Four Leisurely Days on Santorini

Like most first-time visitors, I met my first sight of Santorini's caldera with a deep breath and a sigh, followed by a slight feeling of vertigo as I glanced down at the sheer 300m drop underfoot. Then common sense took over and the next thought was, what kind of crazy people would burrow an entire town into the vertical rim of an active volcano?



Perhaps a more relevant question at the time would have been ... what kind of crazy traveler would pay hundreds of Euros for the hazard of staying at such a precarious location? Well I signed up, and so do thousands of other visitors everyday of the year. When you're presented with one of the world's most breathtaking views, common sense just goes out the window. You accept that miniscule chance of freefalling down the cliff when you behold the enchanted beauty you're powerless to take your eyes off.



Let your eyes roam with skyline of the volcano, and you'll see a long series of towns and villages along the caldera's lip. Aerosmith's Living On The Edge comes to mind -- you can hardly live any more dangerously than this. One major earthquake or eruption -- and bear in mind that this is a volcano with a particularly violent history -- could send the whole town tumbling down into the deep blue abyss of the flooded caldera.



Something so beautiful and alluring, and yet so fragile. Everyone knows it's only a matter of time until the next major earthquake, the last occurring as recently as 1956 and destroying half of her towns. But there is something universally appealing about this -- this is why Italians love La Traviata, or why the Japanese love Hanami in springtime. It's the fateful tragedy of a frail protagonist, perishing at the absolute height of her beauty.



Santorini is certainly no stranger to that storyline. In her previous life incarnation the island once thrived as one of the most advanced centers of civilization in the ancient world. Her engineers constructed multi-storey apartments while the inhabitants enjoyed the comfort of separate hot and cold water piping into their homes. The remains of that civilization can still be found at the remote village of Akrotiri at the south end of the island, a testimony to a golden age that ended abruptly one day, some 3600 years ago, when the then-circular island blew itself up.



It was a catastrophe of legendary proportions. Skies blackened for months as far away as China, where a volcanic winter was thought to have caused the overthrowing of the Xia Dynasty. Closer to home the seismic activity accelerated the downfall of the mighty Minoans. As for the island itself, the volcano blew a massive hole out of the centre of the island, the crater floor collapsed, and the glorious civilization was swallowed by the sea.



This was the myth behind Plato's Atlantis according to some researchers, adding to the romance of modern Santorini. All that is left today is the jagged rim of the caldera, protruding out of the Aegean Sea in the shape of a crescent moon. Ominous plumes of smoke are still occasionally seen rising from the newer islands forming out of the underwater crater, but to the island's modern day locals that's just a fact of life.



Several millennia removed from ancient Atlantis, locals and visitors alike have embraced Santorini's current incarnation as the top island destination in the world, as often crowned by travel magazines. Where else could combine the natural wonder of an active volcano, the aesthetics of Greek windmills, the panoramic scenery of the blue Aegean, and the utter irrationality of cave dwellings burrowed into a caldera's cliff? There is only one Santorini in the world, and we wanted to take in as much of it as we could within a four day span.



Atop our wishlist was a cliff-side room with a caldera view, and that means our accommodation options were limited to the several villages situated along the rim of the caldera. Fira, the commercial centre of the island, was the obvious choice with its excellent transportation network. A little further along the caldera were the quieter villages of Firostefani and Imerovigli, located 30 minutes walk (or a quick bus ride) away from Fira. Then there's the popular village of Oia tucked away at the remote north end of the island, a 30 minute bus ride away.




Taking the advice of the locals we stayed in the island's cosmopolitan centre, the whitewashed, cliff-side town of Fira. While it's certainly the most expensive town to stay in, the convenience of its bus transportation hub (1.4 to 2 Euros per trip to all corners of the island) gave us easy access to explore the island's charming but underrated remote villages. There's a Marinopoulos (ie. Greece's Carrefour) supermarket at the southeast corner of the town to pick up picnic items, drinking water and even local wine. Locally grown produce (e.g. Santorini's famous mini tomatoes) could be found at a small grocer on the main road. And there's a laundry place on the main road just north of the bus station, charging only 10 Euros for washing, drying and folding a couple kilograms of our dirty clothes. That's all the basics a traveler needs.



We also found the town of Fira to be a decent choice for food as there are a few excellent places within walking distance for reasonably priced local dishes. While we did encounter restaurants that overcharged, as one would expect in most tourist towns, some good deals could still be found right in the middle of the town. I have to write a proper restaurant review article later.



While Fira itself is small enough to be walked in one afternoon, there are enough side-trips within the island to satisfy the curious traveler for days. Like most visitors we did spend an afternoon at the village of Oia, enjoying its charming windmills, walking down to the little fishing port of Amoudi for seafood, then hiking back up for its internationally-famous sunset. The entire village was packed with sunset watchers though, and we could hardly stake a spot on the side of the path without rubbing shoulders with other tourists. It was more of a lively, festive atmosphere than a serene moment with nature, and needless to say we didn't enjoy that part very much.



My favorite half-day trip was to take a short bus ride to Imerovigli and wandering slowly back towards Fira. While the straight-line distance is only about 3 km, the gorgeous views of the caldera and the traditional architecture kept us lingering at every corner. There's also a path down to the ruins of a Venetian castle on a headland jutting out towards the sea. The cliff-side path between Imerovigli and Firostefani was also our favorite spot to watch that romantic Aegean sunset, as pictured above. IMHO this was certainly better than the self-proclaimed "best sunset in the world" at Oia. Besides, we found our favorite restaurant on this island at Firostefani.



We couldn't resist the mule/horse ride from the old port up to the town of Fira. Patrons had a choice to ride downhill or uphill, and we elected to take the cable car (4 Euros) down and the mule (5 Euros) up, according to advices from past visitors who mentioned the horror of galloping down the zigzag path on an uncontrollable free-rein mule, negotiating a rock wall on one side and a vertical drop on the other. That unsafe practice has since completely reversed, and now the mules are free to carry the rider uphill, before being slowly led downhill in a caravan formation by the handler. I still think going uphill is the better option on mule back, as the animals often stray too close to the edge of the cliff for my comfort.



We spent our final afternoon on Santorini exploring some of the small traditional villages in the interior of the island, which I'll cover in the next article, before taking the overnight ferry to the island of Rhodes. For us four days were just barely enough on this paradise of an island, and if we had a fifth day we would probably have taken the boat to the lava dome island of Nea Kameni to take a mud bath in its hotsprings. But then there are just too many beautiful islands to visit on one trip, and Symi and Rhodes were certainly worthy of our time as well.

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Review: HOTEL KETI (Fira, Santorini)
Address: Agiou Mina, Fira, Santorini
Price: 90 Euros
Website/Map: http://http://www.hotelketi.gr
How To Book: Through official site
Directions: Starting from Fira's Metropolitan Cathedral, face the cliff and walk left. Turn right at the first alley and walk towards the cliff. Hotel Keti is right at the next intersection, on an alley called Agiou Mina, which is parallel with the cliff.
 

I've been waiting to write this review. This is, very simply, the most memorable hotel of our trip. While it was also the most expensive at 90 Euros per night, I have to say it was worth every single cent.



Imagine waking up every morning to this gorgeous view, a cascade of whitewashed mansions stretching for miles along the volcano's rim, all the way to the village of Imerovigli and beyond. And in case you've lost sight of how high in the clouds the hotel is, the old mule path zigzagging 300 metres down to the harbor puts it all in perspective.



And if you're not a morning person, the night scenery from the balcony is equally spectacular. With the neighboring pool-lit hotels generally charging more than 250 Euros per night, you can see why Hotel Keti is such a great deal. In fact I'm quite indebted to a fellow backpacker who referred me to this hotel, and I'm just passing on the favor here.



We must have spent countless hours leaning against these balustrades, just pulling up our lounge chairs and enjoying the panoramic scenery. From this height one can glance down all the way to the southern end of the crescent-shaped island, as well as the barren lava dome formed at the centre of the volcanic crater.



Our guestroom was practically a cave tunneled into the cliff side in typical Santorini fashion. Though the amenities were simple, everything was spotlessly clean and the bathroom was quite recently renovated. Not that we spent much time indoors anyway, with such stunning views awaiting all around. The only drawback was its burrowed location underneath the cobblestone path utilized by teams of pack mules and horses, which could be noisy a few times a day.



This was of course our best breakfast view ever. I can't say enough great things about this little family-run hotel. Friendly service, good restaurant recommendations, superb location, all at a relative bargain price as far as caldera-view hotels go. Three nights were too short.

Doing Nothing For a Day on Paros

Between longer stays at the bustling cosmopolitans of Mykonos and Santorini, we did manage to squeeze out a day of total relaxation at laid-back Paros. No sightseeing itineraries, no shopping, not even any beach crawls (still recovering from that reef sting from Paradise Beach). This would be our do-nothing day.



That’s not to say that there are no worthy sights, shops or beaches on Paros. This is the third most-visited island in the Cyclades after all, though that probably has less to do with its tourist attractions than its prime location between Mykonos and Santorini on the ferry route. And it shares with its more popular neighbors the same architectural trademark one would immediately associate with the Aegean: clusters of whitewashed cubic houses, narrow cobblestone alleys, and everything in blue and white.



Our ferry would arrive at and depart from the ancient seaport of Parikia, so naturally that’s where we settled for the night. When the largest town on the island has but a grand total of 1 main road, you know it’s time to kick back, sip wine, and plan not to have any plans.



Now graced with a picturesque seawall perfect for long quiet walks, the old harbor was once a major regional port in the age of antiquity, shipping the island's famed Parian marble to major construction projects in the rest of the known world, including the Parthenon in Athens. The marble quarries have long dried up, and today the only natural resource seen around the harbor are the fish and the sea urchins seen beneath its crystal clear waters.



The town radiates from the landmark blue-roofed church on the shore and sprawls out into a labyrinth of narrow streets and alleys in typical Cycladic fashion. With the town stretching a couple kilometres long following the coast, there's plenty of opportunities to get completely lost in the lanes and courtyards of the local residents. And under the scorching sun most of the locals would be resting indoors anyway, meaning that the whole town was left up to curious travelers to enjoy.



Arguably the only major sight in town was an old Byzantine church known as the Church of 100 Doors, which claims to be the oldest Orthodox church in continuous usage at over 1600 years. For a church of such distinguished history, the number of visitors was disproportionately small even in the peak tourist season of July. This picture was taken in the oldest section of the church where an archaic cross-shaped baptismal basin sat. You could just feel the sanctity in the air, especially since the baptistery was entirely void of other visitors.



IMHO the best of Paros really isn't about any landmarks or major sights, but in its authentic laid-back town, where the children chased each other in the interconnected courtyards while the housewives carried locally-grown tomatoes back from the farmer carts around the corner. I probably spent about three hours just wandering these mazes of stately Venetian quarters and Cycladic cube houses mashed into one another, often unknowingly trespassing on private courtyards. The locals didn't really seem to mind though, usually carrying on with their daily routines without even a glance at the clueless intruder.



While I kept myself entertained with my camera shutter, my wife immersed herself into the island lifestyle even better, opting for a long afternoon nap just like the locals. That's taking our do-nothing day to the extreme -- why even open your eyes? And according the Greek in her, it's time well spent.



RESTAURANT REVIEWS

My favorite memories of Paros was probably the food, the same wholesome local dishes at relative cheap prices compared to Mykonos or Santorini. We came across these two very recommendable restaurants in Parikia.

Food Review: PORPHYRA
Address: Christou Konstantoupoulou, Parikia, Paros
Hours: 18:30 – 24:00
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Start from the ferry pier and walk east for a couple of blocks towards the post office. It's before the post office and almost next to the empty archeological site, facing the sea.


Fresh grilled fish for 8 Euros at a seaside restaurant, just 5 minutes walk from the ferry pier? This was the best deal we had seen in days, especially since we just spent the last few in metropolitan Athens and expensive Mykonos. How can you not like Paros?

Okay the 8 Euros price was for grilled sardines, which probably would have been quite enjoyable. But the seafood lovers in us opted to splurge on something better, and chose the popular sea bream.



To put prices in perspective for readers, let me say that we just had a sea bream the previous night in Mykonos for a whopping 38 Euros. While it was a larger fish with a firmer texture, that pricing was a bit over the top. So this day we ordered a sea bream again, on a different island. And the price here was ...

12 Euros. That's the price for this platter of sea bream, charred on the skin but very moist in the meat, and flavored with nothing but sea salt, olive oil and lemon juice. That's the wholesome island fare that we'd been looking for, at reasonable prices.



As almost everything was under 10 Euros, we ordered a couple of what we thought were appetizers. But when we saw these deep fried shrimps and octopus tentacles arriving in gigantic portions, we knew it would take a long, relaxed dinner to finish them all. Oh well, we're certainly in no hurry anyway.



Both the octopus and the shrimp were pretty good -- perfectly crispy and not too oily. Oh and we didn't even order the deep fried smelts in the background -- the owner just decided to throw them in for free. Talk about a good seafood deal!



And the freebies didn't just stop with the seafood. Just when we were totally stuffed with the entrees, the owner brought us free dessert to round out the evening. This was the restaurant's own homemade Panna Cotta, tasting of delectable rich cream inside the gelatin. I would have gladly paid for such a well-made dessert.

On this evening we sat here for hours, enjoying the soothing sea breeze and the setting sun, watching our rowdy Austrian neighbors while sipping beer and slowly working on our platters of seafood. Such a meal would have cost at least twice in Mykonos, but in Paros everything just seemed to be much more reasonably priced. This is the place to splurge, if you're a seafood lover like us on a budget.

Bill for Two Persons

Grilled Sea Bream	Euro 12
Deep Fried Octopus	Euro 8
Deep Fried Shrimps	Euro 9
Deep Fried Smelts	Free!!!
Panna Cotta	Free!!!
Beer	Euro 3
Bread	Euro 1
TOTAL	Euro 33 (CAD$52.8)

Food Review: TAVERNA ALIGARIA
Address: Aligaria square, Parikia, Paros
Hours: 12:00 – 21:00 (unconfirmed; based on observation)
Website/Map: From GoParos.gr
Directions: Just go to the Ekatontapyliani (100 Doors) church and ask people where the Aligaria Square is (should be somewhat around the church). The restaurant is right on the square.


This is another excellent place for good rustic food. In fact the two of us had an excellent three person's meal here, as I'll explain.

I had probably the most memorable vegetable dish of the trip right here. The Imam Baildi (stuffed eggplant) pictured above was so scrumptiously soft and generously laden with layers of tomatoes and cheese that I simply don't remember anything comparable.



My wife the cuttlefish fan ordered the Slow Braised Cuttlefish with Spinach. It was a healthy heap of onions, tomatoes, spinach and of course savory cuttlefish all simmered into a ragout type stew. The cuttlefish had been cooked to a tender but slightly chewy texture, and the sauce was perfect for dipping bread.



When we were finished with our entrees, my wife wanted Baklava and I went to the kitchen to order. For reasons incomprehensible to me to this day, the word Moussaka came out of my mouth, and I didn't even realize until this huge piece of meat and cheese and potatoes arrived at our table. Now my wife was pissed off at me for missing her dessert, and I was stuck with the task of chomping down yet another main dish. At least the Moussaka was good. I'm sure this will forever remain a popular joke in my house, whenever Greek food is mentioned.

Bill for Two Persons

Imam Baildi	Euro 7.5
Slow-Braised Cuttlefish with Spinach	Euro 8
Moussaka	Euro 7
Bread	Euro 1
Greek Coffee	Euro 1.5
Pepsi	Euro 1
TOTAL	Euro 27.2 (CAD$43.5)

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Review: HOTEL HERMES (Paros)
Address: On an anonymous alley, 10 minutes' walk southeast of the ferry pier
Price: Euro 35 for double room with private shower/toilet
Website/Map: http://www.hotelhermes.gr
How To Book: Through HostelBookers.com
Directions: Starting from the pier, walk east along the shore and turn right at the Hippocrates restaurant. Hotel Hermes is a block down the street on the left side.


We stayed at this little hotel at the edge of the town, within walking distance to town centre but priced much more reasonably than hotels surrounding the ferry pier.



Rooms were simple but clean, and came with private shower/toilet and air conditioning. This was the cheapest room during our stay on five Greek Islands, and we were quite happy walking the 10 minutes from the pier.



And all rooms came with a small shaded balcony overlooking a breezy residential lane. As the end of the lane faced the Aegean sea, the wind cooled the midday air and the balcony was great for those lazy afternoons.



And perfect for breakfasts as well. My favorite memory about this hotel was that when I asked the owner for a "spoon," he didn't understand the word in English and I had to enact the word in a Charades act, once again proving that language is much more than just words. The owner was a young fellow and was actually really nice and polite, and I have no problem recommending Hermes as a quiet, reasonably priced place to stay for travelers on a budget.

Day-Trip to Delos

While Mykonos doesn't boast any must-see sight on its main island, it is the perfect jump-off point to visit one of the most impressive archeological sites from age of classical antiquity. With the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Delos being just a 40 minute boat ride away, we could't decline the opportunity to see one of the great metropolis of the ancient world.



Our day-trip started with a boat ride from the Mykonos harbor at 10:00. At the time of our visit tour boat departs at least once per hour between 09:00 and 12:50. The ticket was available from a little booth at the pier, costing 17 Euros including the 5 Euros entrance fee for the archeological site.



To visitors departing from cosmopolitan Mykonos, it's hard to imagine the now-barren island of Delos as one of densest populated cities in the ancient world, whereas Mykonos acted as its satellite supply island. For a tiny island with little fresh water and food production capability, Delos trumped all its larger neighbors in the Cyclades by establishing itself not only as the religious Mecca of classical Greece, but also as the greatest commercial port in the Western world. Nowadays nobody lives here except for the archeologists, though a few of the Naxian marble lions remain to guard the island's treasures.



Just look at the sheer size of the ruins ... though one may argue about the lack of a picturesque monument like the Tholos, IMHO this was more impressive than the ruins of Delphi especially considering its out-of-the-way location. One can easily imagine the New York of the classical world, with all the the palatial courtyards, merchant houses, bathhouses and brothels of an affluent ancient port.



Most visitors come to Delos to see its two famous sights: the giant phalluses of Dionysos at the Stoivadeion, and its rich collection of impressive mosaics all over the island. The best have been moved to a covered museum at the centre of the island for preservation, but quite a number can still be seen in situ at their original locations.



Among the most impressive was the depiction of Dionysos riding a panther. The original has been moved indoors to the museum, while a replica now resides at the House of Dionysos to greet its visitors.



But my favorite was the huge floor mosaic of Athena and Hermes, now fixated onto a wall at the museum alongside the other archeological treasures found on the island. I definitely enjoyed this more than a visit to the National Archeological Museum in Athens, as this allows the visitor to appreciate these ancient artwork beside their native location.



Be sure to bring along that sunscreen though, as there are no shades on the island aside from the museum and a small cafeteria. Since there were simply no other roofs, toilets, or trees to hide from the scorching Aegean sun, we found two and a half hours to be quite enough for a visit. If you plan on staying longer you may also want to bring your own lunch, unless you want to overpay for the little snacks and fruits available at the crowded cafeteria.

Best Uni Sashimi of My Life ... in Mykonos, Greece?

The best travel memories often arise from chance discoveries -- anonymous villages, unmapped paths, or best of all, unheralded dishes.

Now I love sea urchin roes, commonly known as Uni to sushi fans, and have tried out different varieties in different areas of the world to find my favorite. The Sea of Japan coast produces soft and deeply flavorful Uni; Hokkaido's Kita-Murasaki is golden, firmer in texture and lighter in taste; Canada's British Columbia coast produces a red-shelled variety that is very sweet but not as concentrated in flavor. But I never thought that some of the best sea urchin roes in the world could be found in ... Greece? Raw sea urchin roes as a traditional, authentic Greek dish? Really?

That's what traveling is about, and this time we're in Mykonos.



But before arriving the eventual destination, our ferry would pass by a spectacular hidden gem we've never heard of. It was a breathtaking 15 minutes when our ferry docked into the small harbor on the island of Syros, when I took some of my favorite pictures of the trip. Sadly, I never even set foot here.



This remains my only regret of the trip: such a beautiful, authentically untouristy island and I denied myself of a chance to stop for a night, as my upcoming accommodations were all booked firm ahead of time. Oh well, one more excuse for another trip.



Five islands. Eleven Days. We would start with arguably the most iconic of all Cycladic Islands, the home of the prototypical, whitewashed sugar-cube houses one would automatically associate with the Aegean.



Finally we arrived, five hours after departing Piraeus on the Blue Star Ithaki. Lovely narrow alleyways, thick earthen walls and disproportionately small windows, all whitewashed without exception. This can only be Mykonos.



Frankly I wasn't sure how much we would enjoy Mykonos, based on the dubious reputation of its Chora (main town) as a near-metropolitan, overdeveloped tourist trap. But we found the crowd level to be quite acceptable in late June, especially prior to all the clubbers coming out in the evening. And the further away we wandered from the town centre, the more laid-back and charming it became.



Though guidebooks and tour agency staff often boast of Mykonos’s 16th Century windmills or the oddly shaped Paraportiani church, IMHO there really aren’t any must-see places on the island. The only real world-class sight in the vicinity is the uninhabited island of Delos, once sacred to Apollo for over a thousand years and now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So aside from a half-day trip to Delos we had no itinerary on Mykonos, instead opting to purposely lose ourselves in its labyrinth of alleyways. Despite the town centre’s relatively small size (~500m in diameter), it easily took us a whole afternoon to discover just some of these unnamed alleys.



Our favorite spot in town actually isn’t on any guidebook -- it’s the ring road of Agiou Ioannou which circles of the perimeter of the town. Climbing to a higher elevation to the east of the town, the road itself, along with the narrow streets and footpaths leading down from the road, are the perfect places to watch the Aegean sun setting over the whitewashed town of cubic houses and cylindrical windmills.



Besides wandering the town we did take the bus to Paradise Beach for a Greek tan, but that turned out to be a mixed experience for us. Yes the sand beckoned with glittering, sun-soaked warmth, the music was good and not too loud (for the earlier part of the afternoon anyway), the facilities were well-organized, and of course the water was as clear and brilliantly turquoise as advertised. The only problem was -- and we’re fully to blame -- that we spent 15 minutes playing with the fish at the artificial reef just off the shore, not knowing about the danger of reef stings. Soon after my wife sat down at the concrete edge of the reef, a burning rash began to surface on her legs and quickly swelled to a large, intensely painful reaction very similar to a jellyfish sting. The anti-sting ammonia stick sold at the first aid station didn’t help at all, and the large, raised inflammation would remain painful for days, and didn’t really start to heal until a pharmacist at Paros prescribed a corticoid ointment. The thick skin of my calloused feet weren’t affected, but I did get a smaller rash at the side of my knees. So here’s my bit of advice for sunbathers: avoid touching anything that looks like marine vegetation, as you don’t really know what may be poisonous to you.



In retrospect I can’t really rank Mykonos among my favorite islands in Greece -- it’s certainly below Santorini, Symi and Rodos on my list. While it does have a charming side on lazy afternoons, the entire town soon turns into a loud, congested open-air dance club by nightfall. Personally I’d rather remember Mykonos for something other than overrated sights, packed beaches and expensive food. This is where I had the most amazing sea urchin roe anywhere, including Japan.


RESTAURANT REVIEWS

Food Review: NIKOS TAVERNA
Address: Agia Moni Square, Mykonos
Hours: 12:00 – 23:00 (unconfirmed; based on experience)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: It's right next to the red, spherical roof of the Agia Moni church, one block from the harbor's long pier.


This is where I came across the best Uni Sashimi of my life, except it's not Sashimi, but an authentic Greek summer favorite called Ahinosalata, or Sea Urchin Salad. There's no salad dressing, or wasabi for that matter, with the only flavor enhancement coming from a dish of sea water and sea urchin juice mixture. Wow. This is raw sea urchin at its rawest form.

First impression. The roe slivers were quite small, comparable in size to the small Jo-Uni in Japan, and the color was a dark, reddish orange. With no expectations I took the first bite ...

This was the strongest, most concentrated flavor out of any sea urchin I've ever tasted. I can't quite describe it, except to compare it to taking a thumb-sized Bafun-Uni and concentrating all its punch into a quarter of the size. No wonder the Greeks don't need any additional flavoring -- that would only detract from the amazing natural taste of the roes.

Pardon the blurriness of the shot, but at that moment I just wanted to ditch the camera and get on with the best Uni ever.



For entree we started with a plate of grilled shrimps. I suspected that these weren't local shrimps, as the flavor of the meat was nowhere as good as the smaller shrimps at Athens's Kafeneio Evis a few days prior.



I made the mistake of checking out the greatly overpriced fresh fish counter ... and coming back with a large sea bream. The fish was actually grilled well: crispy charred skin, moist flaky meat, and of course lightly salted and drizzled with olive oil. But 38 Euros for a fish was too much even for Mykonos, as we ordered sea breams several times on other islands later on the trip typically for less than 15 Euros. I probably should have stuck with grilled octopus tentacles.

It's still a memorable dinner overall, but that is entirely due to my fondness of raw sea urchin roes. Aside from that the shrimps were mediocre, and the fish was overpriced for its quality. If I ever return I would just come early before dinner just for the Sea Urchin Salad and a glass of wine, and then head off for some cheap Gyros Pita elsewhere.

Bill for Two Persons

Sea Urchin Salad	Euro 10
Grilled Sea Bream 0.63kg	Euro 38.43
Grilled Shrimp	Euro 14
House Rosé (Half Litre)	Euro 5
Bread x 2	Euro 2
TOTAL	Euro 69.43 (CAD$111.1)

Food Review: O LICHOUDIS
Address: Drakopoulou 20, Mykonos
Hours: 11:00 – 21:00 (unconfirmed; based on experience)
Website/Map: N/A
Directions: Hard to explain, but Drakopoulou street is one of the north-south alleys leading from the harbor front. Ask the locals ... this place is well-known for its cheap Gyro Pita.


If you're like us and don't want to shell out 70 Euros for every dinner, there's always the cheap Gyro Pita at the other end of the price spectrum. We came across a decent place right at the centre of town: greasy, filling and finger-licking good, and best of all, less than 10 Euros for a dinner for two including beers.



Finding it out of the maze of alleys may be a challenge though. The name of the place is only written in Greek, and I can only provide the photo above and its address (Drakopoulou 20). Start from the harbor front and it's a couple blocks south of the shoreline -- that's the best instructions I can give.



Note the menu at the top -- while the Souvlaki Pita and Gyro Pita are priced dirt-cheap at 2.5 Euros, anything on a platter is much more expensive. So don't fall for the Gyros Plate or Souvlaki Plate or Kebab Plate for 8 Euros. Get it wrapped up in a Pita for 2.5 Euros.



Just look at the thick, garlicky Tzatziki! While this certainly isn't the best Gyro Pita on our trip, 9 Euros for a meal and beer for the two of us was certainly a steal in cosmopolitan Mykonos. So if you've on a budget in Mykonos, give this place a try for a cheap and satisfying meal.

Bill for Two Persons

Gyros Pita	Euro 2.5
Chicken Souvlaki Pita	Euro 2.5
Beer x 2	Euro 4
TOTAL	Euro 9 (CAD$14.4)

Food Review: KOSTAS RESTAURANT
Address: 5 Metropoleos, Mykonos
Hours: 12:00 – 24:00
Website/Map: http://www.kostasmykonos.gr/
Directions: From the harbor, walk south towards the centre of town for a few small blocks. Ask the locals where the Catholic Church and the Metropolis Church is. Kostas is right next to the two churches.


As reasonably priced restaurants seem to be at a premium in Mykonos, I thought I should write a short review about another restaurant we tried. For our first lunch upon arriving on the island, we had these meaty Keftedes, some Pastitsio and a healthy heap of giant beans, in a mixed platter big enough to feed two.



While the flavor was nothing extraordinary, 18 Euros was quite reasonable for a wholesome platter for two in a proper restaurant in the heart of Mykonos. The food was generally enjoyable, though the Pastitsio wasn't rich enough for my preference.



My favorite item was actually the simplest thing on the plate -- buttery soft giant beans in tomato sauce. This gives me the feeling that while this place promotes seafood as its star dishes, cheaper, homey dishes may be a better bet. Too bad our stay in Mykonos was too short to give it a second visit.

Bill for Two Persons

Mixed Platter for Two	Euro 18
Beer	Euro 3
TOTAL	Euro 21 (CAD$33.6)

ACCOMMODATION

Hotel Review: ANDRIANIS GUESTHOUSE (Mykonos)
Address: Beside the School of Fine Arts, Mykonos
Price: Euro 50 for double room with private shower/toilet
Website/Map: http://www.andrianis.com.gr
How To Book: Through HostelWorld.com
Directions: Starting from the bus station, walk uphill towards the School of Fine Art. Andrianis is a little further uphill behind the school.


It wasn't easy finding a place in Mykonos to satisfy our typical wishes: private washroom, walking distance to the centre of town, walking distance to bus station, at a reasonable price (~50 Euros per night). The best place that met all our criteria was Andrianis, located about 7 minute's walk uphill above the bus station.



Typical whitewashed cubic architecture. Clean and simple rooms. Quiet location within walking distance to town. Shared patio for sitting under the stars on a warm summer night. I can't really ask for much more for a mere 50 Euros, especially on arguably the most expensive island in the Aegean.