Island of Mykonos

..(pronounced "MEE-koh-nos") is the Greek island that is the one seen on so many travel posters of the Mediterranean. Bright white buildings with a sunny climate...it's where lots of celebrities come to play. Our short day was the perfect example of why this little island is such a sought-after destination.

As we started a walk through the old Mykonos town, we came upon what was obviously a religious building and it was explained to us that we were actually looking at five (5?) churches! The building didn't seem to be big enough for even one "church" in our way of thinking, but we found out that there were hundreds of churches throughout the island, all privately owned and associated with the Greek Orthodox Church. These small, one-room churches were often attached to homes and were used for weddings, baptisms, and small ceremonies where an officiator from the Greek Orthodox Church would attend. Once inside one of them, you had barely had enough room to move around, and there wasn't enough room for more than a few people inside.

Royal Princess anchored on the right

Few crops are grown on this rocky island, but until about 40 years ago, these windmills were used to grind grain from nearby islands with more fertile soil. The wind here on Mykonos was a reliable power source.

There's a portion at the waterfront of the old town of Mykonos that's called, "Little Venice." Like its bigger namesake, the foundations of the buildings actually go directly down into the water and you can enter and leave the building directly from a boat. These buildings date back to pirate days and their design to be waterfront friendly was to thwart (or maybe aid?) the pirates in their nefarious activities.

The island has its issues. One is that it is a "dry" island. The word Mykonos actually means, "dry earth," and until just about 50 years ago, residents had to get their drinking water from one of just 4 or 5 wells in the town. This one was left here on display so we could see what they looked like. Now water is brought in through a system of pipes and reservoirs.

The design of nearly every single building is exactly the same throughout the island. No more than two floors, concrete framing, masonry exterior, then the obligatory (yes, it's a law!) bright white paint and deep blue shutters and doors. Interestingly, because there is a relatively constant breeze, the houses' upper edges are curved to keep the wind from making noise as it blows past the building.

Some swam, some sat on the sand, but everyone had a beach break on the shore of the Aegean Sea. The water was about 75 degrees, clear and clean. No wonder this island is a mecca for vacationers.

 

Posted with Blogsy