It’s our final day on Mykonos and wow, I think we saved the best for last, accidentally.

We had planned a kayak tour near Panormos Beach for this morning, but the winds are too high, so our tour was cancelled. Caroline and I had decided last night to try the boat to Delos, hoping it wouldn’t also be canceled for high winds. We arrived at the ticket booth in little Venice at 9:30 am for a 10:00 am boat, and sure enough, they took our money.

It was a larger boat than I had anticipated, thankfully. I was expecting a little dinghy, but it seemed sturdy enough for the seas we were about to encounter. We grabbed a seat inside to save ourselves from the wind, and we watched the horizon go up and down as we rode the waves for our 30 minute trip.

In our research of Delos, we learned it was a small island with “some ruins.” Nothing had prepared us for the immensity of the ruins. This island has been inhabited since the third millennium BC, but by the 7th century when the Odyssey was written, it was known as the birthplace of Apollo and Artemis and was purified by removing all graves. It served as an important trading port in the third century BC, and eventually was abandoned in 89 AD. it is one of the largest archaeological sites in Greece.

Caroline and I just wandered, in awe of the structures that are still standing — agoras, monuments, stoas, fountains, cisterns, temples. We climbed to the Temple of Isis, and to the very top of the mountain to the Temple of Apollo. We walked to the famous Naxian Lions, and the theater.

After taking in all of that, we went back to the pier to catch our boat back to Mykonos. Then up to the hotel to get the rental car and commence driving to more sights.

Our first driving stop was the Armenistis Lighthouse, on the very northern tip of the island. the winds were blowing so hard it was difficult to stay upright at times, but the views were stunning, of course. The lighthouse itself is locked up tight, so we couldn’t go inside, but it was a fun place to visit.

Our next stop was Profitis Ilias mountain, not far from the lighthouse. However, the road quickly became treacherous about 2.5 miles from the top, so we decided not to risk damage to the rental car. Back down the windy roads we went, toward Ano Mera, where we found the Panagia Tourliani, a monastery built in the 1500s. For only 2€, we gained entrance to the monastery grounds and went up to the museum. There we saw ancient scrolls and letters from Benedictine monks to the bishops, clerical garments, chalices and crucifixes. The church was stunning.

We saw a lot today, our last sightseeing day. Back to the hotel we drove, grabbed dinner down in Little Venice and started preparations for travel home.