Tinos
The island of Tinos is the third largest in the Cyclades. The port town of Tinos (where my ferry stopped) has 3,800 inhabitants and is dazzlingly white. The huge church that dominates the landscape was created with reused material from the Temple of Apollo at Delos. The island becomes swamped with people as August 15 approaches each year due to the pilgrimage on Our Lady's feast day. There is also an Archaeological Museum , built in the 1960's, that houses some pottery, marble reliefs and some sculpture.
Mykonos
Though I didn't know it (I didn't research the islands at
all except for Aegina, since I didn't think I would have time to make a visit),
Mykonos has quite a reputation. It is a very attractive town of 4,850
inhab. The island
also has extremely high commercialization and it's very touristy, but somehow
I'm not sure if the Hard Rock Cafe I saw has any real affiliation with the
others. The streets are purposely bewildering (to confuse the pirates
that used to raid the town) and the whitewashing of the buildings and streets
contrasts remarkably with the blooming flowers and bright painted doors.
It wasn't into the high tourist season so I wasn't exposed to most of the
traffic but I did see some University of South Carolina caps and a white feather
coat. It is well worth a stop if your nearby if only to experience it
shortly.
When the ship disembarks, you are overwhelmed with offers for lodging. Women come with their photo albums full of pictures of their dhomatia (rooms to let). There is also a good little Archaeological Museum of Mykonos with a remarkable scene of the fall of Troy on a pithos. The five white windmills that dominate the town's view are still stunning, as are the homes that reach right down to the water below them. The food was great here also. Just grab something to eat in one of Mykonos ' many bakeries or cafes (Hibiscus Croissanterie is great for a quick lunch), or you can eat at Niko's Taverna (don't ask me to describe where it is at, but it is not on the bay!). The whole stay was odd but since it wasn't too crowded and it wasn't too hot, I enjoyed it. (For Mykonos travel plans, HERE .)
Delos
The ride over from Mykonos to Delos was very choppy
but not too rough. The site was so large that there's no way I can
describe much of Delos here. The picture here is of the lions
that line the main entrance to the southern part of the island, coming from
the sanctuary. The best word to describe the site is "Big"!
It would take a few days to see the entire
Archaeological Site of Delos
. There are plenty of tourists at the site (it has become more
tourist friendly
) but since there are no permanent residents, the ruins have been well preserved
throughout the entire island. The
site
has been preserved in modern times and excavated by the French. In
1990 the entire island was named as a
World Heritage Site by UNESCO
. It was believed to be the birthplace of Apollo and was treated as
holy by the Classical Greeks. There was a major sanctuary to Apollo
here with numerous temples and dedicatory buildings. A tax free trade zone
was set up here and the island's population and reputation grew quickly with
many foreigners establishing buildings and even sections on the island.
There is a theater and many "mansions" that have been partially restored.
Their Bouleterion has been discovered and now their huge
theater
is online. Also the sacred lake with it's palm tree is neat, and
the mosaics in the houses are stunning. The stadium was too far away
for me to make it to after the amount of time I spent at the rest of the sites,
as was the "mountain" that is often trekked up for a good view of the island.
Don't miss the
Archaeological Museum of Delos
, though they were renovating part of it when I went by. Guide books
are needed here to decipher the layers and regions of the island, but don't
miss any of it! Take your time
walking around Delos
and I know you'll enjoy it.
