Paradise Lost - Mykonos Girl's Weekend

It's official. Summer has breezed its way into our hearts, minds, and not to mention- our wardrobes. But, despite all of the above, the typical London summer cannot be compared with the island paradises of the Mediterranean, thus LBF gave into temptation, taking the weekend off to fly down to her favourite Aegean oasis of Mykonos in Greece.
After having got up at the crack of dawn, (literally the birds outside my window were adamant in their pursuit to deafen me with their mating calls) LBF sped off to Gatwick, vintage Mulberry tote in hand, to board Easyjet's non-stop direct flight at 7am to the notorious 'gay' Greek island. Looking fashionable (as always) in a Diane Von Furstenberg silk top and pashmina LBF found herself wedged in the plane between two disastrously good-looking gay men (honestly it made me angry at God for being born a woman) as she started her journey to paradise.....
In the dictionary Paradise is defined as a 'place of ideal beauty and perfection,' and in this case, Mykonos fits the bill. With a rocky exterior summoning the landscape one would expect on a lunar landing, a town cobble stoned to deter invading pirates of past centuries, the 'wine dark' sea Homer so provocatively described in his epic spreads itself out for miles and miles around the island paradise, and one cannot help but fall completely entranced under its bohemian spell.
As it happens the weekend coincided with a 'girl's trip' where six of my friends had come to stay and enjoy a bit of sun and sea before heading back into the real world of deadlines, launches and men problems. Amidst glasses of white wine, long, luxurious cat naps and glossed amounts of St. Tropez tanning oil we spent the days in a very SATC manner, scolding men for being such unpredictable and un-tame-worthy creatures, picking up gorgeous Italian men in beach bars and laughing over our grumpy husbands and boyfriends who had been incessantly texting and calling stuck home in raining, cold, London.

Caprice bar in Little Venice in Mykonos is legendary, perched quite perilously on the edge of the coast, the waves crash against the shore and splash all those who happen to be passing (talk about a sobering-wake-up after an evening of dancing and strawberry daiquiri shots) It was a favourite haunt of Jackie O back in the sixties, and on any night is sure to be jam-packed with party-goers. Definitely a must-go.

Mykonos has over three thousand churches. They all look like this and some are even placed next to clubs and bars. It's not unusual to see a group of burly Greek men pop in and light a candle before going out for a night on the town. Seriously, I've done it myself, clad in gold sequined crop top and micro-shorts =)

Dotted around Mykonos's many winding streets and luminous enclaves there are places to buy everything from jade necklaces to diamond watches. One of my favourite vendors is an Argentinian man whose life is that of the quintessential hippie, going from island to island, living as a nomad trailing the underbelly's of the world's cities. He doesn't eat meat, respects snakes and lives in an abandoned house by the sea, without any electricity. It's inspiring.

His craft is even more so, the mechanical constructions and intricate braided chains combined with beads fashioned from stones from Afghanistan, make up the most amazing, unique pieces of jewelerry. Needless to say, I had to get something, and left with a crystal the size of my fist, fixed fast with a moulded metal setting on a beautiful leather chain.