We had heard a lot about Greece. I had read a lot about it also. Greece is famous for its diverse landscapes, islands, rich history dating back more than 3000 years, fascinating architecture, delicious food, excellent climate, and last but not least, its friendly people. For many years we were eager to experience this. Our desire to see this heaven was finally fulfilled. In June 2017 we planned a one-week trip to Greece to experience its incredible blend of history, landscape, beauty, and cuisine. We were extremely excited by the idea of traveling to Greece, considered the father of democracy, the Olympic Games, and many other things.
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Mykonos island greece
During my trip to Greece, Mykonos was served as an extra dish on my plate. But after visiting Mykonos, I realized that it was like my favorite sweet pudding for me. Was the best part of my trip. Mykonos is one of the most beautiful islands of Greece, known for its exquisite beauty and tranquil beaches. After getting enough of the incredible, impressive Greek history in Athens, the capital of Greece, we eagerly awaited the unveiling of the journey ahead as we immersed ourselves in the natural beauty of the islands of Mykonos and Sardinia over the next four days. Wanted to get rest while getting drenched.
Boat trip from Athens to Mykonos Island
After having morning refreshments at the Athens guesthouse, we reached Piraeus Port, the main port of Athens. Here we boarded a boat called ‘Blue Star Luxury Yacht’ which was waiting to take us to the island of Mykonos. This very luxurious royal yacht had wide open terraces in many places all around, one of which was very close to where we were sitting. We got up and came out to see the view of the sea. It was drizzling outside. The sky was cloudy. The wind was blowing at extremely fast speed on the roof. Initially I did not pay attention because I was busy enjoying this amazing environment. Showers of rain falling from above, cool gusts of cool breeze and the glow of sunrise. As soon as the rain showers stopped, my eyes fell on the surrounding landscape. My eyes were wide open after seeing the beauty all around me.
Aegean Sea
All around us was the deep blue Aegean Sea, a long stretch of the Mediterranean Sea. Having lived in an amazing coastal area like Goa for many years, the sea and beaches are not a new element for me. Apart from Goa, I have seen the sea and the coast at many places in India and outside India. But I had never seen such a beautiful sea like the Aegean Sea anywhere before. This sea, as clear as glass and of extremely deep blue color, had achieved the best place in my mind. It is impossible to put into words so many shades of blue, the divine cleanliness of the water, and the extremely pleasant environment. It is necessary to experience them yourself to believe.
Panoramic view of the islands from the boat
Standing on the open deck of the yacht, we started looking at the islands of Syros and Tinos coming closer. We were extremely amazed by the incredible beauty of the architectural landscapes of these islands. From this boat, we were getting a bird’s eye view of the amazing blend of Cyclades architecture and medieval architecture. Cyclades architecture is characterized by white square houses, round cobblestone streets, ancient windmills, and the ubiquitous blue-domed churches.
From the deck of the boat, we could see countless marble stairs leading from the beach to the top of the hill among the narrow streets. On either side of the stairs were beautiful houses whose doors and windows were painted in the same color. The exquisite views of the islands left us spellbound. We were looking forward to landing on each of these islands. But these islands were not our destination. We began to expect that Mykonos would be filled with similar scenarios.
Evening view of Mykonos island
After 5 hours of amazing views, we reached Mykonos. The island of Mykonos, known as the Windy Island, seemed to live up to its name. It welcomed us grandly with gusts of clear and pleasant breeze. We were told that this is the most famous and universal Cyclades island. This island is considered one of the most popular beaches in the world. Mykonos is also extremely popular as the world’s best party destination.
From the port, we reached a picturesque coastal resort where our stay had been arranged in advance. The deep turquoise-blue calm sea was right at our doorstep. But as soon as we reached there, it started drizzling again to put a dent in our enthusiasm. My daughter’s passions were hurt the most. If the drizzle continues like this, then the plan for the next day to visit the famous walkways and windmills in the ancient city of Mykonos will be ruined. Then we thought that unnecessary worries never benefited anyone. We focused our attention on having a beautiful evening on the beach at the resort and headed out to sea. Luckily the rain showers stopped and a beautiful clear blue sky emerged which added to our enthusiasm.
As I said, being from Goa, beaches are not new to me. But this beach of Mykonos took us to a new world. I had seen such a beach, such beauty, and such a landscape for the first time in my life. It is very difficult to put this beauty into words. Only after watching this, you will be able to understand my excitement.
Beach of Mykonos
A beautiful clear blue sky had emerged. The extremely clean beach had comfortable seating arrangements for tourists all around. Tourists enjoy various activities a lot. But very few people were swimming in the sea. It was only after entering the sea that we understood the reason.
The seabed was not as sandy as other seabeds. There was a hard solid surface on the bottom of the sea which is the result of volcanoes. Looking at the thick sand scattered on the shore, it seemed as if it had been brought from somewhere to give the effect of a beach. We also entered the welcoming waters. Pleasant, cool, very clean water which was full of colorful innocent small fishes. Suddenly in the water, we came across a waist-high, solid rock that was parallel to the entire shore. When we crossed this natural ridge, we realized that the sea level on the other side had suddenly become extremely deep. Besides, there was also the fear of hitting the head with a hard ram while swimming. So we thought it best to come out of the water and enjoy the beach like other tourists.
Standing on the beach of Mykonos, we imprinted the evening landscapes in our memory and also took many photographs. Slowly the darkness of night started setting in. The memory of the scenario we saw after this still takes me to the world of dreams. The moon was shining in its full glory in the sky. The moonlight falling on the surface of the Aegean Sea was making it shine as if someone had scattered countless shining diamonds on the sea surface. This dazzling night scene had mesmerized us so much that we were not even aware of the fun and frolic of the tourists on the shore behind us.
After some more darkness, we too became part of the joyous activities by walking on the beach. Our dinner was arranged on the beach itself on a moonlit night. Food arrangements were extremely limited. Since this resort is away from the city, we had to be satisfied with this. Due to such a happy environment, we did not even regret it. Our focus was less on food and more on the joy and joyful scenes around us. Music was playing. People were dancing. There was an atmosphere of excitement all around. Ultimately the beach of Mykonos island is famous for these beaches.
Mykonos island footpaths
On the second morning, after breakfast, we set out to inspect the footpaths located in the main city. The main city is called the city center or chora. There was a small bus stand in front of the resort from where a very convenient bus service was available to the main town every half hour from 8 am to 8 pm. The main town was about 15 minutes away from the resort.
The country of Greece is very famous for its footpaths. You will find footpaths in every city. These walkways are usually in the older parts of the city where a variety of sightseeing and activities are available, such as specialty shops, houses, cafes, gift shops, specialty restaurants, art galleries, etc. These roads are so narrow that driving vehicles is not allowed on them. From this word walkway you might have guessed that we can only walk on foot in these streets.
We also walked on these footpaths in Athens. The walkway area of Athens is called ‘Monastiraki’. ‘Monastiraki’ of Athens was a little different. It was more like an old market in a city, with shops selling clothes, souvenirs, and other typical items, local food stalls, and bargain hunters. There was no uniqueness or beauty in these shops. On the contrary, these galleys were extremely crowded.
Walkway
We had read about the footpaths of Mykonos and also seen some pictures. As we entered Chora village through a lane, we got our first glimpse of the beauty of this area. We felt like we were entering a different world. The element that first caught our attention was the unique blend of pure white, blue, and pink colors. There were small square houses, most of which had two floors. Their walls were of clean shining white color. Their windows and doors were bright blue. The narrow walkways made by laying stones were also of clean fresh white color. Invariably every house had bougainvillea vines laden with bright pink flowers.
The structures of the houses appeared to be ancient but they were well maintained inside and out. People were living in some houses, while shops, cafes, and art galleries were established in many houses. When we started walking in these streets, we realized that the village we were walking in was no less than a huge maze.
Shops
Wandering through the narrow streets, we saw many exclusive expensive shops selling high-end ready-made clothes, different types of shoes and slippers, cosmetics, jewelry, dry fruits, and souvenirs. Although most of these items were of high quality, ready-made garments made of soft Greek cotton cloth and some Greek souvenirs particularly attracted us. We did some shopping for us and our loved ones.
Art galleries
While strolling along the footpaths of Mykonos, our attention was drawn to the art galleries located here. Almost every street had at least one art gallery. One characteristic of these art galleries was that they were all privately owned galleries that had collections of artworks collected by their owners themselves. We saw artifacts from different art fields here. I really liked one sentiment of the owners of these museums. He himself was present in the museum and was describing to us in detail his collection. His conduct was very cordial. You might be thinking that we would have been charged a hefty entry fee. No! These galleries are open to all and no entry fee is charged.
Windmills of Mykonos
While wandering through the streets of Mykonos, we were constantly gauging the direction of the cool breeze coming from the sea and kept our faces in that direction. Our plan was successful in taking us beyond this maze. As soon as we came out, we were standing in front of the bottomless sea. As soon as we looked towards the left, we saw the famous windmills of this island.
The bases of all these windmills were circular. These mills, painted in bright white color, had conical roofs, small windows, and doors painted in blue. Here too there was a captivating sight of the mixture of white and blue colours. The doors of all the mills were closed. Therefore we could not see them from inside. We were told that these mills are not in working condition. Now they are just a sight to behold.
One of these windmills has now been converted into a small museum.
We were told that there are a total of 16 windmills in Mykonos, 7 of which are on Chora hill. These mills built by the people of Venice were mainly used for grinding wheat and barley. 20th. Their use began to decline from the middle of the century and eventually, they stopped completely.
Mykonos footpath cafes, bakeries, and snacks
In between the shops and museums, there were many traditional bakeries selling freshly prepared foods. One of them also showed us their traditional furnaces which were in the back of the shop. We saw both types of cafes here, simple and upscale with all the facilities. But they had one fact in common. They were all extremely small because there was not enough space for a larger structure. We tasted some local dishes here and bought some to bring back home.
Apart from these, there were some very tempting restaurants. Most of the canteens were in the open. Here, Greek and other European dishes, both spicy and spicy, were being served. As they say, in Rome behave like the Romans. That day we tasted delicious Greek cuisine at lunch. After the meal, we were also served a local drink of Greece from the canteen.
After dinner, we took another tour of Chora’s footpaths and beach. Purchase replicas of Mykonos’ distinctive windmills from souvenir vendors. By the end of the evening, visited the remaining museums and shops.
Now we had to cross the Chora and catch the bus to go back to the resort. After getting up from the beach, we came back into the streets. But our situation was becoming extremely ridiculous. Time and again we would turn around and come back to the beach. The maze of routes had left us confused. But the child within us was not ready to accept defeat. There was also the fear of missing the last bus service. Ultimately we came out taking direction from the local people at every intersection.
Santorini
Back at the resort, we had dinner in yet another atmosphere full of excitement and fun and headed towards the hut to unwind from the day’s fatigue. The body was tired but the mind was extremely happy and thrilled with the experience of the day. On the second day, after breakfast, we reached the port of Mykonos from where we had to take a high-speed ferry to reach Thessaloniki. We also had a very beautiful experience in Sardinia which I will share with you when the time comes. Till then, kudos to you.