GREECE DAY 8 – DESTINATION MYKONOS 

We have our last breakfast overlooking the caldera.  (sigh)  The hotel’s bellman throws our heavy bags on his shoulder and effortlessly jogs them up to the car while we hike those same f*&$% 88 steps one last time.  Mouthbreathing, we say heartfelt goodbyes to Sophia, the owner/manager of this little slice of heaven, and Penny who took care of us so well these past days. 

(click on the picture to view the full size image)

We’re off to our first experience on a Greek ferry.  There are several ferry lines that transect the Aegean Sea, providing an essential supply chain of goods and people among the Greek islands.  The ferries themselves differ in size from a few hundred people to almost 2000 people plus cars and cargo, and vary in speed from very fast to, well, slow boat.  No matter the line or the ship, they all have one thing in common… a reputation for complete chaos.  Mob scenes during boarding and disembarkation.  Free-for-all seating practices.  Infamously unreliable schedules.  So much so that there are multiple websites dedicated to the topic.  We watched the “what to expect when you’re expecting a Greek ferry” videos, and despite all warnings, this is still the best option for Greek island hopping.  We’re traveling from Santorini to Mykonos, THE party island of the Greek islands, world famous for the nightlife scene.  We picked Seajets’ WorldChampion Jet ferry for today’s trip for a few reasons.  1) With a cruising speed of over 40 knots (over 50mph), it gets us to Mykonos in 1 hour and 55 minutes.  Others can take as long as 5 hours;  2) It set a world record in 2000 for the fastest speed of any passenger vessel; and 3) Jos Verstappen’s (yes, Max’s dad) 2003-2004 F1 car is displayed onboard.  

We taxi to the ferry terminal and watch as a few vessels come and go.  A huge line 8 people wide is forming behind us, and by the time we think ask where to cue for our boat, we end up in the back of that line.  Hundreds more people fall in behind us.  

At one point, someone official sounding walks to the middle of the line and starts telling people to follow him and form a second line parallel to the first.  What actually happens is that if you reacted fast enough, you followed him and ended up in the front of the now 20-people-wide line.  The gates open and it’s The Running Of The Bulls as we are funneled through a door 3 people wide and down a long hallway.  We come out the other side, onto the same tarmac we started on, just a bit further down the terminal.  Any semblance of a line is abandoned, so now we’re just a gaggle of 1000 people milling around, no one providing direction of any kind.  

The 275’ WorldChampion Jet pulls into view, spins gracefully, drops it’s huge rear gate-ramp and 1000 people plus cars plus scooters all charge off at once.  Another official sounding guy says something and the new sailors all storm the gate.  Somehow we’re some of the first people on, stow our luggage and find our seats.  Shockingly, we’re underway 7 minutes later.  I guess chaos has its advantages. 

We’re at full speed almost instantly, buzzing past slower ships, the ride very smooth through the choppy water.  People continue to pour up the stairs from the loading/cargo deck for a full 20 minutes.  We grab a surprisingly good gyro from a stand at the terminal which eat at our seats.  The seats are nice enough, but the air conditioning in the 20-year-old craft is lacking, so we spend the last hour of the trip wandering around.  We arrive, nearly on time, and unloading is just the same planned mayhem but in reverse.  There are dozens and dozens of drivers waiting with handwritten name signs, and Armen, our Mykonos host, with our name in lights on his iPad just as he said he would.

About Armen.  Armen is the owner/operator of Melangel, a very well-reviewed B-N-B just outside the gates of Chora (also called Mykonos Town) and named after his daughters.  Armen is smooth talking guy of Armenian and Greek descent who has spent time in America and is excited to be our host and guide for the next 4 days, describing himself as our “Greek Armenian American cousin”.  He makes restaurant suggestions and is happy to make reservations for us, plus plan anything else we may want to do.  It’s a lot all at once, and as Americans, we’re skeptical.  He checks us into the room and it’s beautiful with very well thought out features and fine amenities.  So far so good.  

We get settled and walk 3 minutes into Mykonos Town, the original seaport on the island situated on a safe harbor.  We pass the curved sweeping promenade, it’s shops and restaurants facing the harbor.  Behind the promenade are the 500 little alleys that make up the village.  If the streets of Oia and Fira in Santorini are narrow, these are barely half as wide, in some places two people can’t walk abreast.  That doesn’t stop the commerce, though.  Virtually every doorway is a shop or a bar or a restaurant, brightly lit, their wares spilling out into the passageway.  Dinner isn’t until 8:30 (appropriate for Greece as per Armand), so we stop at Notorious for a snack of well crafted spritzes and watermelon salad, a triumph of simplicity with a big hunk of feta and finished with fresh cracked pepper. 

Room, chill, shower.  The room has a very nice view of the sunset, but different then before.  From this vantage point, the sun sinks behind an island mountain in the distance, so it’s a bit sooner, the early bird special of sunsets.  There’s a small cruise ship and some sailboats in the foreground for effect.  We sit in bathrobes and sunglasses and watch, very rockstar in rehab. 

Dinner is at Koursaros, an elegant outdoor space specializing in fresh local seafood.  House music, Mandy’s new favorite, sets the mood.  We start with the grilled mussels, served kabob style out of the shell, a delectable departure from typical preparations.  A whole grilled grouper, caught this morning and filleted tableside, was another good choice.  We close out the night getting lost in the little streets of town, trying to take in our new scene.