Part 4 - Mykonos

Mykonos

We were already able to enjoy the beautiful view of Mykonos from our breakfast table on the open deck of the Ocean View Cafe.

If you have read some of our other reviews, you already know that we like to take our time savoring these particular moments. Wherever possible, we enjoy the fresh air, the sunshine and the views as early as breakfast. In favor of this outdoor morning meal we don’t mind renouncing the otherwise excellent breakfast at BLU available to Aqua Class guests. This day was another fantastic opportunity – the weather was sunny and the sea very clam. For the guests of the first tender boats, which we were watching from our breakfast table, this made the transfer very short and pleasant.

 

In order to avoid the first rush of our fellow travelers, we took plenty of time. This was our second visit to Mykonos, so we knew that there was no reason to hurry. To us, Mykonos is a place whose beauty can easily and leisurely be discovered on your own without an organised tour. The time in port is sufficient, so there is no need to start the day particularly early.

In addition, it is very easy to discover Chora (Mykonos Town). If you leave the ship with the masses early in the morning, you simply follow the procession of visitors, who ultimately all have the same destination. If, like us, you take your time and avoid the first wave of fellow travelers on their road of discovery, it is just as easy. After leaving the tender boat, you simply keep to the right.

You quickly come across the charming characteristics of the local buildings. Old or new, well maintained or slightly neglected, there will always be a colorful element.

 

This is how you soon reach one of the two most photographed sights of Mykonos – Paraportiani church. It is the most famous of some 400 churches on this small island. It actually consists of 5 intertwined and convoluted chapels, but due to the partially organic and blended form of the complex as a whole, they are hardly perceptable individually.

 

This beaming white building would almost look like a stranded iceberg if it weren’t for the little bell arches and crosses on top of the roofs. Looking at this unusual site, which stood out so dazzlingly against the blue sky and the azure blue sea, it was easy to understand why the image adorns so many postcards.

 

From the church, the narrow streets, which sometimes make it impossible to walk side by side, take you towards the Alefkandra district – also known as “Little Venice”. The wide gaps between the paths’ large cobblestones are painted in white, the equally sparkling white house fronts are richly decorated with colorful extensions. Doors, windows, balconies and banisters are painted in bright colors. In each corner of the winding alleys you’ll find shops with colorful goods in abundance, which further decorate this fairy tale world. As a visitor you soon feel like a little ant crawling across an opulent color palette. Like on our first visit, we were enchanted by this postcard idyll.

 

If you continue to follow the alleys, you’ll soon reach the small restaurants and cafes along the waterfront marking this district of „Little Venice“ beneath the hill of the windmills. Usually, chances are high to meet “Pedros” the pelican, but this time, he seemed to be off duty.

 

Enthroned above this disctrict and impossible to miss are the Kato Mili – five well preserved windmills. They still bear witness of a time when the corn of the entire island was brought here for grinding. Today, visitors climbing the hill are rewarded with a gorgeous panoramic view of Little Venice, Chora and the port. This unobstructed view is the result of a former ban to build houses here so that the wind towards the windmills wouldn’t be compromised.

 

Just like the year before, we followed the road past the windmills, where the colorfulness of the town continued.

 

We knew that behind one of the bends we’d find the Yummy Cafe, where had already stopped at our previous visit. We also went there this time and enjoyed a refreshing homemade lemonade and a delicious cappuccino while watching with amusement the goings-on on the balcony of a neighboring house whose furry inhabitants were playing cat and mouse, or rather dog and cat.

 

Refreshed and invigorated we set off to dive into the heart of the town. Without many words we now invite you to stroll with us through this colorful world of alleys, shops and little squares, where every corner offered something else to discover.

 

At some corner we took a different turn compared to our last visit and experienced a, for us, completely new part of this colorful labyrinth. In this maze of winding streets you actually don’t need any plan or goal. We like it best to just drift and simply enjoy the sight of the allyes, galleries, colorful goods, restaurants and cafes.

 

Don’t worry – somehow you’ll automatically exit this jumble and join the bay in the port. So it’s almost impossible to get lost.

 

The year before, in a corner of the promenade by the port, we had discovered a little bar with seats along the stairs outside, of which we had kept a good memory. We wanted to build on this memory and also included it in this year’s visit. It is slightly off the promenade and therefore a little quieter, yet offering a beautiful view of what’s going on.

 

With free Wifi, a fresh Iced Cappuccino and an Ouzo we sat at a small table along the steps and enjoyed our time. We also got talking to a couple from the UK who spent their vacation on Mykonos in a rented apartment. And so time went by quickly and nicely.

Later, when we returned to the dock, walking along the romantic harbour promenade with its little chapel, past the restaurants and colorful fishing boats, we were very happy and pleased with our enchanting tour.

 

A boat was just waiting at the pier and left shortly after we were on board. Past the elegant sailing cruise ship Club Med II it took us back to our Reflection.

Good bye, Mykonos – we had a beautiful time again.

 

Today was no exception to meeting Linda and Pete at the Sunset Bar for the Sail Away. This bar on the upper deck at the stern of the Solstice Class ships is a wonderful place to have a drink with cruise friends and to wave good bye to the port while setting sail. The adjacent, unique lawn gives the bar a very special flair. That evening, the sunset was exceptionally beautiful and therefore unforgettable.

 

Reflections on Reflection...

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