this is a blog post by it girl Garance Dore. She is just back from Mykonos (sigh) just one of my most favorite places ever. She apparently loves it as much as I do. It is a sign that I must go next year, don't you think.?
By Garance
I’m going to talk to you one last time about Mykonos, ok one second-to-last time, and then I promise to stop annoying you until next year.
Yeah, seriously – because I’ve obviously decided to go back.
Yeah, seriously – because I’ve obviously decided to go back.
I came home from Mykonos feeling inspired, in great shape, and with lots of wonderful memories…
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It’s kind of surprising at first — the dry, grassy hills that drop into the blue sea. It’s a kind of pure, almost severe, beauty that you learn to love, and once it wins you over, it’s deeply relaxing for the soul.
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The Greeks are known for their art of living, of course. They’re super welcoming, they like to party, and they love to share.
And then there are the hoards of tourists. I mean, it’s not like I discovered the island myself — it’s a VERY touristy place where you can’t find parking and you hear all kinds of different languages spoken around you. But in Mykonos, it doesn’t bother me at all.
It’s summer, it’s fun, it’s busy. It’s all part of the ambiance.
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Especially since there’s a real nightlife in Mykonos, people take style very seriously. And people get dressed up to go out in the evening — they bring out the dresses and heels.
It’s a thing that’s disappearing at an alarming rate, which makes me sad, because I really love it — spending the day at the beach, going back to take a shower, getting dressed up to go out for the evening, and then staying out all night until early morning.
In Mykonos, people still do that, and I love it.
When someone said “meet you at the restaurant at 10:30!” for the first time, it didn’t quite register. In New York, it’s not uncommon to meet for dinner at 7:00 and to be in bed by 10:30.
In Mykonos, you learn to take your time, and you get used to it really really fast. Shops are open until 3:00 in the morning. You can stay at the beach until 7:00, no problem (my favorite time to go to the beach is between 5:00 and 7:00 or 8:00 to see the sunset). You get to the restaurant around 10:00, you start eating around midnight, and leave the restaurant at about 1:30 or 2:00. Then you go out dancing if you feel like it.
Honestly, having long days like that really changes your life.
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You’ve probably already heard this, since every time I said I was going to Mykonos, people gave me a funny look, but it’s really The Party Island.
You run into tons of kids risking their lives on scooters to get to the clubs, and depending on which kind of beach you go to, you might end up at a kind of rave party with girls dancing in their bathing suits and guys with big cigars. Not exactly my thing, but hey. The good news is, it’s easy to avoid them if you want to. There are also plenty of very very peaceful beaches.
And the other good news is that the party spirit is kind of contagious. People dance in restaurants and bars, the music is good, people want to have a good time and share — getting together for a drink can quickly turn into a party.
I even almost went to see Bob Sinclar’s DJ set one night. Oh, I also almost went to see Julio Iglesias in concert on a beach on another night. Come on, I said almost.
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I don’t think I have to describe it to you in detail, everyone already knows — you eat amazingly well in Greece, and plus it’s very healthy, very fresh, and very simple.
It’s very relaxing, actually, just like the landscapes.
Between that and my daily swim, I came back with tons of energy. And a little thinner too.
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There was not even one day of bad weather, and apparently it’s like that all the time. The only thing is, it can be windy pretty often. At first, it’s a little strange, but you get used to it. It cools you off when it’s too hot, and it keeps the clouds from sticking around too long.
It makes the weather kind of like this:
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There’s not a single jellyfish in the sea, and as a Corsican who was depressed to not be able to go swimming in Ajaccio the week before, I have to say, it changes everything. The sea is as calm as a swimming pool, the way I like it (if you like waves, be on your way) and you can go for really long swims with a snorkel and fins. Sublime, cool, relaxing — pure joy.
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If you know me very well, you know that the white houses in Mykonos, painted white inside and out, with very simple furnishings, are kind of my ideal decor. Tomorrow, I’ll post photos of the hotel where I stayed and it will give you an idea of the style I want for my next house. Total and complete inspiration.
I didn’t go to all the islands, but obviously, a lot of people who are looking for a quieter vacation choose a different island than Mykonos. I only visited Delos, a mythical island where you can visit ancient ruins. We went there in a lovely little fisherman’s boat and then went to see the ruins and we went swimming in the clear waters.
Now I want to visit all the islands one by one, of course.
So that was my vacation! What about you? Where did you go?
Translated by Andrea Perdue.