I am Giorgos Zoyganelis and in this web site you will find photographs taken by me and my wife Sofia, which I

have processed with my computer.

The web site was the idea of my brother-in-law Markos Zoyganelis (http://www.mykon.net) who has helped me with t

his project by his knowledge in building.

But also my nephew Fanis his always push me to chance my site and to put new photos.

MYKONOS

What new can I write for this island? I will try to write what I have heard and lived for my homeland. I do not know how to write my feelings, but I like to express my opinion. Forgive me, but I am not a writer never having had particular skills in putting words on paper but I try!

Mykonos is located beside the famous Cycladian island of Delos and that is why it has become known. Because of the history of Delos and its near proximity this is the reason that Mykonos has become a tourist place of attraction. In Greek mythology Delos is the island that was revealed and immobilised by Neptune, making favour to his brother Jupiter and his lover Lito in order they could give birth to their children, Apollo and Artemis. Delos was the religious and economic centre of ancient Greece and the geographic centre of the Cyclades. The excavations in the 19th century revealed the city, the theatres, the "lion avenue" and other archaeological discoveries. The prewar and first postwar visitors of Mykonos came in order that they could visit Delos. Charmed by the (then) virgin beauty of Mykonos and its residents, the early tourists expounded its unique attractions which has made it famous all over the world.

I wonder how it was then - Mykonos ?
When it had only one generator for the Hora (town) , one lamp per house with flashing light.
When the fishermen fished more for hobby and not for profession.
When the children walked the summertime barefoot.
When the children swam in Saint Anna and their voices from the games were heard in the country like birds in concert.
When we slept without closed door with key.
When we spoke our dialect without shame.
When we heard vendors shouting their stuff on donkeys - cow milk, potatoes, aubergines fresh beans, that gave them enormous labour from this barren ground.
When children played marbles, tig and were not locked in the house to watch television or play videogames.
When the children were separated by neighbourhoods and played games, Goymenio against Niochorites or Anomerites against Horaites.
Then when the windmills with all their sails openly worked, grinding wheat or barley to make flour and . the whistling of wind through their antennas, the smell of flour and that miller, the sweetest person; how can I forget him - and all the others?
Then the porters, shoeless, who carried the supplies on their back. No reason for cars and motorbikes were few.
Then the boats came seldom because they travelled long distances and today they come in 2 hours with the speedboats. Then the arrival of boats was welcome for the Mykonos residents received news from their own their emigrants and new supplies for the island.
Then we did not have a harbour and an airport. Now we have two harbours, one for the ferries from Piraeus or Rafina and one for the cruise ships. We did not have doctors or hospitals and the women gave birth in their houses with the help of a midwife.
Mykonos is not the way it was, neither would it be expected to remain as it was before her tourist growth. Mykonos is not the virgin islet anymore; it is a place of destination for tourism of all purses; it has changed and has been upgraded, in order to it remain thus. Everything has changed and in order to make the tourists interested - Greeks and foreigners alike.
Mykonos today is a place of tourists from the all over the world and for different reasons. Some for their swimming, others for the amusement, others for Delos, others come just to be seen. Mykonos in the year 2005 was, for the Americans, the first choice for a vacation.

What will the tourist find today in Mykonos?
Firstly the beautiful beaches for swimming, from May to October. Platy Yialos, Paranga, Paradise ([Kalamopodi]), Super Paradise (Plintri), Agrari, Elia, Kalo Livadi, Kalafatis, Lia, Panormos, Saint Stefanos, Ornos, Saint Yiannis are most popular.
The nightly amusement is loud and constant.
The town of Mykonos, with the traditional architecture, her white cubistic houses, her churches, her windmills, "Little Venice", has a number of museums - archaeological, folklore, and nautical, beautiful traditional festivals (panigyria), dedicated to the Saints of our religion, the Ano Mera community with her monastery, beautiful villages in the countryside.
and our pelicans that are always set up for photographing to everyone.
I wish she will remain beautiful, traditional for us the residents but also for all her visitors.