Mykonos: The Island of (No) Winds

A trip to Greece wouldn’t be complete without visiting at least one of the Greek islands. For our gaycation what better island to visit than the infamous gay, Greek island, Mykonos. Promoted as the gay-friendly island and the Ibiza of Greece for its nightlife, it’s also called the island of the winds but fortunately for us the weather was absolutely perfect.

We set out for the little gay Greek island from Athens on the Hellenic Seaways ferry, early on Friday morning. As we boarded the ferry in special economy, although we didn’t feel so special along with the hundreds of others that were travelling cattle-class, Ricky began to recognise the music playing in the background. It was a Greek, pan-pipe version of Celine Dion’s Titanic theme song. Was this an omen? Would we make it to our destination without re-enacting the famous scene of Leonardo and Kate on the bow? We had heard that the trip through the Cyclades could get really rough but we weren't aware of any icebergs. "Near, far, wherever you are I believe that the heart does go on ..." or so the song goes.

The island landscape of Mykonos is mountainous, dotted with white little houses with blue windows. Our accommodation was situated on the Southside of the island with amazing views of the Aegean Sea. While the island is only small, the only way to traverse it is to hire a motorcycle, car or ATV. As we set out on our 50cc motorcycle, Ricky was gripping on for dear life as we travelled up and down the steep mountains and narrow roads, lined with rock fences, to get to the many beaches on the island. At one point the gradient was so steep that the power of the 50cc motorcycle couldn’t handle it and Ricky needed to run (well, a slight canter) up the slope.

Typically European, the beaches are lined with umbrellas and deck chairs for hire. And in true European style nudity on the beach is not an issue. All shapes and sizes are celebrated and the taboos of other western countries seem absent. Healthy attitudes to the body are diminished by an almost unhealthy obsession for worshipping the sun. Tanorexia, the condition where you can't be too tanned, is rife in the Cyclades, enough to make Donatella Versace and Tanning Mom proud of their disciples. In fact, we’re convinced that the Versace leather-making factory is situated along the coasts of Mykonos. Take your pick of the type of leather and Donatella will whip you up a custom-made handbag to accessorise with the latest season’s outfits.

After six weeks of running from one iconic tourist attraction to another, the respite that Mykonos brought was exactly what was needed to recharge the batteries to forge through the next six weeks of our European sojourn.

Next stop: Athens for one night and then Barcelona.Read more