Here's A Mykonos You May Not Know

Jeff—Saturday

A dear friend of mine—who also happens to be a reviewer—sent me a message, “More Mykonos photos, please!”

That’s a fair request, though hopefully not raised as a subtle criticism of the prose I’ve been posting of late.

That got me to wrestling with the question of what sort of photographs should I post? I’ve already posted photos of brilliant white Cycladic structures, Aegean blue seas and skies, hillside flowers, scantily clad partying bodies, and garbage dumping exposés. So what’s left?

That’s when it hit me.  Answer the question, “What’s left?”

Some on the island would say very little.  They’d point to how the island is now in service to rejoicing celebrities, as reported in a new Travel & Leisure article, titled appropriately, “The Greek Island that Celebs are Flocking to This Year.”  Usain Bolt, the world’s fastest man, picked Mykonos to celebrate his birthday and emancipation from the rigors of training, something our island is very good at doing.

Others see the island’s most distinctive feature—its architectural signature—as threatened by buildings allowed to adopt the passing fashions of foreign styles. They point to a just erected upscale mall utilizing non-indigenous plantings, sculptures far from Cycladic, and an underground parking garage, as establishing a foothold on the island for construction perfectly suited for LaJolla or Palm Springs California, but very much out of keeping with the island’s past.

But I didn’t want to focus on any of that. Instead I wanted to share a bit of timeless Mykonos that still exists today—if you know where to look.  So, I jumped into my trusty Jimny and headed off to places I treasure.  And here they are, but I shall not reveal their locations.  Because I want them to remain as they are, indomitable optimist that I am.

­—Jeff