Mykonos, Greece

We spent today on the island of Mykonos, one of the Cyclades, a group of Greek islands in the Aegean sea. The buildings of Mykonos are all bright white with blue trimmings, much like the Greek flags that flap in the brisk wind that's characteristic of the island.

My mother and I did not take a tour, but instead just wandered through the winding roads near the port, had a tasty Greek lunch, and took a quick dip in the water. Mykonos is a very windy island. In fact, the windy conditions were a major consideration for the ship, since we anchored offshore and took local tenders to the port. Another famous characteristic of Mykonos is the white-and-blue windmills perched on the hillsides.

Like the other Mediterranean destinations we've visited on this cruise, the water is crystal clear and azure blue. The weather today was hot and sunny again, but the brisk wind made it seem cooler than elsewhere (for example, although we visited the Parthenon first thing yesterday morning, we heard from our tour guide that the Greek government was considering closing the Acropolis site in the afternoon because of the extreme heat).

Here's one final picture from the harbor to give you an idea of what Mykonos looks like: