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Published: October 15th 2023
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After my 12 hour coma I awoke in front of a picturesque new island and ready for a fresh start. Mykonos is unofficially known as the island for the jet-setters. While they cater to the thousands of tourists that visit everyday, they are more well known for their night life and ability to party. Since that is not really my scene, I was happy to oblige their economy with a stroll through the most amazing streets.
It doesn’t really matter where you start, all paths lead back to the oceanfront. That is by ancient design, not modern ingenuity. The winding paths lead two many forks and even today are unlabeled with street names. In ancient times, this was a defense strategy. Invaders would get lost and frustratingly end up back in the same place. Only those who lived on the island knew their way around. They do now have house numbers which adorn every charming white washed house. Many have shutters, doors and stair rails are painted in the Mykonos blue, but there were some variations along our journey. Shades of green and a few light purples, with an occasional red could be seen. I do not know if these
are personal preference or hold some meaning within the community. Almost every home had a shop underneath, and many of these also had cats running to and fro. In fact, the largest and fattest cat we have seen thus far met us at the dock. Like every other destination, they are well cared for and belong to everyone. I love that concept. Can we not adopt that in the US?
Though it is now mid-October, the temperatures are moderate and flowers are still blooming everywhere. The bougainvillea vines drape many entrances and pergolas in shades of light pink through deep magenta. Geraniums were still holding on and several other flowering succulents I did not recognize adorned the island. Their colors made a stunning contrast to the white and blue most places,
Here too we did our part to support the local economy. The island dwellers depend on the cruise ship and other tourist business. Today, as we dropped anchor, there were two other huge cruise ships and one slightly smaller already at anchor. We made number four. Before mid-day the two large ships left and were replaced with three others. In all, the ships brought close to 30,000
people to the island. Mykonos only has 15,000 year-round inhabitants but they have spent years preparing their infrastructure to support the many visitors.
Unlike Lemnos, the shops we visited ranged from the tacky trinkets, to the high end European designers. There were two Greek designers who had shops on the island and seemed to have great interest. Designer clothing isn’t my thing either so I was happy to move along. Mykonos is also home to the Athens Fine Art Academy. There were a number of small art galleries with all kinds of fine art on display and for purchase. I found two watercolor paintings of the houses and streets that had to go home with me. There were many more I wish I could have taken. The artist, George Papadoperakis, is quite good. I will enjoy trying to capture the essence of Mykonos with my pigments when I return.
We also stopped for a mid-afternoon pick-me-up at a cafe on the water. Together we enjoyed a plate of bruschetta and we had to try an “iced chocolate” It was a confection in a glass that tasted more like chocolate mousse than anything else. It was quite rich and
even the three of us couldn’t finish it!
By 5:30 we were ready to head back to the ship for dinner and a good night’s rest. Tomorrow we call on Turkey again. When we wake we will be docked in Kusadasi, a favorite of our family when we lived in Turkey. Our private guide from Istanbul will be meeting us there to show us all around the ruins. Then in the evening, our ship has arranged for us a private dinner on the ancient marble streets if Efes (Ephesus). We will enjoy and authentic Turkish dinner while the Aegean Symphony plays classical music throughout the white glove service. What a treat! We are all looking forward to tomorrow. For now. good night!
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