Mykonos

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Geo: 37.4453, 25.328

We awake to the terrible news of events in Manchester last night. Always shocking but even more so when so close to home. So it lends a sad tinge to the day that we can be enjoying our holiday when others are coming to terms with the loss of a loved one or friend.

We dock in a small but very pretty port a short distance from Mykonos Town. We are a little surprised as we thought we would tender today. There are three other cruise ships who are anchored offshore. MSC Poesia, Costa Classica and Pullmantur Horizon. So I guess Mykonos Town is going to be very busy.

The hills surrounding us are dotted with the famous sugar cube houses that look so cute in their white and blue colour scheme. We are here from 7am to 6pm today so plenty of time. We breakfast in the main dining room for the first time. I order eggs benedict which is excellent. Peter orders his usual of eggs over medium (they come well done) bacon, sausage and mushrooms.

We grab our things and head ashore. There are free shuttle buses to take guests the short distance to town. You can walk it too which they say takes about 30mins. We spot a sea taxi that only costs 2 euro and so we take that option. We are soon making our way across the small bay into town. Yes it's is very busy. We begin exploring the small narrow streets that are filled with all sorts of shops. They are extremely picturesque and pretty. We emerge near the iconic windmills that overlook the town. Back though the streets we stop for coffee and wifi and then more exploring.

We stop at a taverna for lunch. We order Greek salads, beers and bread. It's seems Greek salads come in different variations depending on where you are in Greece. This one is quite traditional which is how we like them with a nice slab of a feta cheese on top, none of this fancy crumbled variety. It's very good, especially when drizzled with olive oil and vinegar.

We take the free shuttle back to the ship and sit out on the outside promenade watching the many ferries and jet cats arrive and depart taking people out to the other islands and the mainland. Some mid afternoon coffee and cookies will see us through to dinner tonight. Just before we leave Mykonos the captain gives his daily message which details the route we will follow, speed, weather, sunset and sunrise times. He also offers his condolences to the victims of the Manchester bombing which I think was a really nice touch.

Reflection slowly leaves Mykonos before turning northward to circle around the top of the island before heading in a south easterly direction toward Rhodes. As it's still fairly early I sit on the balcony and watch Mykonos Town recede into the distance until it's little more than a white smear on the horizon. The north side of the island is rocky and bare with not a single dwelling to be seen, a true Grecian landscape.

After showering and dressing we head to the Martini Bar which is surprisingly quiet so we easily get chairs. I order a Sapphire French and Peter the Sapphire London Club. Both really nice. Just before 8pm we head to the Sunset Bar just as the sun is setting over Mykonos which is now far behind us. Lots of our fellow cruisers have joined us all looking for that perfect sunset selfie.

Dinner is in Opus again tonight. We are sandwiched between two groups of Aussies who are all friendly and appreciative of some of the tips we give them about Rhodes & Santorini (avoid the Nigerian Ladies selling wristbands in Rhodes and don't dawdle when you get off the tender in Santorini). Food is good. We both have a delicious crab cake to start. Peter then has a Caesar salad and I opt for the Shrimp Cocktail. Peters main is Chicken Saltimbocca and I have beef tenderloin. Portion sizes are good which you don't often get in a main dining room.

After dinner it's the return of the silent disco but this time in the solarium. We arrive early to find a mermaid in the pool with large floating coloured balls. I think she is trying to lure the unwary to a watery doom. She is not succeeding. The place soon fills. The music selection this time is not as good but Peter gets rather enthusiastic and is pogoing like a punk rocker at one stage (he regrets this the following morning). The headphones which are mainly switched to the blue channel all start flicking to red as people change channel and start gesticulating wildly, making letters in the air. It can only be YMCA. After about an hour we have had enough and retire to the Sunset Bar again which is playing some nice chilled music for us to wind down to. We head to bed ready for our day in Rhodes tomorrow.

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