3. Mykonos

There was a slight disappointment on our first pre-dinner visit to the commodore club - the bar has run out of g-vine gin and therefore there are no ginfusion cocktails. However, on the plus side, the canapés were as good as ever and a number of the waiting staff have remembered us from previous voyages and have been happy to chat and catch up.
We have a very well positioned dinner table on the upper deck of the Britannia restaurant, right at the stern of the ship which affords panoramic views. Our dining companions are a mixed bunch but seem pleasant enough. We have a couple of divorcees from Surrey who are travelling together (Christina and her companion whose name escapes me at the moment- it is early days after all! - but who appears to be the life and soul of the party type) and Steve and Elaine, a mother and son from Pittsburgh Pa. (although it took us a while to work out their relationship!)

Following a 1am bedtime and a very sound nights sleep we arrived into Mykonos early this morning. We had a leisurely breakfast in the Lido and then caught the shuttle bus into Mykonos Town itself. And what a very pleasant surprise - the town is one you would expect of typical Greek postcard views, small domed churches, a busy waterfront, windmills overlooking the harbour, a maze of steep narrow streets and a sea of whitewashed houses with powder blue doors and shutters. We had a mornings meander through the streets and shops selling the usual tourist tat and then as the harbour side tavernas were busy doing a roaring trade, headed more into the centre of the town to find a quieter taverna to rest and refresh. A light lunch of tzatsiki and greek salad was partaken, washed down with a refreshingly cold beer. How pleasant it is to be able to sit outside under a sky matching the colour of the houses and bask in the mid October warmth.
Whether the town manages to retain its charm during the height of the summer heat and tourist invasion I very much doubt, but at this time of year it is very agreeable indeed.