Mykonos and Perfect Relaxation
And now back to Greece. Bob missed out on Crete, so today is his first day in Greece, and it’s a beauty. Mykonos is one of the Cyclades Islands, which epitomize the postcard image of Greece. Dazzling bright, white buildings offset by colorful door and window colors. White buildings are required by law here and give the island a gorgeous postcard feel. The sea is a true aquamarine, and the combination of the colors is breathtaking. Mykonos has hosted John Kennedy and Jacqueline Onassis and is widely known as a party town. The streets are labyrinthine and built to confuse pirates who plagued the island in the 18th century. We opted for the Mykonos Beach getaway which gave us 4 hours in the sun at the Elia Beach Resort. Although it is my plan to go to Middle Earth when I die, the Elia Beach Resort is now an acceptable alternative.
Our bus ride through the streets of town was beautiful and brief, and I was struck by the high terrain always giving a great view of the sea below. We disembarked at the Resort, billed as a 5 star hotel next to the Aegean Sea. Rows of comfy beach loungers beckoned to us and we chose a pair with a wide palapa beach umbrella giving us just enough sun and shade a few feet from the water. Many beaches on Mykonos are clothing optional, and although this one was not, many of the patrons wore the least amount of coverage possible. I am always impressed at women my age wearing next to nothing to worship the sun. Wrinkles and a bit of saggy skin? Who cares. I felt overdressed in my bikini.
Bob and I agreed that this was one of our favorite days of this trip. We loved all the history and the sites in Spain and Italy. Türkiye was an absolute hoot. But after spending two weeks being amazed by all the new places, and all the walking, this one was pure relaxation. The Aegean Sea was not warm, as we had expected, but it was refreshing and you could see all the way down to your toes. I swam around talking to some of the other cruise patrons who had opted for this and Bob went back to the shore to relax. We had a few of their creative, if pricey, cocktails and watched the world go by. It was heaven.
Upon returning to the Sun, reality began to set in. This was our last night. We had to pack and we were hungry. We decided to have a final handcrafted pizza but also noticed that there were professional pictures being taken. I usually try to avoid this, but the line wasn’t too long and the pictures came out fine. Our pizza was fabulous as usual, and we trudged back to the room to get the packing done. This is always unnerving because the night before disembarkation you have to leave your full suitcases outside the door so they can be removed from the ship and get through customs. I am always convinced I will pack something only to discover I need it in the morning. But we got the job done and retired to our balcony to watch the sea and stars go by one last time.
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