June 14 to 18th, 2009
When Libby and I talked and planned our trip, I had only one request--I wanted to go to Mykonos on my birthday. The only context I had for this was that it was a really good place to go out, they had good wine, and great beaches. Sounded good enough to me.
We left Kusadasi via Ferry early on the 14th, and with my second Twilight book in tow, had a few hour ride to the island of Samos, where we switched ferries to get to Mykonos but not before we had a delicious pizza lunch and some fried feta cheese.
It was already good to be in Greece.
With vistas like this, there is no room for complaints
Several chapters of "New Moon" (AKA Twilight Book #2) later, we arrived on the island of Paros where we were to spend one night.
Paros did not disappoint.
We stayed near the water, and leaving our guidebook behind, wandered the narrow streets and stumbled upon a beautiful, quaint church that was holding a service, and soon after came across Pebble Bar, with one of the most beautiful sunset views I had ever seen.
We enjoyed the sunset, and the wine, and on a recommendation of the owner, walked to have dinner at a small seafood restaurant that had no other customers, and thus the old man working treated us like royalty, bringing us Grappa shots for free (a Greek liquor) and leaving us very, very full. A bit too much wine and grappa later, we headed back to our hotel but not before playing some mean soccer with some teenage boys in the street with a lemon (I scored two goals).
As my 30th birthday dawned the next morning, I took advantage of the nice weather to take a short run before heading off to a delicious brunch, which consisted, among other things, a waffle covered with Nutella. I figure on my birthday, I can get away with anything.
We did a little more exploring and shopping that morning before we caught our next ferry to Mykonos, and most importantly, I bought the next Twilight book, "Eclipse". Happy Birthday to me!
Upon arrival in Mykonos, you are greeted by masses of people from surrounding hotels and hostels wanting to recruit your business. We already had a reservation, but we liked this guy:
After settling in to our place, we decided to walk into town; but it turns out our hotel was a bit "rural" and the walk took some time, but we were rewarded with beautiful scenes such as this along the way.
Having an early birthday dinner, we met an American couple from Alabama who had been coming to Mykonos for 18 years. The woman, Christine, was quite the southern diva and we were very entertained by her company, and her husband bore an uncanny resemblance to Trent Lott.We then sauntered over to rent a four-wheeler, but not before we saw this fellow on the boardwalk:
Driving a four-wheeler was one of my favorite things we did on the islands. Not to mention that it made us laugh to know end that it was a bit tricky learning to drive it--and put gas in it. I also had some technical difficulties putting my helmet on correctly
As we headed back to our rural villa, we had a deep desire to go out that night because A) we were in Mykonos and B) it was my birthday. One small problem was transportation, because we did not want to drive our precious orange 4-wheeler if we were going to have some cocktails. Determined, at midnight we headed to the driveway, hoping against hope that in the dark, the town bus would pass and pick us up.
Just when I was succombing to the fact that maybe tonight was not our night, Maria, co-owner of the Villa, rolls up in her 15-passenger van and exclaims "Oh! You girls going to go make the dance!? Oh! I give you ride! You meet nice boys, Yes?!"
Thus, my birthday was extended into the wee hours, we met a delightful Dutch couple who shared some drinks with us, we later met some otehr friends, danced on a few tables, and completed the night at 7 a.m. with a chocolate croissant from a great small Greek bakery.
Our Dutch friends After 4 hours of sleep, it was time to do the most important thing: Hit the beach. We 4-wheeled it to Super Paradise beach, which as you can tell, was fantastic:
After several hours on the beach, we headed back, continued trying Greek foods and loved them, and the next day headed to Paradise Beach, perhaps the most famous beach on Mykonos because of its party-time atmosphere. It was fun, but Super Paradise was preferred. Our last night in Mykonos consisted of me trying several cocktails that were no comparison to bourbon and ginger ale, and Libby becoming a fan of the Gin Fizz. Another late night, we decided Mykonos was fun for it food and its frolicking, but it was definitely time the next day to head to Santorini.
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