So, I'm still incredibly backlogged on my blogs. This time I blame it on my very inconvenient infection of some kind. Although I also blame it on myself for getting backed up in the first place. Also, I really just don't like blaming anyone or anything for anything anyways.
Last weekend, we traveled to the gorgeous island of Mykonos...
We got on a ferry at an almost obnoxiously early hour, but something about rising with the sun always seems to make it worth it.
This pesky rainbow followed our ferry the entire trip to Mykonos.
Ellie mesmerized by the Big Blue Aegean.
Welcome to our hotel, that I still can't pronounce the name of, much less spell.
Mykonos. This was the first moment that I realized how much I would love this island. I was standing outside my door and noticed that the building across from mine was very wonderfully lit by golden sunlight. So I grabbed my camera and headed up the stairs and low and behold, I was greeted by the beautiful orange sun setting over the Aegean. Valerie and Erin joined me soon and we all watched the sun go down on Mykonos and it just kept getting more and more beautiful. I took probably 25 shots of the sunset and picking this one was so har because they all looked great. I've never seen such a beautiful sunset, and I took it as a good sign.
After we watched the sun set, everyone got together and we walked down into the city to get dinner. Dinner was a cheap and simple gyro that was quite good, but for the me the walk itself was worth it. The lighting in this twilight hour was like a photographer's dream come true.
Everything was just so soft and beautiful.
And the architecture reflected the practical needs of living on an island, but they almost seemed to be held equal or less than the building just being beautiful to look at.
And these windmills! This one was all by itself, but further into town there is a group of five in a row that will always have a special little meaning to me.
This cat and his wonky ear held me up a few minutes. Just like the sunset, I couldn't seem to take a picture of him that didn't look great.
The next morning we were up early to take a ferry to the neighboring island of Delos to see the ruins. We took a long walk down to the harbor led by the Kaplans through the middle of Mykonos suburbia. Not like any neighborhood I've ever seen before.
One of the things that stands out most to me about Mykonos is the color blue. It was everywhere. This picture, for example, look at the teal. Layers upon layers upon layers of teal and blue.
Delos was pretty magnificent. Rumor has it that when Lito, Apollo's mother, was pregnant, she was cursed by Hera and not allowed to give birth on solid land. At the time Delos was a floating island so she landed there and gave birth to the sun god.
What was exceptionally neat about Delos, was the fact that the ruins were completely different than other ruins we had looked at. They were not all just foundations covered in dust asking us to use our imagination to look at. They were fully structured walls and buildings and rooms with columns and mosaics and sculptures.
You could even see how the streets resembled the narrow streets bordered by tall houses for wind protection, just like it's modern neighbor Mykonos.
Ellie, just being cute as always.
LIONS. Lions are actually quite common in Greece, even though they are not currently living here. they are such powerful symbols of strength that it really makes sense for them to be here as guardians but I also find it interesting that my kinfolk are held in such high regard here when they're still exotic. Greeks are very highly nationalistic so it's interesting that an animal they use often in sculpture and mosaic, does not actually live there and you can tell by looking at some of these goofy lions that the Greeks were not exactly experts on what lions even looked like.
And the beach. Other than the explicit and outrageous partying that goes on (of which I do not have any pictures, but you can ask me later about the stories), the beach is what Mykonos is most well known for. And for good reason. This is just one of th beaches that we went to during our stay on the island. What you can't see in this picture is the plethora of topless women hanging out and catching rays. What you can see are the mountains in the background, but you'll never understand how truly majestic they are until you're 20-ft deep in crystal clear waters looking up at them.
And it's not a Greek isle without bougainvillea.
HAPPY FOURTH BIRTHDAY ELLIE! How many people get to celebrate their fourth birthday on the Fourth of July on a ferry with a bunch of college kids and a majestic chocolate chocolate cake?
At least one.
Our Fourth of July bus on the way back to the dorms.
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