Last summer, 2005, my travel partner Thijs Vandenberg of the Netherlands and I went to the three Greek Islands for two weeks. They were Mykonos, Delos, and Tinos. We really had a great time.

First I spent some time in Holland to attend the International Conference for Educators of the Deaf then Thijs and I flew directly to Mykonos, the Greek island from Frankkurt, Germany on a discount airline called Aeroflight that I booked through www.europebyair.com. They really offered low fares within Europe so if you plan to travel within Europe like from Germany to Greece for about $99 each way, then check out that website. You can also check different routes from that website if you fly within Europe. Be sure to reserve in advance though.

Thijs and I arrived to Mykonos and we met the person who owned Angelika Apartments at the small Mykonos airport who took us to the apartment where we stayed for two weeks. We were lucky to have the apartment there because we had the best view of the Aeagan Sea . Rates were very reasonable at about $50 per night for an air-conditioned room with cable CNN channel. If you go to Mykonos, I recommend you to stay at the Angelika as you can view their website at www.angelikamykonos.com. Be advised that many hotels in Mykonos are expensive in the $200 per night range so we were fortunate to stay in an apartment with a kitchenette and the great view of the Sea where we saw many ships coming and leaving Mykonos every day. (If you wish to look at different accommodations in Mykonos, you can go to www.mykonos-accommodation.com)

Mykonos is not only the island of worldly pleasures and plenty of night life; it has an unusual natural beauty, an excellent climate (it was sunny and clear the entire two weeks we were there) . The terrain of Mykonos is stony and hilly. It has no woods and very few trees but it has beautiful sandy beaches around the island. Mykonos is indeed a tourist resort in the heart of the Aegean with an international reputation as we saw many people from all over the globe including different countries of Europe. They came to Mykonos to spend their vacation time.

I have visited Mykonos three times and it is a heaven on earth for people going on a vacation . Mornings were always beautiful. Thijs and I had breakfast at the balcony of our apartment almost every morning looking at the beautiful Aegean. After breakfast we would take the bus to different beaches on the island. Among the beaches we recommend you to swim or sunbath:

Platis Yialos Beach- It has a long and large sandy beach with clear-blue-green cool water and a settlement with natural beauty. The hotel Hotel Petasos Beach (5-star) is a must to visit even for lunch or dinner as Thijs and I had brunch there one morning as well as swimming at their beautiful Olympic-sized swimming pool with view of the breathtaking Aegean. See their website at www.petasos.gr

Paradise Beach- The most famous beach of Mykonos. Very sandy beach with camping facilities for people who wish to camp on the beach. I liked their cafeteria-style restaurant as food was great and you could relax by the

sea. Many young people swim at Paradise Beach and it is always popular in the summer with beach and pool parties. You can look at their website at www.paradisemykonos.com.

Super Paradise Beach- it is close to Paradise but is rather isolated. It is a sandy beach with the deep transparent blue water and has been the choice of gays and nudists every summer.

Elia Beach- my favorite. It is the biggest and better organized and developed beach with hotels, bungalows, taverns and high class restaurant and sea sport facilities. We rented a car for the day and went to that beach but you could take the local bus there from Hora.

There are other beaches to explore too since they are too mention to list here. You would have to go to Mykonos and see for yourself. Most beaches are NOT too far from the town called Hora.

Some beaches like the Super Paradise are easily reached by water taxis. You take the small "fishing-type" boats to the beach for a small fee from different towns. You can reach the beaches if you rent a motorcycle or motor scooter. Not all beaches have roads so you need to take the boat there or ride the motor scooters.

There were many great restaurants and nightclubs in Mykonos. It was hard for us to go to a disco nightclub because they were usually open from midnight until 5 in the morning!!! Yes, the nightclubs opened from 12 midnight to 5am!!!! No kidding!!!!! But we did enjoy visiting a few bars including a few of them where you could drink and relax watching the sunsets. Have you tried Greek food? Mykonos has many of them and I loved eating gyros as well as seafood. The Greek salad was the best with plenty of feta cheese on each salad. We also loved drinking Greek wine. They were dry and sweet.

The mascot of the island is Petros the Pelican (The big bird). We saw a few of them and I took pictures of them. One picture is attached to this story.

Thijs and I took the boat to visit another island called Delos. It is a MUST to go there when you visit Mykonos. No one lives there but it remains one of Greece's most important archaeological sites. The ruins there were impressive and extensive. We saw was was left of the Greek and Roman civilizations. We saw Cleopatra's house and took pictures. One is attached to this story as well. Be sure to bring plenty of water when you visit Delos in the summer as it is usually hot and dry. The boat ride to Delos is about one hour from Mykonos, depending which boat you take, a fast or a slow boat. Do not miss Delos when you are in that area. It was my second time to visit Delos so I only went there once last summer but Thijs wanted to go there twice in a few days as he was fascinated by the archaeological sites and even hiked to the top of the hill there.

We also visited the island called Tinos one day during our stay in Greece. It was impressive with over 800 chapels even though it was a small island. We took the taxi to the top of the hill to have a great view of the island as well as visiting the Church of the Panagia Evangelistra in Tinos town where we saw a few people kneelng all the way from the sea to the church high in the hill. It was interesting. They did this to forgive their sins. They did not kneel on paved road but there were carpets on the road for them to kneel on.

Thijs and I enjoyed visited Mykonos, Tinos, and Delos. I have been to the mainland Greece before but visiting the Greek Islands was better.

You would enjoy visiting the Greek islands if you go there.