Epic Summer Part I: The Greek Islands

The last four days of our trip were shared between the islands of Mykonos and Santorini. We realize that these are the most “touristy” of the islands, but we were looking for a good beach, and the picturesque blue-domed churches of Santorini were a must on my list for this trip. Really, we wanted to see what everyone else who goes to Greece wants to see. Places are often popular for a reason! I will apologize up front for this post being picture heavy, but the pictures are so much better than my words.

On the ferry to Mykonos. Journaling and writing postcards. 

Our first two days were spent in Mykonos. Mykonos Town is a cute little whitewashed town of narrow lanes and buildings that look, from a distance, like they’ve been constructed of marshmallows. The doors and windows are bright colors, mostly blue. My favorite part is the streets. They are paved with big rocks and the mortar between them is painted white. They are narrow and they twist and turn. It’s easy to get lost, but the town is so small that if you keep walking you’ll quickly find your way again. We read that the people of the island designed their town this way as a defense so that invaders would have a hard time finding their way around.

Just off the ferry on Mykonos. 

Famous Windmills 

This part of Mykonos is called "Little Venice."

Remember the final scene from the Bourne Identity? It was right here. :)

Marshmallow houses!

We spent our full day on Mykonos at the beach. We rented ATVs (kids loved this!) and drove along the coast a bit to Agios Ioannis, a great stretch of sand with a postcard view of the island of Delos. It was our first time doing the umbrella/chair thing at the beach, and I’m sold! We were all happy to spend the entire day soaking in sun, sand, and surf. The kids never took a break. They were playing in the sand or playing in the sea the entire day. Aaron and his dad took a trip in search of a store and brought back pitas, tzatziki, olives, grapes—it was a fabulous lunch on the beach.

Headed to the beach!

Pretty perfect! 

Life is Good! 

Enjoying a drink on the beach.

Proud builders! 

Headed back. 

The next morning we hopped on a ferry to the island of Delos. Delos is just an island of ruins now, but it is famous because in the days of the ancients it was an important religious site and later important commercial port. An old Greek myth tells that Delos was once a floating island until the gods anchored it to the center of the Aegean Sea so that Leto could give birth to the twins Apollo and Artemis. We wandered around the ruins of the city, saw the famous Lions of the Naxians (then saw the originals in the tiny museum), and then walked the 112 meters to the top of Mt. Kynthos and took in the amazing views.

The ruins on Delos with Mt. Kynthos in the background.

The Sacred Way

An eroded bust

The Lions of the Naxians (replicas)

The real lions

Apollo's Fingers (not much else is left of the huge statue) 

Temple of Iris 

Heading up Mt. Kynthos 

Declaring himself King of the Mountain 

I think this one looks like the real King of the Mountain. 

Building cairns 

A mosaic in one of the houses in Delos.

After a quick lunch it was time to board yet another ferry to our final destination of Santorini. After arriving we caught a shuttle to Oia, our home for our last two nights in Greece.

She's really asleep on the bus. She sleeps with her eyes open, like I do.

Santorini is what I think of when I picture Greece. White cave homes, attached to the side of a cliff, sprinkled with small, blue domed churches. This island is very different from Mykonos because it is part of a volcano’s caldera. The rock rises up steeply from the water and Oia clings to its top and spills down the side toward the sea. We had our own cave home for two nights on the island.

The view from our traditional cave house apartment

Our own veranda with an amazing view of the caldera.

Inside the cave house

The number one thing to do in Oia is watch the sunset. People gather along the streets an hour or more before sunset to try to grab a good view. We were lucky to have a fabulous view from our cave home.

Our first sunset in Oia. The crowd applauded as the sun dipped below the sea.

The view from dinner. 

The best site in Oia really is the town itself. Aaron woke up at sunrise and roamed around with the camera. Here is what he saw.

My favorite pic!

Since Oia doesn’t really have beaches we spent the morning at a nearby pool. The kids enjoyed the water and I enjoyed the view.

Cannonball!

Playing with Grandpa in the water.

What a view! (And my new habit.)

We had a wonderful ten days in Greece. We visited such a variety of places and saw and did so many things that it felt like a much longer trip. It was a fabulous way in which to start an unforgettable summer!

Enjoying our last sunset in Greece.