Mykonos was in the news last year when Lindsay Lohan opened a beach club on the Island. I read there’s now an International Airport, along with “nightclubs open well past dawn”.

In April 1980, when we vacationed on Mykonos, it was a sleepier place. We’d been stationed in Germany for a little over a year, a year of non-stop rain that was dreary, cold and damp. We were ready to visit somewhere sunny.

We caught a military hop out of Frankfurt bound for Athens. It was the first time I’d flown on a C-130 since Jump (Airborne) School a few years before. Cath and I strapped ourselves into the webbed seats, just in front of the tied-down cargo. I hoped the load master had done his job, and none of the cargo would shift. Someone on the crew gave us earplugs, and we were off.

When we landed in Athens, I actually kissed the tarmac, it was so warm and sunny. We found a place to stay, and spent the next couple of days doing the usual tourist stuff – the Acropolis, the Parthenon, the Plaka and other temples and ruins. Looking for less of a crowd, we moved on, and took a ferry to the Island of Mykonos.

As the ferry landed, we walked onto the dock, along with the other arriving passengers. At the end of the dock, there were a number of people advertising for places to eat or sleep. We saw a kid holding a sign for “Mike’s Pension” and through hand signals and a few words, found out Mike’s was in a quiet location about a half mile outside of town. We decided to stay there, and hopped into the back of his truck for the short ride to the Pension.

It was a beautiful white stone house right on the water. We were on the second floor, with a view of the Aegean Sea from our balcony. I think it cost us about $25/day, and was our home for the next few days. No one spoke English at the Pension, so we made due with hand signals and smiles. The one other guest was a German who spoke some Greek. When there was a difficult translation needed, we spoke with him in German and he’d translate to Greek for Mike.

We spent our time walking around the beautiful little town with the windmills and whitewashed buildings. We ate wonderfully, including Greek salad, octopus salad, lamb kabobs, seafood, and grilled lobster. We drank some wonderful white wines, some Retsina (an acquired taste, that worked well on Mykonos) and also had an occasional ouzo after dinner. We even bought a Flocati rug that we still own today.

Sunday, April 6th, was Greek Orthodox Easter. Mike invited us to share the feast his family was preparing. We quickly said yes and looked forward to the meal. As we left for a minibike ride around the Island, Mike and one of his brothers had started cooking a lamb on a spit over an open fire. With a laugh, and pointing to his watch, he cautioned us to be on time. We smiled and went for our ride (yes, you can ask Cathy. I was the one who crashed his minibike into some sticker bushes, after cautioning her not to go too fast).

A couple of hours later, we returned, just as the lamb was taken off the fire. The smell was heavenly. We quickly washed up and returned to the large room where family and friends were coming together. Tumblers were filled with wine. Amid the smiles and laughter, we seemed to have no trouble communicating. Finally, we all gathered around the table – maybe 15 or 20 of us. A huge Greek Salad was brought to the table and then two large platters of lamb. I’m sure there were other dishes, although I don’t remember them. Once everyone was seated, a prayer was said, and then Mike made a short speech and looked at the German and I, as did the rest of the table. I looked over to the German for a translation. It seems he and I were the honored guests and before the feast commenced, Mike was offering us the grilled eyes of the lamb.

At this point, several thoughts flashed through my brain. Lamb eyes? Honored Guest? Is this a joke? Is he making fun of me? What the hell do I do?… and finally, Go For It….

I took one of the eyes and the German took the other. I popped it into my mouth, chewed a bit, and swallowed it down. The flavor was good, and the texture was similar to a chicken gizzard. Toasts of “Yamas!” (To your health) were called out and the feast began.

We spent the next couple of hours eating and drinking with Mike and his extended family. We found ways to talk and laugh together. The lamb was delicious and we ate it using our fingers. We went through untold bottles of wine and water over the course of the afternoon. I think there was a dessert, coffee and ouzo at the end, but I have no memory of what kind of dessert. The day stretching out, seemingly forever.

Looking back, I think the day was closer to an American Christmas, rather than any Easter meal I’ve attended. The conversational volume level was loud, the sense of gratefulness and community were everywhere, and the table was overflowing with food and drink. It was perfect.

We left two days later and made our way back to the mainland. A couple more days there, and we then returned to Germany and work. It was a great vacation. I think back to the fun we had and recall many details of the trip, including visiting the ruins in Athens; hitchhiking to Sounio and the Temple of Poseidon; first hearing Alan Parsons’ “Lucifer” in a nightclub and being blown away; and even the young Israelis we talked with on the ferry ride back to the mainland from Mykonos. But what sticks in my mind most, is Mykonos and the Easter feast with Mike and his family. I’ve never forgotten their generosity in including us. It’s what made the vacation a memory, and not just a trip.

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Addendum –

– I’ve since done some research and in many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, there is a tradition of offering the “honored guest” the lamb’s eyes. Not that I ever doubted…

– Mykonos has always had a bit of a reputation as a “playground”, but in the ‘80s, it was much more remote than it is today. There were several Nightclubs, and an “unofficial” nude beach a few miles out of town. I don’t believe there was an airport on the island at the time.

– Lucifer (From the Alan Parson Project album “Eve”) was a huge hit in Europe, and made it to “Number 1” in Germany. It never had the same play in the US. I still remember sitting at the bar in Mykonos when it came on and asking the bartender “who the hell is this?!!”. I bought the album at the Frankfort Px right after we landed at the airport on our return.

– I’ve retained one word of Greek: S’ efharistó (pronounced eff-ha-reece-toe), which means thank you. It was a good word to know.