Mykonos, Greece - July 8-12, 2005

Mykonos, Greece – July 8-12, 2005

(Victoria: July 11th)
Ahh, Island Life! We were both ready for a “bucket and spade holiday” (as Aunt Clare says) even before we left. Bill and I love nothing more than a place where we can sit by the water, hear it lapping at our feet, with nothing to do but read and talk and sit still together.

We’ve slept late every day and today until 1:30! Amazing, especially for Bill – a sign we are finally allowing ourselves to recover.

Mykonos has been a scratch-your-head kind of experience. It has not been what others have said or what the three guide books we have wrote of it. It has not been “packaged pop” nor “party mecca” nor “sublime beauty.” The beaches have not been filled with hedonistic “gyrating bodies” nor “dominated by sheer snobbery” nor has nudity been “commonplace.” Perhaps it is an off week. Perhaps the season is still young. Or perhaps we are looking in comparison to other experiences. This is not to say we have been disappointed. No, we have been curious, confused, but never disappointed.

Yesterday we rented a little red scooter. (Sorry Daddy, no helmet – they did not have them.) We tooled around the entire island, got lost, and I loved it. Scooting by the last remaining farms, still contented by their goats and few cows to throw in the towel to become “Hotel Aphrodite” (although they probably rent rooms for the right price), I felt I was finally seeing the barren islands special sparkle. It has a rustic charm, rough, worn, but subtly beautiful in its own way. The endless strong-looking, yet dilapidated rock walls, keeping nothing in and no one out, seemed ancient, full of stories of times gone by, of many characters with both triumph and sadness around them.

The water is a gorgeous blue and clear; colder than we expected. The people are helpful, not overly warm, but rarely rude. The other tourists are mainly Greek families. Their looks hard, dominant features: strong noses, sharp jaw lines, dark eyes, and ample happily rounded flesh. The children are busy, indulged and adored. The cats play on the beach and beg for our seafood scraps. The food is delectable, family-style meals. We are both in love with “Feta backed in Phyllo” – it has sesame seeds on top and sits in the most wonderful honey-like fruity sauce. We’ve had it every evening as our appetizer – and will again tonight.

Knowing our view is clearly not from the same perspective as our guide books, we now feel more skeptical of avoiding certain places or rushing to others. I’m curiously apprehensive of Santorini – “The most spectacular of all the Cyclades.” I have been so looking forward to it, but now I’m unsure of what to expect. So I will “expect” nothing and just enjoy what I see and think!

(Bill: Clean sheets, Mykonos beaches, yachts, technology, and how to make a frappe)
The Athens hostel experience was about as close as I want to get to “roughing it” or “camping” (for those of you who don’t know, I am a proud prima donna). We were pleasantly surprised by our Mykonos accommodations. Nissaki Hotel is located in Platas Gialos, a small beach village about 10 minutes outside of the port town of Mykonos. Our room was exactly what we were looking for – private, clean, had its own bathroom, and a balcony that opened up overlooking the ocean. There weren’t any Polo sheets waiting for us, but the trip can continue now that I know these types of hotels exist in our price range.

On our first full day in Mykonos we took a water taxi from Platas Gialos, which is the first of the five touted Mykonos beaches, to Super Paradise Beach. Along the way we passed Paraga Beach and Paradise Beach before arriving at Super Paradise Beach – how can you stop at Paradise Beach when there is “Super” Paradise awaiting? The beaches were all pretty similar – relatively small with no trees or vegitation around them (the norm in the Greek Islands) and chairs and umbrellas for rent (about 10 Euro for two chairs and an umbrella). The water was much cooler than we were expecting. This is either due to our being spoiled (quite possible) or the cool summer that Greece has had thus far. Most of you know how much of a fish I am at the site of water but I must admit that I only went in the water once in Mykonos – a shame, I know, but probably gives you a feeling of how cool the water is.

Impressive yachts were everywhere in Mykonos. They park extremely close to shore in groups, seem to spend a lot of time mooring and re-mooring, and they play techno music pretty much all night. Must be nice…

Technology update: Blackberry email connection is still a no show in the Islands, but we were able to find a Starbucks on Mykonos and it had wireless Internet connectivity – I couldn’t believe it. So, although the Blackberry had me shorting technology, the Starbucks wireless access turned out to be an equalizer. I’m back on track and bullish on this technology thing again.

How to make a frappe. The cold Greek coffee drink that even I have become addicted to.
• In a glass put two scoops of Nescafe instant frappe mix, two scoops of granulated sugar, and ¼ cup of water. Mix in a shake mixer until frothy.
• Add four cubes of ice, a swirl of condensed milk, and water to the top of the glass.
• Enjoy!

Oddities or Things We Noticed:
(Victoria and Bill)
Although we did not notice nudity (as in the South of France), we did see a two-year-old in a thong. Yes, as in G-string. No joke. It was pink with a little light pink heart at the top and her little chubby bottom was proudly jutting out for the world. And no, it was not simply the baby-wedgy.

Moet champagne tastes as good in Greece as it does in California! Thanks to a birthday present that my mom, sister, and Richard left for me at our hotel room in Mykonos one of best evenings was sipping Champagne at our hotel pool overlooking the ocean and sunset. Thank you guys.

They play techno everywhere.

Lot’s of unfinished construction in Mykonos. As if they simply changed their minds in the midst of building and walked away. We never actually saw construction workers or tools, just unfinished work.

They put shackles on their goats (front foot tied to the back). The goats constantly gnaw on whatever little vegetation there is on the island.

Beware of the fruit guy in Platas Gialos – he can get nasty towards the end of the day when he gets drunk. Good fruit though.

Feta cheese and olive oil still rule the menus and dishes. One of the waiters came by our table to remind us, after we had already doused our Greek salad with olive oil, that we should use more olive oil because it was “good for de health”.

Local beers are light and good (Alfa and Mythos) but Heineken and Amstel (not Light just plain Amstel) are definitely the leaders. Corona and Stella Artois are available also.

Grilled octopus stuffed with feta, peppers, and tomatoes is a local dish in the Islands. It was very good although Victoria wasn’t too fond of the “suckers”. They are a bit strange to chew on.

Paradise Beach is home of Cavo Paradiso – the highly touted club that supposedly doesn’t open before 2am and doesn’t close before 12pm, but when we went by accident (we got on the wrong bus), it seemed empty with the exception of some overly pumped Gotti-looking 19 year-olds. It was only 2 am, maybe it was still too early.