Mykonos is the playground of Greece with the postcard view: white little houses with flowers and blue trimmed windows and doors, hand painted streets, windmills, pigeon keepers, chimneys, lots of little churches and wonderful restaurants and cafes. According to mythology, Mykonos was where Heracles killed the giants and the rocks around the island are supposedly their corpses!


Windmills of Mykonos

Many of the Greek "jetsetters" either have a house here or visit every summer, and the nightlife is very developed and frequented by a lot of eccentrics along with the rich and famous. In fact night life may continue until the wee hours of the morning, and in some instances until the new sun rises. This island does not provide much for those on a budget, so be prepared to open your wallet.


Nightlife in Mykonos

The town Chora is a place you should really explore. Walk around, go to the windmills, feed the mascot pelican Petros, have a drink in the little harbor and visit the Parapotiani church. And of course, go shopping. There are five museums in Chora: an archaeological, a laographic, a maritime, a cultural and a private one with old rooms and furniture. Folklore shops are everywhere, and a great souvenir is a copy of the ancient Cycladic art; little white figures in various positions (playing the flute, praying, thinking, families etc.) which are more than 6000 years old.


Petros the Pelican

For those interested in architecture, the built town of Chora is one of the best examples of the unique white box style with blue painted trim of the Cycladic Islands. Within the town are a maze of little streets and walking paths that wind throughout, providing endless opportunities to explore, as you never know where you will end. On the way, you might pass a store of couture, next to a store selling the Mykonos espadrilles, next to an artist's gallery, next to a restaurant; all is intermixed in a busy city center.


Walkways of Chora

In the next harbor over is a unique area of Mykonos called "Little Venice" for the houses and balconies are all built hanging over the water.


Balconies in Little Venice

Delos, a small island which used to be the holiest island in ancient Greece is easily accessed from Mykonos. No one is allowed to spend the night on this sacred island, but a daytrip is definitely a must: the island is cluttered with archaeological remains. Once felt to be the birthplace of Apollo, Delos has been an important sacred island and an important island of commerce in a history that stretches back 5000 years. Your private crewed charter yacht can anchor right off of the island of Delos and take you ashore with the ships tender. Or there are frequent day ferries from the town of Chora to Delos. While the ruins are all marked, you may want to hire a guide for a more thorough tour, as the ruins on this sacred island are certainly some of the most famous. There is also a museum on the island housing various smaller artifacts found, many from everyday life. The museum also houses some of the more delicate statues and art found, including wall murals from various homes.



Delos Anchorage



Delos Lion Statuary

You can also go to another neighboring island, Tenos, which is the holiest island of modern Greece. The church of the Virgin Mary is a goal for thousands of orthodox pilgrims every year. It is also a very beautiful place worth visiting.

Rhodes

Rhodes is one of the most well known of the Greek islands and vacationers have been going there for decades. Everywhere you will see bars, clubs, and restaurants with food from all over the world, and miles of long sandy beaches. The beaches on the northern side are open to the Aegean Sea and are best for wind driven water sports such as windsurfing, while the beaches on the southern side are open to the Mediterranean Sea, with less current and wind, and are better for swimming and sunning.

Rhodes used to be the sun god Helios' island. According to mythology, he had fallen in love with the nymph Rhodes, and when he shone his light on her, she transformed into the island. The name means "rose" and the island has been known since antiquity as an island covered with flowers, as it is today.

It was probably during the Classic period that the Colossus of Rhodes was built with one foot on each side of the harbor of Lindos. After an earthquake it fell apart, but when the people on Rhodes wanted to rebuild it, an oracle told them not to.

The capital, Rodos, is in itself very beautiful. Just walk around in the Old Town and see where the streets take you. Mandraki Harbor is a nice area, and the hill of Monte Smith provides a wonderful panorama view. Ringed alongside the harbor are many shops selling natural sponges, as the inhabitants of this island along with the Dodecanese Island of Symi, are well known for sponge diving. It is in the harbor of Mandraki the two famous bronze deer stand where the Colossus of Rhodes once was.

"Old Town", as it is referred to, is a medieval walled city, once home to the Knights of St. John (the Hospitallers) and subsequent Knight Orders to keep this island as a stronghold for Christianity, for across the way was the power of the Ottoman Empire.


Old City Gated Entrance


The walled city still exists including partial remains of a dry moat, and gated entrances. The crenellated tops of the city walls mark the outline of this old city. Within the walls today is an active city with walking streets, courtyards, and medieval buildings. Much of the Old Town is now shops, some touristy and some with elegant Greek jewelry, silver, leather, and couture. Still within the Old Town, and open for tours, is the Castle of the Grand Master, and running in front of the castle, is the road of the Knights, where inns for the various knight orders were once located. Tours are offered of the Old Town. Put aside a morning or afternoon to wander this area, and feel the medieval history come alive.


Castle of the Grand Masters


On the southern side of Rhodes, is the Greek village of Lindos, which can easily be visited by yacht, as there is a good harbor here for overnight anchoring. The harbor of Lindos has a nice beach ringed by a variety of Greek Tavernas offering seafood and typical Greek food for lunch or dinner. Lindos village is capped by an ancient acropolis where the remains of a number of buildings from various civilizations and centuries are still to be found. The acropolis originally housed a temple to Athena. Ruins of this temple and the original Hellenistic walls of the Acropolis are still visible. During the Byzantine time period a castle was constructed on the Acropolis. However in the 1300's, the Knights of St. John built castle walls on top of the Hellenistic walls, along with fortification towers and remodeled the castle so that virtually nothing of the Byzantine era is left and much of the remains on the acropolis now are from the time period of the Knights of St. John, including the church of St. John, which is still standing today. The Acropolis here is felt to only be surpassed by the Acropolis in Athens and can be explored by a short walk up from Lindos village.


Lindos Acropolis

Santorini Anchorage and Quay

The name Santorini is derived from the Greek word Stongilli, meaning round, as round this island was until the volcano erupted. Settlers began colonizing this island as early as 3200 BC. A variety of civilizations existed on this island, one of which, displaced by the volcano eruption, has yet to be identified. The civilizations that built another city on the island called Thira, now in ruins, however are easily identified as ancient Greek and Roman. The ruins of Thira sit on one of the highest peaks of the island and are well worth a visit if only for the panoramic view of the whole island

Many people consider Santorini to be one island; however it is a complex of five islands. Santorini (Thira) is the main island and around it are Thirasia and Aspronisi (parts of the ancient Stongilli) and the two volcanic islands Palea Kameni and Nea Kameni.


Sunrise in Santorini

Around the Caldera, is the bulk of modern Santorini, with buildings and homes built one on top of another, all reached by meandering footpaths. If you are on the Caldera, you will always have a view of the bay below, and the interior sheer sides of the remaining crescent of land.

Cruising to this island can be a challenge. The opening of the island to the Aegean Sea is situated in such a manner that when heavy Meltemi winds blow, it can be very difficult to enter into the interior bay. And anchoring in most of the interior bay is not generally possible due to depth. There is a very small dockage area just below the main town of Fira, where dockage reservations must be requested well in advance. On the eastern side of the interior bay, an underwater shelf of earth still exists in waters shallow enough to allow a small anchorage area. There is a quay built into the side of the caldera in this anchorage area, which is where the ferries arrive in Santorini and also the tenders of the private yachts anchored here can be tied up for shoreside access.

Following is more information on Santorini.


Blue domes of Santorini

Many reasons made this island famous worldwide including its oft photographed white buildings overlooking the blue Aegean Sea. Jules Verne made Santorini famous with the books "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" and "The mysterious island" where captain Nemo and his crew watch the volcano eruption. He was one of the visitors and scientists that came to Santorini during the eruptions of 1866 - 1870 and just after wrote this well known book. It is an island where the volcano rules and the caldera view is breathtaking!

The manner in which buildings are built one on top of one another nestled into the hillside is unique to Santorini. Some of the buildings are actually dug into the hillside with cave like rooms with arched ceilings.


Things to Do

Wine Tasting: Boutari is one of the great wine houses of Greece and their winery in Megalochori is the largest on the island. The company gives tours of the installations and wine cellars and a fancy multimedia show in a remodeled vault followed by a wine tasting.

Akrotiri Excavations: Akrotiri are the ruins of an ancient city buried by the 1500 B.C. volcanic explosion. A truly amazing archeological site, it's currently undergoing major renovations (the tourist/viewing facilities) and is still very much under excavation. This is an entire village that was discovered in the mid-19th century. It had been covered in volcanic ash, much like Italy's Pompeii, and appears to be undisturbed after being buried for so long. This civilization has yet to be identified, and stories abound about this site as being the lost city of Atlantis. The civilization appears to have been very sophisticated with apartment buildings running water, and murals showing large monkeys acting as house servants. Were these monkeys painted in the murals as decoration or is this a true reflection of a unique aspect of this unknown civilization?


Excavation of Akrotiri

Fira: The capital of Santorini, Fira, straddles the edge of the caldera. Stroll its winding, narrow streets, visiting ancient marketplaces and churches. There is a superb view out from Fira to the Kamenes, the two islets of black stones created by the volcano. This is the largest town on Santorini and features a large number of shops offering goods from local crafts to the latest couture. Night life is this town is very lively, and you might find yourself on an outdoor terrace of a bar or restaurant that is the roof of the building below. Where ever you find yourself, the view will be spectacular.


Fira

Oia: The most charming and well preserved of all the Santorini villages, Oia is 12 km from Fira. There's plenty of fine dining in restaurants with views of spectacular sunsets, as Oia is on the very western tip of the main crescent of the island. Oia is home to artists and writers from around the world who are attracted to its stunning beauty and light. Here you can wander through art galleries and other artists' shops. Early homes here, like in other areas of the island, were often excavated right out of the hillside, with only a built front of manmade materials. There are many of these home built in this manner to be seen in Oia. Just below Oia, is a narrow beach with a number of tavernas. Walk to the farthest taverna for the best food. The seafood is said to come straight from the sea right in front of this taverna. Here, they are often grilling octopus, small bites of which are served with a glass of ouzo in the late afternoon.


Ios Small Traditional Houses