Mykonos

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Mykonos is supposed to be a very exciting place and one of the top Greek islands to visit. Its known to be a gay island and no wonder Panos used to live there! Panos had bought all of us shuttle bus tickets to get into the capital of the island - Chora, because the ship docks far away. Chora was beautiful with its colorful harbor in which fishing boats nestled happily side by side with luxury yachts. We followed Panos for the free walking tour that he promised, along the waterfront into the cycladic village with maze like narrow paths framed by dazzlingly white washed buildings, all looking ancient.

Rajesh kept taking lots of pictures, while I paid attention to the stories that Panos told us. He said that Mykonos was one of the most expensive places in Europe. The women in Mykonos had to give dowry to get married. It was mandatory that they should own a house at least. (Not fair?) He paused in a square with the statue of a lady named Manto. He narrated that she was a lady of aristocratic lineage; had a huge fortune at her disposal and being a noble hearted lady she donated all her fortune towards the funding of the War of Independence (Greeks vs. Ottomans). So in the end, she died poor and single. Mykonos is said to have 365 churches and each church is owned by an individual. A day in the year is designated as the festival day of a particular church and the owner has to invite the entire island for a feast. All of us wondered aloud as to where the feast was tonight!

Mykonos is the whitest island in the world. It's ridiculously white. Panos said that it was the law. They paint the buildings white. The sand is white. The streets are white. The signs are white. Everything is white, but to break it up they use sea blue. So once in a while we get to see a roof that looks identical to the sea, which is just in the background. Panos took us for a walk to see the ancient windmills of chora that looked really quaint and picture perfect.

Little Venice (Alefkandra) is one of the most charming districts of Mykonos town and one of the prettiest places that evokes the look and feel of Venetian residences.. The picturesque 2 and 3 storey houses with colorful balconies, windows and doors built right on the sea form a lovely picture. Somewhere here, we lost Panos because we paused for some pictures. And Krazy Ken and his wife lost Clarence for the same reason. So they went in search of Panos and Clarence while we continued on our own private walking tour.

Losing yourself in its whitewashed alleyways can be one of Mykonos’ cheapest and most wonderful experiences. While the lights of town glitter in the harbor, the colorful domes of the town’s many churches dot the skyline, but it’s another experience entirely to see their doors still open at night and their sanctuaries glowing with candlelight. Just about everything in Mykonos stays open until the wee hours of the morning. The sun had set and we walked past chic boutiques, cafes, nightclubs, and more whitewashed houses characteristic of the island. We bought delicious chicken gyros and cassatta ice cream (absolutely divine) and enjoyed more walking and chatting with locals.

Numerous restaurants dot the waterfront and the Aegean’s sapphire waters lap at the legs of cafe tables and chairs. Mr & Mrs. Oregon walked past and said they were looking for Nikoleta’s Shop, to watch her at her loom, one of the last on Mykonos. Mrs. Oregon said she liked to shop for authentic Greek stuff and she was considering leaving Mykonos with one of Nikoleta’s luxurious scarves woven from Mykonian wool (€80 at least) and obviously Mr. Oregon humored her. We went back to the ship, ate the buffet dinner with Krazy Ken’s family and learnt that All izzz well. Clarence was found along with Panos!

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