Home (bitter)Sweet Home

Well, we made it back safe & sound, tanned and relaxed!  Just as a quick aside, I had a few inquiries about the recent earthquake in Athens, but luckily Danielle was back in Miami by then, and I had already left for Milan.  (Actually, Danielle's comment to me was, "See, Greece misses me as much as I miss it!")

Picking up where we last left off....  The ferry from Santorini to Mykonos took about 3 hours, but it was a bit of a wild ride.  The weather steadily deteriorated for the first (and only) time on our entire trip.  By the last 30 minutes of the ride, our "fast cat" dual-hulled ferry was literally flying through the air, passengers screaming, etc.  (Keeping in mind, most of the passengers were young European partiers who thought it was pretty fun. ..)  Definitely the most excitement we'd had on a ferry!  Mykonos was fantastic though, all in all.  Not quite as picturesque as Santorini (though it is definitely beautiful), but a distinct improvement in nightlife and overall fun factor , compared to Santorini's romance theme...

On our second, but first full day there, we visited the nearby small island of Delos.  At one time, it was a pretty important civilization (from what we understand), and today it remains one of the most important of the Greek ruins left in existence.  As you'll see in the pictures, the views are absolutely incredible, and you can almost sense the fact that people (like Cleopatra) actually lived here for a time.  It was fascinating to see that even some of the original mosaic floors are still there.  

The pictures don't do it justice, but the hill in the middle of the island is actually higher and steeper than it looks.  We hiked up at top speed (which doesn't say too much for us, but still...), since we had limited time to catch our ferry back.  The 360 views from the top were some of the most incredible of the trip.  Again, pictures not doing it justice, but we were pretty high up! 

The rest of Mykonos was filled with meal after fantastic meal, a great beach day, nights out with new friends and AMAZING bars and clubs - including a traditional Greek bar, finally.  One of our new friends took us there and actually performed a traditional Greek dance, which was soooo unbelievable! 

It was honestly really sad to leave Mykonos, since we knew that meant our vacation was pretty much over. We headed for Athens on Friday morning (6/6), then went our separate ways on Saturday (Danielle back to Miami, me on to Milan).   I have to say, after this, we have found travel partners for life!  It is so difficult to live so far from a truly good friend (and I live quite far from many good friends), so it is fabulous to know I can travel so well with this one!  Thank you for a fabulous graduation vacation, Danielle!!!!!!!!  Definitely a once in a lifetime experience!