If you've been keeping up with our travels, you'll remember our stop in Mykonos a little more than a week ago. It had poured rain and we came back to the ship drenched. Well, we were drenched this time as well but in sunshine rather than rain.
The plan had always been to take time at this port to have real moussaka, not like most of the stuff you get back home. We'd already tasted a few other traditional Greek foods in Athens but we were saving moussaka for the islands.
Instead of tendering our ship passengers into the new port, we were tendered to the edge of the old port so there was no need to transfer to a SeaBus this time. There were however, five ships anchored in the harbor. Five! I wondered if going ashore was even worth it with the crowds that were sure to be there. But, undaunted, sort of, we ventured out.
Where the tender let us out there was a nice boardwalk into town. One of the things you need to get used to in Greece is that what may seem like a pedestrian way is not always. A few small trucks beeped their way through the throng of people headed into the main part of town.
Mykonos looked a lot prettier in the sunshine than it had in the rain. The buildings are quite white and dot the hillsides in clusters. The last time we were here and it was so misty, I looked out and thought there was snow on the mountaintops. It was white buildings.
We followed the path that we'd taken before this time stopping to get some better pictures of the St. Nicholas chapel and then around the corner--well, there are no corners, just meandering pathways--to the Church of Panagia Paraportiani. The buildings were a lot prettier this day.
The crowds were shoulder to shoulder making their way through the alleys filled with shops and restaurants. Germaphobes were hyperventilating I'm sure. Finally after passing the spot where we'd ended our last trip, we wound our way around to where we could climb up to the windmills.
The windmills are an iconic historical landmark of Mykonos. They were once used for grinding agricultural products for sale and export. The skeleton was covered with fabric like that of sails on a boat to catch the wind that apparently blows most of the time in Mykonos. It was blowing hard today but it was also cooling temperatures that could have been a lot warmer with the wonderful sunshine.
We wandered around the windmills. The crowds were not as thick there as there was a bit of a climb and many passengers wouldn't attempt it, I'm sure. After resting a bit, we meandered down alleyways and even down one that was obviously just residential as a lot of the residents had wash hanging from the tall stairways that led to their homes.
There were a lot of little churches tucked in here and there. Some with beautiful wooden doors and most with pretty little belfries.
We found our way back to the main boardwalk where we'd started and walked until we found a nice looking restaurant next to the water's edge. It was time for moussaka. Of course we had to try just a couple more things. There was an appetizer that was phyllo wrapped feta cheese with honey and sesame. Delicious. I risked the stomachache from the lactose.
The other thing to try was ouzo. It is a strong Greek liquor that everyone said you had to try once. Yup. Once was enough. It has a strong anise flavor. We left most of it. Hope we didn't offend anyone.
The moussaka was excellent as we expected it would be.
A gentle breeze, a full stomach and we were in need of an afternoon nap. It was time to return to the ship. Thankfully we didn't have to wait long for the tender. The sun was a bit warm to stand in.
The weather had made all the difference in the world this visit. I would have no qualms of returning even with an overrun population of cruise passengers.
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