Mykonos, Greece
Though I had a bunch of trouble finding the place, my digs in Mykonos are AMAZING! And it’s not as though I paid a lot for them either. I just came to Mykonos at the right time⎯about a month before the island’s high season⎯and the proprietor of The Mykonos View upgraded me to an unoccupied room (again, it’s not yet high season) with an even better view than the room I booked. It’s called The Mykonos View because it sits on the hillside, right below the last road on which vehicular traffic is permitted, overlooking the pedestrian center of the town and the sea.
THIS is the view from my room. I can see the water while still lying on the bed. 🛳️ And the little patio with a dining table, couch, and coffee table are all mine as well. I can’t believe how fortunate I was in selecting this property! But wasn’t all luck. It’s wise⎯no matter how exhausted or frustrated you are upon arrival⎯to be nice to the host and staff. The owner had probably contemplated the upgrade before I arrived, but he waited until we met to make the final call. It pays to be kind and costs you absolutely nothing. 😊
Do you see the white cylindrical structure with the tent pole roofing slats at the center of this photo? Now look to the very left side and you will see four similar structures⎯much, much smaller because they are further away⎯sitting close together. These are the famous “Windmills of Mykonos,” and I was fortunate enough to have one of them sitting essentially right out the back gate of the property at which I was staying. Don’t feel bad if you’ve never heard of this tourist attraction or thought windmills were for visits to Holland, because I never had either and thought the same thing.
The Mykonos Windmills were (mostly) built by the Venetians when they ruled the island in the 16th century, harnessing the strong winds of the Cyclades to grind wheat for export along the trade route between Venice and Asia.
With a primary path right outside the back gate of my hotel, I wandered down and spent my first full day in Mykonos exploring the pedestrian center of town. With no particular destination in mind, it was perfectly fine to get turned around and “lost” a few times (though really, it’s not big enough to ever be seriously disoriented). The streets are adorably cobblestone and most of the buildings are the white stucco that we associate with a Grecian island. It’s very much a tourist town; as I occasionally stalled behind a clueless couple or family in the sometimes quite narrow passages, I was thankful that it is not yet high season.
There are some lovely shops and art galleries sprinkled among the many catering to tourists, including the “Tourist Crap” stores, as I refer to them (if I ever opened such a store, that is what I would call it; we would see whether people appreciate the “truth in advertising” approach 😁 ). Truth be told, all of the shops cater to tourists, because that is the business of the town⎯the whole island really⎯so you need to activate your discerning eye when traveling to a destination like this. Or, I suppose if you are just on vacation for a week, you could resign yourself to being overcharged and simply make that part of your travel budget. 💁🏻♂️
That, however, is not me! As I will be traveling for an entire year, I can’t get casually ripped off on a semi-regular basis. Even for basics like my ubiquitous Coca-Cola, I casually comparison shop when I am exploring a new place. That’s not to say I won’t buy a Coke in the first location at which one is available when I’m thirsty, but I do take note of how much I pay for it and will compare that to prices I see in other shops along the way. If it’s a big enough difference 🪙, I’ll likely return to the place with the cheaper price when I need to “stock up.”
The same goes for restaurants. I rarely simply “wander in” to a restaurant while traveling. I almost always seek recommendations from a local, do a little checking online, and keep my eyes open while exploring to find places and check out the vibe. I saw this kebab/gyro place while exploring today. Lots of these in Mykonos⎯most of them open late, which is an important feature for me. I rarely eat before 8:00 PM, and sometimes it’s after 11:00 PM. 😬 The place pictured here was satisfying⎯not amazing but good. As I watched my (quite handsome) waiter work the sidewalk, I found it fascinating: the waiters, almost all men here, are (essentially) barkers cajoling people to patronize their restaurant⎯and they do it mostly by flirting with the women. Sometimes they actually follow them down the sidewalk!
In the U.S., the whole thing would be considered sexual harassment en grosse (and gross). It’s like HOOTERS in reverse, if the HOOTERS servers worked stripper poles outside of the restaurant to get men to eat there. Quite crazy but perfectly normal and accepted here. Which is important to keep in mind. I am a visitor here. And I’m not judging (too much), just observing and taking note. 📝
OK, that’s it for now! Tomorrow, I will go further a field to check out some of the beaches on the island. If you click on any of the pictures above or the IMAGES picture on the home page, you should be taken to a gallery containing more pictures from Days 1 & 2. Please explore and post your reactions/responses in the comment section below. This site is designed to become a dialogue or group conversation about life and discovering, creating, and preparing for its Third Act! #NoDayBuToday
Lilliant
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Margarett
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Bret Marnell
October 29, 2023For some reason I couldn’t leave a comment on your story about packing for an extended journey as there was no “comment” option there, but I get you. I’m on an 11 day work trip in London, and I’d like to add weather as another factor. Cold and rain impact the wardrobe too. Then there’s the electronics and the camera and the back up batteries and the power converters. Man, that’s a lot of “and’s”!
Nevertheless, the photo of your wardrobe looks most stylish. So cheers to you, mate!