Pirates and Pelicans

Traveling Classroom^™

The wind is still blowing this morning but there are patches of blue sky peeking through the thinning cloud cover. The rocking boat makes dressing an adventure, and brewing the coffee is a real challenge. I place the French press into the sink so that it doesn’t end up on the deck before the coffee is ready. The cups come out of storage just before I am ready to pour. This also helps reduce the chance of spillage. Even so, Duane loses half of his coffee trying to climb up the companionway to the deck.

After a light breakfast of rolls with strawberry jam, we scramble ashore across the shifting gangway and walk a short distance up the hill to get a better view of the town and harbor. We can see all the way across to the jetty where the tour boats depart for Delos, and beyond that is the island of Rinia. It is nice to walk on solid ground, but I can truly appreciate the term "sea legs." For the first 15 minutes on land I find it very difficult to walk straight, because my body is still trying to compensate for the rolling sea. I never experienced this odd sensation during my years of racing sailboats. That’s because I didn’t live aboard a racing boat.

On our way back to the boat, we stop and use the card phone near the jetty to call the "Skagias" number that was given to us in Ermoupoli. Even though it is early, a man answers the phone and provides directions and a time to meet. He tells us to catch a taxi in Platia Mavroyenous because the computer store is some distance uphill and out of town. He also advises us of the usual taxi fare. Stopping to retrieve the computer from the boat, we walk along the quay into town and find a taxi. The driver takes us uphill and inland, along a curving road that passes a fair number of small hotels and many houses, all built in the typical cubic style of the Cyclades. The land seems very dry after the recent rain. But I do see wildflowers here and there, and the cacti are blooming. After a short time we arrive at a market. I am confused and ask the driver about Skagias. "No problem," he says and drives around to the back, where we discover the entrance to the Skagias store hidden beneath the supermarket. Apparently this is the place we are seeking, so we pay the driver and walk in..

Inside the store we find everything from stereo equipment and household appliances to office supplies and computer parts. In one corner of the store is also the local office for Forthnet, one of the major internet service providers in Greece. We consult with Kostas, an intelligent young man who appears to be the resident computer expert and internet guru. After searching through our computer files, he announces that we are missing the handshake protocol that enables us to connect to the internet. We telephone HOL to complain about this oversight, and after much discussion it is decided that they will send the required software over the net to Kostas, who will then load it onto our computer. Kostas says the computer will be ready by 7:00 this evening.

We decide to walk back to the town, since it is mostly downhill and we want to look about anyway. Mykonos is a very rocky island, with stone outcroppings everywhere. It is said that Mykonos was formed from the petrified bodies of giants vanquished by Hercules in the great battle to save Olympus from an army of giants intent on bringing down Zeus and the other Greek gods. Perhaps one of these was Alkyoneus, the leader of the giants whom Hercules had to drag away from the battle in order to defeat him. If you look at maps, you will see it is a great distance to drag a giant from Mount Olympus all the way to Mykonos ... but then Hercules was a hero. This is the first island we have visited which has a story about the mythical strongman.

Hiking down the hill towards town, we come upon an old windmill standing like a giant with arms outstretched (but that is Don Quixote's opponent - another story altogether). From this point there is a spectacular view of the whole area. To the right we see the ferry terminal and our boat on the quay; as well as Tinos island in the distance. On the left, laid out at our feet, is the main part of town - brilliant white and beautiful. There is increasing activity along the waterfront and at the Delos tour boats on the jetty. I also see groups of tourists congregating around the famed windmills on the acropolis above the town in the Kastro district.

Our descent takes us past a number of small hotels and tavernas, as well as several houses under construction on small dusty lots with breathtaking views. The streets along the hill are narrow and windy, but it is quiet and very different from the commercial areas closer to the harbor. We realize that we have arrived in the town when buildings close in around us and we find ourselves once again in a confusing maze of alleys. We don't want to negotiate the labyrinth just now. The long hike has left us hungry and our first impulse is to find a take-away food stand. Following the most enticing odors, we discover a little shop which sells only gyros and souvlaki. The pita is fresh baked and roasted lamb is cut right off a spit turning over the coals. There two tables in front of the place, so we go outside to eat. A small black cat arrives just in time to share our lunch. After the cat eats that last corner of pita and goes off in search of new benefactors, we decide to make our way towards the harbor. We know that traveling northward will eventually take us the waterfront, so we choose alleys which seem to go in that direction.

It is difficult to navigate here because the town was designed and built as a gigantic maze to confuse marauding bands of pirates. From the earliest times the Aegean has known the activities and horrors of piracy. At various times pirates were even in control of the sea and became "a state within a state". Ancient mythology often mentions pirates and their operations, showing that piracy had been a part of life for the peoples of the Aegean ever since antiquity, and its purpose was more or less the same as in the centuries that followed, namely pillaging and the profits from booty and ransom. One such myth tells how Tyrrhenian pirates once seized the god Dionysus, mistaking him for the son of a wealthy merchant. To amuse himself, Dionysus changed them into dolphins and sent them splashing into the sea. There is a well-known poem about this encounter between the pirates and the god of wine and merriment.

Ancient authors, too, make frequent reference to piracy and pirates. Thucydides, writing about the first inhabitants of Greece, says that piracy was the work of the Carians and Phoenicians. He also says that the pirates were not ashamed of their work but thought that it brought them glory. >From other ancient texts we also learn that in 475 BCE Kimon drove the pirates out of Syros, which they had made a base for their operations. In the real world no one rescued villagers from pirates. They had to defend themselves. Upon hearing the alarm in this town, everyone would climb to the rooftops and position themselves at strategic points. When the pirates became completely disoriented and lost in the maze, the Mykonians would attack from above. This defense worked well for many hundreds of years, until the island was ruled by Venice and became too great a prize for pirates to resist. It was during this time that the capitol was looted by the most infamous pirate of the 16th century: Khair-ed-Din Barbarossa. A Turkish pirate who usually sailed the Barbary Coast and owned a small country there, Barbarossa was a very scary fellow (as you can see in the drawing).

In later years the Mykonos maze became a haven for pirates. Under Turkish rule many Greek seamen rebeled and became pirates in order to earn a living. In the early 19th century, pirates practically controlled the Aegean. The most terrible of these was the pirate Mermelechas, who made Mykonos town his headquarters. Despite the fact that this man terrorized merchant ships and Turkish holdings, Mermelechas had a reputation among Aegean peoples as a generous man and protector of the weak. He and many other pirates turned their ships against the Turkish navy and fought for Greece during the war of independence. The last of the great Aegean pirates, Mermelechas would not give up piracy until he was captured by the Greek navy many years after Greece became independent. He died in 1854 and is buried near here at the church of Agia Sotira tou Kastrou.

After a short while in the maze we are surprised to find that we recognize a few landmarks from last night. Turn left at this house with the red shutters, turn right where the colorful batik scarfs hang outside the shop. We finally emerge onto the quay, which has become quite crowded with visitors who have come for the weekend. All ages and many languages are represented, and the waterfront cafés are still crowded with the lunch traffic. Some more ships must have arrived while we were on our errand. I see a strange visitor walking about in the crowds, and he is attracting much attention. He is a very large pelican with pink-tinged feathers. I ask a waiter at the café about the bird and he tells me the story.

About 40 years ago a local fisherman found an injured pelican, nursed him back to health and then set him free. Instead of flying off, the bird decided to stay. Mykonians named him Petros (Peter) and made him the mascot of Mykonos. Petros became so famous that all of Greece was saddened when he died in 1986. Jackie Kennedy donated another pelican, named Irene-Irini, and the Hamburg Zoo sent a pelican named Petros. A few year ago, another wounded young pelican fell to the island and was cared for by the local people. This one was named Nikolas. Now, with three friendly pelicans walking about the waterfront, a visitor can usually spot at least one of them. I ask who this fellow is and the waiter says he is Petros.

We watch the pelican inspecting the tourists, all of whom are snapping their cameras at him. He doesn't seem to be interested in begging food from these people. I suspect that the fishermen give him fish when they bring their catch to the quay. Petros simply appears to be friendly. In fact, that is how the entire island seems. We sit at one of the outdoor tables, order iced tea and enjoy.

Special thanks to G. Asemilas, G. Polychroniou and A. Gouda for the use of photos.