Oh, what a difference a few months make! The weather has definitely changed from our November visit!  They say it’s 75 degrees out there but in the sun? It feels more like 95. Brutal. Especially after being cool and chilly for so long on the past legs of our trip. Oh well. At least we’ll be tan!

We are off the ship on one of the first tenders – as usual – but today for a specific reason. We’ve never tendered into Mykonos before, always docking at the new pier which is way out of town. Today, however, we tender straight into the Old Town, and we need to walk all the way around to the old port to pick up our car. And good thing we are early because, Ay Yi Yi, the people! it is already crazy crowded busy in town with 2 other big ships in port. Thus, we want to be out of here post haste.

We end up cooling our heels at the old port while we wait for the car, having called them to tell them where we would be. There is some confusion (here we go again!) about exactly where to meet. We are in the back parking lot where all the buses come, and it turns out our Sixt guy has the car out front on the road leading out of town. Fortunately I see him – well, I see the bright orange shirt and tell Ed, and then the rental agency calls Ed and we figure out the meeting point. Ok – we’re good now.

The plans today are to drive all over the island, because what else is there to do here? Beach, party, shop. None of which appeals to us. So of course we find the weirdest off the beaten path things we can to occupy our time. The first place we go are the abandoned Barite Mines in the far Northeastern part of the island. Founded in 1950, they shut down in the early 1980s but the machinery and buildings were left behind – and it is supposed to be a sort of dystopian, eerie landscape scene out there. It is supposedly called “the Chernobyl of the Aegean.” You know we have to see it!

So off we go, through the town of Ano Mero and the traffic, out into the narrow lanes of the northern part of the island, past all the barren hills and the little houses dotting the landscape. We get off easy on this drive, only getting lost once, and not having to deal with those super narrow roads lined with the rock walls. But when we get to the mining site, we do have to contend with an almost one lane dirt road and huge dump trucks coming at us from some sort of industrial site just before the mining town.

It’s well worth the drive though – just for the scenery. Abandoned white buildings stand the test of time against the deep blue of the sea and the sky. A little church is perched up at the top of the hill overlooking the abandoned village – and inside some of the houses, there are still bath tubs and the remains of plumbing. We explore one of the closest houses, but decide not to go further into the complex. It is too easy for somebody to be camping out here, and we don’t really want to stumble upon anything like that this far out on a desolate and empty part of the island.

Turning around, we end up stopping for the great sweeping views cross this end of the island, and also the mine shafts that are still in existence, jutting out of the hills around the the old mining town. Praying the entire time no dump truck will mow us down while we snap away.

On the way back around the island, we stop in Ano Mero to visit the Monastery of Panagia Tourliani, named after the Virgin Mary icon found nearby in Tourlos in 1767. The white washed exterior is beautiful and makes for great photos – unfortunately we walk in right after a tour group, so we content ourselves with walking around the exterior of the monastery and climbing up the stairs to the Museum of Ecclesiastic art – which is in humidity controlled A/C (thank heavens) – and has an impressive collection of old cassocks and other items.

The monastery finally clears out, allowing us to get inside without all the crowds and marvel at the circa 1775 wooden altar screen (the iconostasis), the hanging incense holders, the beautiful inlaid columns and dome and of course, the Virgin Mary.

And we’re off – searching for the Monastery of Paleokastro which is supposed to be 3 minutes from this monastery, but the directions give us a challenge. It is up this incredibly steep almost one lane road that we have to back down once to let other pass – then we miss the turn – because GPS is not the most reliable here – and here are those stupid one lane rock walled roads we hate. At least we do find somewhere to turn around and finally make it up the hill to a beautiful little white washed chapel in the monastery courtyard.

But more impressive even still are the ruins we discover behind the chapel – don’t know how old or from what period, but they are beautiful rock formations, crumbling and topsy turvy perched on the side of the hills. And there is a little chapel that is still in use here too. Oh, and a rooster that gets really angry at us disturbing him in his little home in the ruins and is very aggressive as I stand in the doorway, so much so i run for safety as it sort of chases after me, then struts away like he proved something. I’m too busy running to take any pictures, so don’t even bother looking.

Back down the too steep narrow road, we actually make it out without issue and begin our trek to the other side of the island – deciding to jettison another monastery that looks like it will be on more little roads through the hills. Our idea is to go to the Mykonos Farmers Cheese Factory, which has cheese making classes and tastings. But I’ve not been able to find any address or specific directions – just “located just before and a little to the east of Portes (“doors”) – which also btw are huge rectangular-formed rocks and are called Stonehenge of Mykonos.

After many wrong turns and many more little single lane rock lined lanes, we are about to give up when the cheese factory springs up before us. Success. But sadly, there is a ship’s tour here making cheese, and the tasting? Way too pricey for our blood – especially since we are heading to lunch and well, just wrong timing all around. Back we go out the little treacherous lanes, searching in vain for the stupid Stonehenge type stones. Yeah, right, no way. No way anyone could ever find them amongst the bizillion other stone outcroppings all over. Sheesh, fool’s errand.

We kept moving south toward Platis Gialos, our destination the Nicolas Tavern in Agia Anna, a seafood tavern right on the beach. As luck would have it, the tavern is closed for a special event. Right next door is a ritzy, glitzy party beach resort type place called Pinky Beach. Yeah, well. It’s after noon, the other restaurant on the way back toward Mykonos town isn’t open until 1:30, so this will be our lunch spot. The atmosphere is wonderful (great beach view and lovely thoughts in neon on the bathroom wall!), the food excellent – a huge Sushi roll and grilled octopus. But the prices!  Oh dear me. How anyone affords to live or visit here, we’ll never know. 

Lunch handled, we’re back out on the road, driving over hill and dale and through dirt roads and little one lane rock wall lined streets where you had to reverse to let other cars pass. Completely traversing the island yet again to go all the way up to the north end – finding a little known hidden beach, Agios Sostis, where we had to carefully pick our way down a very steep loosely packed dirt path to get to the water. Definitely secluded and fairly empty – no services whatsoever, so whatever you wanted with you on the beach? You had to haul it down and up that steep path.

On the way back to Mykonos Town, we actually found the medieval monastery we dismissed this morning, the Agios Panetleimonas Monastery. But it was locked up tight, which was a disappointment. It is supposed to be one of the best most well-preserved medieval monasteries, with a beautiful wood carvings, etc. The courtyard and outside are sort of medieval looking, and interesting to see, but we were bummed we couldn’t get inside.

Done with our touring, we head back to the old port parking lot and wait for the Sixt guy to show up to take the car. We lucked into a great parking space right at the top of the lot, but waiting is totally painful because it is brutally hot. And precious little shade in which to wait. he finally appears, and we are set free to wander through Mykonos Town. Although – we’re not doing that! 3 ships? 2 big ones? Remember the comment from this morning? Well now the place is so jam packed you can barely move. So no. No wandering.

That being said, we did stop at a restaurant around the corner from the old port at the entrance to the city called Baboulas Ouzeri. Their tagline “the least gourmet restaurant on the island” spoke to us. Of course! We ordered our beverages, and even though we were still stuffed from lunch, had to try the local cheese – which came from the Mykonos Farmers Dairy! Yeah, it was kizmet. So we had a very enjoyable time sitting up high on a raised patio, watching the hordes move about Mykonos and enjoying a late afternoon snack.

Onto the tender and back to the ship – in one hot sweaty piece! After cooling off, we into our normal evening routine, then to the cabaret for a local Greek performing group who are wonderful – as all the local entertainment always has been and still are!

Then a quiet night on the balcony with the lights of Mykonos off in the distance.