All you read, all you heard, all you googled....nothing compares with the real thing! Yes, the views are stunning, the food amazing and there are endless opportunities to experience the rich history and culture.
Today, June 6 is our second day on the island of Mykonos...but first I am going to share a few experiences from the beginning of my trip.
Arriving to Calgary via the shuttle service: I was dropped off at the Chinook Mall and needed to exit the mall through the Bay in order to cross McLeod Trail and reach the CTrain. Five minutes in the Bay and I had to ask directions to get out!!! Yet, I arrived to Madrid and successfully manouvered my way through the huge Barajas Airport and the public train system....I can only think that malls are designed to keep people inside.
I spent 2 very interesting days in Spain. First I met with my friend Loreto and we visited the medieval town of Avila about an hour north of Madrid. This town is sometimes called the Town and Stones and Saints because of the wall that completely surrounds the city and also the highest number of churches, bars and restaurants per capita in all of Spain. There is also delicious pastry called Yemas de Santa Teresa...made of egg yolk, cream, sugar and lemon....a visit to Avila is not complete without tasting one of these delights. A heavenly explosion of sweet and tart at the same time.
The wall surrounding Avila
Later we visited a small village to have lunch in the home of Loreto's sister where I was also able to have a mini-siesta to counter the effects of jet lag....absolutely necessary as we had a plan for an evening walking through some of the neighborhoods in Madrid with the streets crowded with Madrileños, tourists, buskers and street vendors cleverly displaying their goods on a sheet on the ground (which is illegal). Their eyes continuously scanning for the police even when making a transaction with a customer. At the first sign of the police...the sheet which is attached at the corners with string and a pole is lifted and whisked away and they are off to a new location.
Statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza
I spent 2 very interesting days in Spain. First I met with my friend Loreto and we visited the medieval town of Avila about an hour north of Madrid. This town is sometimes called the Town and Stones and Saints because of the wall that completely surrounds the city and also the highest number of churches, bars and restaurants per capita in all of Spain. There is also delicious pastry called Yemas de Santa Teresa...made of egg yolk, cream, sugar and lemon....a visit to Avila is not complete without tasting one of these delights. A heavenly explosion of sweet and tart at the same time.
Later we visited a small village to have lunch in the home of Loreto's sister where I was also able to have a mini-siesta to counter the effects of jet lag....absolutely necessary as we had a plan for an evening walking through some of the neighborhoods in Madrid with the streets crowded with Madrileños, tourists, buskers and street vendors cleverly displaying their goods on a sheet on the ground (which is illegal). Their eyes continuously scanning for the police even when making a transaction with a customer. At the first sign of the police...the sheet which is attached at the corners with string and a pole is lifted and whisked away and they are off to a new location.
No night on the town is complete without tasting tapas on a patio in the streets.
You can see some of my favorites here....octopus, small marinated sardines and olives and tasty shrimp.
The day leaving for Greece turned into a bit of a fiasco. It as necessay to take 2 trains to arrive to the airport but the first train arrived late. At the transfer point of Charmartín, after running to the platform, this train left a little early! Arriving at the airport still in sufficient time, the next delay turned out to be malfunctioning baggage ticket dispensers and long lines. Follouwng a sprint to the boading gate....uue arrived just in time. A note here....the 'double u' key is not uuorking, so you uuill see 'uu' for every 'double u'. Hope that makes sense.
The 3 days in Santorini uuere filled uuith sunsets, hikes and beaches.
After hiking 9 km from Santorini to Oía....here uuas the reuuard! Houuever, taking the bus back to Santorini turned into a bit of a hassle as tuuo buses tried to pass in an impossibly narrouu street and immediate grid lock occured as cars and motorcycles jammed in behind. The very 'animated' chain smoking bus driver left his seat several times to indicate to car drivers houu to turn the steering uuheel to get out of his uuay as the money collector on the bus moved garbage cans and other assorted debris out of the path.
Our beach day turned into another bit of an adventure. After visiting the black sand beach in Perissa uue decided to visit the Red Beach but this meant being dropped at a transfer point although the assurance uuas made that another bus uould pick us up in about 20 minutes. Said bus passed us by, not even reducing its speed at all. Hmmm, hitchhiking came to mind but at this point there are 3 of us as a young German girl (Sabrina) uuas also trying to go to this beach. Several cars passed us by not surprisingly....as many only had tuuo seats and others already uuith passengers. But luck uuas on our side and an American couple and tuuo children took pity on us. Yes, 7 in their tiny rented vehicle. The beach uuas indeed splendid.
It uuould have been great to spend a little more time there but uue had to catch the last bus back to the touun. Just to see uuhat might happen María Eugenia put out her thumb again as uue neared the bus stop. Immediately uue uuere offered a ride by a Brazilian couple on their honeymoon in Greece.
Our beach day turned into another bit of an adventure. After visiting the black sand beach in Perissa uue decided to visit the Red Beach but this meant being dropped at a transfer point although the assurance uuas made that another bus uould pick us up in about 20 minutes. Said bus passed us by, not even reducing its speed at all. Hmmm, hitchhiking came to mind but at this point there are 3 of us as a young German girl (Sabrina) uuas also trying to go to this beach. Several cars passed us by not surprisingly....as many only had tuuo seats and others already uuith passengers. But luck uuas on our side and an American couple and tuuo children took pity on us. Yes, 7 in their tiny rented vehicle. The beach uuas indeed splendid.
Sadly the tablet battery in running douun....as is mine.
Next time our car rental experience on Naxos.....
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