Today is the last of our organized trips. We have two more ports to visit but we’ll do our own thing, or not, when we get there!
After breakfast we went down to catch the tender to the Island of Mykonos. The sea was pretty lively and many people insisted on standing outside on the deck of the boat for fear of losing breakfast. It wasn’t that rough! We made the 7 minute transit with no loss of pre-digested food.
Today was a simple tour, no ruins, just a sightseeing trip around the island, a couple of beaches, a 14th century monastery and some Greek food and booze (ouozo).
Here come the photos:
Views from/of a beach
Unfortunately it was difficult to get excited by the beaches after being spoiled by those on the Gulf of Mexico.
All the houses (except 2) on the island are white. This has been mandated by law to keep in character with islands history. The white comes from a limestone wash which was introduced in the early 20th century when Greece was hit with a cholera outbreak. The wash had antiseptic properties and prevented the spread of the disease. Until recently all windows, doors, domes etc had to be blue. In the last few years that requirement has been lifted.
Like the other islands, Mykonos is very rocky and very little grows here, likewise there a very few animals. For some reason though the island has become extremely popular with the rich and famous, consequently it is very expensive to live here.
Next stop was the 14th century (rebuilt in the 18th century) monastery in the village of Ano Mera. The monastery was built for one purpose. Greek Orthodox churches don’t have statues, they have idols, or 3D pictures. The relief of the picture is made from bees wax, overlaid with paints for the colour. Back in the 14th century an icon of the Virgin Mary was found in the sea off Mykonos and to keep it safe, a group of Monks built the monastery to house the icon.
The Monastery:
We also had a quick snack in the village Taverna. The accompanying drink was ouzo, a clear liquid that goes cloudy when water or ice is added. I haven’t drunk Ouzo since I had a bad experience with it in 1982! It still tastes OK, but the memories linger!
We then spent a bit of time wandering around the village.
We then headed back to the port, and another bumpy tender ride back to the boat.