A Man and His Donkey

Mykonos Town

Along the Harbour

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon as we stroll along the harbour front of Mykonos Town.   This is our final installment, at least for now, in our series about our visit here during our Star Princess 12 Night Greek Isles and Mediterranean Cruise.

Mykonos is one of the most popular islands in Greece, and it is also one of the most famous islands. Many people think that the pictures from Mykonos Town are the symbol of Greece: tiny narrow alleyways lined by whitewashed houses with blue doors and windows. 

The Greek Tourist Office often use photos from Mykonos when they promote Greece. Many of the photos we've shown you thus far could entice you to visit Mykonos.

 

In reality, Mykonos needs little sales promotion. People from all over the world come here to swim and sunbathe at the fabulous beaches, shop in the boutiques, eat in the tavernas and cafes along the waterfront, or enjoy the high-energy night-life.

A Man and His Donkey

But for us, this Greek man riding upon his donkey, dressed in his Sunday best, is one of the images we want to remember.  We've told you about Petros the Pelican and the tradition surrounding him.  Here is another tradition that is still alive today in Mykonos.  We might have seen this same gentleman, with his donkey, selling vegetables in the alleyways early in the morning.   Now he is enjoying the fruits of his labors, along with his donkey, by the harbour.   He is happy to stop for tourists that want to take a photograph.   

This is the true Greece - a land rich in history and tradition, still carried out by its inhabitants and shared with the people from all over the world that explore its shores.   Come explore the shores of Mykonos yourself and spend some time learning about this beautiful country and its people.  We are glad that we had the chance to visit.

Our adventure continues in the ancient city of Athens, Greece.   Continue your virtual cruise through the Greek Isles via our blog and Facebook Fan Page photo albums.   We truly hope you are enjoying the journey thus far and perhaps will be able to visit yourself some day in the future.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Meet Petros - Mascot of Mykonos

Petros the Pelican

When you are in Alevkantra, the small sand beach in front of Venetia (Little Venice), or strolling through the harbour area of Mykonos Town, you may notice a local inhabitant that grabs your attention. Of course, we are talking about Petros (Peter) the Pelican who is particularly fond of both of these areas of Mykonos.

An integral part of the island of Mykonos and its folklore, Petros has officially been declared its mascot. Living here since 1954 after the original pelican passed away, following a 30 year residency., Petros wanders the neighborhoods frolicking in the waterways. Everyone in Mykonos, including visitors from abroad, adores and admires the pelican. The children love to play with the pelican, and tourists gather around to take a few photographs.

Legend has it that more than 40 years ago a local fisherman stumbled upon a wounded Pelican whom he decided to nurture back to health. Once the Pelican regained his strength, the fisherman tried to set him free. But surprisingly, the Pelican did not become airborne to his destined abode. Instead he made Mykonos his home. With every passing day, the cute creature became the cynosure of all eyes and became a celebrity.

The sight of the Pelican is a joy to behold, and during our visit as we wandered through Mykonos, we were fortunate to see him perched on a small row boat, enjoying the attention he was receiving. Petros has a good life it seems, as local fisherman offer the choicest of fresh sea fish to the Pelican from their daily catches. Our album, Mykonos Walking Tour, has some more pictures of Petros along with the sights that he sees as he wanders through his home town of Mykonos.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Mykonos Town Walking Tour

Mykonos Town (Chora)

Walking Tour

Mykonos Town (Chora) is a prime example of Cycladic architecture. It consists of narrow whitewashed alleyways, small churches, white houses with wooden doors and windows and brightly colored balconies.

Leaving our motorcoach behind, we walked along the harbour until we entered the enchanting town itself.  Splashes of color on balconies, doors, and staircases contrasted with the white buildings almost bringing them to life.   It was as if they were calling us to explore more closely.


In the colorful harbour we saw small fishing boats and yachts coexisting with the larger cruise ships, including our own Star Princess.  Taverns, Greek restaurants (ouzeris), cafes and shops lined the main coastal street as we followed our guide, listening to the historical information and learning more about the main attractions along our path.

We saw an elderly gentleman riding a donkey and the town's mascot pelican, Petros, who were both posing for pictures. You can read more about them in another post.

The crown jewel of our walk to Little Venice was the Panagia Paraportiani (Our Lady of the Postern Gate), the most famous of the many churches of Mykonos.  It actually consists of  five churches, four comprise its base and the fifth is built as the dome on the top. Widely photographed, you won't want to miss the opportunity to capture it with your own lens.

Panagia Paraportiani is located on Ayion Anargyron, near the folk museum in Little Venice, Mykonos Town. After getting our photographs, we continued to explore Mykonos Windmills and Little Venice before starting our return to the ship.

This quaint Greek town had come to life for us this day, basking in sunlight with its buildings framed by the sea and the clear blue sky.  We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to enjoy our stroll.

The images here are just a sampling of those memories which we captured for all eternity on digital "film".  Visit our Facebook Fan Page to see our photo albums:  Mykonos Walking Tour and Returning to Port of Mykonos.

There is much more yet to come from our 12-Night Mediterranean & Greek Isles Cruise Adventure.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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Mykonos Windmills and Little Venice

Mykonos Town (Chora)

Main Attractions

Chora of Mykonos is the capital of the most cosmopolitan island of Cyclades. In our last post, we boarded our motorcoach for the ride from Panagia Tourliani Monastery to the charming main town of Mykonos. Our journey continues in Mykonos town (Chora).

Our partially guided walking tour began in the parking lot just a few minutes away from the pier where our ship, Star Princess, was docked, awaiting our return after the conclusion of our Mykonos visit.

Two of the Main Attractions

The guided walk took us along the main coastal street of Mykonos past a lot of shops with jewels, clothes, popular art and many other items.   There are several cafes and tavernas along the waterfront street similar to the one in the picture above.  From every location along our walk, we had amazing views of the harbour where our ship was anchored along with a Pullmantur and Wind Star ship amongst the many private boats and yachts.

See more images in our album: Mykonos Walking Tour

Little Venice


Walking to the farthest point of the Chora, we passed a charming district known as Little Venice. Continuing beyond the buildings, we looked back at the picturesque two and three story houses, with colorful balconies, windows and doors. From this vantage point, the buildings appeared to be emerging from the sea begging to be captured on the canvas of our digital film. We would be remiss if we didn't oblige.

Windmills of Mykonos

The Windmills of Mykonos, iconic features of this main Greek Island, can be seen from every point of the village of Mykonos.  When entering the harbour, the windmills will be the first thing you see since they stand atop a hill overlooking the sea.

We have now made our journey to the top of that hill, a walk that was well worth it. If the windmills had eyes, this is the view they would see. The whole village of Chora and the harbour are visible from this point. In the distance, you can see our ship anchored at the Port of Mykonos.

Dating back to the 16th Century, these windmills had primarily been used to mill wheat.   Now, they remain quiet, no longer functioning as mills, but instead attracting visitors who want to get a closeup look at the structures that had once been an important source of income to the inhabitants.

In another post we will tell you more about our visit to Mykonos Town. Be sure to visit our Facebook Fan Page and sign up so that you can view more of our photo albums and useful information about our Mediterranean cruise. These two attractions were among our most enjoyable during our Mykonos visit.

Additional photos can be found on our Facebook Albums.




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