The Greek Isles—Aegean Sea Jewels- A Window into Western Heritage
The isles (except for Crete are easily) reached by high speed ferry from Athens. As you approach Mykonos it appears there is snow on the peaks. But in reality it's snow-white buildings! The Port of Mykonos, where the ferry docks is beautiful, especially at night.
A can't miss restaurant along the Mykonos port beach is Kavos, where one can dine on savory mussels cooked in white wine and garlic together with watermelon feta salad. 
Today Mykonos is known as a party place for the rich- It gained this reputation supposedly because this was where Greek women in the 1950's were first allowed to "bare their skin". Lodging at the Mykonian Royal Resort overlooking Elia Beach on the south side of the island afforded a taste of the lifestyles of the "rich and famous. " The decor and views are stunning with premium services and restaurants emblemized by their "Utopia" spaces with spectacular food and views from above. See Link for more.
A 2 hour ferry ride away, Santorini (originally named Thera) stands on its own. The remaining island is an island crater, the rim of the largest volcano known to have erupted in human history (1646 BC) with ash reaching California. First settled in 7000 BC by primitives Santorini later became a key trading port of the Mineoans from Crete. It a little greener than Mykonos. Today Santorini is a tranquil oasis. On the backside of the island is the town of Akrotiri with its romantic black sand beach and lively outdoor restaurant and bars along the beach with breathtaking moonlit scenery. 
The old city squares in Heraklion is hopping with outdoor restaurants and music. 
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| Kavos view for lunch |
The gregarious Kavos waiter Antonio speaks many languages and sings, "Say you say me" to clients. Service as it should be!....with one caveat. Be sure to ask the price of the daily catch special!
There are just a few reasons to never leave the resort. One is to get a lesson on how to make Tzatziki from a local chef (of which my version won!)
Another reason is to visit Delos, a one hour boat ride from Mykonos port. By tradition Delos is the birthplace of Apollo. But more remarkably it was home to a city of 40,000 that flourished for centuries with a rich culture and some surprising technology (think toilets with underground sewers). Our guide, George had for many years been an archeologist on the island. He created a vision with his anecdotes that brought this ancient city alive. Delos was wiped out in the first century BC by 3000 Roman mercenaries-never to be rebuilt. Parts of the city are being painstakingly reconstructed. I hope I can visit in 20 years when it is complete!
A 2 hour ferry ride away, Santorini (originally named Thera) stands on its own. The remaining island is an island crater, the rim of the largest volcano known to have erupted in human history (1646 BC) with ash reaching California. First settled in 7000 BC by primitives Santorini later became a key trading port of the Mineoans from Crete. It a little greener than Mykonos. Today Santorini is a tranquil oasis. On the backside of the island is the town of Akrotiri with its romantic black sand beach and lively outdoor restaurant and bars along the beach with breathtaking moonlit scenery. 
On the south side of Santorini the excavated ruins of Akrotiri that speak to a refined civilization. Santorini offers catamaran cruises around it's volcano rim with plenty food, drinks and dancing!
The final island visited was Crete, only 100 miles from Egypt. Weather again is perfect. Crete goes way back. Humans have inhabited the island since at least 130,000 years ago, during the Paleolithic age. There are forests and mountains and ubiquitous olive orchards (but too few olives in the Greek salads?) Capers are a flower that grow wild.
Crete was the center of Europe's first advanced civilization, the Minoans, from 2700 to 1420 BC. The island has changed hands and cultures many times. Today's cities lie on top of many of the ancient ruins. One ancient is the labyrinth fortress built for King Minos which spawned the Minotaur legend.
Wish it was like this in Fort Worth!
A question that keeps crossing my mind is why in ancient times on small boats would men and families leave comfortable lives on the Greek and Egyptian mainland to come and live on these small isolated islands? Freedom? The desire for opportunity? Explorer's adventurous spirit?
This trip thru Greece (mainland and islands) has been incredibly enlightening with the aid of many guides, new friends and Google. Greek gods were viewed differently than other cultures. Less autocratic dictators and more a reflection of the divine spark in humans. A woman Goddess was the defender and the source of wisdom. Women were the Oracle interface between men and the Gods. Greek city-states philosophers fostering the ideas of equality and a voice in government (democracy) was so revolutionary. Quite a contrast to all other ancient autocratic and misogynistic cultures.
The 2 other big epiphanies was the contrast in the sophistication of culture and technology compared to other same era cultures (eg nomadic Jewish tribes). Still the upheavals show how any society is just a footnote in the long time-line of Homo Sapiens. I was enlightened into a sophisticated culture whose timeline spans thousands of years, dwarfing the short history of the US. For me it puts our daily squabbles into perspective. What will the marble buildings of Washington DC look like in 4500 AD? How much detail of our lives and culture will be remembered?
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