Travel Notes: "The Legendary Island of Mykonos in the Aegean Sea"

Mykonos (Mykonos), a famous historical and tourist resort in Greece, is a small island belonging to the Aegean Islands (Cyclades). It is about 45 minutes flight time from the capital Athens. There are a group of equally world-famous islands surrounding the island, including Tinos
Syros Paros Naxos and so on. Friends who love traveling are probably the same as the blogger. Just open the map and you will be fascinated by them.

God's bloodline

According to Greek mythology Mykonos is the son of Apollo. In the era when gods and humans lived together, Mycronos was the battlefield between the universe god Zeus and the giants (giants are villains in Greek mythology, a bit like monsters in Journey to the West). In a battle, Hercules Hercules completed one of his 12 missions by slaying the giant, whose corpses scattered across the Aegean Sea into huge rocky islands.

Mykonos is only 150 kilometers away from Athens, with an area of ​​86 square kilometers, and the highest peak is only 341 meters. There are no natural lakes or rivers on the island, and there are only two underground springs available for drinking. Later, fresh water reservoirs were built from these two springs, which can currently provide approximately 4500 cubic meters of fresh water every day. This amount of water is certainly not enough to support daily life, so desalination is needed to make up for it. When outsiders land on the island, someone will kindly remind them: the tap water is not drinkable, and daily life depends on imported bottled water.

The blogger set off from Newark Airport in New York, USA, and transferred via Athens. It took about 15 hours to get here. The last leg of the journey is aboard a small propeller-engine aircraft of Aegean Airlines, which is similar in size to a bus and can accommodate about 50 people. The previous weather forecast said that Mykonos would be windy all year round, so I was a little worried about bumps, but it was actually very smooth. It can be seen that it doesn't matter if there is a little wind, as long as it is not turbulent.

Some people joke that Mykronos is the island of the rich. This may be a nickname in the current Internet celebrity era, but the place called "Island
of the Winds" does have a long history, and There are many windmills.

The rise and fall of the island

According to research, BC 11 Century is 3000 People settled on the island many years ago, but the more prosperous one was the Delos . Mykonos Because of limited natural resources, few people are willing to live here.

After the rise of the Roman Empire, it declared its right to rule the Aegean Islands; Mycronos was later ruled by the Byzantine Empire until the demise of the empire in the 12th century ; then the Venetians ruled the surrounding islands, 16 It was invaded by the Ottoman fleet in the century; later, Britain and France also fought here to compete for regional hegemony.

The real change comes from 19 The awakening and rebellion of the Greeks in the 16th century. In order to drive out the Ottoman Empire, the Greeks fought a long military struggle, and this small island also gave birth to a famous heroine. Mavrogenous She was a hereditary noble, and because she was passionate about Greek history and culture, she resolutely stood on the opposite side of the Ottoman Empire. She was willing to sacrifice the wealth of her entire family and made a huge contribution to winning the war through her influence. 1830 After Greece's independence Mavrogenous She became a national hero, and her statues still stand in Athens and Mykronos.

Unfortunately, as history progressed to the end of the Age of Navigation, Mykonos gradually lost its original commercial status. The population of the island continued to decline, and records indicate that young and strong laborers at that time were willing to go to mainland Greece to work, or even venture to the United States.

Unexpectedly, as the French archaeological team continued to discover ruins and cultural relics with commercial value on the island, "tourism" gradually replaced commerce as the main source of income for Mikmicronos, which continues to this day. However, this was at the expense of a large number of cultural relics that were initially stolen, which is regrettable.

geography and landscape

Many small islands in the Aegean Sea are very suitable for tourism. It can even be said that the blue sky, white clouds, sea, white walls of B&Bs, and blue roofs of churches are all prepared for tourists from all over the world.

The island has plenty of sunshine, very little rainfall, and at least 300 sunny days a year. The so-called rainy season 11-3 months also does not have much precipitation. The average daytime temperatures in summer are 27 degrees and in winter are 15 degrees; at night they are 23 degrees and 11 degrees respectively. Very comfortable.

What you may not know is that when the winter tourist off-season comes, the island's hotels, restaurants, souvenir shops and other tourist-oriented businesses will close, leaving only the real permanent population waiting for the next peak season (every year 5-10 around month) is coming.

beautiful scenery

This trip was only arranged for three days, and it was basically at the tail end of the peak season. This is my first time here, so I can’t compare the differences in seasons. I can only share some beautiful pictures with you and talk about my experiences.

1)Hotel

Stayed at Anax Resort & Spa during this trip. Although the experience was indeed great, I am not naming them specifically to recommend them. It is mainly because I want to share photos with everyone, so it is necessary to mention them.

The hotel is a standard five-star hotel. It is built on the mountain. The height difference from top to bottom is about tens of meters. It has five floors. In addition to the lobby on the top floor and the beach, swimming pool and restaurant at the foot of the mountain, only the three buildings in the middle are guest rooms. , not many in number, not large in scale, but very exquisitely designed.

Lobby:

Rooms and Private Pools:

Overlook:

Ground floor swimming pool and restaurant:

beach:

Even the parking space has a great view:

There are buses on the island and they are relatively punctual. However, if you want more flexibility and convenience, it is better to rent a car yourself. Since this is a "rich island", you need to be mentally prepared, especially because taxis are very expensive. The front desk said that there are only 35 taxis on the island. If you want to book a taxi, you must advance, otherwise it will not be enough just to have money.

Mountain road:

You've already burned calories from your room to the restaurant, so there's nothing wrong with eating more. The hotel provides a shuttle bus, which is always available for lazy people. Unless you have luggage, bloggers generally hike, so they might be able to lose weight.

2)Sunset over the Aegean Sea

I don’t know why everyone likes to watch the sunset. Is it because they can’t get up in the morning? In terms of scenery, the sunrise and sunset are very spectacular and beautiful.

Mykonos's sunset is indeed more famous, perhaps because of geographical factors, the hotels are all on the west side of the island. To see the sunrise is not so easy, you need to get in the dark and drive down to the east side of the island.

3) Old Church

4) Each windmill has its own owner, and there are families living in it.

5)Town

6)Dock

7) Another five-star hotel that is closing: They are not close to the sea, but the courtyard is so beautiful

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‍‍Also has a small church:

8) Lighthouse: the highest point on the island

9) Night walking in the ancient town has an indescribable flavor

10) Vegetarian

As mentioned before, travel notes do not specifically recommend businesses. But as a year-round vegetarian tourist, I make a point of experiencing vegetarian meals wherever I go. What a coincidence, there is a Vegan Hotel
and Restaurant here. All the materials in the hotel, including the dishwashing liquid, are pure. Even if you don't stay, it's worth stopping by for lunch.

‍The overall dining experience can reach 4.5 points, including attitude 5 points.

The origin of the name "Rich Man Island"

In fact, it may be a misunderstanding to call this rich man's island. According to the blogger's observation, there are no mansions on the island, and no luxury cars were seen. The luxury yachts were not noticed at least in the port. Did it get its name because the things are relatively expensive? It's not very likely, because the prices on several other islands are similar.

After some research, the most likely explanation is that many celebrities have been here, which has gradually created a following effect - models, singers, sports stars, movie stars, royal families, etc. are all particularly popular. Of course, Mykonos itself has excellent conditions: first of all, it is not as crowded as the islands in Santorini, and personal privacy is easier to control, which is very important for celebrities; and then there are the culture and There is a foundation in history, there are many stories to tell, it is neither rushed nor impetuous; in addition, the service quality on the island is indeed very high, making people feel that the money spent is well worth it.

The three-day trip passed in a flash, and we took a speedboat back to Athens via another small island. This was the first Aegean island I visited, and I really liked the good balance of beauty and tranquility here. The only drawback is 10 It is indeed a bit cold here in February, and it takes a little extra motivation and courage to go into the sea.

Maybe, come back during the peak season next year.