Sunset on Mykonos

It's surreal. The beauty of the sun setting on the sea. We decided to take a 10 minute walk to the road by the villa and enjoy some ice cream as it set. There was a sweet gay couple making out by us.

Broken glass lay on the ground and it was quite the drop-off on the other side of the wall. It was for lack of better words, a perfect way to end the perfect day. Elijah wasn't feeling good so he rested. It was actually a long day and he had held up pretty well, but he realized he literally couldn't handle the walk or any more sugar, so he put himself to bed and passed out. 

Joe and Jay went on the ATV to brave the deathly roads of Mykonos to get us all take out gyros and fries.

I think for me personally, I cannot be a part of this earth without knowing that there is a loving God who created it all for us. I felt a profound sense of gratitude to experience this land that is a part of me genetically. (I went to Missouri, sorry dad, I didn't have the same sense of gratitude.) As I sat with my daughters, I saw the beauty of my mother and Yiaya reflected in them. Who they are. The way they act, their sense of worth, their kindness, their love. I felt blessed. I felt extremely grateful. It was a humbling night.

And of course, after a flawless sunset, it got even better with dinner on the veranda. RICK STEVES!!! 9PM dinner and scarfing down delicious food only to pass out blissfully happy.

(Only complaint... go away mosquitos!!! NEXT TIME BRING MOSQUITO BRACELETS FOR EVERYONE!!!)

 

Ancient Ruins of Delos

So the ancient Greeks were crusty. No wonder God wiped them out. Apparently they thought of the idea to go to an island with very few resources and build a city dedicated to the god Apollo. Later it was used for "purification" pilgrimages. Penises were all over the place. Old people couldn't die there and women couldn't give birth there. There was nothing that grew on the island so they had to ship everything in. They were able to dig wells and it was a rather large establishment with 5,000 people at one time.

It was a sacred place because that is where Leto gave birth to Zeus' twins Artemis and Apollo. To this day you can't stay overnight and there are strict government regulations about visiting the island. I don't know why. It's kind of a hell hole and there is no shade. It was super hot and I can't even imagine visiting without having gone for a swim beforehand. You can't swim at the island either. It's all rocks and ruins, which are neat but in what feels like 600 degree weather, a little hard to enjoy. Fortunately there was a bathroom, so I took Ella 4 times during the tour.

The tour guide was lovely, fun, and informative. She also was asking our kids to identify the penis. They thought it was a stick or arrow. She told them it was a sign of power and fertility. OK ALREADY. PENIS POWER FOREVER.

*On the island, crazy Karen positively loses her shit screaming at her family and they give up and just sit in the shade. Life lesson, don't take toddlers on vacation where they are confined and it's too hot. She even took over half the table and tried to make Rachel feel bad about it. At this point whatever we could do to help them survive living.*

The ride home was peaceful, a little wavy, and we slept in the sun!! The last 30 minutes Elijah realized he had had too much soda. I guess 67 is excessive or something. He ended up puking in the bathroom and doesn't want to go on boats again. I think he'll be fine as long as he is treating his body with respect.

Overall, this was the absolutely best excursion!!! Thanks Jay and Rachel!!! Truly one of the best days of my life. Yachting on the Aegean sea!!!

Myknonos: Day 3 and Sailing to Ancient Ruins of Delos

I don't know how so many magical memories are made, but I swear it was constant adventure!! Jay was amazing and signed us up for a great sailing yacht excursion. We woke up, enjoyed a yummy and simple breakfast on the veranda, breathing the fresh morning sea breeze. We walked a small ways to pick up our van... which was late. While we waited we enjoyed turkey calls from the local farm and did NOT enjoy Eli stepping in some weird poop.

The bus was packed, not air conditioned but fortunately it was a short drive. We were escorted onto the yacht and I don't know how kids do it, but they found the best spot on the boat. We were on the very top, with a mattress and ready for the ultimate trip. Rachel was amazing and got the only table under shade coverings and we were set!! I felt like a million bucks, tanning on this amazing yacht as it pulled away from the harbor and we were offered free drinks and food for the whole trip. The views were just stunning. The water is a glassy blue straight out of a crayon box. It is super windy, but it's perfect because it cools you off from the heat. We were with an interesting group of people. More on that as the yacht pulls into a cove for us to go swimming.

Obviously, it's a boat and can't get too close to shore. We were told that we would have an hour to explore and swim this island. Do I know the name of the island? No I don't because when I asked the captain where we were, he said, "I don't know. Just go enjoy." I know he was joking, which made it funnier. There was a family though that didn't find anything about it too funny. They had 3 kids, a set of grandparents, a Karen mother, and a poor dad that is either going to be walked on his entire life or snap and end up on Dateline for killing his wife. She was A BITCH WITH A CAPITAL B. Easily she was the least favorite part of the trip, but you couldn't help but feel sorry for her because she was just plain crazy. Her mom asked if they could get the boat closer and very loudly she told her mom to "SHUT UP!!! Don't be STUPID." She had her kids in life jackets which were super uncomfortable for them, her baby was sunburnt with no hat, and she was miserable and sharing the misery. Fortunately, I was like, dude... we are in Greece, her lack of common sense is not going to spoil anything about this magical day.

With that thought in mind, I was the first person to hop off the boat and enjoy the refreshing water!! Ella and Eli were timid, Eli didn't think he needed a swim vest... glad he changed his mind on that one. And even though it was brisk, your body adjusts and true peace is found. It is complete ZEN!!!!!!! Pretty soon the majority of people were jumping in. We got super close to the island but me and Christina and Maria kind of freaked out about the rocks near shore. You can see everything below you, but we should have NEVER WATCHED WHAT BIT ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! You couldn't help but think about what's lurking underneath. We swam back to the boat, which I found hard. The currents are not to be messed with. A black guy jumped from the top of the yacht. Everyone was happy!! Except for the Karen. She had left her kids with the husband to go with her mom to swim to the beach. She was yelling at her daughter who was scared to come in the water and finally just left her. The dad was busy with the baby who was CRYING THE ENTIRE TIME. After a while the little girl was looking at Ella who was having fun in the water, and at her mom who was on the beach and she was just so sad. I asked her if she wanted to go in the water with Christina and Maria and told her they were lifeguards. She took courage and got in the water!!! She had on a vest and was really enjoying herself. We stayed close by her and the girls took her all the way to shore to the mom. She was relaxed and happy. How could she not be, my girls are so wonderful with children and value them as individuals and human beings.

On the way back, the mother said that the little girl was panicked the whole swim. Well no friggin' wonder Karen. You evoke madness in even the sanest. She also was chewing out her husband for not watching the girl who went off with strangers. OH MY GOODNESS!!! SHE WAS SO ANNOYING!!!!

Truly, only the hypnotic waves and captivating Aegean sea could ever lead us to peace with her around. For lunch, they set up a buffet of Moussaka, potatoes, salad, and bread. AHHHHHHH!!!! So yummy!!!

We could go back for as much as we wanted!!! (Insert sidenote: Eli is drinking 40+ sodas and teas. He is loving talking with the captain's mate asking for everyone else too and delivering drinks. Thank goodness there was bathrooms on the ship. Insert another sidenote: Ella peed on herself in the boat bathroom because it was rocking.)

After we ate, we set sail for Delos! Everyone was fed and ready to go for the ULTIMATE TOUR OF NO SHADE AND EPIC HEAT!!!!