I have created some new jewelries for my shop – www.mykonos.etsy.com for the coming Christmas!!  Let’s start shopping!!

Enjoy shopping!!
Freda

By Dian Hasan | November 19, 2009

What would a resort stay experience be without a pool? Unthinkable for today’s travelers. They’ve come a long way, playing a central role in creating a distinctive experience and the common denominator as a social hub. Integral to a hotel’s brand identity. Here’s a glance at some of world’s most gorgeous resort pools, sharing the same traits regardless of their locale: sexy and chic!

By Dian Hasan | November 18, 2009

What would a resort stay experience be without a pool? Unthinkable for today’s travelers. They’ve come a long way, playing a central role in creating a distinctive experience and the common denominator as a social hub. Integral to a hotel’s brand identity. Here’s a glance at some of world’s most gorgeous resort pools, sharing the same traits regardless of their locale: sexy and chic!

Yakın zamanda Tatilde‘nin diline düşen mado hayli fazla eleştirilmiş. Bizlerde tatilde tarafından eleştirilen Mado ile ilgili sorun yaşayanlar olabilir düşüncesiyle Mado Şikayet kısımı yapalım istedik. Mado’da sorun yaşayan arkadaşlar bu kısımdan yaşadıkları sorunları dile getirebilirler.

Did I told you how much I love jewelries??

I love to wear and collect jewelries such as necklaces, bracelets and earrings. I have addicted to these necklaces and they are now in my shopping bag and added in my collection.

Humble bee necklace – which was made by an talented artist from Japan. Price is quite expensive as it is a limited edition for only 30 pieces in the world.  I just love the shades and patterns of the wood pendant!!

Mini leather book necklace – this one was made by a leather postcard from early 1900s.  The wordings on the cover are so lovely!!  It is great to gather more books and hang on your neck!!

Cute children necklace – the pendant was a little oversized when I get it but the kids are so cute!!

What you have bought lately?  Share yours to me!!

By Dian Hasan | October 16, 2009

What would a resort stay experience be without a pool? Unthinkable for today’s travelers. Pools have come a long way, playing a central role in creating a distinctive experience and serving as a social hub. Integral to a hotel’s brand identity. Here’s a glance at some of world’s most gorgeous resort pools, sharing the same traits regardless of their locale: sexy and chic!

By Dian Hasan | October 15, 2009

Hotels have been the recipients of design world’s attention for quite some time. Knowing full well that hotels are among the most public of buildings and travelers are known to develop emotional bonds (and brand loyalty) with their favorite hotel, designers and hoteliers have been busy re-inventing the hotel experience through good design. Involving others from the creative community: graphic designers, sculptors, furniture designers, musicians, fashion designers, feng shui specialists, among others. Adding a dose of personality and character in the process. End result: hotels that are hip, stylish, chic… au courant!

Designer hotels have been around for the last two decades, and today virtually every major city across the world has a variation of a (mostly small) hotel with a design statement. So after boutique design hotels have conquered the world, and chain hotels themselves are creating new niches of their own boutique hotels,what’s next?

Using color to make a difference and create a unique brand identity seems to be catching on. And it’s not just a dash of subtle colors, but the loud, neon, candy-color kind. Involving big names like Karim Rashidwho extended his love for shocking colors to a small hotel in Athens, Greece. The name? Fresh. How appropo! Here are other “Fresh” approaches that are making a “Splash” around the world. (click on each picture to find out where, click here to read part 1 of the story)

Timeshare Fly Buys

For many years, TimeshareTeam.com have been operating a very successful lead generating “fly buy” program in partnership with many holiday ownership companies.

Recently we have launched a new web based product and are now seeking allies with resorts in Europe, Spain, Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Greece, Crete, Mykonos, Santorini, Portugal, Madeira, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey, South Africa, United States, Hawaii, Florida, Aspen, Carribean, Mexico, Asia, Thailand, China, Phillipines, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

Anywhere you need fly buys.

We can offer you highly qualified leads of various nationalities, including; Amercian, Australian, British, Scandinavian (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway) Russian, German, Dutch, French and Italian.

Avaliable to you, free of charge, in return for a 7 night stay in your resort.

All reservations must be made a minimum of 60 days before departure, giving you advance notice, making the booking process easier and more streamline.

The leads we provide are;
A. Between 25 and 65 years old.
B. Married or in a long term relationship (min 2 years).
C. Have a joint annual income of US $40.000 per annum (or if retired US $34.000 per annum).
D. Holders of a valid credit card (Master-card, Visa or American Express).
E. Have agreed to a holiday resort presentation with NO obligations for a minimum of 90 minutes.

Historically, our resort partners have converted over 40% of the leads that we have provided into sales, making the relationship mutually beneficial.

Joining us in this exciting project gives you qualified clients and promotion of your resort on our website as one of our luxury accomodation providers without any upfront marketing costs.

Should you wish to be involved, we require photographs of; the accommodation the customers would be staying in, the resort itself and the onsite facilities avaliable.

We would like you to provide information about your resort (location, size of units, distance from airport etc) so that we can create a more detailed online profile for you.

In return for the provision of said leads, we ask for a small commission on completed sales.

If you would like to be involved in this new and cost effective marketing program please contact us, stating if you have any preferences in the nationalities you would like to recieve.

We look forward to hearing from you today.

Please contact

Mick Jensen

TimeshareTeam.com

info@timeshareteam.com

Fly Buy Website

Timeshare Fly Buys

For many years, TimeshareTeam.com have been operating a very successful lead generating “fly buy” program in partnership with many holiday ownership companies.

Recently we have launched a new web based product and are now seeking allies with resorts in Europe, Spain, Canary Islands, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, Greece, Crete, Mykonos, Santorini, Portugal, Madeira, Italy, Malta, Cyprus, Turkey, South Africa, United States, Hawaii, Florida, Aspen, Carribean, Mexico, Asia, Thailand, China, Phillipines, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.

Anywhere you need fly buys.

We can offer you highly qualified leads of various nationalities, including; Amercian, Australian, British, Scandinavian (Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway) Russian, German, Dutch, French and Italian.

Avaliable to you, free of charge, in return for a 7 night stay in your resort.

All reservations must be made a minimum of 60 days before departure, giving you advance notice,  making the booking process easier and more streamline.

The leads we provide are;
A. Between 25 and 65 years old.
B. Married or in a long term relationship (min 2 years).
C. Have a joint annual income of US $40.000 per annum (or if retired US $34.000 per annum).
D. Holders of a valid credit card (Master-card, Visa or American Express).
E. Have agreed to a holiday resort presentation with NO obligations for a minimum of 90 minutes.

Historically, our resort partners have converted over 40% of the leads that we have provided into sales, making the relationship mutually beneficial.

Joining us in this exciting project gives you qualified clients and promotion of your resort on our website as one of our luxury accomodation providers without any upfront marketing costs.

Should you wish to be involved, we require photographs of; the accommodation the customers would be staying in, the resort itself and the onsite facilities avaliable.

We would like you to provide information about your resort (location, size of units, distance from airport etc) so that we can create a more detailed online profile for you.

In return for the provision of said leads, we ask for a small commission on completed sales.

If you would like to be involved in this new and cost effective marketing program please contact us, stating if you have any preferences in the nationalities you would like to recieve.

We look forward to hearing from you today.

Please contact

Mick Jensen

TimeshareTeam.com

info@timeshareteam.com

Fly Buy Website

Some hilarious shenanigans with a few travel buddies! Check out the original on YouTube HERE. Thanks again to Contiki traveler Deniii85 for all your help with the video!

Renown as the ultimate romantic destinations for unforgettable wedding experiences in Greece, where couples are invited to say “I do” facing the majestic Aegean Sea sunset in Mykonos & Santorini Islands of the Cyclades, Rocabella Resorts & Spa propose a complete array of wedding services.

Whether the couple wishes to have a totally romantic wedding in Santorini Island or a glamorous party in Mykonos Island, Rocabella Resorts organizes unique wedding civil or religious ceremonies & receptions and takes care of every detail that will make the difference for every couple and their precious guests.

From wedding licenses to flower arrangements, from bride and groom’s special treatments to personalized wedding receptions and parties, each Hotel, Rocabella Santorini Resort and Spa and Rocabella Mykonos Art Hotel and Spa, make sure that everything is taking care of for a dreamy wedding.
Having planned weddings in Santorini since 1995, Rocabella Santorini Resort & Spa has gained an excellent reputation throughout the years and guarantee a unique experience, according each couple needs and envies. Rocabella Mykonos Art Hotel and Spa, has also a very big experience of wedding planning and organization in the most cosmopolitan Island of Greece.
With incredible accommodation facilities and complete personalized services in the most dreamy locations of the Islands of Mykonos and Santorini, Rocabella Resorts & Spas offer the best wedding celebrations for every couple’s and their esteemed guests unforgettable memories in Greece.

I don’t know if it hit the papers back in the States, but on the evening of Nov 6 one of the guests jumped from the 14th deck of our ship into the Aegean Sea as we were heading at high speed from Santorini to Naples. It happened about 9:00 PM. I had just been at the Hot Glass Show up on deck 15 and was taking deck 14 back to my cabin, but I didn’t see anything unusual. However, I was on the starboard side of the ship and just as I got in the elevators, the announcement came over the intercom with the crew code for “man overboard” on the port side.

Of course the ship had to stop, which takes a while considering it’s size, and emergency procedures had to be put into place. It took a while to get any information, but it slowly trickled in. As usual, the best place to get updates was the crew bar. Apparently it was an elderly Asian woman and some of her party tried to stop her from jumping but they were not successful. A fall from the 14th deck is a long fall and that alone may have killed her. After nine hours of search and rescue procedures, her body was not recovered.

At first they didn’t even know who it was and the Cruise Director had to go over the intercom and ask everyone to return to their staterooms so that they could do a head count to find out the identity of the woman who jumped. It didn’t take long and a few more announcements were made about delays and emergency procedures, but it was a somber group that collected in the crew bar and exchanged stories of other ships when people had jumped overboard. Mike the Bandmaster told me about a few years ago on another ship that a distraught crew member whose girlfriend had just dumped him jumped off the ship on New Years Eve. His body was never recovered either.

The next day had a strange vibe to it. It was a busy one for me, but since I’d had the previous day off, I was rested and ready to go. I had two early sets in the Grand Foyer, which is a very open, very big place to play and my music is piped over a wide area that includes a few decks. I started out without any background tracks, just guitar, harmonica and voice and sequed from one song to the other without stopping and continued to play that way for thirty minutes or so. About halfway through that medley I played “Will The Circle Be Unbroken”, one of my favorite songs. The last line of the chorus is “There’s a better home a’waitin’ in the sky, Lord, in the sky”. It was cathartic for me and after that medley I picked things up and went for the festive mood that we all seemed to need. It was a weird day.

********************************************************************

As I mentioned in the last post, Donna Delany boards the ship tomorrow for an eleven day cruise. Normally crew members are not allowed to visit guest staterooms, but the necessary communications have been made and the required permissions have been given. So I will be getting out of my little cabin a lot and seeing how the other half lives a bit. I’ve been waiting for Donna’s arrival to visit some of the places that are featured on our itinerary. I’m sure a lot of pictures and video will be shot also, so you can expect updates but probably not until the cruise is over, but we’ll see you on Facebook for sure.

********************************************************************

I’ve been asked about the procedure for getting paid onboard. Yes, I do actually get money for doing this. The travel, adventure, free food, medical care and public acclaim apparently are not enough reward for my hard work. We get paid every two weeks near the middle and end of the month. I am a salaried employee, so my pay is always the same. Everyone, including salaried employees, fills out time cards and they are very strict about that process.

So we are notified the night before about when our department lines up to collect our pay. We are usually paid in midships along I-95, the crew corridor where there is a room that is an embarcation station when we are in port. They set up long tables and a few of the purser crew sit back there while we file past one at a time. I hand them my A-pass card, the card that is used for everything on the ship, and they find my envelope and hand it to me. I check the receipt, count the money and sign a copy of the receipt.

We get paid in cash. I’ve never asked anyone in authority why this is so, but I suspect it’s because there are so many nationalities in the crew, it would be crazy to change everybody’s currency and issue checks. So we all get paid in American dollars. Each person has a safe in their room and that’s where we keep our cash until we either wire it somewhere or purchase money orders at a later date to send to our banks or loved ones. Some people open accounts at banks near the ship’s home port which is probably what I’ll do when I get to Fort Lauderdale in December.

In the beginning of everyone’s contract they remove a little bit of your pay the first few paydays until you’ve accumulated enough for an airline ticket home. This is to cover the company’s ass if you quit or jump ship or something. You get the deposit back at the end of your completed contract, so it’s no big deal. I think they even give you some interest on it for the time they held it. I still have two more payments to make for my airline deposit which I believe is around $460. They obviously give you a receipt for that also. So that’s how we get paid. The crew bar is always hopping the night after we get paid.

With regards to spending money on the ship, we do not use cash. We always use our A-pass card. There are a few machines, one of which is in the crew bar, where you can put cash on your card. You can’t have a negative balance, which is a new policy apparently. On the Constellation you could, but you had to pay the balance on payday. So if you have no money on your card, you don’t get your drink. It keeps us honest.

********************************************************************

Donna Delany Update – We’re at about day 8 of Donna’s cruise here on The Solstice. I am finally doing many of the things I’ve been wanting to do since I got on the ship. No, I mean besides that, things like hitting the tourist spots. Donna is tireless and motivational. When we were on Mykonos she saw a little chapel high up on a hill and next thing I knew we were climbing that hill, cutting through lots and climbing ancient walls until we reached the little chapel. It was locked and vacant, but the surrounding view of Mykonos, the Aegean and the islands that lay beyond was incredible.

We had an overnighter in Istanbul, so we had two long trips into town. On day 1 we crossed the Galati Bridge, which is always lined with men fishing, into old Istanbul and walked through the town to the Topkapi Palace and then to the Hagia Sophia. We walked back through the Grand Bazaar, which is bizarre indeed, and then had dinner at a window table on the third floor of a cafe along the waterfront. The next day we went back into the old town and made it to the Blue Mosque which is really impressive. We had to remove our shoes and carry them with us in a plastic bag. The Blue Mosque is so named because of the abundance of blue tile that lines the inside. There are thousands of tiles on the walls and ceilings. It’s impossible to capture with a camera and quite overwhelming.

We’re also enjoying the amenities of the ship. I finally have someone to go to the specialty restaurants with and we’ve gone to The Murano and The Tuscan, both incredible meals in beautiful venues with fabulous food and impeccable service. It’s pricey even with my crew discount, but well worth the experience. I also get to hang out in a stateroom which is a refreshing change from my little cabin. It will be an adjustment going back to my neighborhood after this cruise is over. As you can guess, Donna and I are getting along very well and are having a fabulous time together. And it looks like she’ll be returning to the ship when we’re in the Carribean for the New Year’s Cruise. Life is good.

The Sebastian Gibson law firm provides International Business and Entertainment representation to businesses, entertainers, artists and celebrities from offices in Southern California. Learn more at http://www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com

English and Welsh-trained and internationally experienced, the Law Firm of American Attorney Sebastian Gibson has been established for over 25 years. Experienced in practicing international law in Europe and around the world from California, Sebastian Gibson is one of those exceptional attorneys.

Specializing in the representation of entertainment and sports celebrities, business and international figures, Sebastian Gibson is that rare European trained international lawyer you need for your international representation.

Today, Mykonos is one of the world’s leading centers for business and entertainment. Sebastian Gibson has had a strong affiliation with Mykonos since the 1980’s when he practiced exclusively in London and represented international figures and multinational companies in their business enterprises worldwide. His representation has included celebrities, royal family members, multinational corporations, insurance companies and even foreign central banks in a wide variety of legal matters.

Working with local Greek attorneys and lawyers, Sebastian Gibson can assist you with your legal issues and disputes and protect your legal rights in Mykonos and throughout Greece, Europe and the World.

Some of the areas of law the law firm specializes in include, celebrity, entertainment and sports figure representation, publishing law, invasion of privacy, defamation, misappropriation and misuse of images, music, film and television law, multimedia law, internet and advertising law, modeling law, talent agent and management representation law, intellectual property, trademarks, copyrights and patent law, licensing, gaming, media, marketing, business, real estate and personal injury.

The Law Firm of Sebastian Gibson can assist you in your international legal matters in California as your American law firm and we will coordinate representation of your international legal matters throughout Greece, Europe and the World, working closely with local attorneys.

U.S. and non-U.S. companies can enlist the assistance of International Attorney Sebastian Gibson in their legal matters by calling Sebastian Gibson internationally or e-mailing us from our website, www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com

In the entertainment and sports representation of celebrities, our experience affords us the ability to handle international contracts, licensing agreements, and to protect celebrity rights in privacy law intrusions, defamation and misuses of their names, likeness and images.

In business matters, the Sebastian Gibson law firm represents individuals as well as U.S. based and non-U.S. based companies with all aspects of their business ventures and enterprises. The law firm’s international business representation includes contract negotiations and drafting of complex international agreements, business fraud representation, intellectual property rights protection, joint ventures, licensing, distribution, agency matters, trade and customs disputes, electronic discovery, and dispute resolution.

Today, Sebastian Gibson represents models, writers, artists, performers, publishing companies and advises a host of celebrities in the entertainment field. Sebastian Gibson has also represented international insurance companies based in London as well as Canadian insurers and as a personal injury attorney today he knows how insurance companies analyze cases for settlement as well as anyone.

As a litigation lawyer, Sebastian Gibson is an accomplished attorney not only in litigation and discovery, but is also experienced in mediation and arbitration. He has obtained millions of dollars in settlements and has a number of seven figure million dollar plus settlements to his name.

Sebastian Gibson is a well-recognized name in U.S. and international legal circles with over 1500 legal articles on the internet and he has recently completed work on a book. Sebastian Gibson is also a former musician who performed full time internationally from the age of 16, and appeared on national television shows alongside other famous entertainers. After working in London for a number of years as an international attorney, he formed his own law firm in California in the early 1980s.

Sebastian Gibson received his B.A. from UCLA, and then obtained two law degrees, the first from Cardiff University in Wales, Great Britain and the second from the University of San Diego School of Law. He graduated cum laude from UCLA and magna cum laude from Cardiff University.

If you need legal international legal representation, call the law firm of R. Sebastian Gibson today, or e-mail him from his website at www.SebastianGibsonLaw.com

Delos

I was excited to go to Delos, one of two places I had not been to before on this 14 day Mediterranean cruise.

Delos is an uninhabited archaeological sight only a few miles from Mykonos.   The whole island is only 1 ½ square miles. We anchored off the coast and tendered in.  The whole island is protected as a historical site and has been designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO.  There is an entrance fee of 5 euros to explore the site.

Mykonos

It is a very barren and desolate looking island and I wondered why it was such an important religious and political center for such a long time.  Reading the history I discovered that it was because of its non use for anything else; it was built up as a religious place.  It has a good harbor and location in the Aegean so it became a trading post.

The antiquities are impressive as is the archaeological museum.  One of the most interesting sights is the Avenue of Lions – they have replicas outside and the originals are in the museum.  They believe there to have been at least 9 erected in the 7^th century BC.  They have 5 remaining and one is in Venice.

It was very windy the day we were there, but a few hours of exploring was well worth the visit.

Beautiful Mykonos

Mykonos

I had been to Mykonos before, and did some of the same things I had enjoyed doing before.  I wandered down the narrow side streets and admired the doorways and balconies.  I walked out to look at the windmills and then settled down for a drink at a waterfront taverna.  The ship tendered here as well and I opted to go back to the ship for dinner, but in the past I have had dinner on the waterfront, watching the sunset and the windmills.  A very enjoyable visit.

Some of my group in the Taverna in Mykonos

Un chien chaud qui chiale dans la rue

Craches sur les chars de riches

Il veut sentir son corps chuinter sur la chaussée piétinée par les chevaux vapeurs

Des gens qu’il considère gigot d’agneau le jugent et l’injure

Plus loin, un gyros se scope en pensant à Mykonos

le jour,Il frit ses belles lubies bleues et blanches dans l’huile

Autres mœurs, autre maison, un vieux garçon a une

Discussion kafkaïenne avec une carafe

À deux pas, une femme sans flafla ingère des chocolats suisse ronds avec arrière gout de plomb

Son activité préférée

Shop update!!

Girls, I will be on holiday starting from 5 November to my dream fairyland, Jiuzhaigou (China).  My etsy shop (www.mykonos.etsy.com) will keep open for your shopping but all orders will only be shipped out when I back in town on 11 November.  Enjoy your shopping!!

Wow!!  The red, yellow and green leaves, the lakes and the natures are waiting for me!!  I can’t wait!!

Freda 

With a bit of rest & a shower we wandered out into Mykonos town. It’s a short drive from the hotel’s Platis Gialos beach, and the town’s houses of whitewashed plaster hugs the bay.

The sky and clouds treated us with a pretty awesome show as the day headed towards sundown:

My first day in the Greek Isles began with a midday flight into Mykonos. No sooner than five minutes after checking into the hotel, and putting down the bags, there came a knock on the room door.

“A complementary cold drink, enjoy your stay in Greece”

At that moment I knew my holiday has begun – and it had the words rancho relaxo plastered all over it. I felt the weariness of the early morning flight melt away. London with its 10 degree autumn, felt like its a thing of the past.

Hotels in the Greek Isles, especially during the shoulder seasons, tends to be of high quality whilst remaining a relatively cheap price. A pool is pretty much mandatory. Even with high expectations from all the internet research & photos, I was still very impressed. Balcony with view, check. Two minute walk to the beach, check.  Nice pool, check. Honestly this is one of the best 60 euro hotel’s I’ved stayed at, and its heaven and earth compared to say, a similar priced hole in the middle of the city in Paris.

Nach Sonne kommt Regen. Und nach einer negativen Kritik, kommt eine positive.

Wer in Rinteln gerne was essen möchte oder sich die griechische Küche ins Haus liefern lassen will, ist beim Mykonos genau richtig.

Wie Gyros und Pizza im Mykonos schmeckt, könnt ihr im folgenden Test nachlesen:

Mykonos in Rinteln

Che pranzo di tensione, ai tavoli di un nuovo ristorantino vicino all’ufficio. Io e Pam sfidiamo il freddo alla volta del cibo e Crudelia s’insinua lesta molesta: “Rrragazzi, posso venirrrre a prrranzo con voi?”

Deve provare un senso di cattiveria innato da cui trae parecchio godimento nel rovinarci il pranzo, mentre si sistema una ciocca di capelli crespi dietro l’orecchio: “300 eurrro da Coppola, e me li ha rrrovinati.”

Ma se indaghi, scopri che è andata dall’allievo di uno che cinque anni fa era dipendente da Coppola, e forse si occupava solo di lavare i capelli. Quelle come Crudelia fanno così. E ci vuole sempre così poco a distruggere la loro verità.

Io e Pam ci guardiamo sconsolati, la lasciamo passare avanti solo per scambiarci occhiate storte, finti sbocchi, corna, scornacchi, maledizioni, imprecazioni.

“Fa verrramente frrreddo, non trrrovate?” Dice Crudelia non appena ci sediamo ai tavoli, per spezzare l’imbarazzante silenzio.

Pam è sempre stata più brava di me nell’essere gentile e carina, quindi lascio che se ne occupi lei mentre mi dilungo sul menù.

Infine scegliamo, aspettiamo il cibo. Crudelia riceve una telefonata e si allontana.

“Troia.” Dico. Puttana. Bagascia. Bulimica. Penso.

Crudelia esce dal ristorante, la fissiamo attraverso la vetrina. Deve ricevere una brutta notizia, perché si agita, cammina nervosamente su e giù per il marciapiede.

“Qual è la possibilità che deragli un tram e la spiaccichi contro il muro?”

Pam si tocca le tette. “Ora vado là e le tiro una tettata che rimbalza a due km di distanza.”

“E muore.”

“Ssshhh… sta tornando.”

Crudelia ha perso il suo finto sorriso. Molto probabilmente ci siamo scampati un pranzo in cui ci racconta per la millesima volta di com’era bella la sua vita quando stava con l’armatore libico e aveva un loft in corso Vercelli tutto spesato.

“Quello strrronzo…”

Ecco, si deve sfogare del suo fidanzato cesso. Ho già capito.

“Tutto bene?” Le chiede Pam.

“Errra il mio fidanzato. Mi ha detto che questo weekend non viene da me perrrché vuole starrre con gli amici. Ma cosa significa? Io ho bisogno di prrrogettualità.”

Certo, per non pensare a quanto sei sola. Aggiungo io. Ma, in fondo, che ne so?

“E’ da quest’estate, da quando siamo torrrnati da Mykonos che è strano, assente.” Mi lancia un’occhiata esauriente, “Tu la conosci Mykonos, verrro, Giulio?”

 ”Quasi mai stato in vita mia.” Le rispondo atono. Non saprai mai nulla di me, dalle mie labbra.

Crudelia distoglie subito lo sguardo da me e torna a Pam, che sembra molto più disponibile ad ascoltare il suo sfogo: “Ierrri era tutto perrrfetto, oggi no. Sai che faccio orrra? Prrendo il primo che capita e me lo scopo. Sono capacissima di farrre la strronza, se è questo che vuole.”

Regola n. 7: scoparsi il primo che capita è la risposta a tutti i problemi, nel XXI secolo.

Crudelia, che sei stronza lo sappiamo. Ma la tua sofferenza, la tua solitudine, ora sembra più sincera che mai. Per un attimo, vorrei che Pam ti mostrasse il modo in cui ti imita, per provare a farti ridere un po’.

Invece ci limitiamo a sgranocchiare del pane, a ingozzarci di lasagne alla bolognese, mentre Crudelia disserte e disquisisce senza soluzione di continuità: il suo ragazzo è uno stronzo, gli uomini sono stronzi, tutti sono stronzi. Tranne lei.

“Ma ci sarrrà a questo mondo un rrragazzo serrrio, mi chiedo?”

Pam mi indica timidamente. Sorride e mi regala un occhiolino magico. “Beh, Giulio è serio…”

Aggrotto la fronte. Un anaffettivo può essere serio? E mi appunto una nota mentale: “Approfondire la serietà secondo Pam.”

Crudelia mi guarda per un lungo istante. Chissà se contrappone dei pensieri d’odio ai miei, mentre mi sorride. “Un secondo solo che faccio una telefonata.” Prende il cellulare, qualche secondo di attesa che costringe tutti al silenzio, poi la sua vocina più carina: “Ciao, sono io… Volevo solo dirrti che ti amo tanto e di scusarrrmi se puoi.” E riattacca dopo un rapido saluto.

Questo è l’amore di Crudelia, la serietà a cui aspira? Uno sbotto, una sparlata, e poi si sotterra tutto?

Lo faccio solo nel pomeriggio, di chiedere a Pam della mia serietà, durante la pausa caffè.

“Ma che hai capito?” Pam enfatizza una sbuffata, “Mica parlavo di seriosità. La serietà è un confronto leale e, tu, anaffettivo o meno, sei un vero paladino.”

“E tutte le scopate che mi faccio? Non sono seriose ma sono serie, vuoi dire?”

Lei ride. La faccio sempre ridere quando le rivolgo qualche domanda tenera e la tratto come se fosse la mia maestra delle elementari. “Vedi, Giulio, per ottenere l’oro per fabbricare un anello nuziale, occorre lavorare una tonnellata di metallo grezzo… quindi sì, per me sei molto serio,… stai solo raccogliendo il materiale che ti servirà domani.”

View over the bay from the pool

Kate: I visited Mykonos about 5 years ago with my friend Fi when we island hopped student-style around the Cyclades with back-packs and no real plan. We had such an amazing time and I was blown away by how beautiful the islands were that I really wanted to go back with Rob who hadn’t done any of the Cyclades before. We chose Mykonos as my memory of it was of great bars, sandy beaches and a labyrinth-like town that amused Fi and I for hours with hundreds of tiny art/craft shops and galleries.

We found a hotel called the Santa Marina resort in Ornos Bay, a couple of

View from our balcony at Santa Marina

kilometres outside of Mykonos Town. It had a beach, a couple of pools, a tennis court and a gym. Rob was sold.

We went at the end of September which was a great time to go as it is still lovely and hot but not as scorching as it gets in July and August. Mykonos is known to be a windy island though so it does get pretty chilly and breezy in the evening at that time of the year.

We hired a scooter so we could explore the island and found some great spots for lunch. Firstly Nammos restaurant on Psarou beach which has an exclusive ‘Ibiza’ feel to it and a lovely sandy beach. The food was good although pretty expensive, but it was worth it for the location and ambience. Secondly, Kiki’s Grill at Panormos Bay, which is AMAZING and is in our top 5 favourite restaurants of all time. Kiki’s is a little taverna tucked away on a remote hillside

Lunch at Kiki's overlooking Panormos Bay

underneath the canopy of a large tree with stunning views of Panormos Bay. They have a large clay oven on which you can choose to have grilled fish or meat. We had prawns and the pork which had a delicious glaze on it. Inside the taverna there were a selection of salads you could choose to go with your meat. All of them were delicious. We went back twice to this place and were not disappointed on the second occasion, it really is amazing. You need a scooter or car to get to that side of the island though as it is in a pretty remote location.

Entrance to Kiki's, Panormos Bay

We did try out some other restaurants and beaches during the week on Mykonos but these two were definitely the highlights.

Santa Marina Resort is a great hotel in a perfect location if you want to be near to Mykonos Town but not right in the heart of the busy town. It’s a very short drive and taxis are easy to book - the journey is about 6 Euros – but the hotel puts on a mini bus in the evenings to take guests into town which we used most evenings and proved convenient. We only ate breakfast and lunch at the hotel (which was all of a high standard and delicious) but headed into town each evening to enjoy the different bars and restaurants.

Santa Marina has good facilities and late September is a great time of year to explore Mykonos and enjoy a relaxing break with plenty to keep you occupied for a week.

The iconic windmills of Mykonos

Little Venice, Mykonos Town