Our Cruise - Day 9 - Mykonos, Greece

We were back in the Grecian Isles. It was a glorious morning that inspired optimism. We imagined that even Grumpy Guy must have cracked a smile when he saw the beautiful island with whitewashed houses and shops and blue roofs, and windmills set against the backdrop of the azure blue sky.

Like Santorini (day 3 of our cruise), Mykonos is part of the Cyclades, the chain of islands that surround the once-sacred island of Delos. Mykonos is farther north than Santorini, but closest to Delos, where there are excursions to the island from this port.

In Greek mythology, Mykonos was where Zeus battled the Titans (a 10-year series of battles). A small island of just 33 square miles, and composed mostly of granite, it was first settled in 3000 BCE in the Neolithic period by the Kares tribe. Later, in the 11th century BCE, the Ionians settled here.

Modern-day Mykonos has just 5,000 residents, but nearly a million tourists make their way here annually. The main town of Mykonos is called, well, Mykonos Town, but is also know as Chora (meaning “capital”). We were warned on the cruise ship to keep our bearings as we walked the winding maze of streets, which were designed to confuse and disorient attacking pirates. This enabled villagers to maneuver the pirates into an ambush. It still works today, except the villagers ambush you with wares.

Sheila opted to stay on the ship and catch up with her email, which she said had accumulated to over 500 messages. We also knew that she wanted to watch over Julie so that Terry could join Wande and Carol on the island. Terry protested vigorously while he packed his camera into his backpack and stuffed Euros into his pocket.

At the dock we caught a bus into town. We were dropped off in a central square by the pier and were dazzled by the sights. There were two main things we were going to do here today: Shop and eat. Sightseeing would be a component of both.

We started walking up the narrow streets, alleys really, but small vehicles and motorcycles turned tourists into obstacle courses. The homes, shops and quaint streets were so picturesque. We were always close up to things and never able to find a high point for a panoramic view. It didn’t matter, though, as it brought an intimacy to our touring.

We stepped into a shop that specialized in handmade goods from olive wood, mostly kitchen utensils, such as bowls, cutting boards, salad forks, etc. The shopkeeper explained that after carving the items they are soaked in olive oil for two weeks. This prevents the wood from getting brittle and also gives it a distinctive dark color. She assured Terry that shoe polish was not used, as Julie and Terry once discovered with utensils they bought in another country.

Carol and Wande bought a few things and then we resumed our exploring. The shops were elegant and filled with quality goods: clothing, jewelry, crafts, edible goods, olive oil and just about everything a shopaholic would want. We all felt a little sorry for Sheila, as she would have been in paradise (despite her frequent but weak claims that she didn’t like shopping).

After a while we made our way back to the square to enjoy lunch at an outdoor café. We enjoyed people watching and also spotted the town mascot wandering through the crowds: Petros II, a large pelican. He acted very human-like, going about his business (whatever that was, but it wasn’t swooping down on fish in the sea), but obviously preferred to be left alone (as evidenced by an accompanying photo).

If you surmise that Petros II implies that there was a Petros I, your logic is intact. The beloved Petros I died ten years ago when struck by a car, the driver obviously not as skilled on the obstacle course as the others. We don’t know what the outcome of the driver was, but he’s probably at the bottom of the harbor somewhere.

Lunch was delicious and Terry tried Ouzo; we were in Greece after all and it IS the most popular drink. Like Lion’s Milk (rika) in Turkey, it’s heavily anise-based and best cut with water. Wande and Carol tasted it but turned those noses up on it. Terry consumed it and enjoyed it a lot.

After eating, Terry was beat. He had a cold and the Ouzo made him lethargic, so he decided to go back to the ship. Carol and Wande had more shopping adventures planned, including returning to the olive wood shop.

Meanwhile, on the ship, Sheila had taken Julie to one of the on board activities, a napkin folding demonstration given by the restaurant staff. They learned how to make beautiful decorative napkins for the dinner table, as well as very useful napkin hats.

Julie was feeling some popping in her injured arm, so Sheila took her back to the medical office and ordered a lateral X-ray. The doctor put it up on the viewing box and was puzzled. Sheila pointed out that it was upside down, so once it was right side up it made more sense. The poor doctor, however, couldn’t see the humerus so was going to X-ray it again. Sheila intervened and showed him where it was and concluded that the break was still the same with nothing else going on.

That was enough activity for Julie, who returned to the cabin. Eventually Carol and Wande came back to the ship and checked in on Julie and Terry. We visited for a while then all relaxed for a few hours before dinner. Julie, Carol and Terry stayed behind and had delicious grilled hot dogs on their balconies, and Wande and Sheila joined the Tones. The next day was another blessed day at sea. Then we would visit our last port, Naples, before returning to Civitavecchia (Rome) for our journey home.