Sewing Diary: Upcycling and U.F.Os!

Cutting out the top only of Butterick 5917

Over my winter break, I decided I wanted to clear out a small box of U.F.Os (unfinished objects) and upcycling projects I had set aside for - like -  years! In the past, these have not turned out very well, because I am trying to piece together bits and pieces, and make do, with less than optimal results. So we'll see how this goes. My first project was to take this black cotton knit skirt that I bought several years ago, but was too small for me. I didn't want to just give it away, though, because I am in love with the applique.

So I had removed the waistband, and decided to get some black cotton knit fabric and turn the skirt into an empire waist knit dress. My underbust area (where an empire silhouette would emphasize) is smaller than my waist so I moved the waist up there, and chose a commercial pattern for the top.

I had never used this pattern before so I did not know how it would fit. In addition, it is made for wovens, so I thought I had better size down, since I am using a knit. Anyone who sews a lot will hear warning bells going off: risky business #1: using a pattern for the first time without understanding how it will fit. Risky business #2: using a pattern meant for woven fabrics with knit fabrics. Regardless, I trudged ahead. I did not have to spend any money on this because I already had the pattern and the fabric in my stash.

What attracted me to this sewing pattern was the empire waist, the pretty ruffles around the neckline, and the fact that the neckline had a piece of fabric across the middle to make it not low cut. Of course, this piece of fabric was not high enough for me, and it was still low-cut on me - showing a decent amount of cleavage - but that's my life! I have such a high bust shelf, or maybe it's a short waist? In either case, almost everything except turtlenecks are low-cut on me!

I did not do any modifications on this pattern. I simple cut out the top, but in two sizes smaller than the pattern recommended, to make up for using knits instead of wovens. In case you didn't know, that is because you don't need the same amount of wearing ease with knit fabrics as you do with woven fabrics.

As far as design changes, there was supposed to be an opening in the back, but again, since I was using a knit fabric, I didn't need that because the lower neckline meant the dress could just go on over my head. 

The laying and cutting out of the pattern was pretty simple. There were not very many pieces, and it went quickly. The construction was also simple. I would call it "advanced beginner," so just a notch above beginner. My only real mistake was not stay stitching around the neckline, because it really stretched out and became floppy. Additionally, I was going to make this dress sleeveless, so that I could wear it year round just by adding or subtracting a cardigan on top. However, there were big gaps in the armholes, which means I should have done a Full Bust Adjustment. So I couldn't leave it sleeveless, and had to add short sleeves. So I laid out the fabric again and used the short sleeve pattern.

This will be really pretty on someone who isn't me.

All in all, I think it came out attractively, BUT I am not going to keep it. Yep, this one's being sent to Goodwill. (sad face). My issues are in the fit: the neckline is too big, gapey, droopy and low cut. And the skirt, even moved up on my body to a smaller part, is still too tight. Therefore, with the top being too big and the bottom being too small, it will never, ever fit me. So this was an upcycling fail, but as always, I try to focus on it as a learning experience. Better luck next time, and maybe I should stick with patterns I've had some experience with.

A Side Trip to the Island of Delos in the Cyclades

Inside the on-site museu on Delos

Leaving the Old Port in Mykonos for an afternoon trip to Delos

While I was visiting Mykonos and Santorini this past fall, I took an afternoon side trip to the island of Delos, leaving on a ferry from the Old Port on Mykonos.

Temple of Isis

Unlike the huge, cruise-ship-sized ferries that I rode between Athens and the islands, the ferry from Mykonos to Delos was more yatch-sized, and it had a top deck. If you hurried and were one of the first to get onboard, you could sit on the top deck and enjoy the fresh salt breezes on your ride.

A stray cat at the little snack bar on the island. There are zillions of stray cats on Delos.

It took less than an hour to get to and from Delos. There was a tiny, shambled dock, and a fence surrounding the site, with a little booth where I paid 5 Euros for entry. The entire island is one of the most important archaeological sites in Greece.

Delos' importance as a holy site dates back to before Olympian Greek mythology: it has been inhabited since at least the 3rd millennium. It is mostly flat, in the area you reach first from the dock, but then rises to hills and small mountains. The excavation is ongoing, and most artifacts that have been recovered have been moved to the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, though there are a good number of statues in the little museum there on the island.

Mosaiic from the Insula of the Jewellery

Delos is not at all commercialized, but next to the on-site museum is a tiny cafe and some restrooms.
It is a wide open space with very few trees that I could see, and visitors walk freely among the ruins: no roped off sections here. I really enjoyed being able to trace my fingers over the carved lettering on pedestals, and winding my way among the beautiful plants and flowers.

As an artist, I drank in the richness of textures and dry-dusted colors woven in to the landscape of man-made objects, taken over by wildness.

I was glad to visit on a slightly overcast day when it was not too hot, because there was virtually no shade and the light and wind beat down on the entire island without respite.

Another view of the Temple of Isis

Wow, look at the tushy on this one!

From the Terrace of the Lions

I don't remember how much the ferry ride cost, but I remember thinking it was definitely affordable, and my hours on the island, traipsing around lost in thought, among the other site-seers was both peaceful and awe-inspiring.

Beauty Favorites and Fails, including Korean Beauty Products : November 2015

Here are some of the beauty products I've used over the past month, divided into things that I loved, and things that were fails.

This month's favorites

Success Stories
Tony Moly I'm Real Sheet Masks: Makgeolli Skin Purifying Mask Sheet, Aloe Moisturizing Mask Sheet $3 - 4 for each for one mask.
These were the first two sheet masks I ever tried. They were good; gentle and soothing. My skin definitely looked moisturized right after use, but as with most face masks, the look did not last into the next day. It is a temporary fix but helpful on days when your skin feels really dehydrated and dry. Using sheet masks feels a bit drippy - you are trying to lay a soaking wet piece of paper or fabric onto your face, and then you lay still for up to 30 minutes. So I don't always feel I have time for a sheet mask, but when I take the time, it is relaxing. I would use these again. I liked them! (Makgeolli is rice wine, by the way).

Sheet masks look pretty scarrrrry!

 Lush Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub: $22 for 4.2 oz.
First of all, don't use this on your face! It is way too harsh to use on delicate facial skin. That issue aside, I loved this scrub for my body. It is a fine-grain salt scrub with a pretty blue color (created by food coloring, unfortunately) and a fabulous scent that is fresh and lightly floral. It did not leave an oily or colored ring in my tub, unlike other salt scrubs that I've used, and it did a good job of smoothing my rough skin areas. It's pretty expensive, like most Lush products, at about $37 for 8.8oz, so it is an indulgence. But I would buy it again because it is a "lush" experience to use.

Klorane Shampoo with Desert Date $15 for 13.5 oz.
This was a "deluxe" sample I received from Sephora. I was only able to wash my long hair once with this sample, but I did really like it. The scent was subtly sweet, but not too strong, and it left my hair in nice condition, soft and manageable. I wasn't particularly wowed by it, but I would like to try this again if I have a store coupon, or it's on sale.

SkinFood Strawberry Black Sugar Mask Wash Off: $17 for 100g
This product calls itself a mask, but it's really a facial scrub. This is a variety of the very popular Brown Sugar scrub by Skinfood. I liked using this, mostly because of the cute packaging, pinkish color and the fun strawberry scent that is reminiscent of strawberry candy. I can't really categorize this as a favorite or a fail, though. Like I said, I enjoyed using it, but its shortcomings, in my opinion, are that there were not enough scrub particles to make it really effective, and the ones that were there were not fine enough - they were like strawberry seeds (maybe there WERE strawberry seeds, I don't know), but I like very fine scrubby bits in my facial scrub. So, it was nice, but I would not purchase it again. I am now in the process of trying lots of other facial scrubs, in search of THE ONE SCRUB TO RULE THEM ALL! Stay tuned ...

Lush Brazened Honey Fresh Face Mask
This is a long-time favorite of min! The smell is AMAZING! Very gentle and soothing, I will definitely repurchase this one, as I have many times. This is pricey, again, at $22 for about 4 ounces (I say "about" because many Lush products are sold by weight and so their prices vary slightly, depending on how much is scooped into the container), but it is a worth-it indulgence. It is fine-textured, with a very slight grit to it, so some manual exfoliation happens when you wash it off. I think it gives my skin a nice glow, and using it is enjoyable.

Lush Oatifix Fresh Face Mask
Have you ever been making oatmeal cookies, and had the urge to spread the dough onto your face? If so, than this mask is for you, because it smells and has the consistency exactly like oatmeal cookie dough! This is another of the products from Lush that are fresh and need to be refrigerated. Like Brazened Honey, above, that means that it expires pretty quickly, so don't buy more of these products than you can use up before the expiry date. This is another gentle, soothing mask with a wonderful scent: the oats plus smashed banana and ground almonds. I enjoyed using it, and I think it did it's work of soothing and softening. I would recommend this and probably purchase again. My only negative is that it is a very heavy, gloppy mask and large chunks of it tend to drop off. It doesn't spread on thinly, in other words. $8 for approximately 2 oz.

This month's fails

Beauty Fails

Lush 93,000 Miles Shower Jelly: $7 for 3.5 oz.
My main problem with this shower jelly is how to use it effectively. It is basically like a Jell-o Jiggler in consistency, and in ease of handling. I tried ripping off bits of it by digging in my fingernails but always got too much or too little product. I tried picking up the whole blob of jelly and rubbing the blob over my skin, but I kept dropping it because it's slippery! I tried smashing it into my scrub mitt and rubbing it on my body in the shower, but globs of it would always fall off onto the tub floor. Eventually, I found that the best way to use it was to wet a sponge or shower pouf, and rub them over the surface of the jelly several times to pick up the product as it melted with the water. Anyway, I decided in the end that it was too much work for what is basically highly scented, gelatinous soap, and I didn't particularly like the strong scent, which struck me as medicinal. The fragrances include cinnamon, peppermint, eucalyptus, and mint. I like all those scents on their own but don't like them all together. The name is a reference to the fact that this shower jelly is supposed to soothe tired, achy muscles that have been overworked by exercise. I didn't sense any such effect.

Clairol Perfect 10 by Nice 'N Easy in Lightest Cool Brown. $14 for one box
I was kind of shocked at how bad this was. The idea is fantastic: only 10 minutes wait time (after applying color) to cover my grays in between salon visits is very appealing. But this product just failed. First of all, it was very drippy and got everywhere in my (ALL WHITE!) bathroom. After I finished coloring, rinsing and blow-drying my hair, I was at first happy with the shade it turned out, and that it seemed to cover the gray hairs well. Fast forward to three days later, and after the first shampoo, I was bummed to see that the color had faded enormously and was much lighter on my brown hair, and my grey hairs were exposed. This color is supposed to be permanent and just grow out, but it seemed much of it had washed out! Waster of time and money.

CeraVe Sunscreen in SPF 30: $14 for 3 oz.
This has a long name: the rest of it says, "Broad Spectrum Face Lotion InVisibleZinc. I was really surprised this didn't work for me because it got great reviews on Beautypedia, and lots of positive reviews online. This is a mineral sunscreen, with both Titanium and Zinc Oxide. There was a slight white cast after application, but it mostly dissipated, except in photos, of course. It spread pretty easily on my face - not too much skin dragging. But the bad part was that after a few hours, it crumbled up on my skin and left white specs all over my face. (See photo). Fail! In the trash this went!

White specs of CeraVe sunscreen on my face (and collar!).

Tony Moly Delight Tony Tint in Red. (It also comes in Orange ChaCha and Cherry Pink). About $5 for 9ml
Tony Moly is a very popular Korean beauty brand with reasonable prices and fun, cute packaging. It is becoming more and more available in the U.S., with some products available at Sephora, and Ulta, and others easily purchasable online from many sources, including Amazon, Soko Glam, and Memebox. The packaging on this lip tint is adorable. I love the see-through tube that shows the pretty, glowing tint, and I also love that the end of the tube is in the shape of a heart. The applicator is a nice, angled "doe-foot". The smell is like strawberry candy. The color of the tint in the tube looks like strawberry jam. Unfortunately, that's where the positives end. Upon application, the color turned orange-y (at least on my lips), and was super wet. The applicator deposits way too much product onto the lips, so I had to just dab on a bit in the center of my mouth, and then use my finger to spread the rest. It dyed my finger orange. Really, the color ends up being just like you sucked on an orange popsicle. The lip tint dried quickly to a like-skin finish, which is okay, but it was also drying. I needed to apply lip balm shortly afterward. I also needed to scrub the skin around my mouth a bit, too, because the color bled a little bit outside of my lip line. This product is long lasting, though, and I had the same stain on my mouth and finger by the time I went to bed, although it did not wear evenly. Final verdict: I would not purchase this, and I also won't use up my tube. This is pretty junky stuff.

Benefit Air Patrol BB Cream Eyelid Primer: $29 for .13 oz.
The fall was hard on this one! I REALLY wanted it to work. I want to like Benefit products because I'm a huge fan of their packaging design. I love cute! But I've never had one of their products be anything more than mediocre for me. This was another example of mediocre. The packaging, while cute (made to look retro aeronautical) was kind of annoying. You twist the bottom of the tube and primer in light beige oozes out a little hole in a rubbery tip. Then you are supposed to spread one click's worth of the primer on each eye lid. But it dragged my eyelid and did not spread easily so I had to use my finger or a brush. And there was always a little extra product sitting in the hole it oozes out from, getting dry and cakey. Yuck! And as a primer, it did not work either. It made shadows harder to blend softly, and it creased almost immediately. So it didn't work at all to prevent my shadow from ending up in my eyelid crease by the end of the day, and this was expensive. Sadness! Please let me know if anyone has had crease-free primer success with a drugstore brand.

That's the round-up for this month. I hope to have many more beauty favorites to report on next month. Happy Holidays!

Friday Favorites and Fails: Product Reviews November 2015

Fails

Fails from Paula's Choice, Kiehls, and Pixi

(sorry about the weird formatting on this post. Blogger is being crazy).
Pixi Shea Butter Lip Balm in Ripe Raspberry : $8
I expected more moisture from this since it has shea butter in it, but it felt dry on my lips. Also, this color was very "candy" pink and bright, and it looked too juvenile and bright on my face, and it did not melt into my lips, but kind of sat them in a dry way. I will use this up, but will mix it with other colors and a lip balm to make it behave nicely. I will not purchase this again. 

Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Purely Natural Toner : $20
I was so onboard with wanting Paula's Choice products to work for me, but so far, I have not had success with anything of theirs that I have tried. This toner left my skin feeling tight and itchy around the eyes. Paula's Choice products never have a fragrance in them, so sometimes the yucky smell of the ingredients come through. This had a milky texture, which some people may like. I prefer a watery texture, plusI didn't notice that it did anything positive for my skin. I did not finish this because I have so many other products I actually enjoy using as a toner.

Kiehl's Calendula-Rosemary Foot Repair Cream (might be discontinued because it wasn't on their website)
This has a very balmy texture that was soothing, but it didn't particularly help my feet any more than any other lotion would: i.e. no lasting change; just temporary moisturizing. It claims to help prevent cracks and calluses, but it did not do that. And the smell: I didn't like it. The rosemary scent is very strong, and not really pleasant, in my opinion. It's medicinal and reminded me of hospitals. I found myself dreading using it.

Favorites from Clarins, Nyx, and The Leakey Collection

Favorites

Nyx The Skinny Mascara : $7
I really enjoyed using this mascara. The brush was skinny (hence the name) and easy to use because you could really reach close to the lash line without poking yourself in the eye. The mascara went on nice and wet, without clumping up, and it delicately lengthened and darkened my lashes. I used this beneath another mascara that added more fullness. This mascara is best for an everyday, natural look. I will probably purchase this again once I've gone through all the other mascaras in my stash.

Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Ecran Multi-Protection Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Oil-free Sunscreen : $42
I received this sample size with a purchase from Sephora, and I just loved it!!!! I will definitely purchase this next time I need sunscreen. There was no bad smell. The lotion spread easily on my skin without dragging, even in the delicate under-eye area. Almost no white cast, and what little there was, quickly disappated after a few minutes, and the lotion felt great on my skin. This is a hybrid chemical/physical sunscreen, with titanium dioxide, homosalate, octocrylene, and oxybenzone. It did not irritate my eyes, or cause breakouts. Loved it!

Marula - The Leakey Collection Pure Marula Oil : $78
Although you can get marula oil for a lot less money, I really love this version. The scent is very soothing to me. I really enjoy using it. However, if fragrance annoys you or you are sensitive to using it on your skin, than this is not for you. I have tried the less expensive, unscented marula oil that you can get from Whole Foods, but this version feels silkier and more emollient to me. Apparently, it is very high in antioxidants and omega acids, as well being very moisturizing. I also love the attractive packaging, and the pipette. Although this is pricey, it will last you a very long time. You only need to use a tiny drop at a time, either alone, or mixed with your other face products. I like to apply it before I go out at night because it moisturizes my under eye area and smooths those fine lines so they are less noticeable. I think it makes me look more youthful!

Sephora Friends and Family Sale Haul: Too Faced Le Grand Palais and Le Grande Chateau Mini Reviews

Le Grand Chateau and Le Grand Palais

Because it was so adorable, I couldn't help myself, and I purchased BOTH Christmas in Paris palettes available from Sephora: Le Grande Chateau and Le Grande Palais. My picture above shows the three mini palettes that came in the Grand Chateau box. They have gift tags printed on the backs, so you could give them to different people as stocking stuffers, if you wanted to. Cute idea! Le Grand Palais also comes with lipgloss, mascara and Shadow Insurance and sells for $58. Le Grand Chateau comes with mascara and is $49.

On the right in my picture above is the palette that came in Le Grand Palais. The reason I photographed them in this way is because there are tons of photos online showing them in their cute packaging, but I wanted to break it down to just the palettes so you can see the shadows and blushes you get with each set. To see the sets complete, here are the Sephora shop links.
Le Grand Palais
Le Grand Chateau
Unfortunately, I think Too Faced spent a little too much money on the design of the packaging, and too little on the quality of the eyeshadows. The biggest disappointment is with the sparkly shadows: they are severely under-pigmented and have a ton of fall-out.

Here above are swatches on my hand of two shadows from Le Grande Palais. The one on the right is "Midnight in Paris", the sparkling blue, and on the left side is "Eiffel", a gorgeous sparkling moss green (which looks black in this photo, but is really green). One the bottom is the color swatched on my hand, dry, straight from the palette. On the top is the same shadow mixed with either the Shadow Insurance that came with the palette or MAC Fix+ that I happened to have on hand. As you can see, mixing the shadow with some kind of primer is basically the only way these shades are usable. But even so, there is still a ton of fall-out, and I guarantee you will have glitter and shadow all over your cheeks, if not everywhere on your face, within an hour of application.

The colors from Le Grand Chateau seem to be a little more everyday-wearable, and there are some nice ones, especially "Oui", a gold-flecked, dark brown, "Parfait", a pastel pink shimmer, and "Moi", a rose gold shimmer. I love my shimmers and glitters!

So, to sum it all up: the quality of these shadows are not great. The blushes are nice, but they don't last on your skin either. The packaging is amazing! The colors are gorgeous. You will be able to create many, many looks from all the colors in the two palettes, because of the extreme fall-out from the eye shadows, you will have that "partied too hard and still wearing last night's make-up, but now it's under my eyes" look within an hour of application.

Here are my eyes one hour after application, in natural daylight. Lots of fading and lots of fallout under my eyes.

Would I buy these palettes again? Truthfully, even though I am disappointed in the quality, I WOULD buy them again. The palettes are just sooo pretty! They are like that hot boyfriend who's kinda a jerk, causes lots of drama, but you just can't bear to leave him, and you don't regret a single moment!

Two-and-a-Half Days in Mykonos: Party Capital of the Greek Cyclades Islands

Arriving at the New Port in Mykonos, September 2015

 I recently took a short trip to Mykonos and Santorini via a package I purchased through Jetsetter, which, by the way, I do not recommend. The package vacation was not a good value for the money, and it was very poorly planned, but regardless, I was excited to see these two much-photographed islands for myself, and I had a lovely visit.

There were stray cats everyway on Mykonos, Santorini and  Delos. They begged for food at your restaurant table.

The title of this blog post references Mykonos island as the party capital of the Greek islands, and that is certainly what it is know for, but that was not my experience of it. First of all, I was there in late September, when apparently, the "party scene" has all but wound down. And also, I am 50 years old this year, and as usual, I traveled solo, so I'm not really party-scene-material anymore. After a full day of walked thither and yon, I am usually pretty spent by midnight and ready to retreat to the quiet of my hotel room.

Looking back towards the hotel from the Aegean Sea!

My 2.5 days on the island were spent walking around the picturesque old town of Hora, with its labyrinthine stone streets that seem to all funnel out to the old port, where I did a lot of shopping, trying out different restaurants, and just staring out to sea in the peaceful, sunny days, and balmy nights. Here are links to my hotel review and some of my restaurant reviews on TripAdvisor:
1. Review for the Mykonos Palace Beach Hotel
2. Review for the Petasos Beach Hotel Spa
3. Review for the restaurant Avli Tou Thodori

Shopkeepers sat in chairs outside their shops in the "Latin Quarter" part of Hora on Mykonos

All pedestrian roads led down to the Old Port in Hora, on Mykonos.

Some of my shopping purchases on Mykonos included sunscreens with ingredients that you can't get in the U.S., a Grecian style cotton gauze dress that was very reasonably priced, and was ubiquitous throughout the shops on the island, in various colors, some postcards, of course, some of the beauty products produced in Greece using the local olive oil and lavender, and these cute woolen slippers with pom poms. I love pom poms!!!

Cute woolen slippers with pom poms, purchased from a beach front shop in Platys Gialos, Mykonos.

None of the stores I shopped at seem to have websites, at least that I can find. The exception is the Hondos Center, which is a chain in Greece. (There was one at the airport, too). I purchased a lot of beauty products and accessories there. It was really nice. Some of the other shops were (according to my credit card bill) Olga Markaki Cosmetics, Zorbas souvenirs, Sunrise grocery store, Agrari Pharmacy, Greek Art, and Vasilios Antoniou Clothing. I was surprised that almost all signs on the two islands (Mykonos and Santorini) were in English, which made it very easy to navigate. And all the shops stayed open very late at night, to take advantage of diners out at restaurants until eleven or twelve p.m.

The entire island of Delos is an archeological site, still undergoing excavation.

On Delos, you can walk among the many ruins, altars, homes and public buildings, built by the Greeks, Egyptians, and Romans.

I also took a morning boat ride to the island of Delos to see the ancient ruins of a thousand+ year old trading post and sanctuary. Unlike the ferries to and from Athens and the islands, this ferry ride was very short (less than an hour), and I could sit outside and enjoy the weather and the view. Although I should note that outdoor seating is limited, and on the ride back to Mykonos, I did not score an exterior deck seat and had to sit indoors. It was very simple to get a ticket to the ferry. I simply walked down to the Old Port in the town of Hora (all the pedestrian streets funnel down to the port), and the signs were in English, like almost everything else. I purchased my ticket the day before, but I did see several people purchasing their ferry ticket that day.

Inside the small museum on the island of Delos, that housed the artifacts recovered there. Stunning!

The ruins of a temple devoted to the Egyptian goddess, Isis.

The entire island of Delos is a site of ruins, and it's fantastic. There are very basic restrooms, and a snack bar in one building, but other than that, it is all ruins. It is easy to walk around (not too strenuous) but if it is a very hot day, you might be uncomfortable because there is no shade. It's all very open. It was very beautiful and awe-inspiring. There is a small museum where many of the artifacts are housed, and that is included in the entry fee, which was 5 Euros, at the time of my visit. It's a fantastic deal and I highly recommend this trip. You can opt to spend only a couple of hours on the island, as I did, or several hours. There are guided tours, for an additional fee, but I chose to walk around on my own, and follow the information given in the guide booklet they give you. At the time I visited, there were four ferries going and four ferries returning, throughout the day.

The entryway to the Spa at the Petasos Beach Resort. The architecture in the Cyclades was amazingly beautiful and serene.

In addition to shopping, and the trip to Delos, I did some lazing on the narrow strip of beach in front of my hotel in Platys Gialos, the Mykonos Palace Beach Hotel. See my review of that hotel on TripAdvisor here.

The Spa at the Petasos Beach Resort

On one afternoon, I enjoyed some treatments at the spa at the Petasos Beach Resort, a few blocks from my hotel. I highly recommend this spa! One of my favorite treatments was the Thelassotherapy pool. The pool area is really pretty with blue mosaic tiles, lounge chairs and a separate enclosed shower area. The pool is filled with salt water, warmed to body temperature, and it just feels fantastic on your skin, and extremely relaxing. I felt very buoyant and really enjoyed floating around to the various jets of water, that are placed at different positions in the pool, targeted to massage various parts of your body. For instance, there are water jets on the floor of the pool to massage your feet, and water jets at the height of your lower back, shoulders, upper back, etc. You get the pool all to yourself, and I just wish there was something around my area here in Chicago, so I could do it again, It was very lovely! After my session in the pool, I also got a foot and leg massage, and a manicure. My aesthetician was very friendly and she did a good job. The spa itself is really pretty, and the changing room was nice and peaceful. A great experience all around!

Here is the saltwater pool for Thelassotherapy

One thing I would note about Mykonos: there are very few taxis on the island, and the ones that are there charge a fortune!!! For instance, 50 Euros for a 20 minute ride! The bus system works very well and is super cheap and safe, and runs frequently. So I would advise using the bus whenever possible. Many people rent cars, but those cliffside, narrow roads are not for the faint of heart, and driving in Mykonos is not something I would have the nerve to do. The roads are extremely narrow, and in many places, very, very steep. Yikes! The downside of bus travel, though, is that you really need to think ahead of time where you want to go. For instance, I wish I'd known how pretty the area called Little Venice was, because I would have taken a bus there for the afternoon. But I missed going there. My advice is to do your research and have a plan of places you don't want to miss. Then once you are on Mykonos, you can use the buses to get where you want to go.

Here I am about to leave Mykonos on the ferry to Delos

Mykonos really is as beautiful as the pictures show. I thought the prices were pretty reasonable (with the exception of taxis), compared to other resort areas in Europe. And even though I am not a partier anymore, there was plenty to do, see and enjoy, for all ages.