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I have heard of island fever, but I have never experienced it. Is 2 weeks enough to catch this ailment? Hardly. It was with heavy hearts that we said goodbye to Greece (and yes, its gyros) to fly back to the mainland. Our melancholy was quickly lifted when we met the newest member of our family, Pierre the Peugeot!
Αντιο σας gyros; Bonjour mon baguettes et pains au chocolat!
Mykonos is the girl you want to have a one night stand with, whereas Santorini is the girl you want to spend the rest of your life with. Personally, I think I would be fine running away with either island.
Although both gorgeous and extraordinary, these two islands could not be more different. Known as the party island with its beautiful beaches and blowouts that last well after sunrise, Mykonos surprised us. After spending days getting lost in Mykonos Town (aka Hora) as the pedestrian-only streets wind haphazardly and quickly narrow into alleyways or open up to the sea, we finally ventured outside of Hora. We braved the road and rented a scooter to see a different side of Mykonos. The wild, untamed beaches we encountered were a stark contrast to the well-manicured party beaches we first met. After spending the day driving the scooter (yes, me too and not just Sep!) to smaller parts of the island, we found our favorite Island Gyro (of course we did) and produce/wine stand. Like most people with a reputation, there is more to Mykonos than the party life.
Travelling to Santorini was an interesting endeavour. Faced with the fact that we had long ago sold our Mercedes in Seattle, we were stuck with the prospect of delivering us and our luggage to the ferry terminal. Although good at Tetris, fitting the bags on the small scooter with us was a challenge. I hopped on the scooter behind Sep with my backpack on and one piece of luggage sitting in front of Sep. My Job was to hold onto that piece of luggage while Sep maneuvered driving with his backpack on his chest. Once delivered to the pier, Sep went back for the last piece of luggage that he was able to wedge onto the Scooter.
The ferry was glamorous. An oxymoron for sure, I stand with my statement; a big chandelier hung above us in our huge seats. A quick 2 hour ride and Santorini greeted us. Riding in the bus up the steep cliff to town, we quickly became aware of our mortality. Cars driving down the cliff quickly backed up and swerved out of the bus’ way as we switchbacked our way to the top. Although stunning views, I don’t think either of us will be driving a manual car up that bluff anytime soon.
So Santorini, you ask. The rumors are true; we are ready to commit. Between sunbathing on the Black Sand Beach and witnessing a sunset over the caldera, this island is made of romance. Although hordes of people migrate to Oia to attest to the beauty of its sunsets, we were never deterred. There are few places I would venture knowing that a multitude of people will be there; Oia is one of them.
So if we had to choose, which island? Although a Romeo may claim to loving two Juliets, we are hardly fooled. Simultaneously, we are not foolish enough to admit aloud our true beloved. I guess you’ll have to visit both.
Our Top Sites in Mykonos:
Our Top Sites in Santorini
Greece, you had me at gyro. You kept me at yogurt. And you possessed me at baklava. How do I put into words the food we had in Athens? Dreamy. Intoxicating. This is a country that knows its food. It’s local, fresh and plentiful. I lost count of the number of gyros we had. All I know is that we never tired of the food here.
Oh, and we also saw some unbelievable sites. Scroll down for our must sees.
Our Top Sites
“You better watch out because you have a very handsome guy,” a very elderly man told me as Sep and I were strolling through Tivoli Gardens during twilight. I think Copenhagen just became Sep’s favorite city.
A mix of effortless cool and modern day fairy tale, Copenhagen was easy to love. Although sticker price is definitely alive and well here, Copenhagen is the definition of livability. Bikes rule the road (40% of residents use their bike everyday), the City is easily walkable and the food scene is flourishing. After visiting the Little Mermaid Statue, castles and expansive gardens, Copenhagen’s spell was cast and unbreakable…. as long as you never learn the true value of the Danish Kroner.
Our Top Sites:
We have quit our corporate jobs. We have rented out our apartment. We have packed up all of our stuff and put it in storage. Currently, our lives are packed away in our tiny carry on bags and small backpacks. This is our life for the next 3.5 months. Oh, how small these bags look.
As we sit at the airport, I think I am having my first panic attack. This is it. There is no undoing what we have done. We are going to board the plane to Europe in the next hour. The past 3 months have been so busy and stressful that the time for reflection has been severely limited. I am not saying we have not thoroughly thought out our plan; in fact, we have examined and re-examined our options so many times that I thought this day would never come. But after we thoroughly discussed our plan and decided to do it, the past couple of months have been us pushing to get everything done as quickly as possible. Doubts have been inspected and pushed through.
Whelp, here we go.