Day in Mykonos

Lena and Carine came in around 6am and woke me up but I slept again until just before 10 thanks to the super block-out shutters. We went up to breakfast at 10.30. I was feeling fairly unwell and so managed a cup of tea, a boiled egg, some ham and a little bread. I asked John about a map of Mykonos town and he gave me one but told me it would do me no good. I was confident that it would at least help. The tribe were ready to go by about 11.30 and we went to catch the bus into town. John asked if he could come with us because he had to pick up the boat tickets and check the weather conditions for the journey the next day.

He sat next to me on the bus and asked me about how we really felt about him leaving Rhapsody the night before, because apparently Lisa had said something about it. I asked him about possible scary boat conditions to Santorini and about some Greek words I’d been wondering about.

He went his own way and we hit the shops. I looked at my Mykonos town map at this point, determined to put it to good use. I tried to place myself on it firstly, but in the absence of street signs, it really was impossible to even do that. John was right - I put it away. I bought some blue Havaianas (thongs) in honour of Greece, and an evil eye bracelet as my second of the island set. We all (Al, Lisa, Kristie, Kelli and I) got a henna tattoo and took photos of the church and windmills and pelicans. We got the bus back before I was ready (I should have gone to the museums), and had lunch at the restaurant next door to the hotel. We moved up to the pool and I started with a swim in the sea which was very pleasant. Again – we should have got the water taxi to Paradise Beach to swim but the wind was picking up all the time. We sunbaked and Lena negotiated a dinner invitation from some guy on one of the boats who she was convinced was a Greek shipping heir come to sweep her off her feet. She went off in a daze and the rest of us had a good ole laugh.

The sun went behind the hotel next door, and the party broke up. Lena had me stay in the room until after 8pm while she got ready, at which time it became apparent that Stavros wasn’t coming. I joined the girls in Kristie and Kelli’s room for drinks. We went down to the restaurant for dinner at around 9 and found almost everyone there. Lena had put a brave face on and joined the group. I ordered fried squid. Most of the group went out into town, but we girls had one more quick drink upstairs then went to bed at about midnight.

Paros to Mykonos

I woke up before 9am and went down for breakfast. We packed our gear up and had it downstairs by 10.20. We loaded our bags into the hotel minibus and walked to the port – John had me make sure I had my bag. There was quite a line-up for the Seajet to Mykonos already and we took our place. I was worried about the trip in a smaller enclosed boat, even though it was only an hour long, so made sure I took a tablet. We stashed our bags on the back deck and I got a window seat at the back of the boat. The trip was flat and uneventful – we passed Delos on the way and John pointed out Mykonos out the window as we got near.

We found our bags, got off and waited for the hotel minibus. The bags went on the roof (courtesy of John) though Scott and Michael chose to do their own. We made the hair-raising drive to Hotel Petinos (the reason John didn’t recommend mopeds on any island but Paros) and sorted out rooms and keys. Our bags were labelled and taken to our rooms for us. The hotel in Paros had been nice and clean and family-run, but this one was absolutely beautiful – it’s traditional blue and white with shutters and has a large internal courtyard and fountain and painted stones on the ground. The rooms inside were very comfortable and mine, Lena’s and Carine’s was huge.

We had a nice lunch in the hotel restaurant at 10% discount (I had haloumi and dolmades served with tomatoes), and went back to our rooms for our swimming gear. We went to the pool and had fun with li-los and bombing off the diving board.

We met in the foyer at 7.30 to catch a bus into town for the walking tour and night out. We bought bus tickets for €1.10 at the shop and got on the rather clapped-out bus and did the drive into the town. From the bus stop we walked to the left around the outside of town to the windmills. They are only for show. We then walked the horseshoe – the only straightforward collection of roads in Mykonos town, so planned to disorient pirates - and got a taste for the shops before coming out near where the Delos boats leave from. We then walked past a folklore museum and the most photographed church in all the islands (except perhaps Santorini). We then walked through the narrow shopping street of Little Venice and ended up back near the windmills. That was the end of the walking tour and we split up – some going with John to the gyros shop and the rest of us going back to Hotel Nikos for a sit-down dinner at John’s suggestion. The service was a little poor, but I had fish of the day done in tomato and garlic which was lovely.

We made our way to the Rhapsody Bar where John was and ordered our two-for-one cocktails only to see John leave. We were all disappointed but stayed on. I had four cocktails and was quite drunk. We left after the crowd moved on to Paradise Beach and all the drinks were gone. We tried and failed to find the Scandinavian Bar, found the gay bar uncomfortably packed and playing awful music, so walked until we found some music we liked. We didn’t find any, so somehow found our way back to the bus stop through the middle of the town. We were just in time for the last bus at 2am and when we got back to the hotel went down to the beach for a Baileys. It was nice down there with the waves crashing but the bar closed at 2.30. We went to bed around 3am.

Day in Paros

I woke with bright sunshine in my face (not a nice experience) about 9am, got dressed and went down to breakfast (leaving G there) – cream cheese, ham, tea and sweet cake. Lisa and Co were hiring mopeds and I formulated a plan for myself with John at the breakfast table. I got ready and headed to the bus station, passing the mopedders getting some last minute advice from John. I checked out the cemetery and was surprised to see bare bones exhibited in the windows of the sealed museum. I looked in a shop or two and John caught up with me – he was looking for some things to buy. He walked me up to the bus station and swapped me some change for my fiver. I got a schedule and realised I had to wait for half an hour for the next bus to Lefkes. So I looked in shops on the far side of the windmill and bought the first of my island bracelets.

I found the right bus, got on it, we took off and I bought a ticket from the conductor guy on the way (standard in Greece). The road climbed fairly quickly and was quite winding. I counted the stops and got off in front of a taverna in Lefkes. I walked down a street through some beautiful white-washed houses and up again to the brown church.

I covered my shoulders and went inside. It was lovely with an ornate Michelangelo-style painted ceiling and a winding iron staircase. I kept walking, basically around the perimeter of the village, ending up right at the top, intending to eat lunch at the taverna near the bus stop. It took longer than I thought to get back down, so I contented myself with some cream biscuits. I got back on the bus and got off again at Golden Beach. I had a salad at a taverna beside the beach that was playing good 80s music. I swam and sunbaked, lost track of time and so missed the bus to Naoussa. Instead I went straight back to Parikia, arriving at about 6pm.

I had a shower, got my strength back with the help of the excellent Ion chocolate, and repeated John’s walk from last night, taking photos this time. I looked in the shops but didn’t find anything to buy. I was back at the hotel at 7.45 to meet John’s expedition to see the sunset from a jazz bar called Pebbles. I had two drinks, then we had crepes for dinner that were good. Some went shopping after that and some (including me) went back to the hotel balcony for half an hour. We went to bed at around 11pm.

Athens to Paros

Woke up at about 6am and went down for a quick breakfast. We walked out of the hotel at 6.30 and got onto a nice coach and drove through the easy traffic on the wrong side of the road to Piraeus. We walked on board through the lowered cargo door and stowed our luggage just inside the hold and all went up to find seats on the outside deck. The sea was reasonably calm and the journey was smooth and good – I was on the deck the whole time and spoke to Lena and John. I had a long conversation with John about languages (he speaks five) and Peloponnese because that’s where his family are from. What an interesting person.

We arrived at Paros about 1pm and loaded our luggage into the hotel’s minibus, then walked to the Asterias hotel along the shore.

Our bags were waiting for us outside the hotel when we got there – all except mine that is. John got it back for me and we found our rooms – I was sharing with Georgina. A group of us joined John at a taverna a few doors down and I had moussaka and beer. It was a nice place and a fun hour or two. After that I walked up to the supermarket and took some photos, then down to the beach with Gina, Lena and Michael. The water felt a little cold to start with, but felt heavenly very quickly. I stayed in for quite a while, then had a little lie on the beach. We headed back to find most of the rest of them beside the pool.

We all met up for the walking tour at about 7. John took us up the road to show us the cemetery then up past the windmill to the Frankish Castle. It was built from remnants of other buildings. We walked over the top and down through the residential streets to the shopping street. It was the first time Paros felt like a Greek island to me. Parikia is a little fishing village by appearance but here were square, white-washed houses, balconies, flowers, painted paths and locals sitting out the front. It was a magical moment. The shopping street was quaint and beautiful, but classy at the same time.

We kept on to the end and round the corner to see the main series of churches and museums. John was going to a bar up past the Frankish Castle and we all went along. It was up a flight of steps like the Frankish Castle and looked out over the water. I had a Kir Royale and between Steve and John, we had 4 bottles worth of Ursus Roter shots. We girls left to get some pizza on the way back to the hotel. I think John frowned on our choice of food, so someone dobbed Kristie and Kelli in for getting Maccas in Athens which I corroborated hehe. We got our pizza and ate it out the front of the hotel. The rest came back to the hotel soon after. We went to bed at about 1.45 and the Gap Years (Georgina, Loz and Fran) went out with Steve to a club in Naoussa. They made a terrific racket with the front door when they came back, reportedly at 5.30.

Athens tour

We got up around 7.45 and went down for breakfast. This was our day in Athens and John met us at 9am. He told Lena that the church was 1100 (Byzantine) so I won the bet. It just looked amazingly old. We went into Monastiraki Square and started our walking tour.

We saw the Roman Forum and had a lesson on columns that I missed most of in pursuit of photos (sorry John – I’ve made up for it since: plain = Doric, ram’s head = Ionic, floral/ornate = Corinthian). Then he took us into the square where the scaffolding church is and told us that the scaffolding was there due to earthquake damage that no one can afford to have repaired. We went back onto Ermou and up to Parliament House to see the changing of the guard. The guards wear great traditional dress and are not allowed to move to even swat a fly. They have to do a very florid marching and stamping ceremony. The guards are actually there to protect the tomb of the unknown soldier.

From there we went through part of the National Gardens to Panathinaikon Stadium where some of the Olympics were held. It’s huge and very impressive. We used the toilets in that building and they were absolutely beautiful – all marble inside. We then walked to Hadrian’s Arch past the Temple of Olympic Zeus (or what’s left anyway). We walked gradually uphill and on to the Acropolis, passing the Odeon of Herodes Atticus. We bought a ticket that covers a few sights and we all gathered to get ready to go in.

We went into the Acropolis enclosure, walking around the periphery and then onto the top. It didn’t take too long to see the various features on the Acropolis including the Parthenon, though I’m ashamed to say that I wasn’t very exhaustive in my curiosity. There is a lot of scaffolding due to ongoing restoration and there were people everywhere and it was very hot and dusty. We went into the museum and there were some interesting pieces. Kelli and I climbed up a very slippery marble rock to take photos of the surrounding areas. Three of us used another of our tickets to walk through the nearby Ancient Agora site including the well-preserved temple of Hephaistos, then through a restaurant and shopping area back to Monastiraki Square. I sat patiently in the very welcome air conditioning while they broke John’s golden rule and ate MACCAS!

We split up and I went in search of something decent to eat. I ended up getting a collection of food (also Ion chocolate) from a supermarket and sitting at the Kapnikarea church on Ermou to eat it. I then retraced our steps that morning with my camera at the ready – back up Ermou to Parliament House to check the guards were still there (they were, sweltering under their little awnings) and then into the National Gardens. It was nice but I tired of it fairly quickly.

I took photos of the Zappeion and the Temple of Olympian Zeus then I headed up to the Theatre of Dionysos on the slopes of the Acropolis using another of the tickets off the Acropolis group to get in. The theatre is ruined but is still fascinating, and the scale astounds me. It’s so big. I saw preparations for a sound check at the Herodes Atticus Odeon and tried to find out more about it with no success whatsoever. I walked back to the hotel along the shady Grand Promenade (Apostolou Pavlou) that John had recommended and saw all the cafes and tavernas that the girls had talked about the night before. When I got back I jumped straight into the shower to rid myself of the omnipresent dust.

After everyone was ready, we met John downstairs and went out to the included ‘traditional Greek dinner’.  We went to bed at 11pm.

There was very loud amplified bouzouki music with even louder vocals and a couple of female dancers. We were on two long, narrow tables, so I only got to meet Alison, Michelle and Jacinta. I had met Michael on the way. The red wine was OK and the salad, entree and fruit were nice but the main course was awful and the raw fish beside us on ice was smelly. Alison, Lena and I left early, closely followed by everyone else. We had a nice walk through the crowds in Plaka and all congregated on the rooftop to watch the floodlit Acropolis and chill out.

Arrival in Athens

My alarm went off at 4.20 and I had a cup of tea and was ready downstairs at 4.55. The shuttle took me back to the airport and the flight was good – landed in Athens at 12.10 Athens time. Flying over Greece was an amazing experience. It looks like nothing I’ve ever seen before – very burnt and brown, almost Middle Eastern. We also flew over Venice and some amazing tall and snow-capped alps.

After going through security, I picked up a map, collected my luggage and found the train station and found the right platform for metro trains to Monastiraki. I met a lovely old man while waiting and we carried on a nice but stunted conversation all the way to the stop before Monastiraki. I got off and found the hotel with a minimum of fuss, using my map and compass. Central Athens was a bit of a shock being very hot, smelly, somewhat shabby and with erratic traffic. The hotel was very flash and AIR CONDITIONED.

I did some unpacking and then Lena arrived. We were both hungry so we had a little walk in Psiri and had a fantastic plate of Greek hors d’oeuvres. We then checked out a shopping street, went into a large church with scaffolding on the outside and art decoration in gold leaf, and were spellbound by the Kapnikarea church on Ermou. We had bets on how old it was – I think she guessed about 500 years old and I guessed much older. We headed back to the hotel for the 7pm Top Deck meeting. John, the tour leader, gave us some information about the tour and a potted history of himself, took our details and we met some of the people. I asked him about Kapnikarea and he didn’t know how old it was but said he’d find out. I went with a group of girls for a meal at a taverna nearby. The others went out afterwards but I went to bed and read.

To the aiport

I caught the bus from Cambridge to Gatwick and arrived at 9.15. Checked in at the airport, leaving my bag at a different desk to the one I got my boarding pass from, which I found rather strange. I rang the Ibis for the shuttle to come and pick me up and checked in there. I got an overpriced burger for tea and ate it in my room. I had an uncomfortable night with no ear plugs, pyjamas or toothpaste. I was scared of having to leave things at security considering the crack-down on liquids/gels or anything else useful in hand luggage following the latest terrorist attempt. Bed at midnight.