 Mykonos is the Perfect Place to Pop the Big Question
Have you been dating your partner for a while and you are seriously considering asking for their hand in marriage? It's a big step to take for anyone, and it certainly brings about anxiety and the range of feelings... read more
Mykonos
Greece, Playground island of the Cyclades Islands by S Pappas
Mykonos island has become Greece's
best known Playground Greek island, an unsurpassed tourist destination.
Much of its history has been fairly peaceful and unnoticed, yet the island
has been able to be reinvented as a cosmopolitan center. Here the old and
new intersect and delight.
How does an island made of
granite, with a shortage of fresh water, and relies on desalination, become
a world renown destination? By offering clean beaches surrounded by pristine
waters perfect for windsurfing and diving. By offering upscale, expensive
amenities as well as traditional tavernas, night clubs and beach bars featuring
internationally known DJ's and loud music. By being known for nude beaches.
Mykonos Greece has earned the reputation of being Greece's playground island.
Most descriptions of Mykonos
island make some reference to the color white...white washed roads, chalk-white
beauty, soft, white sands, dazzling white buildings are all included in
the many descriptions of this Greek Aegean island.
Not bad for Greek island
originally known as a simple supply station and retreat for the ancient
people of nearby Delos.
Mykonos island means "Mass
of Stones." It was named for Apollo's grandson, Mykonos. Mykonos was the
son of the King of Delos.
According to mythology, this
Greek island is the site of a great battles between Zeus and the Gigantes.
Another legend tells us that the Giants killed by Hercules are buried here.
Are these the masses of stones?
What we do know is that archaeologists
have found the remains of the settlements of the neolithic Kares tribe
here. We know Ionians settled here in 1100 BC. Ancient people worshiped
Dionysus, Demetra, Zeus, Apollo, Poseidon, and Heracles.
As did many of the Aegean
islands, Mykonos island passed from Roman to Byzantine to Venetian possession.
None saw Mykonos island as having much significance since it was never
agriculturally important. More modern Greeks, excellent traders and sailors,
used Mykonos Greece as a point from which to establish trade with Constantinople,
Smyrna, Alexandria, Marseilles. World War I brought a depression which
ended much of this business.
But in recent times, the
people of Mykonos island in Greece have reinvented this Greek island as
the cosmopolitan center of the Cyclades. Myconos island is small and beautiful
and easily explored. Narrow paths through he towns both confuse and enchant
visitors. Old paths cover much of the island making exploring the natural
world easy and enjoyable. One can hike and encounter local lizards sunning
themselves on Classical Greek ruins. It is this combination of rural beauty
and classical culture that has created modern Mykonos Greece.
The capital city, also the
largest town on the island, is called Hora, or referred to as Mykonos or
Myconos. It lies on the west coast.
Here the panigyria, the saints'
feast days, are still celebrated. These little festivals lend respite from
the rhythms of daily life. Local families provide simple foods and wines,
then local musicians come and everyone has an opportunity to dance.
Only on Mykonos island will
you see a donkey laden with produce, heading to market pass by an internationally
known actress. In this playground of old and new, rural and developed,
people know they can relax and play.
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