Mykonos

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6/10-6/16

We arrived on the Greek island of Samos by ferry from Turkey and it may as well have been a different planet. Coming from a land where girls must cover up from head to toe to a land that encourages nude beaches, it is quite the culture shock. We had just one day in Samos, explored a nearby beach and the quiet downtown area. It seemed to be sufficient time there.

We took a ferry to Mykonos later that evening which was supposed to be overnight and arrive around 6am. However we were woken from our restful slumber around 3:30 and told we must hurry and get off the boat otherwise we would miss our stop. After a full panic and race through the giant ferry and out the docking bay, we soon found ourselves with four other backpackers standing on an empty cement dock, with absolutely no signs of life except for the distant lights of Mykonos town. We decided to walk the 2 miles toward town, knowing we had time to kill because we had arranged hotel accommodations, thinking we could check in early the next day. But they probably would not consider arriving at 4am early check in. On our way to town we passed quite a scene, with several groups of guys and girls dressed in club gear making there way out of town. Andrew decided wearing a headlamp would be a good safety measure to insure cars would see us on the unlit road. And I must say people did slow down and stare at us, but we didn't get hit by any cars. By the time we arrived at the main strip of town, it was a full blown club scene, with music blasting until we left around 8am. We waited on a bench to rest and enjoy a romantic sunrise. We thought we had a prime viewing seat over the water, but we neglected to realize that the sun rose from the mountain behind us; until it was already bright out. I hope our directional skills improve on our journey.

We spent the next day exploring town and eating at a local gyro shop. I then spent the next 2 days nursing Andrew back to health after an ugly bout of gyro induced food poisoning. I will spare all the details, but it was not pretty. Andrew was very upset and needed to speak to his mom (a nurse), purely for her medical expertise of course. I couldn't hear exactly what was said but I was told it went something like this:
A: "Mom, I am sick"
M: "I had a feeling about this. I think you should take the next flight home."
A: "No, I think it is only temporary food poisoning."
M: "You have a temperature; I can hear it in your voice."
Anyway, it was very sweet and luckily he got over the illness soon after their conversation, otherwise we would be back in New York.

Since Andrew missed a lot of time at our fantastic hotel (a treat from the no frills places we stayed at in Turkey) while in the bathroom, we decided to stay a few more days instead of going on to the island of Naxos.

Our hotel was amazing and it was like taking a vacation from our vacation. Everything was so white and clean and instead of lounge chairs by the pool, they had beds with towel sheets. I found this ingenious. We hiked from one beach to the next and spent a lot of time taking in the scene of Mykonos which is a beautiful island but appears to have been taken over by expensive designer stores and party goers. The streets of Mykonos town are all what you picture about classic Greek islands. All buildings are white, with mostly blue but sometimes other colors used to paint the window frames and doors. The streets are windy pedestrian roads, and it was pleasant to get lost, shop a little, and find new cafes to sit and have a rich dessert. Also, we heard rumors that in addition to the club scene, Mykonos was also very accepting of "alternative lifestyles." Rumor confirmed.

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Photos

Amazing Hotel
...deserves 2 pictures

Looks a bit like a personal ad
...likes to take long walks on the beach

Church
Leaving Turkey also means leaving the mosques and the 6 daily calls to prayer.

Street Cleaning
Instead of sweeping the street for debris, flower petals were the biggest nuisance to shop owners.