From Egypt we were onto a bit more familiar turf and a vacation within this round the world vacation, Mykonos. Going into it I had low expectations. We had already had so many excellent unique and extreme experiences that I did think that Mykonos was going to be nothing more than a day on the beach and for better or worse, that is what it was. An awesomely exciting and beautiful day on the beaches of Mykonos!
The evening before arriving in Mykonos they told us that we were not going to be able to pull right up to the dock and instead would have to load onto smaller boats that would take us to the harbor. Most of the people were upset about this. I didn't really care. I was usually late getting off the boat anyway and a few more minutes was not going to make or break me.
So in the morning when a bunch of friends and myself were smeared with suntan lotion and ready to go we went down to the 4th floor to disembark from the side of the boat. When boarded what seemed to be a small Greek fishing boat, it was
a beautiful sunny day. In front of us was a postcard perfect port with whiter rectangular and square structures hugging the beautiful blue water's edge and extending into the hills behind. I could see tens of feet down into the clear water, and while the boat made its way to the dock, some friends and I made a hasty plan for the day. We decided to rent motorbikes and tour around the small island all day even though this was against Peace Boat regulation for insurance reasons. Two friends, Bryan and Lauren, and myself made our way through the clogged winding streets lined with shops selling postcards and suntan lotion until we found what we were looking for- a motorbike shop. So after about ten minutes and no instruction I was the proud renter of a 4 wheeler and was tooling down the road with Lauren on the back and Bryan on another bike next to us.
We immediately made our way up the hill and out of town to where we stopped to take a few snapshots of the town which we had left in the dust. I could really have cared less about the view at this
point. I had a 4 wheeler to ride in the hot Greek sun. I snapped two quick pictures and was back on the bike tearing it up. We motored through roundabouts and soon found a few others who had rented bikes. We were now, officially, a gang and after consulting the map we were headed to Paradise Beach for some sun and beers.
The views were tremendous as we winded through the heart of the heart of the hilly island. All of the houses and structures were a uniform white with blue tops. The structures contrasted beautifully with the arid rocky soil of the island and matched the blues of the sparkling blue sea lapping against the cliffs further off. We were speeding through small towns and many of us were ignoring all rules and street signs and after about 45 minutes we found ourselves at a beach with a restaurant right on the water. We decided to stop for lunch.
While looking at the menu I realized how red my arms had gotten while motoring along in the hot sun. Even though I had covered myself with greasy suntan lotion the sun was still frying me. But
that thought quickly left my head when I found "baked feta" on the menu. I ordered that and some pasta both which were really good and helped me to forget my burned arms. Soon it was time to hop back onto the bikes for some more exploring. The remainder of the day was spent hopping from beach to beach. All had people who were wearing varying amounts of clothing with some wearing nothing.
Before we knew it, it was almost time to get back to the boat. There was one more thing that we needed to do before we went back though. That was to stop at a local shop to stock up on wine, cheeses and other Greek delectables. We found one just off of the road and I got some incredible cheeses and a couple of bottles of delicious wine that I enjoyed onboard over the next few nights.
We got back to the shop and I had to say goodbye to my new best friend, the speedy blue 4 wheeler. It was a sad moment but I hope I will be back for a visit sometime soon.
Beach 1Lots of naked Eurotrash on this one.
Greece's Flag
Map of Greece