Before closing the book on Greece, two more posts. The first is the trip to Mykonos. For all that I didn’t like Athens, I do have to say it was worth it to get to the Greek Isles. I chose Mykonos because I hadn’t really researched many of the islands. And, being that it was off-season and much of the shops and restaurants closed on most of them, I thought I would choose one that was popular and one that I could do it justice in two plus days as opposed to a place like Crete, which needs a longer stay. So Mykonos it was. Once I finally got there, it was everything that all the pictures and films make it out to be. Stark white buildings with blue, green, red shutters and doors. Crystal blue Aegean Sea. Clean, crisp air. Actually, for a place that pretty much closes up for the winter, it was about 70 degrees the entire time. Hardly winter weather. There were some restaurants and a few shops open. But as far as the crazy nightlife and partying that goes on in the summer, there was none of that. And after nearly two months of travel, that was fine by me.

I stayed at the Rocabella Art Hotel and the accommodations could not have been better. During the winter they only book seven of the rooms so the attention to detail is impeccable. They truly go above and beyond. Breakfast is served in your room. I was upgraded to a room with a patio and jacuzzi that had a view of the ocean, although I could never get the jacuzzi to work right. Spyro, who basically ran the place even drove me to a nearby restaurant he recommended and picked me back up.  And refused a tip! Basically anything you wanted, they would do for you. I don’t know what it is like in the craziness of the summer. But anything close to this kind of service is well worth the extra expense. Here are some pictures to give you a taste.

After two days in Athens, I decided to take the tram to one of the coastal areas, Glyfada.  The trams are a relief from the metro as they are not crowded and take a scenic route along the coast.  The trams were re-instituted for the 2004 Olympics after the tram system had been abolished about 50 years ago.  The best thing about Athens transportation is that it is cheap.  A ticket is one euro and is good for any transportation (except the airport) within a 90 minute period.  You can take a bus or metro to the tram at Syntagma Square, then hop on the tram and take the approximately one hour ride along the coast all for one euro.  Being off season, it was quiet.  But it was a welcome relief, not having my hand on my wallet at all times.

The highlight of any Athens trip (insert joke here) is, of course, the Acropolis.  Towering high over the city are the many ruins that encompass the Acropolis, with the Parthenon as the standout.  As you look up from below, it sees like quite a daunting climb.  But as there are sites along the way and the path winds a bit, it’s not as bad as it seems.  Words really can’t describe how impressive this all is.  The only down side is the scaffolding in the Parthenon that has apparently been here for years.  Restoration will go on for a long time, but it still doesn’t detract from seeing the ruins and imagining life here centuries ago.