Unique island of winds Superyachts, supermodels, su - perstars, superbly exquisite fine dining and a super-crazy nigh-
tlife scene? Sure, everything is super on Mykonos, but this island is much more than sand beaches and the good life. Wi- th a history that’s been lost to the deepest recesses of an- tiquity, the Greek island that ne - ver sleeps is steeped in legends and myths that have shaped it over the centuries Jackie and Petros From Paul McCartney to Elon Musk, Mykonos is a favou - rite destination for everyone who’s anyone. However, its gre - atest celebrity isn’t even hu- man. Throughout his long and prolific career, Petros the Peli - can has been petted and cajo - led by Hollywood stars and royalty, and has even been to New York for a film project. As the story goes, a wounded pe - lican was found on the shores of Mykonos during the 1954 royal cruise of Queen Frederica to the Greek islands and was nursed back to life by a local fi - sherman. The bird was named in honour of Petros, a Mykonos native who’d fought bravely for his country’s freedom during World War II. The adorable ani- mal soon became the darling of the jetsetters, including the li - kes of Jackie O, who were just starting to visit the island at the time. Following the demise of the original Petros in a traf- fic accident during the 1980s, America’s former first lady de - cided to donate another pelican to Mykonos. In the meantime, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton had also fallen in love with the island, followed by ot - her famous globetrotters, and Mykonos became one of the most desirable summer desti- nations and remains so to this day – despite being one of the
smallest Cyclades, it is synony - mous with luxury and paradisi- cal sand beaches. Hercules and the Titans Ancient Greek mythology tea - ches us that Mykonos was na- med after its first ruler, Myko - nos, son of the god Apollo, while the island was also the site of a battle between Zeus and the Titans. According to legend, Hercules fought on the side of his father and defeated the Giants, imprisoning them under the island’s rocky terra- in. It is believed that they re- main buried there to this day, under Houlakia Bay. And the bay’s stunningly beautiful San Marco Beach is actually prote- cted by the Greek Ministry of Culture, which is why it is stri - ctly forbidden for visitors to remove even a single pebble! The Archaeological Museum of Mykonos was founded in 1905 and is among the oldest in Greece. Among its many ar - tefacts, this museum preser - ves an amphora known as the Mykonos Vase that is adorned
with one of the oldest repre- sentations of the Trojan Horse. Windmills and churches The windmills that cover the hi- ll above the island’s main town of Chora, as well as the famo - us Church of Panagia Parapor- tiani, often adorn photos and postcards from the island and are even celebrated in films. This church with an unusu- al name, which literally tran - slates as “Our Lady of the Side Gate”, was built in the 15 th cen- tury and is decorated with cha- racteristics of Cycladic archite- cture, embedded in the rocks of the island. They provide the im- pression that the church has emerged from the stone itself, while it actually emerged from the ruins of the four churches located beneath it. Ano Mera and Tourliani At the heart of the island, just eight kilometres from Chora, is the tranquil village of Ano Mera, with its beautiful main square and traditional Greek spirit. As noon approaches, older men
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