Delos, Mykonos and Being Hit on by a Gigolo
I was feeling a teeny bit hungover this morning, but a Coke Light and a cinnamon and chocolate donut later and I was feeling great. Carrie however, wasn't feeling so good, so she went back to bed while the rest of us to took a very bumpy boat ride to Delos.
Delos was once the religious center of the Ancient Greek world, home to an estimated 30,000 people, and is now a huge archaeological site that covers the entire island. The lower part of the island is where all the business took place, but the upper part is where the people lived. Erica and I took the high path and explored the ruins of ancient homes, temples and one huge ampitheatre. Some of the homes had bits and pieces of friezes still visible on the wall, nearly intact mosaic floors and there were pieces of columns, doorways and windowsills scattered about the overgrown grass and weeds. We were alone in the ruins, and at times it was almost possible to feel the ghosts of the prior inhabitants pass us by in the rooms and alleyways of their former homes.
We climbed the highest point of the island, which once held temples to Apollo and Artemis who were said to have been born on the island. All that was left was ruins and the cairns prior visitors had made from the detritus.
Cairns
View of Delos below
By the time we made it down to what's considered the main part of the ruins, it was very hot and crowded with visitors. This part was much less interesting there were less of the original buildings left intact, so we decided to take the next ferry back to Mykonos. The ride back was rough thanks to the wind, but beautiful.
Delos from the water
We finally made it back, picked up a recovered Carrie and headed to the beach. Today we went to Paradise Beach, which was supposed to be the party beach, but aside from the dancing in the bar, it was a lot less happening than we thought. We ended up staying at the beach until almost 7pm before finally taking the bus back to town. A couple of cruise ships were in, so tonight was a lot more crowded that last. We grabbed gyros from a little shop on the street, then did some shopping. At one point in the evening I felt a hand caress my arm, and when I looked back there was a ratty looking man standing behind me, "Would you like some company?" he asked. Eeeewww! I could barely contain my disgust when I assured him that no, I did not want company! And I couldn't help but wonder why he chose me instead of Carrie, who was a couple of steps to my left as we walked. Do I look like I need a gigolo to make me happy?
We ran into Sarah, Ken and Ruth and joined them for drinks at a little bar they'd found earlier in the day. We'd had big plans to party the night away, but we were all sleepy. Despite Ken's best efforts to keep us out, we all gave in and went to bed.
June 28 Athens - Or How I Got Spit on My First Day in Greece
June 29 Ferry Trips and Bad Beaches
June 30 Exploring Tinos Island
July 1 Tinos to Mykonos - A Party Under the Windmills
July 3 Mykonos, Santorini and Rooster for Dinner
July 4 Sunsets and Late Night Parties on Santorini
July 5 Red Beaches and More Sunsets
July 6 Bruising my Butt in Santorini
July 7 Taking in the Ancient Culture in Athens
Delos was once the religious center of the Ancient Greek world, home to an estimated 30,000 people, and is now a huge archaeological site that covers the entire island. The lower part of the island is where all the business took place, but the upper part is where the people lived. Erica and I took the high path and explored the ruins of ancient homes, temples and one huge ampitheatre. Some of the homes had bits and pieces of friezes still visible on the wall, nearly intact mosaic floors and there were pieces of columns, doorways and windowsills scattered about the overgrown grass and weeds. We were alone in the ruins, and at times it was almost possible to feel the ghosts of the prior inhabitants pass us by in the rooms and alleyways of their former homes.
We climbed the highest point of the island, which once held temples to Apollo and Artemis who were said to have been born on the island. All that was left was ruins and the cairns prior visitors had made from the detritus.
Cairns
View of Delos below
By the time we made it down to what's considered the main part of the ruins, it was very hot and crowded with visitors. This part was much less interesting there were less of the original buildings left intact, so we decided to take the next ferry back to Mykonos. The ride back was rough thanks to the wind, but beautiful.
Delos from the water
We finally made it back, picked up a recovered Carrie and headed to the beach. Today we went to Paradise Beach, which was supposed to be the party beach, but aside from the dancing in the bar, it was a lot less happening than we thought. We ended up staying at the beach until almost 7pm before finally taking the bus back to town. A couple of cruise ships were in, so tonight was a lot more crowded that last. We grabbed gyros from a little shop on the street, then did some shopping. At one point in the evening I felt a hand caress my arm, and when I looked back there was a ratty looking man standing behind me, "Would you like some company?" he asked. Eeeewww! I could barely contain my disgust when I assured him that no, I did not want company! And I couldn't help but wonder why he chose me instead of Carrie, who was a couple of steps to my left as we walked. Do I look like I need a gigolo to make me happy?
We ran into Sarah, Ken and Ruth and joined them for drinks at a little bar they'd found earlier in the day. We'd had big plans to party the night away, but we were all sleepy. Despite Ken's best efforts to keep us out, we all gave in and went to bed.
June 28 Athens - Or How I Got Spit on My First Day in Greece
June 29 Ferry Trips and Bad Beaches
June 30 Exploring Tinos Island
July 1 Tinos to Mykonos - A Party Under the Windmills
July 3 Mykonos, Santorini and Rooster for Dinner
July 4 Sunsets and Late Night Parties on Santorini
July 5 Red Beaches and More Sunsets
July 6 Bruising my Butt in Santorini
July 7 Taking in the Ancient Culture in Athens