Athens to Mykonos: Day 21 & 22 Topdeck Mega European Tour

This morning we continue on our Topdeck Mega European Tour as we get up to leave the Greek capital of Athens and make our way down to the port to meet our ferry to take us to the party island of Mykonos. The ferry journey takes about four and a half to five hours to complete depending on the conditions, the journey isn’t the most comfortable on this ferry with rock hard seats but at least we can now say we are heading out to the Greek Islands.

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21 MAY, 2012 – Athens to Mykonos

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On arrival we were greeted by a representative of the camping hostel we were staying in, it was quite funny because three of us were first off the ferry waiting for the rest of the group, this guy comes up to us saying “are you Topdeck?”. We must have really stood out from the crowd, but then again it’s not exactly hard to spot the Australian tourist in the crowd with thongs and shorts on looking dazed.

Our accommodation was very basic, we spent the next two nights in tent style accommodation at a place called Mykonos Camping at Paraga Beach, the tents can be locked and four of us sharing a tent with them being quite spacious. As the island has this party reputation even if you want a little peace and quiet by the pool it’s impossible, music pumping as loud as possible for most of the day which is not good for the people with sore heads in the morning from the previous nights festivities.

The rest of the afternoon was free to explore or for some people catch up on sleep before going out for the night. It was really quite all over the island as we were just outside of peak season by one week, for me that wasn’t a problem as I’m not a big party goer.

That night we caught a small bus into town which is 15 minutes away on the other side of the island, talk about crazy driving on such narrow and curved roads most of us were thinking are we going to make it alive or not. Many people lasted until about 3am in the various bars and clubs, not many people were around considering the season, after catching a taxi back to the camp site it was off to bed for tomorrows free day.

22 MAY, 2012 – Mykonos

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This morning we were able to have a bit of a sleep in, which is quite a rare commodity on a tour like this one but by this point you are so used to getting up early that a sleep in is now considered to be about 9am. I decided I wanted to see the main town of Mykonos, to do this you can catch a bus from the campsite for €1.60 each way. There isn’t really much to see and do in the town itself, the highlights are walking down the narrow streets and seeing all of the white buildings, the island is also famous for its windmills of which four sit together on a hill overlooking the town.

A lot of people in Mykonos spend the day on quad bikes exploring the island, they are literally everywhere and look like a lot of fun. Personally I rather walk around the town itself plus you have to be careful as most travel insurance policies will not cover you if there is an accident, but that wouldn’t have put me off to be completely honest. It is something you may wish to keep in mind incase you would like to do this.

After looking around town for the day trying to get back was a little difficult as we caught the bus with Corona advertising on the way in, little did we know there were two Corona busses and we caught the wrong one not being able to read the Greek writing on the display where it was going. But at least we got to see another side of the island and for €1.60 it wasn’t that big a deal.

When we finally got back to the campsite we decided to go for a walk along some of the adjacent beaches that are lined with bars and restaurants, and yes when I say beaches they are pebbly beaches. At this time of the season as it was very quiet all of the restaurants are desperate to get your business offering all sorts of things from free wine and use of the deck chairs even on the days you are not eating at their restaurant for free.

Dinner tonight however for us was just a simple cheap €4 cheeseburger at the campsite (can’t beat authentic Greek food). Sitting outside that night we were eaten alive by Mosquitos so the next few days will be full of itching and scratching. Overall Mykonos is a nice island, not really my cup of tea and if you’re looking for those iconic scenic Greek Island views Santorini is the ideal location for that with a lot of postcards being sold of Mykonos even showing images of Santorini.

Tomorrow we head back to the Greek mainland for that dreaded ferry crossing once again, we will be spending one more night in Athens and hopefully will get to do some sightseeing this time round.

NEXT: Mykonos to Athens: Day 23 Topdeck Mega European Tour

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