May 23 - Delos & Mykonos: Birthplace of Gods and Goddesses & Gatos

Boat for the 45 min. ride from Mykonos town to neighboring Delos.



Delos, a small island of ruins.



Birthplace of Artemis and Apollo. And home to the coolest rust-colored moss growing on the centuries-old stones.



Lion statues.







As if the ruins weren't enough reason to visit the island, there were also beautiful wildflowers everywhere. That alone would be reason enough to spend a couple hours in Delos.



And lots of snails.







The clicking of lizard toenails on the stones was common. Their heads are the same rust color as the moss.



Amazingly, some of the mosaic floors have survived.





The Cleopatra House had the most detailed statues still standing.



The fabric almost looked like it could start blowing in the wind.





The Theatre.





View from the boat as we left.



Back to Mykonos.



Lunch at Sakis Grill House. The BEST pita. Pork souvlaki.



Gyros. 2 waters & 2 pitas = 7 Euros. Excellent deal.



Butterscotch gelato at Gelarte. The BEST flavor. I want some right now.



Greek coffees, much like Turkish coffees, at Zorba's with Little Venice in the background.



Windmills next to Zorba's, overlooking the sea.



Is there anything cuter than an orange tom cat sleeping in a terra-cotta pot?



Another gorgeous Aegean stray.



Sunset at Kastro Bar in Little Venice with a couple drinks. We couldn't see the sun actually set, but the sky and water were beautiful and the place was romantic, playing an opera.



Panaghia Paraportiani Church.



Dinner at Nikos Taverna. The sea urchin salad was okay, not great. But it looked pretty.



Calamari was decent.

May 22 - Istanbul to Mykonos: Night Becomes Day Becomes Night

An overcast morning from our breakfast terrace.



View of Hagia Sophia from the breakfast terrace.



This is what my breakfast looked like every morning at Hanedan Hotel. It was fabulous and kept me full for hours. The yogurt...oh, the yogurt. Turkish yogurt is the best. It has the depth of flavor of Greek yogurt but with a runnier consistency, but still thicker than American yogurt. If Goldilocks picked out a yogurt, she would certainly go with the Turkish variety.



We wanted to revisit Sogukcesme Street in the daytime, walking along the border of Hagia Sophia's pink wall. The colored wooden houses are picturesque.





Street art across from Gulhane Sur Cafe, the Hookah Bar from last night, on Sogukcesme.





The Spice Market.



I bought Ottoman Spice, a mixture of chili, garlic, and I'm sure a bunch of other spices, from this store. I didn't have any particular reason for choosing this shop, it just seemed like a good choice and not packed so we could take photos.









The New Mosque in the daytime.



Rustem Pasha Mosque (my favorite) and Suleymaniye Mosque in the background.



Closer.



Kunefe. A dessert of cheese fried over a grill, soaked in sweet syrup, and topped with pistachios. DIVINE and unlike anything I've ever tasted. Just get one to share. It would be way too rich to eat a whole one by yourself. This one was from a great little place near the plaza between the New Mosque and Rustem Pasha called Lezzet-i Sark.



Our server took my fork and showed me how it's done for the kunefe money shot.



I am a lover of anything that looks or sounds like a croquette. Seriously, I think that croquettes might be my favorite food in the world. Basically, anything deep fried on the outside with multiple softer ingredients on the inside I find intriguing. One of Turkey's versions is icle kofte and it didn't disappoint.



I don't know what was in there, but it was crispy on the outside, soft in the center, and also had a nice kick of spice to it. Unexpected and much appreciated.



The Hippodrome. AKA the old phallic thing that you go and see in every ancient city, look at it for 30 seconds, and wonder why you came to see it. But we knew this going in, didn't plan on even stopping by, but we had time before our plane and it was close to the hotel. So if you like phallic things and hieroglyphics, this is for you.



And one more shot of Hagia Sophia because we'd taken so many photos of the Blue Mosque with our backs turned to her, and I felt bad and didn't want her to feel left out.



And...onto Greece! We flew to Mykonos and had our hotel pick us up at the airport. The sunset from our room at Hotel Pelican overlooking Mykonos Town.



We ventured down the hill into Mykonos Town. I was surprised at all the great shopping opened late. Cool jewelry and clothing at all different price ranges. Mykonos was a shopping paradise that I wasn't expecting.

Dinner at Kostas.



We shared a mixed Greek plate for two. It was gigantic and everything tasted like something made by Grandma (if your grandma was a good cook, if not, hopefully someone in your life filled that spot). Moussaka, pastis, beans, braised beef, stuffed tomatoes, and mushrooms. So, so good.



Church in the harbor.