back next 1     Mykonos, Windmill, Little Venice, Monastery, Photos Imagetripping sells beautiful framed distintive images of Mykonos, Greece. With an area of just 33 square miles, Mykonos is one of the smallest islands to belong to the Cyclades group. Its population of 9,300 residents is outnumbered by an annual pilgrimage of 900,000 visitors. The main town is known as Mykonos Town or Chora, which simply means "capital," and it is the administrative center of the island. Its whitewashed houses, maze of shops, and typical windmills stand out against the brown earth and blue skies, forming a perfect postcard setting. The most outstanding feature of the town is its dazzling brightness; blazing sunlight reflects off the freshly whitewashed churches and houses. The town is full of churches, tavernas, boutiques, souvenir shops and plenty of white cubic houses with blue wooden doors and windows. The streets are layed out in a maze formation that was used in past centuries to confuse attacking pirates. This design helped foil would-be attackers by confounding them and enabling villagers to maneuver them into ambush. Such layouts are repeated throughout the Mediterranean region. Some highlights of Mykono images presented above: The Windmills towering over the sea southeast of the capital are the most well-known and highly photographed Mykonos landmarks. The windmills are three storey cylindrical constructions with small windows and cone-shaped wooden roofs turning with the direction of the winds. These whitewashed, straw-capped windmills once contributed to the island’s economy grinding wheat into flour. During the 19th century, there were about 28 windmills on the island, constituting its leading small industry. Nowadays, the few remaining windmills are a popular background for visitors to the island. Boni’s mill was restored and operates as a museum, while some of the lower mills have been refurbished and are currently lived in! Another popular well photographed landmark is The Church of Panagia Paraportiani in Mykonos, literally meaning “Our Lady of the Side Gate”. The Church takes its name from its location next to the side entrance to the mediaeval castle of the capital. The church is one of the most characteristic Cycladic architectural monuments and one of the most photographed Greek churches; a complex formed through time by unknown craftsmen who gradually turned a pile of rubble into an architectural masterpiece utterly compatible with the Aegean landscape. The present day church is actually made up of five attached churches; the four churches making up the base of the complex are Agios Also featured in this gallery is Panagia Tourliani Monastery (Our Lady Tourliani) located in the traditional village of Ano Mera. About 8km from Chora, the monastery was built in 1542 and restored in 1767. It is believed that the iconostasis, the pulpit and the icons of the central church of the monastery were created in Florence, Italy. A number of images capture Little Venice, the picturesque corner of the town and island. The the name reflects the "Venice like appearence" because of the distinct white stone buildings with their multicolored porches and wooden balconies that rest on the sea’s edge. The tavernas in the area serve delicious fresh fish and traditional Greek cuisine. Waiters often throw left over bread into the water at table's edge bringing an entertaining boil of small (and sometime large) fish to the surface fighting over the scraps. Last but not least you will encounter the sland's mascot, Petros the Pelican, who we met in the Sunrise Cafe in Little Venice. The pelican mascot has a storied history. In 1958, a pelican was found half dead by a fisherman in Mykonos, who took care of the bird and nursed it back to health. The people of Mykonos quickly grew fond of it and named it Petros (Peter), who later became the island’s mascot. Unfortunately, in 1986 Petros the Pelican of Mykonos died after being hit by a car. The sudden loss of the Pelican made the island residents bring in his successor, to whom they gave the same name… it is very easy to meet Petros the pelican; he and the other pelicans stroll around at the capital’s waterfront, showing a particular preference to the tavernas. He does love fingers, so do not get too close. Many of the images in this gallery were captured off the Azamara Journey at anchor off shore. Shooting with a high resolution camera mounted on a tripod with trigger release in late afternoon, sunset, and at night offers distinctive panoramic views of Mykonos and the iconic landmarks that could not be obtained on land.