Party town, G.R.E.E.C.E.
Our last Greek island was Mykonos. We knew to expect a party in Mykonos, and the island didn’t disappoint. But we had to pass through a test of our stomachs to reach it. The ferry ride from Naxos to Mykonos was our roughest yet, tossing our fast ferry around. The ferries between the Greek islands are split into two – large, standard ferries that carry cars, cargo, and people, and are as large as small cruise ships; and small, fast catamarans that carry only people. The catamarans are sometimes twice as fast as the slow ferries, and run more frequently between the popular islands, but also are much more easily tossed around by the waves. To save time, we always chose the fast ferries.
Jami on the ferry
We were told that Mykonos’ position at the northern edge of the Cyclades made it one if the windiest islands, and Jami’s death-grip on the fast ferry during the trip to Mykonos verified that. Had we taken a slow ferry it’s likely we would barely have felt the waves.
Once arrived, however, the view from our campground hostel made it all worthwhile. For although we were sleeping in a barebones concrete hut, using communal showers and toilets more prison-grade than tourist-grade, we overlooked the gorgeous Paraga Beach (and had a pool). It turned out to be an ideal location, as we were just a short bus ride from the streets and culture of Mykonos Town, and a short walk from the bars and clubs of Paradise Beach.
Paraga Beach
The pool.
Mykonos Town was beautiful and fun – although not as pretty from a distance as the whitewashed houses and churches of Santorini, it was more beautiful from within the town – each street paved with stone (some falsely painted even when there was perfectly good stone underneath), white houses with colorful accents, confusing streets without any names, and charming courtyards that would simply appear. It was fun, and inevitable, to get lost in the streets. In doing so we came across a pelican that wanders the streets, some great restaurants, and a fun bar with a deck over the water that would get splashed, even two floors up, whenever a big wave hit.
Mykonos Town
Cafes on the water
Lots of shopping
An old lady fishing from her own porch with bread
Painting fake stone streets on top of real stone streets… Really?
The island was a lot of fun, not necessarily because of its world-renowned clubs, but mostly because so many people came there looking for a fun time. Our favorite parties were at the casual beach front bars that played music from noon until close, as the formal clubs’ rules, entry fees, and techno-focused music choices seemed to take away from the partying. A particular favorite was Tropicana on Paradise Beach.
Jami at Tropicana
Trying to hang with the kids
Jami making friends with the MC
Sipping from a watermelon.
But Mykonos was more than just partying. We took a quick day trip to the island of Delos, an island sacred to the ancient Greeks. It was the mythological birthplace of Apollo, and pilgrams came from all over Greece. City-states tried to one-up each other in showing their devotion to the gods, resulting in a number of elaborate temples, the ruins of which are still visible. But what I found most impressive were the ruins of the upperclass citizen houses next to the city. The wealth of the island attracted wealthy Greeks, and some of their houses are fairly well preserved, with fancy mosaics, multiple-floor buildings, plumbing, and huge cisterns. Very cool.
Delos
A ruin of a house
Reconstructed temple
Jami at center stage