CYCLADES
- Mykonos
There’s more to the island than its party-happy capital – saddle up for a secret bike ride
T
HERE’S A DECEPTIVE CALM
to Hora town at midday.
A few people drift between
the boutiques, staring at Gucci
watches or Chanel sunglasses
through the windows, or loll on restaurant
terraces, iced coffees and plates of steamed
mussels on order. The twisting flagstone
alleys that tumble down to the seafront,
built to block the wind or to baffle the
pirates who swept through the Cyclades
hundreds of years ago, are largely quiet.
Above town, the seven windmills that
feature on so many of the island’s postcards
lie dormant. There is little hint of the role
they played in creating vast wealth for their
owners: the grain they milled was once so
valuable, it was known as ‘white gold’.
Come late afternoon, all changes. Troops
of people emerge from b&bs housed in the
tightly packed white buildings of Hora, the
blue of their painted shutters matched only
in intensity by the sky above. They squeeze
down streets now merry with the sound of
chatter and music, heading to the harbour
for cocktails and the catch of the day. Little
Venice, a wall of merchant’s houses hanging
over the sea, is the sunset location of choice;
a forest of selfie-sticks is hoisted endlessly
in front of it as day edges into night.
From amongst the tourist hubbub, local
culture peeks out. Candles are still lit in the
town’s many churches each morning. Men
still gather at the shore with a fishing rod
each evening. Nikoleta the weaver, dressed
all in black, stills earns her living at anGrace Mykonos is the perfect hotel for the
island, with cool rooms with sea views, inventive
food served in its poolside restaurant, cheerful staff
and a quiet location away from the madness of Hora
town. Luxuries include pillow menus and bespoke
toiletries (from US$247; gracehotels.com).
A two-hour cycle trip is US$247 (yummypedals.
gr) from Vioma (mykonosvioma.gr), or explore on
horseback (US$85; mykonoshorse.com).Essentials
Hop on a high-speed Hellenic Seaways ferry for the
45-minute trip to Paros (US$37; hellenicseaways.gr).ancient loom in her seafront workshop.
‘Of the next generation, only my daughter
knows how to use this old thing,’ she says,
a cheerful smile on her lined face. ‘She
wants to keep the tradition going. But I say,
you cannot eat tradition!’
Dimitra Asimomyti might well disagree.
An islander by birth, she left to make a new
life, returning to her parents’ vineyard when
the recession hit. ‘A friend tried to persuade
me to take over my father’s business but I
was never interested,’ she says, pulling on
a bike helmet. ‘The wine is not my passion,
it is his. And then I thought of my idea. I was
so excited I didn’t sleep that night.’ Her idea
was to marry her love of cycling with her
desire to show people a part of Mykonos far
from the circus of Hora. She leads tours from
the family farm, Vioma, taking guests down
quiet country lanes banked by stone walls,
behind which fig trees grow and goats bleat.
With the light turning gold, cyclists are
rewarded with a picnic of homemade buns
and cups of wine on a remote beach. Sharing
the sunset here is but a group of three
horse-riders from a neighbouring farm.
‘I am not a monuments expert,’ says
Dimitra, back at Vioma, serving a feast of
cured ham, tomatoes piled high on rusks,
just-made cheese and honey fresh from
the beehive. ‘It is local life I love to share.’
Dad Nikos and mum Helena potter about
the terrace, pouring more wine and loading
plates with small almond and lemon cakes.
Panagia Tourliani, the monastery that owns
the land here, is just visible, perched highon a hill beyond the rows of low-lying vines.
Standing guard, too, and forming a chain to
the sea, are the crumbling watch-towers that
once protected the fields and farmhouses
from raiders. ‘I like to go to Hora now and
then,’ says Dimitra, as a light breeze ripples
down the valley. ‘But here it’s a completely
different side to the island. Here, you see our
heritage is very dear to us.’Cheese balls and honey
served at Vioma.
Left Vioma farm in the
interior of Mykonos.
Right Dimitra Asimomyti