Mykonos my Mykonos, a Greek Delight

Mykonos……….my Mykonos, a Greek delight

Our day began still at sea about 4 hours from the Greek Island of Mykonos and the first order of the day was to have breakfast. (Notice again: the priorities!) Our cabin is starboard-aft on the 11th floor. Breakfast and lunch are served starboard-aft on the 15th floor buffet style, a quick elevator ride. We sat next to a couple from Denmark, Jarl and Jane. They spoke more English than we did Danish so we had a pleasant conversation with them over breakfast. One thing I have noticed about all Europeans is that they eat with their fork in their left hand and knife in their right hand, using the knife to push food on their fork. There is no charge for that observation; MA’s done since her college days in Mexico City.

The Ruby Princess docked at the Mykonos Island pier shortly before 12:00 Noon. We were ready. Originally we planned on going on an organized tour but changed our minds and decided to explore Mykonos on our own.

It was a good decision particularly because Princess provided a free shuttle bus to town and MA can now say “good afternoon, thank you and bye” in Greek. I’ve noticed when she tries to speak the languages of others and adds a big smile to the effort; the responses are a surprised welcoming smile in return. Anyhow, off we went to look for photo ops.

Mykonos Island became a travel destination thanks to its proximity to mainland Greece. There were six other cruise ships anchored in the bay. And of course, the town features shops, restaurants, cafes, jewelry stores, and surprise (!) souvenirs.

Almost every home and building is built with white-washed stone and bright blue shutters and doors. The streets are stone or tile inlay. There is a section of Mykonos called “Little Venice” because of the narrow and winding streets. The most visible landmarks in Mykonos are the 5 windmills at the south end of the bay. I don’t think they do anything anymore except pose for tourist photos but they used to have something to do with processing grains. The town mascot, a huge white Pelican, waddled up to the waterfront fountain and sat there taking sips and daring anyone to come close.

We walked down to the waterfront and I photographed some Greek fishing boats and a fisherman mending his nets. The water at the beach is crystal clear and makes the Galveston beachfront look like a mud bath. We stopped in the Kastro-Café and got a cold drink and met the owner, a young man by the name of Akaratzas. He took our photo and I returned the favor and photographed him behind the counter. We wandered around enough for me to get some great photos around the island and we headed back to the ship after stocking up on bottled water (60 cents Euro on land versus Princess’ cost of $4 Euros per bottle!)



The Ruby Princess sailed away at sunset. I wanted a photo of the harbor with all the ships and the rising moon over the bay so I waited for the right moment at the stern of the ship and got my shot. After we got away and were sailing west I looked forward and realized the sun was going down quickly so I rushed to the bow to get a photo of the sunset. I thought I had missed it but a few minutes later the sky lit up with rays from the sunken sun and turned the low clouds different shades of red, yellow, purple the likes of which I can’t recall.

Lazy day at sea today and tomorrow we are in Naples. Thanks for reading the blogs! You have no idea how much we enjoy doing them as we recall the beauty and planning of God for his people.