The following is a story I wrote a while back about when I got lost in Mykonos, Greece.

Every summer my family and I try to go on one major vacation. During the summer of 2000, it happened to be a ten day cruise through the Greek Isles. Beginning as a relaxing trip, we toured Rhodes, Santorini, Melos, Crete, and Ios”¦ but then arrived at Mykonos. While docking, Mykonos looked absolutely beautiful; the entire city was constructed on the edge of a cliff. Sparkling white rooftops glimmered in the Mediterranean sunlight and Greek architecture spotted the skyline. I couldn”™t have chosen a more beautiful city to get lost in.

Mykonos was built many years ago as a coastal city designed for protection. After you get past the entrance, every building looks identical, forged together with concrete, creating endless catacombs of houses and shops. This design was intentionally confusing in an attempt to secure the city”™s valuables against pirates and raiders of the time. Upon walking down one path, you could take a turn, and everything looked identical to where you came from. This is fun while you”™re only a few streets from the entrance, but of course that wasn”™t the case.

I was with my parents looking in a small gift shop about half a mile inland from the dock. I found a necklace there, unique to the island. It was intricately woven with rare shells from the local beaches, and I immediately wanted it. I approached my dad to purchase it, and he suggested we look around at other stores and maybe I”™d find something I liked more. I agreed, put the necklace back, and we continued on our way.

About an hour later we came across a local jewelry store. My mom immediately fell in love with a style of ring sold there, and as a result my parents ended up spending what seemed like hours looking at every ring in the store- determined to buy one. After patiently waiting for so long, I finally pleaded to go back to the first gift store we found and buy that shell necklace I wanted. My dad must have felt sorry for dragging me into the jewelry store and taking so long, so he handed me some cash and off I ran. I zipped down the narrow walkway between residential houses (5 feet wide maybe, enclosed by concrete on every side) and through 5 way intersections. I knew every twist and every turn- exactly where to go to get back to that gift shop. Or so I thought.

After five or ten minutes of running, I started to notice the tourist shops grew scarcer and the residential housing became more rundown and neglected. I definitely hadn”™t noticed this on the way in, and a slight chill ran down my spine as the idea of being lost crept into the back of my mind. I climbed one of the wooden ladders often found besides the houses, and looked as far as I could see. I could faintly see the ocean over miles and miles of paths and buildings”¦ all perfectly identical. My heart skipped a beat as I realized how far from the ship I had gotten, and fear of being left behind overtook my mind. I knew the disembarking was not far off, and the sun was starting to get fairly low in the horizon. I climbed down and frantically started searching for people to ask directions, but I was out of the tourist area and I could not find anyone who spoke any English. When I asked how to get back to the dock, their answers all sounded Greek to me. I knew I was on my own.

Gaining a boost of courage, I started sprinting in the general direction of the ocean. Paths seemed to wind in every direction except where I wanted to go. Dusk was rapidly approaching and my fear was growing rapidly. I just kept running for what seemed like hours. The paint started to get more fresh, the houses seemed to get better kept, and I knew I was heading the right direction. Suddenly I came around a corner and nearly ran into someone standing in the middle of the walkway, locking the door to their shop. I came to a quick halt and then realized who he was It was the man from the jewelry store my parents were in! I explained how I got lost in the catacombs of buildings, and he just stood there and laughed a hearty laugh that did nothing but anger me inside. Finally he told me my parents were a few shops down looking at something else. They bought the gold ring and stayed in the same area until I got back. I immediately ran up to my mom and jumped into her arms. They were worried, but decided it”™d be best to remain in the area where they last saw me (my mom saw this as an opportunity to continue shopping), hoping I”™d find my way back. We immediately left for the dock, and made boarding only a few minutes before sail.

I”™m sure I slept well in our cabin that night, and from that point on I”™ve always known not to wonder off or go anywhere without a cell phone. I was very lucky to have found my way back that evening without incident, and hopefully I”™ll never have to try again.

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