Mykonos, Greece

My past memories of Mykonos consist of standing on the deck of a ship from a few miles offshore, seeing waaaaaaay off in the distance the iconic windmills of Mykonos. So close, yet so far away. That day, our ship didn't receive clearance to anchor offshore and tender passengers to land due to rough seas. Oh yeah, I guess I spent time staring at the whitecaps in the ocean as well. That was the one, and only, time I've ever missed a port stop on any of the cruises I've been on.

This time, I was hoping that it'd be different. That luck would be on my side and I'd finally be able to set foot on Mykonos.

To my great delight, by the time it was 6:00 am on the day we were to be in Mykonos, the ship was already alongside the berth. Woo hoo! We made it. The one pier large enough to accomodate cruise ships in Mykonos is located approximately 2 miles from Mykonos Town, or Hora. While walking into town on your own is a possibility, the roads can be treacherous as the majority of the distance you have to cover has no pedestrian sidewalk and is narrow enough that two cars passing each other with pedestrians walking along the side could be a dangerous thing. Accordingly, when cruise ships are in town, there is a local outfit that operates round-trip shuttle service from the pier to a parking lot that is located just on the edge of Hora. The tickets were reasonably priced, so we figured that would be our best option. The shuttle service began operating at 7:30 am, and we were on the first shuttle to town.

By this time, the sun had just risen and daylight was just beginning to shower this beautiful island. None of the shops in town were yet open, and only a handful of merchants were even up and about. Those that were, were very busy cleaning out tavernas and seaside cafes from last night's partying. It was such a nice time to be exploring the island.

From where the shuttle drops passengers off, you can walk straight into the heart of the city, along the shoreline. The view you see of this seafront boardwalk is stunning and majestic. The way the sun glints off of the most amazing, crystal clear, blue green water you've ever seen is one of those Kodak moments that will be ingrained in my head for a long time. I couldn't get the picture of this brilliantly colored water out of my head the rest of the trip. Looking at the water, it looks so inviting, cool and refreshing, contrast that with the humidity, sun, and heat of being on land, the water is like a muse that calls out to you to jump right into it. However, one of the things that I noticed right away was how windy Mykonos Town was. It's no wonder that this port is more often missed on a Mediterranean cruise than any other port stop. While there weren't currently any white caps in the ocean, the breeze sure was strong. The strong breeze also made it apparent as to why Mykonos is famous for its windmills.

Walking through Hora is simple and easy. The city is not all that large at all. And if you continue to follow the boardwalk around, you'll eventually wind your way through two of the most photographed areas of the island: Little Venice and the windmills. In the little harbor that is located in Hora, there are numerous pleasure boats, fishing boats, and tourists boats ready to transport passengers to the mythical island of Delos. It was right near this area that we had an opportunity to interact with some of the islands most recongizable creatures, the famous pelicans of Mykonos. Theory is that long ago there was an injured pelican that made it's way to Mykonos. The residents fell in love with it, so they nursed it back to health and named it Petros. Ever since, Petros, or his descendants have been one of the most iconic features of Mykonos. They are a huge tourist attraction, often fawned over and photographed, and they are constantly fed by the local fisherman and merchants. What a life!

After leaving the pelicans behind, we continued through some narrow alleyways until we came upon the Little Venice section of Mykonos Town. Little Venice is so named because the buildings in this section have facades that butt up against the ocean and the waves lap up against the building much as they would in Venice. However, in Venice you're talking about the facades of buildings mostly facing the canals and pretty calm waters. Here in Mykonos town, you're talking about these buildings facing out to the sea and what can often be described as rougher waters.

From the Little Venice area, the famous Mykonos windmills, the five of them that also make up the Mykonos Maritime Museum, are visible. The jaunt to the windmills is only a few minutes further down the pathway and a little uphill. While the windmills are no longer operational, they are still quite a site to behold. These windmills represent only a few of the original windmills that once stood on this island. While there are a few other scattered windmills that can still be found on the island, these five are the most iconic.

Right near where the windmills are located, we found a small little newsstand that also doubles as a location to purchase bus tickets on the island. We made the decision that we wanted to take the trek out to Paradise Beach. The round trip bus tickets from Hora to Paradise Beach and back were very cheap. The bus station, if it can be called a station, in Hora is just up the hill from the windmills. The bus stop itself is basically a small building with a tiny covered seating area, and a blackboard with handwritten bus schedules that correspond to the few locations that the bus travels to. In our case, we were looking for the bus to Paradise Beach. By the time we hoped on the bus, there was just us, and 2 other singles on the bus. We settled in for the 20 minute drive to Paradise Beach.

About 5 minutes before we reached Paradise Beach, the bus made a stop at Palaga Beach. Palaga is not as famous as it's well-known neighbor Paradise and Super Paradise Beach, but that certainly doesn't mean that it's not as pleasant. By the time we reached Paradise Beach, we found the beach to almost entirely empty. After talking to one of the locals who works for a dive operation that operates at the beach, we were told that Paradise Beach, and it's neighbor Super Paradise comes alive at about 5 pm and the party continues all the way through the night until the sun comes up again. Apparently, the whole night is one big party with loud music, drinking, food, and people dancing on table tops. But when morning comes, everyone goes to bed and the beach is basically a quiet peaceful paradise by day. Since there's no activity during the day, up until about noon, none of the vendors will even charge you for the use of their beach chairs and umbrellas. Be forewarned though that Paradise and Super Paradise Beach are both nude beaches, so it's not uncommon at all to see people entirely disrobed.

Interestingly enough, the worker we ran into told us that Super Paradise beach became very well known as a very gay friendly beach. Super Paradise's reputation as being a very open and friendly beach began to grow, and that attitude of being open and friendly was adopted by the neighboring Paradise Beach. And that has grown into one of the top party spots in all of the Mediterranean today. But by day, it's entirely different story. We spent a little while there soaking in the sounds of the waves lapping on the beach, enjoying a day in paradise at this gorgeous sun drenched beach out in the middle of the Mediterranean.

By the the bus dropped us back off in Hora, it was almost mid day. At this time, the city was certainly starting to come alive. However, being that we were in town on a Sunday, some shops just never opened. Nearby the bus stop, I saw a store that was advertising the fact that they sold rich, creamy and delicious homemade gelato made from fresh Greek milk. I knew I had to try some. And while it was probably the most expensive gelato I had on my trip, it was also some of the best gelato too. Rich, creamy and smooth, just as advertised.

As we walked back down towards the windmills, and then further still down towards the Little Venice area, I noticed that the wind had really picked up. Not only that, a scan of the ocean showed that whitecaps filled the sea, indicating that the water had really gotten rough. Good thing we docked in the morning, or else I may not have made it to Mykonos for a second time.

We decided to head back to the boardwalk area of Mykonos at take a seat at one of the outdoor cafes. We wanted to enjoy a cool refreshment, sit and relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery, and do a little people watching. After all, it's not every day you're on a beautiful Greek island sipping a cool drink (a coffee frappe with ice cream, in my case) ocean side.

After our short little break, we decided it was time to explore Mykonos Town. The streets, if they can be called streets, of Mykonos Town are basically a maze of small, narrow alleyways lined with shops. The buildings are completely whitewashed, and have brightly colored blue, red, and green doors, roofs, and shutters. It's so cute, quaint, and absolutely Greek. Shopping was certainly fun and my wallet took a bit of a hit.

The remainder of the afternoon on Mykonos was really just spent getting lost within the maze of the alleyways, stopping briefly for a classic Greek fast-food lunch of a gyro, and heading back to the waterfront to once again enjoy the views. As we made our way back to the outskirts of town to catch the shuttle back to the ship, I couldn't stop thinking about how beautiful colored the water in Mykonos was. I took so many pictures just trying to capture the color of the water, but the pictures I have just can't do it justice. I've never in my life seen the water in a color that was so richly emerald green, and brilliantly aqua blue at the same time. If this place isn't the epitome of paradise on earth, I don't really know where it would exist.

I was so glad that we made finally made it to Mykonos. After all these years of wondering what I missed out on, now I know. This was the perfect, relaxing, and breathtaking Greek island day.