We arrived at Mykonos under crystal blue skies shortly before 8:00 a.m. The sea had been smooth as glass and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast at our usual spot on the port side of Deck 6, near the TOY. Sean took care of us in his usual splendid fashion, and FT enjoyed the wonderful chocolate croissants, and her cappuccino.
Mykonos is one of those much talked about and idyllic spots that come to mind when one thinks of the Greek isles. Town is a charming place with a labyrinth of lanes and streets that lead to exciting and quaint squares. It is a place to get lost and revel in the culture. The town was designed this way to make it difficult for pirates who were prevalent in the Mediterranean in times past. The strange thing about the island is that it is very dry, windy, and barren.
We did not have an excursion planned, but had decided to visit Delos, one of the most important archeological sites in all of Greece. We grabbed a tender shortly after the ship’s excursions had departed and went ashore. There are three ferries to Delos daily and we had about an hour to wait before our ferry. This gave us an opportunity to explore some of town. We walked around the harbor and of course, I had to venture into the church that sits on the water front. Like a lot of churches on the islands this is dedicated to St. Nicholas, the patron saint of fishermen.
After stopping in the church we continued around the water front and came upon the local fish market where today’s catch was proudly displayed and was being sold. Next to his was the local farmers market with fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs, and flowers. In case you get the idea that this is a large area it is not, the total length of the water front is no more than 250 – 300 yards, which makes it easily walkable. It is lined with numerous restaurants and souvenir shops. The real Mykonos is just behind this in the maze.
When the time arrived we boarded our ferry and went to the top deck to enjoy the view. Great plan, but lousy execution. The following that was written by FT is such a good description that I cannot improve on it. “We encountered a extended family on our first one – brothers and wives and children and the grandmother. They surrounded us, proceeded to take food out of their bags – homemade and then body lotion and groom themselves, and the grandmother said a prayer as the ferry took off. Then they starting trading places and crowding in – I wondered if there wasn’t a hidden camera somewhere. We moved downstairs and I’ll be darned – if they didn’t follow five minutes later. Lost them when started heading up the hills.”
The ride to Delos, which last about 30 – 40 minutes, was breathtaking. The sea was smooth as glass, and the colors incredible. When we arrived we bought our tickets and began exploring the site.
Delos is a small island that is very dry. Its fame comes from the fact that it was considered to be the birth place of Apollo, a major Greek deity. Since this is a cruise review and not a mythology lesson I will not spend a lot of time on the myths, but suggest that an Internet search will reveal numerous sources to aid your understanding. Delos later became a major trading and cultural center. The ruins are on par with those of Ephesus (if not exceeding them in quality), and there is a wonderful museum on the site. We spent about 2 ½ hours exploring the site. FT even managed to climb Mt. Cynthus, the highest point on the island. The height is 112 m (approximately 350 feet), and affords stunning panoramic views. While she climbed I waited in the area of the museum and explored some of the ruins there.
There are three additional things that are not to be missed on Delos, the first is of a very modern vintage, the orange juice that is fresh squeezed and sold at the snack shop/rest area near the museum. The other is the famous lions. Five statues have been located and are housed in the museum. There are replicas, on the road where they were discovered, but the originals are too precious to leave out in the elements any longer. The last thing to notice is the mosaics. They are everywhere and were used as floors, and wall decorations. They are stunning!
FT was talking with some other when we got back to the ship and learned from 3M that the guided tour to Delos was fantastic – guides here have to go to a 3 year college course before deciding what region they want to specialize in. She was also provided with interesting details about the anatomically correct statutes in front of the museum which the Christians destroyed in the name of editorial correctness hundreds of years ago.
When we finished our exploration we took the ferry back to town and set off exploring. The first stop, however was one of the charming cafes, where we had a lunch of freshly caught seafood, grilled octopus, shrimp, mussels, calamari and sardines. These sardines were not like anything available in the US. They were the size of my hand and were freshly grilled. Delicious!
After lunch and a rest, we walked around town, and explored the maze of shops. As an aside it should be noted that cars are forbidden in town. I stumbled upon a woman who was hand painting icons, In addition to painting she used a lot of silver in her work. We eventually found Little Venice, so called because the buildings are right against, and often overhang, the sea. It appears much more romantic from the sea than from the street.
We then wandered over to one of the most famous scenes in all of the islands, the five windmills of Kato Myli. Eventually we reentered the maze and made our way back to the tender dock where we were greeted by June, who had chairs, shade, drinks and cookies from the ship. We were back on board around 3:00 and were able to enjoy water sports that were being offered off the rear of the ship.
Tonight’s menu included:
Starters
Homemade Terrine of Foie Gras
Salad of Shrimp, Tomato and Avocado
Vol au Vent
Soups
Veloute of Summer Vegetables
Chilled Mango and Papaya
Salads
Wedges of Iceberg with Russian Dressing
Deep Fried Goat Cheese
Chef’s Main Dishes
Grilled Fillet of Halibut on Vegetables Julienne with White Asparagus
Herbs de Provence Marinated Pork Tenderloin on Boulangere Potato
Beijing Whole Roasted Duck
Desserts
Sea Dream Noir
Queen’s of Pudding with Pistachio Ice Cream
Pink Peppercorn Spiced Pineapple Salad with Lemon Sorbet
Once again the sunset was incredible!
After dinner we headed back to the cabin as both FT and myself had to work. Our “treat” tonight was white chocolate dipped strawberries, which I enjoyed immensely, since FT could not partake of due to her strawberry allergy. After dinner a DVD was shown in the main salon – Elaine Page Celebrating 40 Years on Stage. We enjoyed another wonderfully smooth sail to our next port of call Kusadasi, Turkey a distance of 103 nautical miles.
More pictures are available on my flickr page by clicking HERE
The author of this blog is not compensated by Sea Dream Yacht Club in any manner.
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