Been going over photos and notes I took. I’ll be buzzing about this trip for a long time. Leaving out many fun facts and stories. I’m trying to make this the short version.
Flew from Barcelona to Rome. Connected to Santorini. At the airport in Santorini I got the bad news. My luggage had been “delayed.” Great. Never happened to me before. The baggage guy said I had to go to “the office. Last window on the left.” They didn’t even have the airline’s name there. (Vueling, a Spanish airline.) Their attitude was unbelievable. There were about six people in the same boat. As I arrived an American woman was yelling. A guy immediately said, “I’m getting the police!” She didn’t look very threatening, but this guy wasn’t taking any chances.
Maybe it was a language thing. Certainly a cultural thing. They acted like it was my fault. A young woman behind a glass enclosed counter asked me, “What do you want to do?” I kept my cool. Uh. Get my luggage? “You have to fill out a form!” OK. “Don’t worry. Your luggage has been delayed. It will be delivered to your hotel tomorrow.” That sounded good.
Small airport. They have “ambassadors” there who wander in yellow vests and answer questions. A nice touch. I asked one, “How much for a taxi to this hotel?” “It depends on the driver.” I looked at the taxi stand. The drivers didn’t look too friendly. “Take the bus,” the ambassador said, “It’s two Euro.” After a short wait I rode the bus into Santorini.
The area around the airport looked kind of Third World. Trash was piled up in abandoned construction sites. Eventually we went by the beaches and the beauty of Santorini started to show. I got off the bus and went up what I thought was the main street. I knew the Hotel Kykladonisia was going to be hard to find. On one of the tours someone had commented, “In Santorini, only the locals know where something is.” (I learned later that there are no addresses, no street numbers in Santorini!)
I went into a store and showed a woman the address to the Kykladonisia “Traditional Settlement.” She made a call on her phone and handed it to me. I talked to Pablus. “Do you see the Thirassia Hotel?” It was right up the street. “I’ll meet you there.” This was almost too good to be true. Pablus told me, “I knew you’d never find it.” The Kykladonisia was up winding medieval stone steps. He was right. I don’t know how I would have found it.
On the way up the famous Santorini donkeys went past us. I’m used to scrawny, starving looking mules. These were big, strong animals. There are areas in Santorini where they are the only form of transport.
Not much to unpack. I went out in search of Gyros. Now I was on the main street. Learned that in Greece gyros is either chicken or pork. “Greeks don’t eat lamb gyros.” The owner of the restaurant worked the passing pedestrians. He knew how to greet most of them in their own language. It was a bit of a show.
Surprised at how much tourist action there was. Went into the Orthodox Metropolitan Cathedral. Behind it the street winds up around the caldera. Awesome views of the water below. Cruise ships. Many restaurants. At the end of the street was an area of high riding jewelry boutiques.A lot of people were out on a Tuesday night.
Next day I went on the “Sunset in Oia and Traditional Villages” tour. Our guide was Demetrius. First stop was Mesa Gonia, “the ghost village.” An earthquake in 1956 destroyed most of the village. It struck early in the morning and most of the people were already working in the fields. (A bad day to call in sick.) Most of the buildings are ruins. Kind of weird. There has been some rebuilding. Demetrius told us the new homes are among the most expensive in Greece now!
Pyrgos. Village that winds up a hill. Famous photo ops of blue domed churches looking over the bay. The Venetian Castle there was a refuge from pirates, including Barbarossa!
Tour ended in Oia. We went up to the main plaza, and then would have free time to wander. “Bus leaves at 8:00!”
Most people headed to an area up on the hill. Famous for blue dome churches and photo op of sunset. I took a look. Amazing how many people were going that way. I headed down the streets and away from the crush. I found a spot near the beach with a great view of the famous sunset.
The Kykladonisia was pretty basic, but it did have its own charm. A]Ther was a little area with a view of the water. The problem was the luggage fiasco. They had not delivered the bag because I wasn’t there. WTF? For whatever reason they wouldn’t bring it down the stone stairs to the hotel.
I called “Gold Air Handling.” It was obviously a call center. Probably in India. “There was a miscommunication.” The bag might be delivered tomorrow, but the guy was sure to say, “There is no guarantee.”
So, I’m supposed to sit in the hotel all day and MAYBE the bag will show up. Probably would have just hung out, but I had the “See Santorini in one day with King Thira” tour the next day. The show must go on!
I bought shirts and a hat. The travel insurance is supposed to cover some incidentals “after twenty four hours.”
Met at Old Fira Medical Centre. Always a bit of tension finding the contact.
The guide was Tania. A real piece of work with her own entertaining style. Tania looked in her fifties. “You will all be my little children today.” She estimates she’s met 250,000 people in her fourteen years as a tour guide!
First stop was the Elias Monastery. Just a stop for the view really. “Highest point of the island.” Others on the tour noticed I wasn’t taking pictures. (I couldn’t charge the phone and was avoiding taking pictures.) I told them my sad “delayed luggage” story. A woman e-mailed me her pictures from the tour. Very thoughtful. Travelers do stick together! We hung out for a while enjoying the view. Tania took pictures. “I love honeymooners!” “Last one on the bus has to kiss me as a punishment!”
Tania had great stories. She told us about the theory that Santorini was the site of Plato’s Atlantis. She wasn’t all comedy. She talked about appearing in National Geographic twenty years ago, “When I was young and beautiful.”
We boarded the Thiria, a “traditional Greek boat.” We went to Pyrgos again. A bit of a surprise. Didn’t mind visiting the Byzantine churches and the village again.
Tania is a real character. Everyone knew her in town, especially the shopkeepers. They all call her Caballo. We got back on the boat and went to the volcanic island. “This island has no name.” Strange hike to the crater. Didn’t look very active. The real attraction is the view of the rest of the caldera. Tania talked about the geology of the area. Very knowledgeable.
There was a stream of tourist groups headed up to the crater. It looked like it took some doing for our guide to keep the group together. “Right here! The most romantic tour group in the universe! Meet right here!”
We sailed by Hot Springs with “green sulphur waters.” Then we stopped at Thirassia Island. We could walk up the “winding steps” to Manalos, but I opted to stay by the water and eat at one of the local restaurants. Sea food moussaka. Grilled calamari and octopus.
Thirassia looked a little worn down. There were abandoned cottages near the water. Some of the cottages that looked inhabited used a string of barbed wire to keep people off their steps. The wind mills make the town look ancient.
The tour was going to go on to Oia, but I had a choice of going back to Fira town. I had seen the famous sunset last night, and didn’t want to deal with the crowds in Oia. And I wanted to check on the luggage situation.
Was the luggage there? No. Now I’m getting aggravated. I call and the situation just gets more bizarre. Byzantine. I can’t use the Kykladonisia phone because it’s an international call. (“My boss won’t let me.”) Pablus explains that they won’t call my cell phone because it’s an international number. I call “Gold Air Handling” again. My phone is running low and the charger is in my luggage. He says my luggage should be delivered tomorrow, but he’s careful to mention, “There is no guarantee.” He says if it doesn’t arrive tomorrow they will ship the bag to Mykonos. (How are they NOT going to screw that up?) My phone runs out while I’m talking to him.
I get the phone recharged at a Vodaphone shop in Fira. No charge and the young lady won’t even take a tip!
I almost go to the airport to pick up the luggage. I call first. Good thing. The luggage isn’t there. It’s at some Gold Air Handling warehouse waiting to (maybe) be delivered to me.
The next morning. Decision time. I could stay one more night and hang out at the hotel to try and get the luggage. It means I’ll miss “The South Coast Cruise” on Mykonos. I wouldn’t mind another day in Santorini, but I figure screw it. Just keep going! Even if the luggage doesn’t arrive. I’ll buy some essentials. I have a hunch I should just get to Mykonos and stay on track.
“Gold Air Handling” calls me on the Kykladonisia phone. (Saving the international charge.) The luggage is at the airport. I’m leaving anyway, so I take the bus there and get my precious Rick Steves bag back. A woman at the counter is apologetic. I’ve got my luggage, so I don’t want to make a scene, but I do calmly let her know, “This has not been good.” She seems surprised.
I cab it to the ferry and get a ticket to Mykonos. The ferries are huge. They look like cruise ships. Not sure how many they hold, but a lot of people boarded. Before they let us board they load scooters, motorcycles, cars, boats and even semi-trucks! Quite a sight. I was there early and went to “Business Class.” Really I was just looking for directions. I wasn’t sure where to go and knew the guy would stop me.
People stored their luggage in an area downstairs, but I wasn’t going for that! I carried the bag upstairs and there were places for carry ons. I took a seat in a back row where I could go out on the deck and still keep an eye on the bag. Paranoia runs deep...
A pleasant voyage. A bit windy, but great to stand on the deck and watch the coast go by. Spectacular coast views.
The ferry makes two stops and I get a look at two little port towns. Ios and Pyros. They look very cool. I’m doing a lot of big city, urban stuff on this trip. I wondered what it would be like to hang out in one of these towns for a while. At each stop vehicles and passengers disembark and a new load of people and vehicles comes aboard. A bit of a spectacle in itself.
When we get to Mykonos people start lining up to get off the ferry. It is the last stop. I’m tempted to just hang back and let the crowd go, but I do join the herd. When the ramp goes down the first people run like crazy down the ramp. I did wonder what the rush was. Most were racing to cabs. I just missed getting one. (In Spain there was an army of taxis at every airport, train or bus station.) There were no cabs in sight and a long queue forming.
It was still early and I was in no rush anyway. We were in the new port and the town of Mykonos was a couple of miles away. Some people started walking. I spotted a “Sea Bus.” For two Euro it would take me to the town. I knew the hotel was two miles from the town of Mykonos, so I got aboard. It was some kind of converted tour boat with a glass bottom. Sure beat walking with the luggage.
Mykonos was more like the port towns I saw on the ferry over. It sure had a different pace, even from Santorini. I stopped at a cafe. Some young people were singing Greek songs at a statue in the nearby plaza. Idyllic.
I was going to get a taxi to the hotel. I found the Taxi Stand. I saw a cab and asked the driver if he wanted a fare. “You have to download the app! It’s like Uber!” My God. Even here? I called a number on the stand’s sign and got an analog taxi.
My next hotel was the Mykonos Kosmoplaz. Pictures online made it look like a resort. When I walked in the guy behind the desk greeted me, “Mr. O’Shea, welcome to the Kosmoplaz!” I hadn’t said a word. It probably didn’t take a genius to figure out what reservation hadn’t shown up yet, but these guys, Manos and Dmitris, were sharp. And had a sense of humor. They also had great advice on the area. “If you go to restaurants here make sure you read the menu. (Check the price.) If you walk a little bit down the beach prices go down “for the same thing.” There was a pool! This was ideal after the luggage fiasco.
The next day was the South Coast Cruise. The tours in Greece had “hotel pick up.” No more going to find the “departure point.” There was always a little tension on other tours finding the contact. Here it was easier for them to just send a van around and pick everyone up.
Olivia was our tour guide. An attractive young woman from South Africa with a British accent. (“I learned how to speak English by watching Nickelodeon.”) We would board a “traditional Greek Kaiki style ship” and cruise by the beaches of Mykonos. I hadn’t expected much and was more excited about the archaeological tours coming up, but the South Coast Cruise turned out to be maybe the most fun I’ve had on a tour!
We sailed by Paradise Beach. “This is the beach Jackie O. made famous. You can get a bottle of wine for 80,000 Euro! If anyone is buying I’d love to have a glass.” It was still early, so no one was ready to buy an 80,000 Euro bottle.
There were about thirty on the tour. I met a couple from Detroit and another from Chicago. Rod, from Chicago, asked Olivia about the stone walls on the hillside. (Very similar to those in Ireland.) They were meant as boundaries, but also kept livestock under control. (In Greece “livestock” is sheep and goats.) Why so many abandoned construction sites? Olivia explained: Some ran out of money. Some started building without permits.
Our first stop was a “natural beach,” Frangias. “There will be no sun beds or coffee stands. There will be nothing there.” We stopped and went for a swim. The water really was “crystal clear.” Olivia supplied wine and ouzo, “the drink of the gods!” There was bread and olives. People started to loosen up.
Turns out Rod worked for Sears in Chicago for thirty years. 78. Knew all the best places on Rush Street. A salesman. He was entertaining. We had lunch in Kalafatis. I visited a nearby small fishing village and church. Coming back I ran into Rod sitting on a rock by the beach. We started gabbing and it struck me. I’m on a remote beach near a fishing village in Greece talking about Chicago night life from the Sixties.
The next stop would be different. Paradise Beach. Sun beds. Waiters supplying drinks on the beach. The Tropicana Bar: “elected as one of the best beach bars worldwide.”
I went for a swim. There were mossy rocks at the edge of the water and I slipped and wiped out while entering the water. Looked bad, but I landed in the water. Certainly more people at the beach. Water skis. Boats. Snorkeling. Rafts. Music from the nearby Tropicana. Much different from Frangias. Still a great beach. I can say I swam at Paradise Beach!
The cruise back was a bit more raucous than when we started. Everybody was best friends now! (Dmitris back at the Kosmoplaz said, “It always works that way!”) A couple jumped up on the cabin and led us in “YMCA.” Much hilarity.
The next day was the tour of Delos. I was very excited about this tour. A ferry took us to the island. It was a thrill to see the marble columns from the boat. Delos was a powerful trade and spiritual center. Apollo was born here! We went for a great tour of the excavated city. There is a great little museum.
Even while walking the streets and entering the ruins of ancient buildings it was hard to imagine what life had been like here. The tour was too short. I was surprised. (Most tours are too long.) Still a real thrill to be out there. I am trying to keep this “the short version” but plan a more lengthy post.
I tended to hang out more near the Kosmoplaz in Platys Gialos. The beach was fantastic. It was a short walk from end to end, but there was a lot going on at night.
There’s not much wildlife in Mykonos and Greece. On the cruise I noticed that there were some sea gulls, but really not that many considering how much coast we sailed by. (There are probably more at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco!) No seals. Only saw small, black fish and not many of those.
But there were the swallows. At sunset they all roosted on a ridge above Platys Gialos. There was loud rustling up there as they settled down for the night. I tried to capture the sound on a video, but it didn’t really come through.
So, it was goodbye to Mykonos and Platys Gialos, which had been a needed and refreshing surprise. Manos arranged a ride to the ferry. Dmitris said that if I was late, “You’ll have to stay here another month.”
It was back to the big city: Athens.
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