A Study in Relaxation (Mykonos, Part 2)

Tuesday was an exciting day. I got up early for a quick breakfast and headed to the dock by 9am to get tickets. Where to next, you wonder? A visit to Delos Island!

A great building I stumbled upon on my way to the port.

A guided ticket package that included both the boat ride, Delos entrance and guided tour was €50. A round trip boat ride alone was €20 with the Delos Island entrance being €12 making it €32 without the guided tour. Me being me, I wouldn't get anything out of the tour because I knew I won't understand anything by being too focused on trying to understand what a tour guide was saying and not pay attention the environment. So I did it my way, which is more adventurous and cheaper to boot!

I waited around for a half hour before they let us get on the boat early. There was still 30 minutes to go and many people still haven't gotten tickets or arrived yet, so I nabbed a prime seat at the top of of boat!

First Delos boat of the day, 10am launch and we were off! It took about 20mims? Maybe 30? I certainly lost track of time admiring the clear blue waters and ancient islands with churches peppering the hilltops.  We got to the island and had to go through the ticketing building to get to the ancient site.

I felt I was back in Pompeii or Ostia Anticia in Italy. I used the map to guide me through a path and identify what some ancient remains were. I was blown away with just how old everything was. How it got burnt down by their enemies, how they had to rebuild, and eventually moved away due to declining commerce.  You can identity which were commons houses, which were mansions and see how they did their floor plans depending on that. If they were rich, the roads were more narrow and irregular since people built the, so they get the most square inch of the plot they owned (same can be said for more modern cities!) People walked these old roads thousands of years ago! 

There were also tons of cats and by noon I had a second water bottle I got from the museum cafe and used the cap to let the cats have water. I was tempted to take several back with me but I'm sure they're having the best time of their life on an island with hardly anyone on it except for tourists. They looked healthy anyway! 

Posing in front of the Lions of the Naxians, featuring my new Greek tunic 👌

There were only two times the boat would be departing from Delos and I was determined to make the first one at 1:30. Two hours is more than enough to go through most of the ancient site. I made it back to the boat and caught a ride back to Mykonos town.

I decided to explore a bit of the port area and went back and forth in the streets. I stumbled upon a really nice shop called "Scandali", that makes custom Greek sandals! I highly recommend stopping by here if you are on Mykonos - the shop owner was so nice and attentive. You can decorate your own sandals and have it ready within 30 minutes. It's not super cheap but you are paying for quality and labor. My sandals were €65. 

I got a free tshirt too 😁 The tshirt is printed localled and branded for the shopowner's sister's store. 

After that, I was already getting worn out so I headed back to my hotel for an afternoon on the pool deck. 

Wednesday morning came and I still had no clue what I wanted to do. I had the island map with me at breakfast as I figured it out. I decided to go to the beach. Can't really experience Mykonos from the pool deck. So I wanted to go to Elia Beach which is quite far and hard to get to but it would mean less people and more calmer seas. 

I walked 20 minutes to Ornos / Ornos Beach to see if I can catch a water taxi to Elia. Luckily there were sidewalks or lined roads with enough space to walk. 

I got to the beach and went to the water taxi stand to get information. 

Yes, the taxi is accessible - you get on right from the beach in front of us.

Yes, it is €10 round trip. 

Yes, it is several stops and it would take about an hour to get to Elia. 

Today? No, the winds are blowing inland so there will be no water taxis today.

Noooo! 

Ornos is packed with expensive sunbeds and umbrellas and very little space to actually put your towel down. Even though I was there pretty early and there were hardly anyone there, it was eventually going to be packed. I spent a good few minutes debating if it was worth it to go back all the way to Mykonos Town and catch two buses to get to Elia.

Ultimately, I decided I just wanted to lay down and read my book. I can turn my hearing aid off if the people get too noises. So I parked my bag and towel on a spot where there wasn't too many people within a couple feet.

I read my book, napped and swam in the water. I returned from my water and went to my towel only to realize a topless old lady had put down her towel mere inches from mine. Look lady, you do you, but you need to back away several feet from my towel thank you very much. I tried to read my book a little longer but decided I disliked how close everyone was and packed up. Not a huge fan of close proximity with tons of people (and screaming kids). Three hours of beach time is decent anyway. 

Hotel pool deck it is! I headed back to my hotel and took a rinse in the pool shower and promptly fell asleep on my sunbed, in total silence except the winds and waves and the only people were two other couples on the other side of the deck and my favorite waiter who consistently supplies me with water bottles without me asking.

Much better.

I spent most of the afternoon napping and reading. Not much to report there. By 5pm, went back into my room for a shower and to pack. I had one last dinner in my hotel's restaurant and had Greek beer (Mythos) and Greek souvlaki. 

I stayed there to watch one more quiet sunset. 

I'm sad to leave Mykonos - I really enjoyed my time here. I definitely want to come back and I would definitely come back to this hotel. They have gone above and beyond my expectations (though the bar was set low anyway because I did not even expect that much!). I will be back. One day! Hotel pictures below as promised.

view from my porch. unfortunately, two giant cruise ships pulled in today.

I checked out ahead of time after dinner since I am leaving early tomorrow morning. My airport transport will pick me up at 5am and the evening desk host has offered to arrange coffee and a small breakfast before I go (!!!) at 4:30am, which means I have to get up at 4am. 

Ugh. Wish me luck. And you'll hear from me once I'm in Barcelona! ✈️

A Study in Relaxation (Mykonos, Part 1)

Wow. That's what I can say about Mykonos.

When I left Dubrovnik on Saturday, it was pouring. I was lugging my suitcase through Old Town and reached the taxi stand (and luckily caught the only taxi standing there), shuttled to the airport, dried off, switched from sneakers to sandals, flew through Dubrovnik to Athens to Mykonos.

I walked off my plane at Mykonos, walked directly to the building where that baggage area was and got my bag.  I was a little concerned that the hotel driver wasn't going to wait but it was going to be all right. I got to the arrivals area and found a man holding a sign with my name on it. That was a thrill!!! 

He put my luggage on a fancy van, gave me water and told me to relax. I felt like a meerkat looking back and forth between windows, gawking at the beautiful white buildings and blue skies since I came from a dreary morning. The van drove up a hill and up another one through the sign pronouncing "Tharroe of Mykonos".

I arrived at my hotel, went through all the check in. They kept telling me to leave my luggage. Not even when they showed me to my room. They got it. I was so used to being in hostels that my brain didn't catch up with me; that it is most definitely not a hostel anymore. Hello, this is a 5-star LUXE hotel!!!! omg what am I doing here?! I was given a set of keys and had a room right up the first floor. 

My room, you guys.

There is a huge bed, a tall standing mirror, and a confusing shower (you know it's fancy when you need a minute to figure out the shower). A stocked fridge full of complimentary water and soda. And a killer seaview and view of the Mykonos town right from my porch. I will share pictures tomorrow.  But then I went back out of my room to get some information, apparently they were not done showing me around. 

The desk host took me through a set of doors, where there were some beautiful statues that looked like it belonged in a museum. 

disclaimer: i just took these tonight (9/11/17)!

Then he took me through another seat of doors to show a long dining table where breakfast would be served, some dining seats, more outdoor dining seats, then I saw the pool, and the shore, and the sea, and the sun. I heard the host leaving me and I stood blown away. A waiter came over and handed me a glass of prosecco on the house and I could only mumble thank you with only a glance. Though I gave him a more heartfelt thank you before heading back into my room, he had to excuse me for the moment!

Once I got over the shock, I headed back to my room and unpacked quickly. I wanted to head to the Mykonos a Town before it got dark so I could explore some. I asked the host at the front desk for directions, and got them. Its about a 15-minute walk to the main town. I quickly realized there are no sidewalks and dim streetlights so I did not want to be caught walking in the dark. 

From where I was based, I had to enter the town through Fabrika, I suppose a gate/bus stop where there are several buses to take you to the surrounding beaches. Exploring made me realize how hard it is to navigate the streets here. There are hardly any street signs and you know what you are looking for. Google maps came in handy here but I was determined to learn my way with the town map I got. 

I found my way to the shore and watched the boats for a bit. I headed back before the lights faded too much. I took a shower in the fancy shower and fell asleep in the biggest and fluffiest bed ever.

Sunday morning, I woke up early and headed to the dining area right when it starts at 8am. It was a heck of a spread - especially coming from simply cereal at a hostel.

After an amazing breakfast, I wanted to do something so I went to see the windmills and explore more of the town. So I did just that! 

I went through Fabrika but walked along the outside street until I reached the windmills. 

I headed down the stairs until I reached the port and explored more areas! I was getting familiar with the streets more and could recognize if I made a wrong turn. I also found the boat shuttle to Delos Island and decided that is what I'll do Monday morning. By early afternoon,  I felt I explored most of the town and headed back to my hotel. If Mykonos was meant to be my relaxing stop, then it meant I had to force myself to relax.

Back at the hotel in no time, I hopped onto one of the sunbeds.

Except to a different sunbed, that is! Sitting in the sun for hours was great. But it was hard not to move. I felt the need to do something - reading a book wasn't helping, not even watching some Star Trek Voyagers on Netflix. It was a struggle. Sometimes, moments like these make me think that I still have ADHD? 

Regardless, I've dubbed part two of my vacation a "study in relaxation". It's okay not to do anything. You can get up early to feel like you're not wasting a day but you don't need to do much of "doing" or force yourself to go do it. It is okay to relax - that is something to do, right? Sitting by a pool that is overlooking the Aegean Sea with white buildings dotting the shore - that's "doing". 

And so is actually watching a proper sunset either for the first time in a long time, or ever. From when the sun is in the sky to when it disappears into the horizon. 

So is watching a Mykononian sunset while drinking Mykonian red wine.

That's something to do.