how much I liked their size 41 feet. The girls were flattered and soon enough they were spontaneously FOOT modeling in THIRA!

These women were two of the nicest people I've met during my travels! Girls like them give me a sense of PURPOSE when turning RANDOM strangers into FOOT MODELS, providing them with more confidence in a body part that is often underappreciated.