We boarded our fast ferry before the crack of dawn. Our destination was the Greek Island of Mykonos, a popular island in The Cyclades that are known for its rugged landscape, turquoise clear waters and white churches with blue domed roofs.

It had been very windy in Greece, so when we hit the open water of the Aegean Sea we all started to feel a little queasy. Paulah and Nicole decided a shot of whiskey would be the best cure, while Cameron snuck into business class where it was less rocky, an attempt later failed by the ladies (suckers!).

Thankfully the boat ride was only 4 hours so it wasn't long before we were docked at the port of Mykonos. We were unsure if we had a shuttle pickup waiting for us… there wasn't. Our hesitance to grab a taxi left us standing in an empty parking lot with 20 other confused tourists. A cruise ship was in, so it appeared a taxi was hard to come by.

Having no clue where we were staying (it could have been right next door) we figured it was best to jump on a local bus and head into the town of Hora, the main city. Feeling somewhat dazed and confused, we decided the best thing to do would be to talk to a travel agency.

The island is not very big so we figured someone would know where we needed to be. It was a good decision too because we weren't even staying in Hora, our hotel was 4 km away at Ornos Beach. Walking wasn't an option with our luggage, so we got the travel agency to send their shuttle to pick us up.

This is where we were reminded of 'Greek time'. We were told the shuttle would arrive shortly. After 20 minutes we decided a beer would be wise to kill the time. After two hours, a few souvlaki and several Mythos beers later, our shuttle finally arrived. Isn't it amazing how everything seems to work itself out with a few beers? (Wise words of Grandpa Jack!)

Our fabulous hotel was located in the small village of Ornos. We had an amazing view of the small inlet with its sandy beach and beautiful aqua blue waters.

It was outstanding… we had finally arrived in the Greek Islands!

Our four days in Mykonos was spent on the beach, snorkeling, swimming, soaking in the hot tub (well… warm tub), and sampling the delicious Greek food while strolling through the small towns of Ornos and Hora.

The island lived up to its reputation - see the photo album 'Greece - Mykonos'.

Our most memorable moment was on our second night. We decided to walk the 4 km's from Ornos to Hora to a place fittingly named 'Little Venice'. We walked along the seawall of Hora, passing through thin white pathways lined with restaurants and boutique shops. It was such a unique place that had us thinking about what life on the little island would have been like 50 years ago… we assume not a lot has changed.

We stumbled on a restaurant called 'Katarina's' that had the most incredible view on the island. Our table was on a small balcony that only seated seven people and hung over top of the Aegean Sea. We had to laugh when the neighbour came out on her balcony and cast her fishing rod into the sea. Dinner can't get any fresher than that!

We watched the sunset over the white city and its string of traditional Greek windmills that lined the hillside, a setting that is now burned into our minds forever.

The picturesque island had us all very relaxed. The beaches and dramatic landscape were unforgettable, we had thoughts of never leaving. But sadly, like every wonderful place we visit, our time flew by too quickly and it was time to board another fast catamaran ferry.

Our next stop in the Cyclades was the world famous island of Santorini, arguably the most spectacular of the Greek Islands.

September 26th, 2009
The attached photo is the spectacular view from our hotel room patio!