Mykonos is a polarizing place, I think. It's very lovely in spots and they also have shops that sell t-shirts that read "Mykonos Fucks Ibiza." Some people love it and some hate it. There is also very little to do; I made a mistake in planning the itinerary it was having a day too long here (and a day too few in Crete, I think). By mid-afternoon on Saturday we were basically done with it. I worked with a nearby trainer in the morning and there's one cute little town with an unusually ornate monastery that was worth a visit, but that's about it.
It's not beach season, which is generally what people do here. We went to one beach because there were supposedly remains of a neolithic settlement, but all that's there is a small sign talking about the artifacts that have been removed from the site. The beach was nice, but whatever. After driving around for a while, we came back to the hotel and hung out by the pool for most of the afternoon. Then we went down to town for dinner, which was a pretty miserable experience, though not because of the dinner itself, which was okay. There is plentiful free parking "near" the old port, with near meaning at least a 10 minute walk to anywhere. There's another, closer-in lot that was packed beyond capacity and so we dragged ourselves from the outer lot across the entire waterfront to the restaurant.
So if you're planning a multi-island trip to Greece and don't care about being on a trendy beach or partying the night (and morning) away, 2 days is plenty. A day for Delos and a day to see the town, which really is pretty cool but it's small. I promise you will not regret it leaving so soon. At least the people at the hotel were nice, there was a good coffee shop nearby, and if you like climbing stairs for exercise, this is the place for you. There are so many ways to go up and down even after a few times you can be surprised where you emerge.
So today, Sunday, we are headed back to Athens, and not a moment too soon. Ready to be back in a city, at a hotel we're familiar with that also has nice people working in it. Returning, of course, was a multistep process, only because we didn't want to fly. We left the hotel, then went to the coffee shop to buy a sandwich for my lunch. They have these round bready things covered with sesame seeds with a hole in the middle big enough to put your hand through, so close enough to a bagel for me to get one. I asked the guy what was on it and he said "turkey, tomato, lettuce and Filadelfia." Yep, cream cheese. It actually wasn't bad- there was about as much cream cheese as one would put mayo on a sandwich.
Then to the gas station and airport, dropped Ronnie with the bags at the taxi stand, dropped off the rental car, took a taxi to the port and then waited for our half-hour-late ferry to come. At least they text you to tell you what the revised embarkation time is, in Greek and English, and then show up when they say they will. We've had pretty good experience with the high-speed ferries, which are noted for being unreliable, but I think that because we've had such good weather things have been pretty much on time. The boarding process at intermediate stops, like Mykonos, is ridiculous and chaotic from a customer perspective, but for the ferry company, all they care is about getting everyone off and everyone on quickly so they can get underway. From that perspective it's great. We got our luggage stowed- there's just a bunch of racks and nobody to help, went up to our seats (Platinum class is worth it if you can manage it) and had a decent 3 hour ride over to Athens.
The port in Athens is a madhouse and I'm really glad we did not ever have to get on a ferry there. On the islands, you can see the boat coming and it's obvious where it's going to dock. In Athens, there's a long pier with a dozen or more boats, including several from the same company. It would have been okay because the boats all have electronic signs on the back saying where'd when they're going, but not enjoyable at all. We had a car meet us and take us back to our original hotel, AVA Hotel and Suites. We were really happy to be back in a city, where you don't have to descend 10 flights of stairs or park and walk for 10 minutes to get to town, and a pleasure to return to the hotel. The rooms here are good-sized and well equipped (what hotel has a minibar refrigerator and another refrigerator?). It's a suite, which works well for us, since I get up earlier than Ronnie pretty consistently, and the bathroom is off the living room, not the bedroom, which also works well when only one of us is awake.
We got some very good takeout pizza and watched Legally Blonde in English with Greek subtitles, then went to bed. One more day and then we go home.
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