Cruise Recap, part 2: Port1 - Mykonos, Greece

We’ve heard many good things about Mykonos from friends and coworkers and were excited about this first stop. The port there is small and can accommodate only a few ships so it is first-come-first-serve. It is a few minutes away from the main touristy areas so the ship provides free shuttle transportation to the edge of town. If the ship can’t get a spot at the port, then it has to anchor in the harbor and tender passengers in. This can get tricky since passengers have to wait for the high winds to die down enough to take the little boats in. The plus side is the tenders take you right into the heart of Mykonos town. Our ship secured a spot at the port and we took the 5-min shuttle ride that drops you off on the far left side of town and gives you some great opportunities to take scenic pictures. BTW, I mention it drops you off at the outskirt of town, but ‘town’ is tiny and you can walk to the other end in 10 minutes.

The only excursion offered for this port was visiting the island of Delos. We passed, since I had read it is easy to explore Mykonos on your own and Delos does not have much to see.

Mykonos is full of windy, cobblestone paths that are lined with buildings with white-washed walls and brightly colored doors and trim. Sort of your typical greek island town. The major shopping streets have all your standard touristy tchotchke shops. Along the water edge is a small marina, an even smaller beach with clear clear water and rows and rows of restaurants. Some are trendy, hip places but most are touristy, seafood restaurants with great views.

On the far right side of town are the famous Mykonos windmills. They were once used to grind agricultural products but now are converted to museums or homes. We walked over to snap some pictures, and then headed back into town to look for a place to have dinner.

Scott and I were really looking forward to trying authentic Greek food! Scott LOVES tzaziki, a yogurt spread that you eat with bread, and also wanted to try Ouzo, a anise-based liquor that looks like vodka in the bottle but when you add water or ice cubes to it, the liquid turns a milky white color.

We were bummed the restaurant Neal recommended was closed, so instead we walked around until we stumbled upon Eva’s Garden, a cute little restaurant tucked away on one of the side streets. It ended up being a good pick! I started with Grilled Octopus and Scott ordered the Tzaziki (of course!). For our mains, I had Moussaka (the Greek version of lasagna) and Scott had the Chicken Kebabs. All of it was very good. It was early when we sat to eat (6:30pm or so) but it was completely packed by the time we left. In fact, a larger party came in later and to accommodate them, we had to move to a different table so the restaurant gave us a free Crème Caramel and Ouzo for the inconvenience!

After dinner, we walked around a bit more and then headed back to the ship. We agreed Mykonos was a very touristy place, but nonetheless is clean, pretty and was a good way to start off our trip. Next time, we would want to take some time to explore the rest of the island.