So here I am in the Greek Islands. My plan was to spend three days on Mykanos, the party capital of the islands, and then four days on Santorini, to recover. What I hadn't planned on were two factors: 1) the clubs on Mykanos are not all even opened, since it is the off season, and those that do open, don't get busy until midnight, which is too late after a day of touring and 2) the weather isn't sunny, so my dreams of sunbathing with umbrella drinks in hand are being modified. Mykanos is a darling island. Touristy, yes, but attractive and friendly. I had a cheap room right on the beach so I could hear the waves as I drifted off to sleep and then as I woke up. The town is a maze of twisted alleys, but after a day, I began to get the hang of it. At night the shops are all open, and the streets are all lit up. Behind every corner is the glow of lights inviting you to explore further.

My room on Mykanos

Who can? The Pelican!

Then there are the Pelicans. I didn't ask the history of them, but there are only three, and their wings are clipped, so they aren't truly wild. In any case, they are always on the waterfront, or hanging at their favorite restaurant. They wait outside the door to the kitchen hoping for food (I timed one patient bird, beak to door for half an hour, just standing and waiting). As the waiters pass, they scritch the birds on their heads (not being sure if they wash afterwards, I did not eat there...) Later, I scritched one myself. I washed...

Typical Delos Resident

I visited the Island of Delos, which has the ruins of a Greek village - a ancient resort town for the rich, in fact. It was interesting to walk through its maze of streets and note how similar it is to the maze of Mykanos' town. There was more to see than time allowed, so I guess I'm not burned out on ruins yet!

Only an American would dress like that!

I also rented a motor scooter to zip around the island. Being dressed for sun, it got rather chilly at times, but was fun, and allowed me to explore things I would not have otherwise. It's been a long time since I've been on a motorcycle, but these puppies drive just like my lawnmower, so it was no problem. Well, except when I flooded the motor in the middle of nowhere! Luckily, five minutes into pushing the bike to town, the guy who rents them out passed me in his car and got me running again. Pure dumb (but good) luck!!! It seems one needs to feed a little gas when using the emergency kick start...who knew? This is why I should never be left alone with mechanics.

Santorini's first impression

I'm now on Santorini. The sun is trying to come out, so I expect to rent another bike and (finally!) hit a beach. Yesterday I did the requisite donkey ride up the hill and enjoyed a muted sunset from a hillside bar. I was initially worried because the main road into town is a pit of ugly store fronts, but a couple blocks over are lots of photo ops.

Santorini shows its beauty - whew!

I have discovered that I will not have Easter this year, due to the different Greek Orthodox calendar mingling with my scheduled move to Italy, but I get two Palm Sundays, which can't be all bad, eh?

That's it for now. My lazier life style has led to fewer adventures, but I have no doubt things will speed up again.

Happy trails!
-Gavin