Ugh.

LOOK AT THAT HILL. Ugh.

(Taken during my bike ride around Naxos.)

Cycling Naxos

View of Naxos town, Greece. Probably my favorite (inhabited) island. That teeny-tiny little blue-domed roof is a block away from where I stayed. I rented a bike and went cycling through the hills with the goal of making it to the ruins of the temple of Demeter, about 6 km from Naxos town. I made it about four km before I got sick of eating bugs and worrying about being hit by trucks and smartcars as I cycled, then turned around and went back. (Which must have been slightly downhill, because it was infinitely easier going.)

And this is that goddamn bike. Made it back to the waterfront and collapsed onto a bench for a while before heading back into town to an internet cafe, then to shower, return the bike, and dinner. Phew.

More wildflowers and ruins

More wildflowers and ruins on Delos, Greece.

Delos

This was my first view of Delos, which is an uninhabited island about half an hour by boat from Mykonos. It used to be inhabited, which is what makes it such a modern archeological theme park.

The wind was bitterly cold and ferociously strong, which I hadn't been expecting. I was very, very under-dressed and probably looked like I was doing the I-have-to-pee dance during the whole two-hour tour just to keep moderately warm.

See that? It used to be someone's window.

There were wildflowers growing and blooming everywhere. The colors coupled with the bitter wind and absolutely gorgeous ruins made Delos exactly what I was looking for--it felt like I'd really gone somewhere new.

The boat runs from Mykonos once every two or three days, depending on the season and the weather. It took four days for me to make it out to Delos. I'd almost given up on getting there at all--there'd been a storm, the weather still wasn't great and the travel agent told me the wrong time for the boat. I ended up racing along the waterfront to the end of the dock--sprinting like I was in the sixth grade Olympics--but I made it before they cast off.

(I still breathe a sigh of relief when I think about how close I cut it. They pulled up the gangplank/walkway/whatever it's called behind me as I boarded.)

There aren't any second stories (storeys?) surviving today, but apparently in ancient times they were about as common as in I.V. or P.Q. (I.e., very. Many buildings had them.)

The ledge was used to hold olive oil lamps. And the surviving plaster on the wall! So cool.

Ruins for as far as the eye could see. Ohhhh my god, it was beautiful. (And cold.)

And the famous Delian lions! These are copies, though. They moved the originals into a small museum on the island to protect them from the damage they'd been receiving from smog and air pollution and such.

The edge of town

Mykonos again--the edge of town, up on a hill. The windmill far off, just above the center is the same as the picture two posts down.

Mykonos (again)

Mykonos waterfront, the evening before a storm.

Mykonos

Exams are over! Spent a day recovering from caffeine withdrawal, and I'm now in full-blown panic mode for the end of the year. And last night at the pub I was reprimanded last night for neglecting my blog. Serves me right.

So, a post: (consisting mostly of pictures. With a bit of narration/caption-ing.)

A windmill. I got lost on my way into the town centre my first day of Mykonos and passed by this on the high road (that does not lead into the town centre, is very busy, and has no sidewalks). My guide book said there was a museum inside, but it was closed.

View of the Mykonos town centre from sort-of-above...

And standing at the water's edge facing back about toward where I was renting a room.

I also got lost on my way back from the town centre (only on my first day in Mykonos) and ended up waaaay past my turnoff to walk back up the hill. I don't know how far I walked, but it was quite a ways. And then I turned a corner, crested a hill, and spotted a donkey grazing in front of a church.

I had been alone long enough by this point to have been talking and singing to myself as I walked, and when I spotted the donkey I started directing my random comments regarding the weather and the sensation of being unable to find where I was supposed to be living at him. His ears perked up, swiveled around toward me, and then he came moseying over. For my part, I stopped walking when it became clear that he wanted to investigate and waited for him to amble over.

He was adorable, and clearly wanted some attention. I gently, carefully, warily let him sniff my open palm, the way I've been told you let a horse do to introduce yourself, then gave him a gentle pet on his snout. He didn't seem to mind.

So I dug my camera back out of my pocket and tried to keep snapping pictures as I petted him. (Thus the hand in the above picture.) Unfortunately, I stopped paying too much attention to him as I messed with my camera, and even looked away to try to aim the camera.

AND HE BIT ME. THE LITTLE BUGGER BIT ME. AND I GOT A FRIGGING PICTURE OF IT.

And he left pus-yellow slime all over my arm and a line of donkey-teeth-shaped red marks on my forearm. I yelped and jumped back, totally offended. Basically booked it outta there.

I think I made him sad, though. He didn't break the skin, and I'm betting it would have been easy for him to do so. I think it was more of a friendly nip than anything else; he was actually quite a sweetheart.

Struffoli success! (and etc.)

Robin McKinley's rant about Thor (the new movie) was hilarious. I don't necessarily agree with everything she says—I thought the skies of Asgard were quite pretty, and there were some funny one-liners scattered throughout. (If you don't mind a dozen footnotes per paragraph, you can find her appalled rant here.)

(Robin McKinley is a young adult author. Very prestigious, famous, well-established. She's awesome.)

I've got my first of three exams tomorrow. I'm so sick of studying I could—not sure what, exactly, but I'd really rather it include about thirteen hours of sleep. That's always nice. Or maybe a train ride. I love train rides.

I need exams to end soon. I study, I get bored, I eat. I'm turning myself into a fatty. I made olive paste—which I had as a starter with bread to dip in it on Mykonos, Greece, and it was so tasty that I had to figure out how to make it myself—and there is zero nutritional value to it. Olive oil, olives, vinegar, and oregano. And a bit of black pepper. So basically I'm eating breadsticks dipped in oil and olives. And not doing anything beyond running up and down a few flights of stairs for laundry trips.

So what's been up?

Oh, yes. Remember that dessert I tried and spectacularly failed to make back at the end of January (thereby blowing up the kitchen)? Struffoli. Deep fried dough balls coated in honey icing. (The deep frying bit, as you might remember, is what I had difficulties with.)

Well. Consider that obstacle surmounted. Kitchen conquered. Go me.

AND THEY WERE SO TASTY. I'd pretty much forgotten why I'd wanted to try making them so much in the first place.

Deep frying. My conquered nemesis.

Icing made from honey and sugar. Yes, only honey and sugar. As I told a dubious onlooker, "Because clearly honey isn't sweet enough on its own, of course."

(It was worth it, though.)

The overall done deal. And no, the sprinkles weren't my idea (although I'm sure I would have thought of it eventually). They're supposed to have sprinkles on them.

They're also supposed to be shaped into a pyramid and left to cool for about two hours after the icing has been poured on, but there was no way that was happening. We dug in immediately, and it was sooooo worth it. Warm struffoli. Mm-mm-mmmm.

Syros, Greece

This is the view of Syros, Greece as the ferry came into the bay. The main town is relatively small and I was only there for about eight hours or so, in between ferries to Naxos.

Syros' main square. I ended up having lunch at a charming little place run by an Australian woman who'd moved to Greece twenty years before (to marry her Greek sweetheart). She was absolutely kind to me--no discounts on the food, but let me leave my extra bag in her restaurant while I went sightseeing. And then, when I came back at dusk and still had about three hours before my ferry was due, she let me hang out at a table without asking me to order anything. And she gave me a small bit of food to tide me over when the ferry finally did come.

Naxos, Greece

Is this not one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen?