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Mediterranean Memories - Jackie O'

Where oh where does one go out in Mykonos?? The first time I visited Mykonos I was kind of disappointed…in the gay scene that is. Granted, I didn’t do my research beforehand, so it was partly my fault. However, I didn’t go to the right beaches, bars or clubs. So, this “gay mecca” that Mykonos had always promised to be, in my mind at least, wasn’t really all that...gay. Well, boy did that all change on this trip! Not only did I find the gay beach to out-gay all gay beaches, I finally found where the party was…and it was of course, appropriately, hosted by Mrs. Jackie O’! Jackie O’ is an amazing gay bar in Mykonos Town. It is right on the water and right next door to another gay bar called…are you ready…Babylon (how original). Anyway, Jackie O’ is obviously the more popular of the two. However, I learned something else on this trip. The party does not get started until late, late, late. I passed by this bar around 11pm one night and no one was there. There were a few waiters milling about and a gay flag flapping in the island wind…but no patrons. It was a little sad. I decided to head back into town to shop, walk around and grab a sweet. A few hours past and around 1am I figured I might as well pass by Jackie O’ again just to see if maybe one or two homosexuals happened to find their way to what looked like a potentially really cool bar. There were indeed a few more peeps there the second time around, enough for me to decide to hang for a few drinks at least. However, as the minutes past more and more and more people started showing up. The more I drank the more the crowd multiplied…it was nuts. Come 2am the place was PACKED! You couldn’t move! One of the funniest things about the experience, and this is so Greece, was the fact that, as I mentioned before, the two gay bars were literally right next to each other. However, each one had its own DJ…and all the action was outside. Therefore, if you found yourself hovering too close to the middle of the two bars you kind of had to listen to a clusterfuck of music. It didn’t make sense at all…but alas, so Greece. I spent many a drunken night drinking, dancing and cavorting with Mrs. Jackie O’ and her island gays…a super fun, super crazy and super gay hot spot.

Warning: Be careful of the winds and the water! When the sea gets rough the waves crash over the stone barrier separating the bar from the water and needless to say there were a few very unhappy, saltwater drenched causalities…but a good laugh was had by my drunk ass.

Mediterranean Memories - Sodade

Being mid-September and with the end of season ferry schedule I found myself having to take a boat back to Athens from Paros on the night before my flight back to the States. My ferry landed at 12am and my flight wasn’t until 12pm that afternoon. I had originally thought that I would just waste the twelve hours hanging around in the airport since I had all my bags and excess travel crap. However, the closer I got to my departure date I realized that twelve hours is actually a pretty long time to hang in an airport, so I figured that maybe I should find a cheap hotel for the night, a place to drop my bags, and try to discover a little gay nightlife in Athens. From the few, and I do mean few, coffee shops that had WiFi on Paros I researched and found that a part of Athens called Gazi seemed to be the gay bulls-eye. I found a cheap hole-in-the-wall hotel for €60 that was very close to Gazi, got into Athens a little after midnight and once I dropped my bags and splashed some water on my face I was ready to conquer the gay Greek gods of the capital. I started at a bar called the Blue Train, a nice place to start the evening, very low key, with tables on the streets where I could acclimate myself to the area and size up the passers by. As I sipped my Jameson and coke (I know, not a very Athenian drink) I noticed that on the roof of this bar, about three stories up, there was some sort of outdoor lounge-like space. I finished my drink and found my way up the stairs. I was right; on the rooftop overlooking Athens I found a super low-key outdoor bar with sofas, cool music and a hot little Greek waiter…a perfect spot. However, I also noticed that it wasn’t very busy. Was this the best Athens could do at 2:30am on a Saturday night? Not knowing the gay scene here at all I figured this must be it. I decided to ask the cute Greek waiter for advice. I explained that I was only in town for that night and asked him if there was something I was missing. “Sodade” is all he said. After a few broken-English directions I was off to find this not-to-be-missed “Sodade”. After a few rights, a sharp left and few dark alleys, I came upon the illuminated sign of Sodade. It didn’t look like much from the outside, just a door, with a few Greeks roaming around in the front. I went in, paid the cashier my €8 and entered through the glass doors. Holy shit!! This place was crammed packed with people, the music was pumping, everyone was screaming over everyone else, there were lasers lights and cigarette smoke bouncing off of the walls…perfect…I had found my Athenian party! I managed to squeeze through the packed crowd to the bar and soon discovered that this was a multi-room venue, with an out door area and beautiful people everywhere. Just when I though I couldn’t handle anymore the DJ played an incredible dance mix of Madonna’s Erotica! I never wanted to leave! I drank and danced and talked to people who had no idea what I was saying until finally I had to tear myself away and head back to my hotel for the few hours of sleep I was able to get before I flew back to the New World. I am so grateful to the cute Greek waiter for steering me in the right direction; I guess he could tell what kind of scene I was looking for. So, if you ever find yourself in Gazi and are in need of some super cool gay energy head to Sodade…word.

Mediterranean Memories - Paros

Well, I’m back from the beautiful Aegean Sea…bronzed, relaxed and filled to the brim with enough fresh seafood to last me until next summer! There are so many experiences from my trip that I want to post about. However, I must begin my Greek postings with the beautiful island of Paros, the second island I visited on my trip. Paros is a forty-five minute ferry ride away from Mykonos, and although it is quite popular among Greek and European tourists it somehow manages to stay just out of the American Tourist/Cruise Shipper radar, and just off of the beaten paths of Mykonos, Santorini and Naxos. This, along with its beautiful landscapes, crystal clear waters and hip, welcoming locals makes Paros one of the most charming and unique of the Clyclades Islands. I first discovered this island paradise on a family trip about three years ago, my first time to Greece. Out of all the islands we visited I, along with my family, fell head over heals in love with Paros. My father so much so that just last year he purchased a beautiful little traditional Greek house on the island; a whitewashed, cubical abode covered in pink bougainvillea and a about a kilometer away from my favorite beach on the island, Kolymbithres. Kolymbitheres Beach with its super cool rock formations and water so shallow you can practically walk out into the sea for miles (or kilometers :)) offers a collection of little sand coves where you can park your towel and beach bag as you bath the day away in the bath-like waters of the Mediterranean. It is one of the most relaxing and beautiful places on the island and the perfect place to lazily watch the sunset. Staying at an actual residence was such a different type of travel experience for me. I felt like I was truly able to experience island life free from the touristy distractions of a resort. Don’t get me wrong, I love resorts and I will get to the beautiful resort I stayed at in Mykonos in a later post. However, staying in an actual home, away from the “attractions” and touristy type of offerings, I truly got to experience first hand what it feels like to be a local. I was able to wakeup to the sun shinning through the wooden shutters of my bedroom; roll out of my (very tiny) bed and into the large and inviting family kitchen. Pour myself a cup of coffee mixed with a few drops of Noynoy, the most delicious condensed Greek milk I have ever tasted, and lounge on the front porch watching the neighborhood cats as they hunted for their morning breakfast…so quite, so serine and so relaxing. But its not all relaxing…there is also a thriving night life scene, amazing shops and great restaurants in both the capital and main port town of Parikia and the beautiful fishing port, and my favorite town on the island, Naoussa. Not to mention the medieval mountain town of Lefkes with its winding roads and beautiful jewelry. This little island is so packed full of surprises, there seems to be unexpected discoveries at every corner.

However, my very favorite part of Paros, and, in my humble opinion, the best part of Paros is its tiny little island sister, Antiparos (‘anti’ meaning ‘across’ Paros). Less than one nautical mile across the sea from Paros, Antiparos is a gorgeous little gem of an island and is host to many celebrity homes (Tom Hanks has a vacation home here among many others). It is also a very big windsurfing destination as the calm waters and wind-filled air of the Aegean make for perfect surfing conditions. I’m not sure if it’s because of the celebrity vibe, the surf culture or just the magic of the Greek islands in general but Antiparos gives off such a current, hip and just plain cool vibe while still maintaining its old-world island charm. I think the island’s magic has to do with the low-key vibe of is residents and the beautiful surroundings in which they are lucky enough to lead their daily lives. There are of course beautiful beaches, a quaint little port and even a cave that’s more that 100 meters deep, but it’s the people that give Antiparos its vibe!

Paros and Antiparos are truly two of the most unique and beautiful of all the Cyclades Islands and I can’t wait to go back to discover more of the many hidden treasures on offer on these two jewels of the Aegean Sea!