Visiting the Greek Islands is a large part of the reason that this cruise path was the one that I selected. It's long been a destination I've hankered to visit and I had to pinch myself this morning as I sat outside this morning in the windy conditions watching the sun rise over Mykonos and its surrounding islands.
On landing perhaps the visual impact was not as strong as I had anticipated; I believe Santorini has the wow factor there, but I left Mykonos today feeling like it is a place I would love to return to for a longer period of time in the future.
There are definitely some beautiful spots to photograph, and I dragged Mum off the boat early to catch the morning light. I don't think I got anything out of the ordinary in terms of spectacularly original shots, but at least I have some fine representations of the island.
After finding our way to the five windmills and looking down across Little Venice to the port, we ventured upwards though the narrow, picturesque streets. (I kicked myself at dinner tonight for not actually visiting Little Venice... I'd heard about the resident pelican and took my zoom especially to get a good shot, but I didn't know exactly where he hung out, and a fellow diner showed me her photos of him from Little Venice... Grrr...)
We then caught a local bus to a beach recommended by a lady I asked in a small store. Herein begins our experiences with awesome people all day. She was really helpful and her recommendation was spot on. It (the name currently fails me) was very much a tourist beach, surrounded by boutique hotels and resorts, and it was very beautiful.
Our second lovely Mykonosian, be there such a word, was the chap who served us perfect espressos and let us sit on just those two purchases as we took advantage of the free wifi. Bliss. We then took a wander along the beach and up the uphill for more photographic opportunities before choosing one of the many on shore restaurants for lunch. Mum and I both stuck with the Greek theme; I'd been dying for stuffed vine leaves, and she tried fresh sardines. Our delicious meal was finished off with a complimentary sweet treat for dessert. Another nice gesture.
After catching the bus back to Mykonos Town, I let the Shopping Genie out of the bag. Shame he couldn't make anything free lol. I started with a modest scarf, then progressed to shoes, (served by a lovely woman who saw I'd hurt my foot (done at the beach) and tended to me with cleaning alcohol and plasters!) clothing, and ultimately, jewellery.
It had been my intention to bring back a ring of significance to remember this trip by. I had figured I would get this in Florence, but I found it in Mykonos. I love it. And I really appreciated the attention of the shop assistant, a South African 17 years in Mykonos, who served us coffees and shared tales of her time here as the jeweller resized my ring.
Mykonos, you and your people rock.
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