I woke up at 5am. 3 hours of sleep. No coffee..
We left at 5:45 and headed down to the metro down the way and got there a little after 6 and boarded the train that was headed for the port city Piraeus. It didn't take very long, which was good. I had all of my bags with me and there wasn't any room for me to put them down so we stood the whole way.
We bought our ferry tickets when we got there and got on the Blue Star ferry headed to Mykonos.
The tickets we got didn't give tell us where we needed to be on the boat. Ann even asked where we were supposed to go and the people who worked there just pointed and said to follow everyone else. So we did. Which we shouldn't have done. Right before the ferry starts going, two different couples came talking in very fast Greek saying that we were either in their seats or close to them. So clearly we were not in the right spot. Finally we found someone who would help us and he pointed up the stairs to the next level. Woo.
We sat down, read for a bit, napped for a bit, then went outside to take in the view. It was gorgeous. And extremely windy. Like winter in Boone kind of wind. Wind that slaps you in the face. But we stayed outside because it really was that pretty. Soon we got hungry for lunch. We found the part of the boat that serves food. There wasn't much to choose from, but I had a cheese pie and pistachios. When we went to sit down to eat, the wind decided it wanted to prove how strong it was. Chairs and trash cans falling and sliding across the floor. My face felt like it was on a roller coaster. It didn't seem real. We quickly got up and went to a part of the boat that was covered and stayed until the ferry reached Mykonos.
When we arrived, we found the man from the hostel who took us and a couple from D.C. to the hostel (Milena). We got there and he carried my heavy pack inside, a woman brought us all orange juice, and she took out a map of the island and started to write down our survival guide. So basically we're in Greek heaven.
The beach we wanted to go to was Paradise beach and it costs €1.60 for the bus ride. The bus stop is conveniently right outside the hostel. It takes 1km to get to the center of town and she listed the restaurants that were good and where to find them. She's good people.
She showed us our room and our bags were already there waiting for us. It's like Hogwarts! We got ready and went down to Paradise beach. I have never seen such pretty water. It was so blue. The sand at the beach was more like small rocks, which was different but felt good to walk on. Ann and I decided to layout on our towels versus spending money on the lounge chairs at the dance clubs on the beach. Priorities. It was very relaxing. It's exactly what we needed after such a long morning of travel.
Unfortunately, when we'd look to our left, there were three very tan, very old, very naked men. They had no shame... Good for them? Let's just say I tried to never look to my left.
After a couple of hours at the beach we headed back to the hostel to get ready for dinner. We wondered down to the center of Mykonos. It was kind of perfect. Small but lively. So much culture.
We found one of the restaurants the the woman at the hostel suggested, Nikos. It was so good! I had the fish of the day and it sautéed spinach and tomatoes on top with pilenta underneath. Amazing. Then Ann and I split the lemon pie which tastes basically like a lemon square. And who doesn't love a good lemon square? Also, because of this restaurant I have now fallen in love with Greek coffee. Lord help me.
We wandered the streets some more before heading back tonthe hostel. Can't wait for more things to come tomorrow!
