Friday, October 24, 2008

FAREWELL TO MYKONOS

MYKONOS - SEPTEMBER 2007

In ancient times Delos was highly populated, but religious rules specified that no one should be born or die there. Thus, Mykonos, at a short two km distance, became very important as a supply island. Around the time of Alexander the Great the island became a very important commercial centre. Nowadays, from sunrise through late night, Mykonos is always alive. The sunset by the windmills is one of the islands musts!


"ORNOS BAY - A great place to spot the yachts that come to the island with the beautiful people of the Hola and alike..."


"LITTLE VENICE - The buildings by the water are one of the most pictured spots in Mykonos!"



"THE WINDMILLS are probably the most famous icons of Mykonos"



"SUNSET SHOW - Legions of photo catchers join at Little Venice and at the windmills for the sunset show!



"COLOURS - Little Venice shows different colours during the sunset show. The sea was rather rough that evening..."


"FLYING - Sometimes an airplane crosses the air"



"SUNSET BY THE POOL - Mykonos provides you with some great sunsets. At the Santa Marina, by the pool and reflected in a window, one may enjoy some fabulous sunsets..."




"SUNSET BY THE SEA"


"CRUISE SHIP - Many cruise ships come to Mykonos every summer. Loaded with thousands of tourists they provide an interesting movement to the island. Arriving usually by midday, they leave the island between 9:00 and 11:30 pm. Great chance to get some decent pictures (if you have a tripod... ;))!"



"CHURCHES - White churches are at every corner"


"PORT - The port of Hora at night"


"MYKONOS PELICAN - Legend says that in 1954 a fisherman stumbled upon a wounded pelican. He decided to take care of the creature, and once he regained his strength set him free. But the Pelican did not depart, and decided to make Mykonos his home. Petros, the Pelican, was then officially declared as the mascot of Mykonos. When the first Petros passed away in 1986, her loss was deeply mourned. So, Jackie O came to the rescue of Mykonos’s grieving people and donated another pelican to the island, Irene. The Hamburg Zoo had also donated a second Petros. Some years ago, there another injured Pelican (Nikolas) was found in Mykonos and nursed back to normal. So now three Pelicans can be seen wandering around the harbour"

72 comments:

Anonymous said...

This is the last post on Mykonos 2007! It shows the famous sunset scene at little Venice, and the Pelican mascot of the island… ;) Hope you enjoy, leave your comments and have a great weekend!

Marie said...

Quelle splendeur ces photos. I liked the photo with the plane, you clicked at the right moment.

alok said...

Super cool pictures! my fav one is the 8-10 Sunset picture :)

And that's an interesting story of mascot of the island - Pelican.

You too have a wonderful weekend ahead.

Ron said...

Awesome pictures! Those windmills are very unique, nothing that I am used to seeing.

The sunset pictures are incredible. Nothing like a sunset at the beach.

I also like the picture with the houses right up to the water. What a lovely place!

Rakesh Vanamali said...

Splendid pictures Gil, as always!

I enjoyed every single one of them!
Thanks for sharing along with the story of the Pelican

Do have a good weekend!

Cheers

Rakesh

Anonymous said...

Wonderful views and lovely sunsets.
And those pelicans!
When I was sitting in a harbor writing postcards, two pelicans came quite near to look at, what I am doing.
Thanks also for memories !

hpy said...

Some lovely photos again. I especially appreciate the windmills and the great colours on Little Venise. BTW, do you travel ALL the time?

Anonymous said...

FANTASTIC SERIES AGAIN!!!

alice said...

Le bleu tourne au doré, tu as eu raison de ne pas teindre ta barbe!
J'aime aussi beaucoup l'histoire des pélicans. Bon week end, Gil!

PeterParis said...

A farewell and au revoir to Mykonos for this time, not a final goodbye, I presume!

Dick said...

Fantastic, those windmills are fantastic, great to have Pelicans walking around.

Sally said...

I'm enjoying your Greek pics very much, and have many of the "same" shots.

We only visited Mykonos and Delos on a day trip (from Santorini) but it was a fabulous day.

We spent a week in paros, a few days in Santorini, 10 days or so in Crete. Another time, a week in lesbos, and Skiathos, and Corfu. Heaven.

Mariposa said...

beautiful GMG! The pelican's so cute =D

Beefybob7 said...

Hi Gil,

Thanks for the memories. We met Petros at the taverna. He was looking at himself in a mirror.

Ornos is one of my favorite beaches. Mykonos is one of my favorite towns.

Thanks again,
Bob

virtualjourney said...

Great post - love the pelican and the late night shots, especially the boat. Looks a great place for a break.

Jen Laceda | Milk Guides said...

hi gil,
went to mykonos september 2007. for some reason, we didn't get to the windmills!! how do you get to the windmills and little venice? by coincidence, we came to little venice from an alley, but we only saw a small part...how did you get to that part where you see the whole strip of little venice?
-jen

Unknown said...

Gil, your pictures are absolutely postcard perfect, esp the first one, I cant stop looking at it. How did you do that? Love that windmill..Happy weekend :D

Rhonda Hartis Smith said...

I think I'm in love with this place, those windmills are awesome!
I think this is my favorite so far.

Rhonda

Jules said...

Hi GMG - was able to download all the photos today and they are stunning. We didn't do Mykonos just Santorini and Paros so it is nice to see your shots.

I see from the map at the bottom of your page that you have not been to PNG - this is obviously a careless oversight - he! he! he!

MedaM said...

I am impressed again with all those views and lovely sunsets.
The previous post of blue is also stunning. Your fantastic photos speak more then I can ever express.

Joy said...

Loved the blueness of the photos. The way you arranged the photos told its own story. I could almost feel the goodbyes when I saw the sunset photos.

Thanks for visiting Norwich Daily Photo and leaving your comments. Have a great weekend!

joy
A Pinay In England
Your Love Coach
I, Woman

Anonymous said...

I loved the photo of everyone lined up to take photos, the night time cruise ship and the story of Jackie O giving a pelican. I am sad to be leaving the islands. :)

eye in the sky said...

those windmills look spectacular, and as i scrolled down these photos, i couldn't help but get excited with each photo. what a heavenly place.

there is a burough in london called "little venice" - which doesn't look like venice at all - or this special place you posted here.

beautiful set, as usual.

Maria Verivaki said...

i often think of mykonos as a young person's island for outdoor nightlife, etc, but you've just made me realise what i've been missing - maybe it'll be our next island holiday

indicaspecies said...

Beautiful pictures of little Venice Gil. The windmills are good, the sunset photos are fabulous, love that glow.

I wish you a relaxed and enjoyable weekend.

- celine

alicesg said...

Another set of beautifully taken travel photos. Love the sunset. The town really depend on the tourists. Your photo on all the photographers is indeed candid. Those houses were built so near the sea, what happen if there is a tsunami? Sorry, been scared of the sea since the last tsunami at Phuket and Malaysia so near where I am.

Rune Eide said...

I should have liked to be among that crowd of photographers - the wind mills and the white houses in a sunset. I'm glad you shared it with us!

PS Thank you for the nice comments! It was not Napoleon, but one of his major opponents - Lord Nelson. Than of course you know where it was taken - Trafalgar Square

Pernille said...

Thank you for your nice comment:)

And now you have convinced me. I HAVE to visite this beautiful place! In those shots it's everything that I like. Thanks for sharing:)

I'll be back:)

Have a lovely weekend:)

Steve Buser said...

I like the various views from all sides of the scene. Absolutely love the sunset shots. As always, good work.

I suppose your site must be a treasure trove for students looking for material on various parts of the world. And for travellers trying to decide on their next destination.

Jilly said...

This osting on Mykonos is stunning. I particular love that photograph with the light on the beautiful buildings - the dusk photo. Wonderful. I've never been to Mykonos but used often to go to Skiathos, another part of Greece I think?
Thanks so much for visiting Menton. I left the answer on the blog but briefly Branda is the eau de vie, the marc - it's distilled from the grape pips and twigs left over after the wine is made.

Anonymous said...

Very nice windmills.
The photos are beautiful, so is the place.

Alexander
Alex's World! - http://www.kakinan.com/alex

Wendy said...

Must make it to this part of the world! In the meantime thanks for the visual journey.

Lori said...

I knew when I saw all those photographers waiting for the sunset that it must be good. How gorgeous!!! Mykonos must be a paradise for photographers. I liked hearing the story behind the Pelicans. I'm jealous about all of your trips!! :)

Ming the Merciless said...

I didn't know about the windmill in Mykonos. How interesting!

The sunset photos are spectacular.

Tawnya Shields said...

So very beautiful. You capture these places so well. Love the pelican. He looks quite proud standing there. :o)

Anonymous said...

Very cool story about the pelicans. Enjoyed the Mykonos photos. Such a magical atmosphere.

Paz

Gattina said...

Wow ! I never thought it would be sooo beautiful ! I have been to Greece mainland this year and was rather disappointed.

Dawning One said...

ah, the Greek Isles. Beautiful
Mykonos, crisp white buildings against the blue sky and sea. Have to go back there again.
thanks for your visit and the comments on my blog,Gil. I'm back

virtualjourney said...

Trotter, I'm getting an odd 'blog not found' link on my sidebar scroll for your blog - and the wrong post heading coming up.

I'll check again at my end, assume it's temporary?

Jo's-D-Eyes said...

wow GIL.
Mykonos is indeed look-a-like a little like Venice yes, that is.... But the typical BLUE colours eeeh, they are really from Greece, Its great to see the sunset and the nice places to sit down and eat or drink, so Greece-like with the gret sunny weather. (when we go it MUST be sunny haha)

We just returned from PORTUGAL, and I showed already some impressions from were we went (not far thought)come and see.

soon in November we are heading to Belgium the Ardennes I guess..., I'll let you know (by my blog)

Wishing you a good week/weekend,
JoAnn's D Eyes

Chuckeroon said...

Hi, Trotter...try this

1. post the picture as normal on the Blogger "New Posting" . It appears in the usual small size.



2. open "edit html" tag. See Width 400 Height 300 (they have re-coded the thing, and there are many new words there).



3. alter this to Width 640 and to Height 480. Lower down see s400......change to s640 (as in the old days).



4. Now "Compose".



You must do this every time you post.

Anonymous said...

Hi, I found my way here from Mark at Travel Wonder where you had left a comment, so it's my first time here. I'm so glad that I stopped by :-)

I had no idea that Mykonos had windmills. How interesting. Not that I've been there (yet ;-), but I have heard and read a bit about it.

Those were wonderful photos. Thanks for showing me so much of Mykonos, it almost feels like I've been there now.

Maybe I'll go there some day. I loved the photos at least.

I love the very clear sea around Greece. As I've heard anyway, I've only been to Crete and that was truly wonderful!

adelynne said...

Perhaps I shall be the first in the world to die in Delos? ;) I kid. Haha. Anyway, these bunch of photos are awesome - such a play of lights! I also love how the houses are like in the middle of the sea, though they are not. And there are so many photographers there! Wow. Petros' legend is also not that "old" - 1954 is pretty "young", is it not? ;)

P.S. My favourite shot is "Flying" - I like that you captured the airplane right in the middle of the photo and between the windmills!

Nomadic Matt said...

Seems very beautiful but very very crowded.

Chuckeroon said...

Ha...yes! I remember well my regular visits to the North (our main business was in Duoro area)....So, I'll include Portugal as a villa possibility!!! Well done on the 640s

Dsole said...

Gil!
Qué tal? It's been a lot of time since I didn't coming to your blog! I see you didn't waste your time! as always, amazing landscapes and new destinations... lucky man, I'm saying hello to Outumn in my blog, that's it, no Mykonos or something like that, just the Fall.
Have a great sunday afternoon and a great week! :)

Lakshmi said...

what a lovely legend..and I love the sun set pictures..little venice looks romantic as well..Ive just been to the 12th century ruins in a small town and just posted a sneak preview..do drop in when you can..all of India is celebrating Deepavali or the festival of lights over the next couple of days

JO said...

Enjoyed the visit... fantastic pics - my Aunt is sitting next to me enjoying them too - Take care!

kuanyin333 said...

One of my favorite places in the world deserves a comment! Great photos of some of the best sites!
Fond memories of my times spent in the Greek Islands you've given me.

Fliss and Mike Adventures said...

A place I would truly love to go to one day....

Anonymous said...

Hi folks, I’m glad you were here and commented; also glad to have found the way to continue to upload large pictures against the idiosyncrasy of the Blogger’s robots; and finally glad that I managed to take the grey from the half background of my pictures. Oh, what a Happy Day… ;))

Marie,
So glad to see you back; so jealous to know that you’re near NYC… ;))
The plane was a hell of a chance…

Alok,
Those sunsets are beautiful; not as much as the Fiji islands sunset, but excellent anyhow… ;))

Ron,
Houses by the water are lovely, except when the sea becomes a bit rough… ;))

Rakesh,
Leena,
Those pelicans have a nice home in Mykonos; everybody – locals and visitors – seems to enjoy the presence of the creatures… ;)

Hélène,
Come on, don’t be that mean… ;) I used to travel all the time; now I blog on old travels… ;))

Vaggelis,
Thanks!

Alice,
C’est vrai que vers la fin de la journée, l’incroyable bleu tourne au doré… ;)) Spétacle magnifique!!

Peter,
That’s true; one day I’ll get back! For the time being, our daughter went there three weeks ago… ;))

Dick,
That’s a fantastic island!!!

Sally,
I’m sure you had a great time! But only one day for Mykonos and Delos coming from Santorini seems a bit short… ;)
One day I’ll make also Skiathos and Lesbos…

Mariposa,
Handsome, I would say… ;))

Bob,
That Petros is a presumptuous… Looking at himself on a mirror… ;))
Ornos is quite nice!

Julie,
I’m glad you like the night shot; I’m always so disappointed with the outcome…

Jen,
How is it possible that you missed the windmills? Was it Mykonos or some other island? ;)) OK, it’s true that Hora (Mykonos town) is a bit confusing to say the least… But there is one direct way from the port to the windmills: if you take the street close to the church Paraportiani and the sea (Anargiron st.) and keep to the right you’ll get to Alefkandra square, the heart of Little Venice and the basis of the windmills hill…
From uptown, you need a good map… ;))

M:Kate,
The first one was the view from the veranda of my hotel room, the only day that there were a few clouds in the sky… Nothing compared with the clear blue of the previous post… ;))

Rhonda,
I suspect you’ll have many favourites around here… ;))

Jules,
OK, Santorini is special!! Paros, nice! But Mykonos also deserves some attention!
PNG? I’m just waiting for an invitation… ;))

Medam,
It’s true that a picture is worth a thousand words! Thanks for your comment; truly appreciate!

Joy,
You’re right; sunset was the prelude to say goodbye…

Lynn,
They were there for a hour before the sun went down behind the island in front… Not as in Oia, Santorini, where you see it going straight in the ocean…
Ok, leaving the Isles, but something odd will be arriving… ;))

Eye,
The windmills are amazing; London and New York have several Little(s), but it truly doesn’t make much sense… ;))

MKiwi,
It’s true that Mykonos is a young person’s (and not so young, actually) nightlife paradise… But if you keep cool and stroll around in the morning (while all those are still asleep from the night before), you’ll see some quite interesting places… ;))

Celine,
The glow, that’s the amazing peculiarity of everything around Mykonos… ;))

Alice SG,
Ok, don’t think of tsunamis, living on an island… Anyhow, the place is gorgeous, though it is a volcanic island, as most of the existing islands… ;))

Rune,
I’m sure you would be catching some fabulous pictures with your excellent eye and great camera…
As for Nelson, it was some kind of Nelsonian Blindness to mistake him with Napoleon… ;)) Thought you were somewhere in Scandinavia, with Napoleon’s Hat Cookies… ;))

Pernille,
Not that difficult to convince; the place is stunning!!

Steve,
Many thanks! It’s not intended to be exactly a treasure trove, just a way to remember some interesting places I’ve been to when I feel a bit stuck… But if it works as such, I would be delighted… ;))

Jilly,
I share your opinion on the sunset picture of Little Venice; the light in that particular one was fabulous. Amazingly, I’ve a picture of the Gran Canale in true Venice with that same kind of colour…
Thanks for the info on the branda/brandy… They could add some «brandade» from Provence to the liquor… ;))

Alex,
Welcome back to the Blogosphere… We were missing you!!

Wendy,
I wonder how you missed this part of the world in your fabulous trips… ;)

Lori,
Oh yeah, a true paradise for all kind of photographers; it even has Paradise and Super Paradise beaches… ;))
Don’t be jealous; you live in New York… ;))

Ming,
The windmills are the icon of Mykonos; they bring a lot of tourists and money to the island… ;)

Tawnia,
I’m so glad to see you back! It’s true that those Pelican creatures do have a presence there… ;)

Paz,
Petros, Irene and Nicholas! What a Pelican trio… ;)

Gattina,
Sorry that you got disappointed at mainland Greece; probably not in the best mood to be there, because there are also some wonderful spots to see: just mention Delphi and Meteora as a short example… and Athens and Piraeus aren’t that bad… ;)

Dawning One,
Great to see you back! I was missing your rather interesting posts!! It seems that most people who have been in Mykonos would love to get back… ;)

Julie,
Replied to you at your blog and actually saw that the problem is now solved!

JoAnn,
So back from Portugal and now on the way to Belgium; you’re the Honorary Trotter of the Blogosphere!

Roon,
Yesterday morning, as I had an extra hour and had no answer from the Blogger robots, I started making experiences! Changed the /s400/ to /s640/ and then noticed that they had included width 400 and height 300. Decided to also add 60% to those and it worked! Now you confirm! Thanks!
So you were busy in the Douro area? Port wine? ;))

Lifecruiser,
Truly thanks for your first time comments here! I’ve some posts on Crete either; maybe you would like to remember some of the spots there… Hope you enjoy!

Addy,
Delos is nice, but there are many more interesting places in the world to die for… ;))
The houses are not in the middle of water, but I tell: they are on water… ;)
The plane was kind enough to let me catch it right in the middle… ;))
Thanks!

Matt,
Hard to find a beautiful spot not too crowded… ;)

Dsole,
¡Que placer de verte de nuevo aquí! I’ll match your autumn picture asap!
Hope everything is fine with you!

Lakshmi,
The story of the pelicans is amazing; the rest is just pure beauty… ;)
Happy Deepavali to you! India is definitely the land of festivals!!

Jo,
Thanks! Hope everything is fine with you and the baby!

Kuanyin,
I suspected you were also a Greek Isles fan… Glad to bring some good memories back to you…

Fliss & Mike,
Not a surprise that you would love to get there! Question of good taste… ;))

Indrani said...

Amazing virtual trip to Mykonos, I especially liked the sunset shot!

Anonymous said...

Indrani,
Glad to see you back! Those sunsets were wonderful...

Pietro Brosio said...

Another great post, Gil! The sequence of photographs is really amazing. I enjoyed Ornos Bay with its beautiful sky, the fantastic windmills, the sunset at Santa Marina. Very nice the image of little Venice, and all the others.

Anonymous said...

Pietro,
It's a shame that we have to leave when everything looks so beautiful... ;)

Azer Mantessa said...

watching those buildings known as "LITTLE VENICE" is thrilling and no wonder the most pictured spot in Mykonos ... whoaaaa

and nice sunsets :D

Anonymous said...

Azer,
It's true that the spot is a beautiful one; in particular when the sun helps... ;)

raccoonlover1963/Lisa Myers said...

Hello Gil. Great pics. I love the sunset pics. Very stunning. Love the pelican too.
Take care
Lisa

Anonymous said...

Lisa,
Thanks! Those sunset colours are wonderful; not so beautiful as in Fiji Islands, but lovely anyhow...

Z said...

Thank you for the windmill photos. One day I hope to visit, and I shall think of you!

Anonymous said...

Z,
Thanks! Hope you fulfil that wish...

Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

Mykonos is so beautful I think I would have a hard time leaving it! The sunsets were magnificent. The pelican mascot is a wonderful story!

Thanks!

Anonymous said...

Pat,
I must confess that for me it's always too difficult to get out of any place abroad... ;))

Louise said...

LOVE Little Venice in daylight and sunset. And the same for the windmills. The pelican is interesting.

Nikon said...

Wow, you really outdid yourself on this round!
The blues, the sunsets, windmills, waves, everything is beautiful :)

Anonymous said...

Louise,
Little Venice is always charming, day and night! The pelican...

Paul,
The blue colour in Greece is unbeatable!!

Dina said...

Indeed, a photographer's dream place!

Anonymous said...

Dina,
That's true! With a never ending blue...

NormanTheDoxie said...

Great windmills.

The Armenian Code of Laws looks like some interesting reading material. Were you able to translate?

Anonymous said...

Lisa,
I can understand six languages and three alphabets, but for Armenian I think you're requiring to much... ;))

lv2scpbk said...

The one photo with the colors of the buildings by the sea is spectacular. I love it!

Anonymous said...

Barb,
That's one of my favourites also! And you may see it with the waves moving at Azer's video. Incredible... ;))