MYKONOS
In Autumn

 © Traveling Times, Inc.

In the Greek Aegean Islands Mykonos in summertime is a playpen at all economic levels for the rich, the curious and the adventurous.

     But, in the fall, after the glut of tourists have left and the winds have turned cool, the lifestyle becomes less frantic, and the island returns to its roots. And nowhere else in the world are colors so vivid, so natural.

     Mykonos in the low light of autumn is a rich kaleidoscope of blue and red windows, doors, and terraces against gleaming white houses. The brown, aged soil of Mykonos grows directly out of the sapphire-blue waters of the Aegean.

     Freshly painted fishing vessels of blues, reds, yellows and turquoise bob on the gentle harbor swells. And from one of the bars in the area called Little Venice you can see the windmills on the craggy hills above the town.

     The summertime population is about 35,000, dropping in winter to 8,000 locals readying for the next season-or forgetting the last.
On Mykonos the smells of Greek food and ocean breezes mingle with the sounds of Greek music, ongoing conversation, laughter, boats, water and the autumn winds.

     The "in" places change from year to year, but there are some that remain traditionally Greek. At Thalami's bar Greeks gather to dance. (We're talking about a starting time of midnight at the earliest.) By 4:00 or 5:00 in the morning most of the night places close, but there's always one or two spots to go to.

     From The Yacht Club, at the pier, you catch the first glimpse of the raging sunrise that seems to focus on Delos, three miles across a narrow strait and once considered the holiest island in Greece.