Contents
- Preface
- San Francisco
- Amsterdam
- Amsterdam, Helmond
- Amsterdam, Zandvoort, Haarlem
- Amsterdam, Bruges
- Bruges, Brussels, Cologne, Berlin
- Berlin
- Berlin, Potsdam
- Berlin, Wansee
- Berlin, Prague
- Prague
- Prague, Karlstejn, Vienna
- Vienna
- Vienna, Salzburg, Füssen
- Füssen, Neuschwanstein, Munich
- Munich, Innsbruck
- Innsbruck
- Innsbruck, Zürich, Lauterbrunnen
- Lauterbrunnen, Jungfraujoch
- Lauterbrunnen, Schilthorn
- Lauterbrunnen, Spiez, Zermatt
- Zermatt
- Zermatt, Martigny, Chamonix
- Chamonix, Mont Blanc
- Chamonix, Mont Blanc, Courmayeur, Aosta, Turin
- Barcelona
- Barcelona, Sitges
- Barcelona
- Milan, Venice
- Venice
- Venice
- Venice, Milan, Cinque Terre
- Cinque Terre, La Spezia
- Cinque Terre, Pisa, Lucca, Florence
- Florence
- Florence
- Florence, Siena
- Siena, San Gimignano, Rome
- Rome
- Rome
- Rome, Sorrento
- Sorrento, Vesuvius, Pompeii
- Sorrento, Positano, Amalfi, Ravello
- Sorrento, Capri, Naples
- Naples, Bari
- Patras, Athens, Mykonos
- Mykonos
- Mykonos
- Mykonos, Paros, Santorini
- Santorini
- Santorini, Athens
- Athens
- Athens, Amsterdam, San Francisco
Prev :: Tuesday, 18 October 2005 :: Next
47. Mykonos
Photo Gallery
Needless to say, I had a rather significant headache this morning. I think the only thing which got me out of bed was the lure of the free breakfast, ending as it did at 10:30. Now it was really time to do the laundry which I had failed to do in Naples! Fortunately there were several full-service ones nearby, so I didn't have to waste time watching the clothes spin. We found the hungover Brits at their hotel and went out for a coffee at a café with an odd name which now escapes me. Despite the gloomy, chilly weather, I was determined to hit the beach, even if only to prove to myself that it was a waste of time. Apparently the last charter flight had taken off for northern Europe the day before, and so there really was hardly anyone left on the island. Being on unpopulated islands can make for a great vacation, but somehow with Mykonos I had been looking forward to at least a little bit of the party scene. For this, however, it was too late. I should have taken the trip to see the ancient ruins on the nearby island of Delos instead of flailing around on the beach, but I never made it.
We left the Brits and rented a couple of four-wheel ATV-type things with big tires. A bit safer than scooters, but they don't go as fast (they won't go over 40 km/h on flat ground). The roads are somewhat rougher here than at Amalfi, too. We headed straight for Super Paradise — which is said to be a packed party place in summer. My experience was quite different. The island is lovely, brilliant white houses and tiny churches everywhere with light blue roofs set against a barren grey-brown landscape and the deep blue Aegean, and cute old windmills dotting the town. As we approached the beach, it began to rain. Horrible. Only a few equally insane northern Europeans were on the beach as well, braving the weather for a swim. So I tucked all my clothes under my Gore-Tex jacket and went in as well, damn the consequences! The water felt relatively warm, so it wasn't that bad.
I stuck around while my hotel mate went for a drive elsewhere. The weather improved to the point where it was possible to sit on the beach fully dressed and not be completely miserable in the chilly wind. I talked with a German guy and gave him a ride back to the town (incredibly, he had taken the bus to the beach — which was now running about once a day or something). He was staying at a place further up the hill, in a room which was perhaps prettier but much smaller than ours and right on a busy road — yet it cost a whole lot more. An excellent bright rainbow appeared at this point against a backdrop of dark black clouds to the east. Back in the town I had my first Greek gyro, and discovered that they're much better than the ones you get in the US. First of all, they actually fry the pita, which goes a long way toward making it delicious. And the meat inside tastes quite like bacon. For some reason when you get the same stuff spread out on a plate in almost the same quantity, it costs four times as much, but the pita form is a steal at under €2. A local Greek guy here was optimistic the weather would be better tomorrow, and so I agreed to give him a ride to Super Paradise just after noon. This evening it was so chilly that I actually needed to wear my heavy fleece jacket, which I hadn't needed since the Alps. I had even thought of mailing it back home to make space for souvenirs, but fortunately I hadn't!
Next I took a drive out to Elia beach around sunset — a long drive around the island unless you find the shortcut which I couldn't locate. It's not a terribly good place to watch the sunset, because it doesn't face west at all, but it's a lovely beach. No one else here. As it was getting dark, I stopped by Paradise Beach. This was quite surreal, with a large open-air bar on the beach open for business and playing loud music, but precisely no one was there apart from the staff. So I headed back to town, where we ate at Antonini's — not as good as the previous night, but much cheaper and a good deal (for Mykonos). Amusingly enough, we sat down right next to the Brits as they were finishing, so we joined them for a drink after dinner.
This late in the season, there is one and only one bar (Portas) which is of any interest that is still open. This is of course a very small fraction of the number of bars open in the high season. So I will have to come back in early September (though accommodation will be far more expensive). I talked the couple of Brits into joining me here for a short while. The bar was small but actually not uncrowded, and most of the crowd were locals. The cutest of the Brits promised to see me on Super Paradise the next morning, but he didn't make it (or I was too late; they were catching the ferry at 14:00).