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 Whitewashed walls, rounded corners, a painted floor, all accented by bright colored doors and stairways – these are the characteristics of the Cycladic Islands that I captured in this photograph.
This image was taken inside the walls of Mykonos as I was weaving my way around the streets.
Originally, I took this picture of the unusual red balcony against the white walls. After hearing from a jewelry store owner more about the town, I found out that the shops have a code to follow: the walls must be white, while the trim, door and steps can be blue, green or red.
Curious as to how this was enforced, she explained that officials come from Athens to patrol and make sure the code is followed.
I now wonder, is the code for tourism, so the town looks quaint and fulfills the visual expectations for the Greek isles? I figure there must be some other reasoning, although perhaps not, as much of the industry is tourism based.The balcony is of interest to me as well.
As many shops try to squeeze into such a small area of space, nearly every store has another on top of it, with narrow steps winding their way to its hidden door. However, this balcony did not have steps, leading me to believe the balcony is simply for the view. As the building on the left is fairly short, without a second floor, perhaps the Aegean Sea can be viewed from the balcony.
If this is the case, the red door probably leads to a private home inhabited by a family or owner among the touristy shops. The streets of Mykonos, as notable in the photo, are not wide enough for any traffic other than pedestrians. With the cobblestone look created by white paint (which is quite slippery I must say), I wonder if the circles are meant to look like stones or if they would rather the streets be covered in white as well and the circles are just for traction.
These streets lead you through the maze of Mykonos, although they don't offer much guidance in familiarity. Often times you find yourself forced to make decisions such as the one in this image – left or right? The only assistance given was the fierce blowing of the wind, suggesting we were close to the sea.
In my reading I found out that the streets of Mykonos were created in this mazelike fashion in order to confuse pirates. Makes sense to me, as I wandered for hours and retraced my own path on more than one occasion.
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