Mykonos is for relaxing

Mykonos represented our one port destination where we did not have some kind of pre-planned activity or schedule to adhere to. The island doesn't have many important sites, save the nearby island of Delos, which is an uninhabited island of very important ruins. Given that we have been just about "ruin"-ed out, we decided to skip this one. That leaves us with relaxing, as Mykonos town is a very quaint town with lots of cafes and shops, and the island is also known for its famed beaches. We decided to just go into town and explore, and see where the day would take us.

We had a relatively late night the evening before, so we got off the ship with Nick and Fontaine around 08:30. Our ship was docked at the new port, which required taking a shuttle bus. Of course, since the town doesn't have real streets, the bus still dropped us off a good fifteen minute walk away from the action. We strolled around, got lost, and checked out the sites of the town. One of the first things we stumbled upon was a pelican just hanging out in a restaurant on the waterfront. A number of years ago, a fisherman rescued an injured pelican and nursed it back to health. Ever since then, the pelicans have been the mascot of the island. They inhabit the town and are unafraid of humans.

The picturesque town includes very small pedestrian streets throughout almost the whole area, with only a main U-shaped street being a bit wider and able to accommodate small vehicles for deliveries. We wandered around town, and through the course of our journey found a few of the "big" sites. First was Little Venice, a beautiful set of buildings which hang over the waterfront in a similar fashion to the canals of Venice. There's not much to it, but it is very pretty. We went to sit down for a drink at one of the restaurants on Little Venice, but the eight euro coffees were a bit too salty for our taste, so we headed elsewhere. The other famed site of Mykonos is its windmills on the hill. There isn't much to them (and you can't go inside of them), but they make for a very nice photo opportunity.

Eventually we settled in at a harbor front cafe for drinks. Nick and I then proceeded to stay and people watch while Sarah and Fontaine went shopping. An hour or two later they made their way back to us. We made our way a few streets over to the both Rick Steves and shopkeeper recommended Niko's Taverna for lunch. Fontaine, who is of strong Greek descent and is very proficient in the language, ordered a smorgasbord of Greek appetizers, including on that wasn't even on the menu. We devoured the absolutely delicious food and took our time to soak in the town. Even with the glut of passengers from the cruise ship, the town still has a charming, slow-down feel to it.

After lunch we decided that we weren't interested in going to the beach, and tried to figure out what to do next. With both the beach and Delos off the table, we concluded that we had seen all we needed to see of Mykonos. For the first time, we returned to the ship with more than an hour to spare before departure. On the way back, I realized that even though we've been in the Mediterranean for over two weeks, I have yet to touch the ocean. I dipped my feet in the Aegean Sea for a few moments and then we hopped on the shuttle bus. (Sarah had put her feet in the water when we first got off the shuttle bus in the morning.) We played a bit of trivia (and won), relaxed, then went to dinner with Nick, Fontaine, Lee, and Karon. Overall, Mykonos is a very nice town to just slow down; if we ever make it back, we will be sure to enjoy the beaches. It was nice to have a port day that didn't inclue nonstop sightseeing. Next up is a day of relaxation at sea on our way back to Italy and our last port, Naples.