Snapshots: I Found True Bliss on the Island of Sifnos
You too can sip, dine and unwind at The Epicurean Vagabonds' handpicked Greek Isles getaway for foodies.
Editor’s note: Ryan and Ryan are away this week, visiting Athens, Greece. We’ll be back on Friday to tell you all about it on our next podcast! In the meantime, we would like to introduce you to our very first guest writer, our dear friend Andrea Engstrom! Andrea is a writer, producer, digital pioneer and Master Certified Life Coach. She is also the founder of Lil’ Habit, a program that literally changed our lives and is the reason you are reading our Substack today. Check out her website and Substack to learn more!
The experience I had on the Greek island of Sifnos was everything I needed.
It began at the end of April 2018 with a long-shot request from Ryan Wildstar and Ryan Elston asking if I could join them in Greece in two weeks. Their plans had shifted and they had a villa with a spare room. In what seemed a modern-day miracle, I pulled all possible strings, cashed in all my credit card points, and put myself on a plane from San Diego to Athens. I had no expectations – only that I knew I’d be in great hands.
After a sunny day touring Athens, followed by dinner with the Acropolis as our backdrop, we woke early the next morning to take a ferry over the Aegean Sea to Sifnos. We were arriving just before their tourist season was about to kick off.
Steps from the dock we rented a little red car and within minutes pulled down the drive of a hillside villa with stone arches and bright yellow trim.
“Is that ours?” I gasped. With three private living areas and a view of the sea from just about every window, this villa is my dream property. Our hosts built it with impeccable attention to detail, and I dream of owning it one day as part of my global retirement village. In the meantime, it was mine for the week.
Although Sifnos is known for its pottery, views, beaches, hikes, and traditional architecture, what sets it apart from the other islands is its cuisine. Knowing the Epicurean Vagabonds as you do, it’s no surprise to hear that Sifnos is a true foodie destination. From the local tavernas to the market where we picked up supplies to make our own meals, the food was on a spectrum of delicious to pure aesthetic arrest.
Sifnos’ summer season hadn’t begun so every restaurant was near empty. We’d stroll in and take a seat, and soon enough the chef would be tableside passionately talking food and wine with Ryan Wildstar. Restaurant staff always sniff him out as one of their own and become genuinely enthused to wine and dine him.
One afternoon our hosts mentioned a little seafood restaurant that people were loving on Platis Gialos Beach, so we hopped in our little red car to go check it out.
“There is excellent food – and people-watching – to be had at Platis Gialos, a long, shallow strip of sand lined with beach bars and restaurants. You might even spot Tom Hanks at Omega 3, a tiny fish and wine bar where it's worth wrestling the competition for a stool. Here, the seafood (much of it harpooned by the owner, Vasilis Vlachogiorakis) is cured, caramelised, smoked and cooked sous-vide.” - Rachel Howard, Conde Naste Traveller
Omega3 was a literal seduction of my senses. We were only one of two groups, and they sat us at a wood-plank bar overlooking the shore. Following a conversation with Ryan Wildstar about local wines, the chef insisted we do a paired tasting, and then proceeded to dazzle us with tapas-style plates of sea bream ceviche with wild fennel, king scallops sashimi, grilled Greek lobster, smoked octopus, deep fried squid with blue cheese, and more.
The waves lapping near my feet, the sea air tickling my skin, and each complex flavor intentionally building on the last, all worked me into a genuine state of euphoria. It was the first time a meal felt like foreplay.
“Do you think it would be appropriate to take the chef into a broom closet and make love?” I asked seriously.
Now after describing all of that, you’ll really appreciate what I say next…
The best part of the whole week was our time spent at the villa. We talked and laughed and cried so much that we didn’t sleep. We talked on the back patio, watching the sun slide overhead and into the sea. We laughed into the wee hours of the morning, reenacting stories of our past across the stone floor of the living room. And I cried every single day. The current state of the world and our own personal losses had exhausted the three of us and the villa became our safe space to unclench and process. I desperately needed it.
As all vacations must, my week on Sifnos had to come to an end. But what remains is the gratitude of being seen and supported, and forever being connected to the Ryans. That we happened to do it in paradise was only icing on the cake.
I just want it on the record that I knew we’d be besties for life before you did. 😆 Thank you for inviting me to be part of your adventures!!
Exquisite story! I am right there with you when I read your travelogues!