We’re skipping ahead on The Grand Tour to share our exciting news with you. Blog posts on the first leg of the adventure in Phoebe the campervan are linked here: Southern California, American Southwest, Rocky Mountains, with more to come next time on the Pacific Northwest and then back to California.
In July 2020, after we finished our US National Park road trip, Sarah and I left the country that we had lived in for almost four years. We continued to chase an endless summer and headed over to Europe. Greece is one of Sarah’s absolute favourite holiday destinations. Intrigued by what she has been going on about for years, it became the ideal location to start the second leg of The Grand Tour. We landed in Athens and immediately embraced the culture and history. I loved exploring the ancient monuments and learning about the “cradle of western civilisation”. However, it is Santorini with its postcard sunsets, idyllic beaches and pure romance, where the key part of this story unfolds…
Sarah and I were lucky enough to arrive in Greece just as it opened to tourists, after being closed for five months due to COVID. It felt like we had Santorini to ourselves! We spent a week exploring the island on Skippy the scooter, swimming in the warm Aegean Sea at a different beach each day, and by night watching the sunset over the stunning circular archipelago. It was a change of pace from being on the go continuously throughout our US road trip, and it allowed us to unwind and relax fully. The week was perfect and set the scene for what would unfold on our final night.
On our last night in Santorini, we took advantage of the once in a lifetime type opportunity to stay on the caldera edge. The position was perfect for a private view of the sunset, framed by the multicoloured cliffs and white Cycladic houses. We spent the late afternoon perched on our balcony with more of the delicious local food, beer and wine we had enjoyed all week. We set a time-lapse video up to capture how the landscape magically turned orange then red under the setting Santorini sun (a trick we had picked up in the US National Parks).
I had known for a long time that I would propose to Sarah on The Grand Tour when the moment felt right. So, when the sun started to dip below the horizon, and I looked around and saw we had the entire view to ourselves, I knew this was the moment. I got down on one knee and asked the love of my life to marry me! Hilariously, and in her very typical “Sarah” style (i.e. being direct and straight to the point, some might even say impatient), halfway into my sentimental speech, she jumped in to tell me “yes I will marry you”. My heart skipped a beat when she said yes! Then, in very typical “Hayden” style, I quickly pointed out I hadn’t finished my spiel yet and carried on as tears of joy rolled down her cheeks.
Getting engaged in Santorini was the perfect way to start our European adventure. It also conveniently gave us another excuse to celebrate every day (read: more wine, icecream and other tasty treats) as The Grand Tour continued to Greek Island hop, then visit France and Italy. Thanks to the strategically placed time-lapse, we are fortunate enough to have captured the moment and be able to share a few photos…
Sarah and I are so happy and can’t wait to celebrate our news with you all!
The Grand Tour blog will pick up our adventures back in the Pacific Northwest in the next post…
We hope you and yours are safe and sound.
Love Sarah and Hayden
Hayden Dyer's Blog 