Tag: Mykonos

A Greek odyssey – Day 7

Continued from Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

This had to be the laziest day of the vacation! We had very few plans. We woke up very late, just in time for breakfast, and then went back to the room to snooze, enjoy the view, and later get ready before our check out time at 12. Our boat to Athens was only at 2.15, and we left from the hotel at 1.15. Our (same) super friendly driver dropped us back to the new port, well in time for the boat.

This was promised to be a looong ride – over 5.5 hours. We stowed our luggage on the ground floor as before and proceeded to our seats. This time there was no confusion because not only was the boat much larger, the crowd was also thin. So we ignored our designated seats and sat on ones we liked. Lunch was in the boat itself – a burger and a Caesar Salad washed down with Amstel beer. The boat passed Tinos (D was thrilled to see a town straight out of the book she was reading – And the Mountains Echoed) and Syros (significantly more folks got in at both these places, but we managed to keep our seat!) before we finally managed to get a glimpse of Athens, which seemed to spread over a very large area!

A well-dressed white haired driver, picked us up and insisted on lifting some luggage despite my reluctance. The yellow taxi dropped us at the Titania in downtown Athens in about half an hour. I wondered if the shops on the street were an indication of Athenians’ chief preoccupation! The Titania is one of those old hotels which just got itself a renovation. Free wifi only for an hour in the lobby area. Hmmph! The room was functional and clean, with a view of the street below, no balcony though.

It was already close to 9PM! We decided to freshen up and go to Gostijo in Monastiraki – one of the restaurants in our list. The lady at the reception was quite helpful, and told us exactly how to reach the metro station ( a couple of minutes away) and what direction to take (to Piraeus) to reach Monastiraki, which was the next station! The streets were filled with graffiti, and so were the metro coaches (outside) The navigation at the stations is a little difficult until you figure out that you have to ignore the ‘To’ and just focus on ‘Exit’. 🙂 Monastiraki is famous for the flea market – right next to the station – but that closes pretty early- most shops were shut when we reached. The square offers a view of the Acropolis up on the hill at night. Majestic and pretty at the same time.

We didn’t forget our habits, and got lost a bit, despite maps, before we finally found Gostijo. We weren’t really impressed with the menu outside (which refused to open to the kosher section!) and the persuasive skills of the owner of Oineas (same lane) landed us there. It wasn’t on our list, but turned out to be a fabulous little place. His collection of vintage ads is absolutely impressive. Take a look at the video. The lady who took our order convinced us to try Tsipouro along with the Farfalle and Risotto we ordered. What a thing that turned out to be – Ouzo at least has the anise flavour, this one is pure spirit! The food was splendid though, and that includes a fantastic dessert of layered chocolate. This was the first restaurant to give me a Trip Advisor card (asking for a review)

Now that we knew the streets, getting back to the station was a breeze, and we caught the train in the Kifisia direction, but we managed to keep our reputation intact by losing our way at the other end, and circling the hotel area for about ten minutes before we found our way back!

June 17, 2014
A Greek odyssey – Day 6

Continued from Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

The day’s agenda was to take the boat to Delos in the first half, have a late lunch and then wander around Mykonos town before keeping our appointment at M-eating. There were three trips to Delos – two in the morning, one in the evening – and we had decided to take the second one at 10 AM. Breakfast at Grand Beach wasn’t up to the stellar benchmark set by Volcano View, but was still quite a spread. We walked to the Old Port and just about managed to turn up in time to buy the tickets. Costs are 18 euros per person (including return) and it takes a little over half an hour on a boat with comfortable seating. The entry to the Delos excavations, a heritage site, is at 5 euros per head.

Delos has been inhabited since 3000 BC, and old as I am, even I can’t remember that far back! If you’re into history (or even Greek mythology – it’s where Apollo and Artemis were born) this is a must-visit, even otherwise it’s a very good experience. We had just about three hours to complete a DIY tour. (you can also pay for a guide – either via your hotel or at the site itself by joining a group, but we decided not to) One tip I’d give is for you to go straight to the museum after getting the tickets. Though they give you a list of things to see at the entry, the museum has a brochure with a map that explains the three different ‘circuits’, the important things to see (100 of them) and most importantly, the time taken to cover each circuit.

We just walked along the first path we saw, and used the explanatory boards to figure out what the structures were. It’s really quite an experience to see the efforts made to maintain/restore the ruins, as well as get a glimpse of how life must have been in those times. There is also this little adventure of climbing to the highest point on the island – an uphill task – that is oh! so totally worth it! I think it’s the windiest conditions I’ve been in, blew my cap away and I could barely hold on to the mobile and camera. Not exaggerating, the video should convince you.

The boat ride back, at 1.30, turned out to be a free roller coaster ride as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the choppy waters, but D didn’t think my ‘wheeee’ noises every time the boat went up and crashed down were funny. She is not very fond of such adventures, and the lady sitting next to her looked like she was going to be history soon! The waves went high enough to eclipse the windows. We got back to Mykonos and by a stroke of luck, found our fourth lunch/dinner option – Niko’s Taverna – in a lane right next to the port. Lunch was Octopus, and fish and chicken specials of the day, washed down with red and white wines. We then walked around town, catching some interesting sights, and sharing a choco-filled crepes before going back to the hotel to sleep.

The original plan was to lounge in the room and catch the sunset from the lovely balcony, but we realised that the sunset wasn’t really visible from that point, so we crossed the road to the beach, which offered a splendid view.

Dinner was to be at M-eating, which reminded me of the snootiness of some Bangalore restaurants because of how they behaved differently with different customers. I guess this one can afford it because of the undisputed Trip Advisor rating. I’m not taking away from their imaginative cuisine, or their style, but if I compared it to Niko’s or Eva’s, I’d choose to repeat visit those any day as opposed to M-eating. Quail, (smoked fillet with Katiki Domokos mousse, walnut pesto and honey gravy) Fresh Ravioli, (stuffed with braised beef fillet and goat cheese in demiglass tomate and basil foam) (you guys get the idea!) a full bottle of O Topos Mas, (Cretan regional rose wine) a quailing wallet, and a quarter empty stomach (for all those ingredients, the total quantity was more nibble) later, we swayed our way into Yummy’s to customise our dessert crepe.

The winds were strong (or was it?) and we somehow (and I still wonder how!) made our tipsy walk back to the hotel and warmth.

June 13, 2014
A Greek odyssey – Day 5

Continued from Day 1, 2, 3, 4

We woke up at about 9, it was almost like we were having a vacation or something! 😉 In addition to the standard items for breakfast, we also tried the yogurt. The Greeks love it, and with some honeyed help, it was indeed very good! As per the plan, we left the hotel at 10.45 after sitting around for a while enjoying the view. In summation, it wasn’t that the Volcano View staff were impolite or unpleasant, it was just that they always gave off an air that they had better things to do. While the view from the place is splendid, you could get the same from the Fira town itself, so you could consider some options there. A group bus took us to the port (which we’d seen from our room) in less than half an hour. An hour later, our ride arrived. After stowing the luggage, we went to find our seats upstairs. There was quite some confusion since they seemed to have aggregated passengers from two boats, but in the end, we got comfortable seats with a view. (though the glass is usually quite smudged) There was a cafe, but we weren’t really hungry. 3 hours later, after crossing Ios and Paros, we were in Mykonos.

A pleasant hotel representative was there to pick us up, and he helped with the bags too! He chatted all the way to the hotel (just about 15 mins) showing us landmarks, directions and a brief about the town. The Grand Beach had a room with a view that could rival Volcano View. Ok, almost. They had WiFi too.

Town was less than ten minutes away by walk, and we decided to go there for lunch. We saw the windmills and then walked to Little Venice for lunch. We immediately noticed that prices in the menu were higher than Santorini and Rhodes. For lunch, it was Linguine pasta and calamari, and a great view of the windmills too. Ouzo, the anise flavoured Greek favourite was consumed, for the first and last time!

Sunset was quite a while away, so we decided to find out where the boat to Delos (the plan for the next day) started from. The old port was less than 5 minutes away, and right next to it, we found the by now familiar little churches. If you’ve wondered how it looks inside,

But after that, we got utterly lost in the maze that is Mykonos town! But there were quite a few good things that happened as a result – we found 3 of the 4 restaurants we had earmarked for lunch and dinner, and also tasted Ben & Jerry’s for the first time! Ecstasy happened in the form of yogurt and chocolate fudge! We then slowly walked back to the room to rest. Later, sunset was from the windmills area and it turned out to be a wonderful one, though the winds threatened to fly us away! My 10 euro fake Puma jacket continued to be a life saving hero.

We walked to Avra (only open for dinner) but weren’t very impressed with the menu, and decided to try M-eating. (also open only for dinner) That turned out to be full with a waiting time of 45 minutes. Eva’s Garden was the final one among our candidates, (all three are on the same road) and we got a table inside – the garden area was full. The ambiance was absolutely old world and the food was great. We had the Eva salad, cashew chicken and as always, house wine. 🙂 They gave us complimentary Mastika shots after dinner. Greek liquor does take getting used to!

On the way back, we reserved a table at M-eating for the next day, and then had ice cream ‘made from Greek milk’. The friendly guy even had Mastika flavoured ice cream, but we had had enough. The ice cream was good, but not nearly as good as Ben & Jerry’s. We then walked back to the hotel and watched the splendid night view of Mykonos.

June 11, 2014