Paradise Gained

Friday July 30, 2010
Although we had planned to go to Delos today, we slept in til 9:30 AM and so making the 10 AM tour boat was an impossibility. During the night, I dreamt that I was scratching my scalp off from some malady and indeed I awoke to find myself scratching vigorously at my scalp due to hives around my neck and lower body. Must be either the wine or the late night baklava but I had to get up at 4 AM as part of my dream and take an antihistmaine. It must have worked as the hives and the morning were both gone. So we roused the troops with groggy protestations of "I'm awake" and we went down to the delecious breakfast buffet. So, at the risk of repeating myself, delicious Greek coffee, cereals and thick yogurt with honey, we were ready for the sunshine. Faithful readers will note no running so far on this trip...

Anyway, with some friendly advice at the front desk from a mother-daughter combo on scooter, we went to the beach and got on the "water-taxi" to head to one of the famous Mykonos beaches- Paradise- it is called, although no longer either gay or nude.The little boat took us first to Psarou, Platy Gialos, Paranga and then Paradise beaches. We passed many of the super -yachts docked in and around Mykonos by the wealthy and the ne'er do wells who control the economy of the world.[We are talking yachts with four to five decks, sleek and very modern, flying mostly British flags.] Paradise beach is a bay with a gritty, sandy beach and shallow turquoise water. The umbrellas and lounge chairs are set out the length of the beach for the reasonable charge of 6 Euros each. Of course the sun was shining and the bodies began parading by in the narrow spaces between chairs- a very young crowd, international  and many of whom thought 1 or 2 PM was early morning. We swam and inspected the shallow reef, while tanning/basting a light brown- serves three when properly cooked-. Lunch was in the large self-serve area where excellent \Greek was available for lwo prices. Menu for three - Myconian(Greek) salad, moussaka and fried kalamari with chips for the youngest of the group. Add beer, watermelon and you have a full meal, prompting a little siesta under the umbrella. More swimming and tanning and the action started to warm up. Dancing girls came out in costumes at the Tropicana Bar behind the beach and souvenirs were tossed to the crowd. The techno-dance music was pulsating and likely continued all night. However we took the last little water taxi back to Ornos beach, a half hour reverse ride from the morning. so we missed the traditional all  night debauch that Paradise Beach and its neighbour, Super Paradise, are known for.
Once back at familiar Ornos, the girls headed for a little salty dip in the pool while I changed and headed out in the night with music and sunglasses into the streets of Mykonos. I ran up and down some hills for half an hour, finally on the main road back to Mykonos town, up a steep hill. The drivers of mopeds and cars were close ( no sidewalks most of the way) and the heat and dust were against me, so I headed back to Ornos. There was tons of litter in the bushes by the sides of the road (who cleans up here?) but no cast-off euro notes. I must have looked "local" at least to some as a group of young Italian teens asked me for directions into Mykonos town. Don't say it was my finest Greek moment because I used my fake Italian accent instead.

Back at the Deliades, a delicious chilled Greek Mythos beer greeted me at poolside.and was happy to make my thirsty acquaintance. Showers, stretching, pilates on the deck and ot was time to head out for supper. Debate about the bus and the road back to Mykonos lead to the decision to eat in Ornos. So we paraded past the Greek cafes on the beach to Kostantis Greek cafe where we had a nice outdoor table with a whole crowd of hungry late night tourists. Ouzo, tzatziki, wine, moussaka, lamb chops and lamb souvlaki graced the table and filled us up pleasantly. The decor and ambiance were just right and the price was not so bad either. A few minutes stroll and we were back at the rooms at 11PM ready to read and snore.
PS SPF 30-60 seems to block most of what the Aegean sun throws at us and we have avoided burning on the grill and just have a faint healthy, glow so far. What SPF is local olive oil?

Mykonos, Ornos and Mykonos Town

What with the time change and the travel fatigue, we dropped off to sleep pretty quickly in our hotel room. It became quite stuffy at one point until we relieved the heat with the  AC. Then the time difference kicked in and we were all awake at different times from 3 to 7 AM.Finally at the lazy time of 8:30 local, 1:30 AM Montreal, we awoke to the bright sunshine streaming in through the glass patio doors. We gathered ourselves together and descended three levels to the restaurant at poolside for breakfast outdoors. Good coffee, cereals, buttery croissant and my favorite Hero jams (made for heroes maybe?). Eggs, fruits and cheese and we were filled to adequate levels for the morning. After a quick pit stop in the room, we took the beach towels down the 5 minute  walk from the hillside hotel to the beach here at Ornos. It's not large but the entire beachfront has little hotels and their restaurants. The beach is organised with comfortable sun platform chairs under umbrellas. We just claimed a spot and then we were the captives of that restaurant for the day. (6 Euros per chair, with bottles of water on ice). The water was not hot but very refreshing. Covered in SPF 30-60 - for the more prudent among us- we lay basting in the Mediterranean sun, looking at the yachts, sailboats and occasional cruis ship passing our sheltered bay. The internationanl crowd descended on the beach and soon all the spots were filled. It is very civilised and a waiter comes at your wave to take orders for iced coffee, or lemon sorbet or our light lunch California roll sushi- served correctly with soya, chopsticks fresh wasabi and ginger and a cold draught beer to wash it down. Intermittent dips in the blue Aegean kept us cool and so we lasted through til close to 5PM. Of course, this is an international beach so all languages are spoken. And all merchandise is available. There is a large contingent (mostly African and Senegalese) who work the beach trying to sell you massage, henna tattos, purses, bathing suits, sunglasses, CDs and DVDs,  coverups, hats and earrings in imaginative and somewhat humourous ways. No sales pressure.At the end of the afternoon, back to the Deliades for a refreshing little dip in the salt water pool. After showering the salt and sunscreen away, we took the comfortable bus over the hills to Mykonos town.

There are miles of narrow streets of white-washed buildings twisting around the waterfront and hills. Interspersed with the obligatory incense filled Greek Orthodox chapels are thousands of stores selling everything a tourist could want (shoes, souvenirs, clothes- local and name brands- art galleries, restaurants and tavernas as well as the famous bars, dance halls that Mykonos is known for). Most noticeable, much to our chagrin, are the thousands of jewelry stores from junk to luxurious. As we passed one store, we heard the owner talking to a friend/client and saying he was Jewish. So we started talking but saying hello in Greek , then Hebrew and soon we were in the store sitting down wit this man originally from Thessaloniki, now living in Haifa, Mykonos and Boca Raton, trying to sell us a little 3.2 carat diamond mounted in platinum for a few (ok 18) thoousand dollars.It was interesting to hear him in English  and French describe names such as the Dobrins of Montreal, Lou Goldberg and other jewelers such as Birks. He pointed at Guittel's little diamond as a "tchoschke" that has been copied in many places. He told me it's time to invest in a new item! Well luckily for us it was a little pricey and a little late so... We had a nice  dinner in a streetside taverna aptly named Nikos Taverna, very pleasant, good food, the sun setting and thousands of tourists wandering through these alleways, right by our table. A large cruise ship from Costa Cruise lines was in the harbour so we had several walking tour groups parading by at times. We also saw the famous Mykonos windmills on the hillside overlooking town. We wandered through the maze until we finally found the bus terminal to go back to Ornos, a 10-minute drive. Once back in the room, Skype lit up and we were able to have a chat with the senior Haichins also courtesy of the internet and wireless networking.  All in all a very satisfying day cooled by the strong Aegean meltemi winds under a warm Mediterranean blue sky. Every turn bring something picturesque and the only thing missing for me was a run up and down the hills. Maybe tomorrow.

Day 1.5-2, Mykonos

Day 1.5


Left Trudeau Airport last night 2 hours late. The Air Transat Airbus was delayed coming from Toronto. Once on the crowded flight , we were served a small hot supper (shepherd’s pie?) and a glass of wine. The girls fell asleep during the first of three movies (The Bounty Hunter starring Jennifer aka Laura Aniston) while I drifted in and out of sleep uncomfortably in the narrow economy seats. Although it was daylight outside, the plane was dark until somewhat arbitrarily breakfast in a box was served and everyone woke up. Despite the breakfast we actually landed soon thereafter at Athens Airport at 1 PM local time. The Customs, baggage claim all went well. We went to the Olympic Airways counter, rechecked our bags for Mykonos ( no earlier flights available) and wandered through the Shopping areas of the airport (Burberry, Hermes, Juicy Couture, electronics etc. Some liquid refreshment and a few stops at an ATM and to activate our cell phone and we planted ourselves at the gate for Mykonos. Outside of the air conditioning the sky was blue and clear, the landscape dry (the airport is far outside Athens) and the faces in vacation mode (tanned, sunglasses, relaxed).

The hotel is on the hillside and the harbour of Ormos in Mykonos. It is a typical Cycladic blue and white set of cubes stacked on the hill. Rooftop sitting areas, a sun deck and a small salt water pool all help to whet the appetite for Greece. While testing the bar service, we struck conversation with an American family from Chicago. They gave us tips for getting around here. Late night supper was on the beach at a restaurant called Ithaky, a sprawling place complete with lanterns, sand , stray cats, an international group of diners. The food was filling and good while the sun set and first the stars and then a large moon came out. The homes and hotels on the hills were quite lit up giving a postcard look to the scene.

A good intro to the islands, with a good hotel choice and a hoped-for authenticity.

Preparation H

The title refers to the preparations for our trip to Greece- also known as Hellas in Greek. Three of our family are heading out in a few days for exploration, beach and relaxation on the Greek Islands. This is a return to Greece for the author and a first time for Guittel and Kate. We are excited to leave on that big old jet plane Tuesday. We also hope to have an audience following our adventures, as we had for Tripping Morocco. Tripping Morocco 2009-10 So stay tuned.