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PubClub in Greece 2000!
To no one's surprise,
the Greek Islands were their usual lively, crazy self.
Who: The group from www.PubClub.com, Los Angeles, CA
Date: July 2000
Itinerary: Mykonos, Paros, Santorini, Athens
For anyone looking for a place to party, there are few offerings this
vast and diverse world offers that are as spectacular as Greece.
It had been three years since our lead PubClubber, The Bartender, had
been to the islands. In tow were a trio of eager traveling mates ready
to experience this great land of fertile social riches.
Each Mykonos evening,
we were lodged with the world at the Skandinavian Bar.
After nearly three weeks on various islands, PubClub is happy to report
that Greece was just as The Bartender left it.
This is one of this country's greatest attributes. There are no big
hotels, annoying sprawling signs of commerce or other landscape-staining
edifices that turn many other treasured jewels into high-priced tourist
traps. The buildings are still painted the same spectacular white, accommodations
continue to be largely owned by families, the buses still chug down
the narrow roads somehow managing to avert disaster with a moped or
some other vehicle, and most of the restaurants, shops and bars are
exactly as they have been for decades.
Even many of the shopkeepers and bartenders still work at the same
places.
It was into this environment we charged, four people on a fun and fact-finding
mission. We were: The Bartender, Dave Munoz, Chris Cox and "Pilot
Pen" Lisa (so named for her passion for her employer).
Enjoy our journey.
THE CHARACTERS
 
For The Bartender
(left) and Munoz, it was Paradise dancing on the beachside bar.
 
This lovely Austrian
stood tall in the eyes of Mr. Cox and "Ensign Pen" Lisa found
Sex in Paros.
The Bartender. Ready for a party anytime. Fourth time in Greece,
thereby establishing himself as a "four-star admiral" in the
Royal PubClub Navy, established when we spotted the United States Seventh
Fleet cruising below us on the plane flight to Athens.
Dave Munoz. Social kingpin of Manhattan/Hermosa
Beach, Calif. If you want to party, don't leave home without
him. Eats six times a day. Began getting food on credit from oft-visited
gyro shop on Mykonos.
Mr. Chris Cox. Stands tall (6-6 to be exact, with the girth
to match the height, which is why we call him Mister Cox). Former college
football star. Much bigger than anyone else we encountered in Greece.
A gentle giant. First trip overseas.
Pilot Pen Lisa. Independent gal tough enough to travel with
three guys. Loves Italians (as we discovered soon enough). Initiated
contact with several girls, thereby keeping the boys happy. Name changed
to Ensign Pen to fit nautical theme we adopted.
The Aussies, Austrians, Dutch, Germans, Canadians and Others.
Joining our party was an international festival of fine folks. There
was the beautiful Chantalle, her mom "Ted" and friend "Martini"
from Holland, the fabulously funny Roger and Mick from Melbourne, Nina
and cousin Verena from Hamburg, the darling but complex schoolteacher
and her group from Austria and a pair of lovely and interesting Canadian
gals.
MYKONOS
The ever-expanding
group of PubClub party mates peaked in Mykonos.
It was like the movie "Groundhog Day."
We would arise in mid-afternoon, head to the beach, eat, relax and
party there until dusk, take a nap, get to the Skandinavian Bar at midnight
to meet up with the beach party people and a few others we did not yet
know, and stay out sometimes till well past dawn.
The next day, we would do it all over again.
This was life on Mykonos and it could not have been any finer.
 We
made fast friends, something that's as easy to do in Mykonos as getting
a drink. In no time, our group had swelled to nearly a dozen partymates
and, of course, the more the better.
There was the beautiful Chantalle, her long hair twisted in pigtailed
braids complimenting her dancing skill that made her a ticking Sex Bomb.
She was part of a Holland crew that included her ever-smiling mom Ted
and a friend we dubbed Martini because we couldn't grunt enough to properly
pronounce his real name.
Any good party group needs a pair of Aussie blokes, and Roger and Mick
were pair of let-it-loose Australians who dared to dance with anybody
and let their carefree style be their guide. On the lighter side, the
calm but friendly Deutch duo of Nina and Vernena made up our core group
of revelers.
Paradise Beach let
the inhibitions run wild.
Others joined in, like the almost-married couple from Iceland who planned
to spend a month on Mykonos and if anyone can survive such a thing,
our shirts are off to them.
Days were spent at Paradise Beach, hovered near the Tropicana Beach
Bar. In late afternoons, all order floats out to sea and a major beach
bash moves in to take its place. Bar-top dancing, water gun fights and
enough shots to fill a swimming pool make this THE place to party in
Mykonos.
 Nights
started – and often ended – in town at the Skandinavian Bar.
This is the island's nighttime meeting spot and with an outdoor gathering
area, two bars and a disco, there are few reasons to go elsewhere.
We did make one journey to the Down Under. Or at least it used to be
the Down Under, which until recently was an Australian-inspired bar
where the only way to get a drink was to jump up on the bar, shimmy
your way to the bartender, then wait for her to jump up on the bar and
shimmy her way back down to you. All the while, other bardancers stripped
off your clothes, resulting in everyone dancingon the bar in their underwear.
Alas, now it's called The Troubadour, a boring bar with an uninspired
bartender and a deejay with an attitude.
Still, each day spent on Mykonos was better than the one that preceded
it.
Ensign
Pen was all smiles with the Dutch gals.
The day party combined with the wild nights meant we were basically
getting drunk twice a day.
This explains why, although we only originally planned to spend five
days on Mykonos, we stayed eight.
PAROS
Initially headed to Santorini, we jumped ship early for a couple of
days on Paros. We were met at the dock by Vasilis, who runs a clean
hotel nearby called Captain Manolis. Since we were all feeling nautical
with our nicknames, we took this as a good sign.
Paros was a far cry from Mykonos. The days were lazy (which at least
allowed us to get in some souvenir shopping) and the nights lacked the
intensity and socializing of the Skandinavian Bar. The Paros Rock nightclub
is about the only game in town and while it has several bars and clubs
under one roof, it was hardly frenzy to which we had become accustomed.
We were without our Mykonos friends, who had yet to part with that
island. After two days, we departed for Santorini.
SANTORINI
We knew where to
go if this volcano blew: To The Tropical Bar!
One of the most beautiful places on Earth, Santorini is like the lover
you've always dreamed of meeting. It sweeps you off your feet.
There's no real daytime party on Santorini and while Mr. Cox was looking
to find a suitable replacement for Paradise Beach, we were able to entertain
him with the various activities offered on the island. We swam in its
crystal-clear waters, leaped off a boat into the green water of some
natural hot springs and climbed to the top of an active volcano (the
one that blew up here a couple of thousand years ago perhaps burying
the lost city of Atlantis. Very cool).
The volcano boat trip, by the way, was supposed to be a sunset booze
cruise, but the only booze supplied by the captain was a single shot
of ouzo. Heck, we were geting more than that from some shop owners.
Later, we learned we missed a real booze cruise, hosted by a beautiful
blonde. Oh, well, an adventure for next time.
This excursion also put us in the company of a pair of damsels in distress.
Two lovely Canadians, fresh off the boat in more ways than one, were
standing at the cruise ship dock loaded down with luggage. They were
looking for a taxi. Instead, they got The Bartender.
For those who do not know about such things, this was not the ferry
port dock, and the nearest taxi to this port was 3,000 meters straight
up a cliff. There are only three ways to reach the top: walking up the
600 zig-zag steps, riding a donkey up the 600 zig-zag steps or taking
a breathtaking cable car ride. The Bartender explained this to the gals,who
reponded by standing frozen in stunned silence.
 Sunsets
on Santorini are spectacular.
Somehow, they found their way and met up with us later that night at
The Tropical Bar. Now that they believed The Bartender knew his way
around Santorini, they felt comfortable in letting him be their island
tour guide.
The Tropical Bar is one of our favorite spots. It's a classy bar with
a wild side to it. The staff is super-friendly and we often found it
difficult to leave.
The Bartender and
one of the foxy Canucks with Toby, the Tropical Bar's bartender on loan
from Tsunami in London.
One night, The Bartender insisted on checking out his favorite place
in all of Greece. Called Brothers, he has consumed many a drink in this
haven. Unfortunately,, it was the Down Under all over again. The place
was virtually empty and the fever-pitch rock and roll had been replaced
by the same music played at every other bar.
So, we went Trip Into the Night, where Munoz met a very agreeable Australian,
and went crazy at the Coo Club, the island's top dance club. Still standing,
we staggered to the Town Square for an outdoor after-hours party.
Most nights were spent at The Tropical Bar. Often, this spilled into
the early mornings. Hey, it wasn't our fault. The staff kept bringing
us fresh drinks the second our glasses were empty and we found it too
hard to leave.
That's just all part of life in the Greek Isles.
 Greece
2000 Photo Album
The
Bartender in Greece 2000
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