FBThe Cyclades - Greece's enchanting white blue island world
Around the once sacred isle of Delos, some 200 islands, including 20 larger ones, are arranged almost in a circle. This is where the name of the Greek island paradise comes from: Cyclades, a derivation of the Greek word kýklos, circle. Each cyclade has a unique character.
The pelican Petros, about 20 years old, is the mascot of Mykonos. He moves from taverna to taverna all day long, scrounging fish. This works out sometimes well and sometimes not so well. Petros does have a few human friends who regularly slip him something, but all too often visitors eager to take pictures block his path. Then he has to "wiggle" his way through the crowd. Jackie Onassis is said to have once brought Petros' "great-grandmother" from Louisiana to the island.
Tassos Kontokostas is on the trail of the "rich and beautiful" on Mykonos. His painstaking preparation for a successful day: scanning all the social networks and finding out which celebrities are currently on the island. And then he has to know where the VIPs prefer to hang out, whether in clubs, restaurants or on one of the 22 beaches. Only then can he hit the bull's eye that the Athens tabloids love to snatch out of his hands. Like his snapshot of Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen.
The white houses with blue roofs are typical of the Cyclades. But in Mykonos Town, even the sidewalks are painted white, at least the joints. Although this is extremely hard work, Anna Athimaritis also adheres to this unwritten law of street beautification. Because when it comes to this topic, the residents can't take a joke. They take good care of each other, and there are even warnings if someone doesn't keep up with the painting. The problem for Anna is that the alley in front of her house is very narrow. And how can you paint if there are always people walking around?
Nikos Verikokos is a stonemason on Naxos and thus maintains an ancient heritage. The island is home to the most famous marble quarries in Greece. From here, the coveted stone for sculptures, building elements, tiles or floor slabs is still shipped all over the world. Nikos needs the perfect block of marble for an urgent order. He gets it from the Karpotoni family, who have been running a quarry in the interior of the island for many generations. One phone call from Nikos and the Karpotonis are already preparing the blasting.
Katerina and Florentina Fragkoudaki are the "Kitro sisters". On Naxos, in the small village of Chalki, their family has been distilling a liqueur known throughout Greece since 1896: kitro. According to a traditional family recipe, a strong and very aromatic spirit is distilled from the leaves of the cedrat tree, an ancient Greek variety of lemon. And this is done with equipment that even the grandmother used.
Thousands of believers make the pilgrimage to Tinos on the Feast of the Assumption. As soon as they get off the ferry, they fall to their knees. Crawling, they want to reach the sanctuary of the island to pray for a miracle, help or healing. It is one of the biggest religious festivals in the country. Panajotis Tzanoutinos, who lives on Tinos, produces candles for this holiday all year round. Usually, it is the small thin candles that are used in vast quantities. For Panajotis, the Assumption means one thing above all: stress.
The pelican Petros, about 20 years old, is the mascot of Mykonos. He moves from taverna to taverna all day long, scrounging fish. This works out sometimes well and sometimes not so well. Petros does have a few human friends who regularly slip him something, but all too often visitors eager to take pictures block his path. Then he has to "wiggle" his way through the crowd. Jackie Onassis is said to have once brought Petros' "great-grandmother" from Louisiana to the island.
Tassos Kontokostas is on the trail of the "rich and beautiful" on Mykonos. His painstaking preparation for a successful day: scanning all the social networks and finding out which celebrities are currently on the island. And then he has to know where the VIPs prefer to hang out, whether in clubs, restaurants or on one of the 22 beaches. Only then can he hit the bull's eye that the Athens tabloids love to snatch out of his hands. Like his snapshot of Roger Taylor, the drummer for Queen.
The white houses with blue roofs are typical of the Cyclades. But in Mykonos Town, even the sidewalks are painted white, at least the joints. Although this is extremely hard work, Anna Athimaritis also adheres to this unwritten law of street beautification. Because when it comes to this topic, the residents can't take a joke. They take good care of each other, and there are even warnings if someone doesn't keep up with the painting. The problem for Anna is that the alley in front of her house is very narrow. And how can you paint if there are always people walking around?
Nikos Verikokos is a stonemason on Naxos and thus maintains an ancient heritage. The island is home to the most famous marble quarries in Greece. From here, the coveted stone for sculptures, building elements, tiles or floor slabs is still shipped all over the world. Nikos needs the perfect block of marble for an urgent order. He gets it from the Karpotoni family, who have been running a quarry in the interior of the island for many generations. One phone call from Nikos and the Karpotonis are already preparing the blasting.
Katerina and Florentina Fragkoudaki are the "Kitro sisters". On Naxos, in the small village of Chalki, their family has been distilling a liqueur known throughout Greece since 1896: kitro. According to a traditional family recipe, a strong and very aromatic spirit is distilled from the leaves of the cedrat tree, an ancient Greek variety of lemon. And this is done with equipment that even the grandmother used.
Thousands of believers make the pilgrimage to Tinos on the Feast of the Assumption. As soon as they get off the ferry, they fall to their knees. Crawling, they want to reach the sanctuary of the island to pray for a miracle, help or healing. It is one of the biggest religious festivals in the country. Panajotis Tzanoutinos, who lives on Tinos, produces candles for this holiday all year round. Usually, it is the small thin candles that are used in vast quantities. For Panajotis, the Assumption means one thing above all: stress.
