Day 24-26

So far, Greece does not disappoint!

After leaving Naples, it took 2 overnight ferries and 2 trains before we landed on our first stop in Greece, Mykonos! One day, we're actually going to arrive in a new city with nice-smelling clothes...

Guess what was the first thing we encountered in Greece? A friendly stranger! Ok, he was an Italian traveller but we met him in Greece. We met a whole bunch of travellers on our way to Mykonos so at least our 2 day journey was not completely spent in a vacant and idle stupor. Well, Monica and I still talk sometimes, hehe. :)

Mykonos does fulfil those postcard images of the traditional whitewashed abodes with blue-painted shutters, railings, etc. I'm sure most of it is tourist-driven but it sure is pretty! Walking out onto the terrace of our hotel (which is owned by the most adorable Greek woman, by the way!!!!) was amazing! Little dingys bobbing in the endless aquamarine water... wow! We spent the first day wandering the town and doing some proper relaxation (for once!) on the beach. No aquacardio for me this time around. :)

We tried some ouzo, which is Greek beer. The waiter laughed at us when we asked whether it was good. He said, "You.. will like it." WE DID NOT. It tasted like pure black licorice alcohol. Straight to the head. Yowzas!

Oh darn, time's up again. We have one more day in Mykonos and then it's off to Santorini. Can't believe we're almost done!

Shall fill in the rest whenever we get the chance.

----- the add in ----

On our second day in Mykonos, we took a excursion to the sacred island of Delo Woek up nice and early to join the retirees on the first ferry of the day. (The younger partying folk don't wake up in time, you see). The entire isand of Delos is an archeological site and nobody is allowed to live on the island. Visitors are only allowed on the island from 9am to 3pm. We think that the island would have been more impressive had we not gone to Rome first. However, the climb to the top of Mount Kythnos was worth the moolah! If I was a little more limber, I might have felt like a young Hercules scampering up the steps. From the top of the mount, you can see the rest of the Cyclades islands surrounding you and you can see how the island groups got its name! The ferry ride back to Mykonos was fun - the water was all choppy and reminded Monica of OC6 practices. Talk about getting doused! I got completely soaked when we got sideswiped by a wave. Taken completely by surprise because the ferry we were in wasn't that small! And we were sitting on the upper deck! Anyway...

Back in Mykonos, we contined our relaxing time and ate lunch at a taverna, just watching the world trickle by. Then we finally tried some shopping, which we haven't done since we left Vancouver. Didn't buy anything of course!

Fell asleep in the afternoon -- hey, if the Greeks take siestas, we should try them too! We tried to find the bus station to take us to Paradise Beach but the maze of little streets had us searching for a good hour before we just gave up. Well, we actually found something better! We happened across a tiny ampitheatre and a free concert! A performance by a man whose name we cannot say and whose songs we cannot reproduce (hmm, that sounds very LOTR). It was just him singing and playing his guitar. We sat outside the venue and just listened to the rest of the concert, not understanding one word but appreciating the moment. Hearing the sweetness of his voice and melodies, hearing the crowd softly singing along, hearing the wind rustling the leaves of the surrounding trees, and watching a group of local youths roughhousing in the background -- it was definitely one of those Mastercard moments, except that this one was bought by Visa. :) Definitely one of our favourite moments so far!

It is now our last day in Mykonos and we are really taking this relaxation oath to heart! Had a proper late wake up and just wandering around for the rest of the day. Maybe we'll go to the beach.. maybe we won't. La dee dah. :)

Heading to the lovely Santorini tomorrow.. and hopefully we'll meet up with Jenn and Ell while we're there!

Note: try yogurt, fruit, nuts, and honey. YUMMY.