Adventuring Through Greece
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Location: Mykonos, Greece
If you're looking for things to do while in Mykonos, read on.
Flying to Mykonos
When my family has a reunion we typically travel somewhere that none of us have been to, which is exciting, because that list keeps getting more and more picturesque as we search for the hidden gems of the world. I think photography naturally became a part of my life because I grew up traveling abroad and wanted a way to remember my adventures.
Because my dad lives overseas and he was extremely limited on vacation time, my family decided to head to Greece for our yearly get together. Our first stop being Mykonos and our second being Athens. Mykonos was where my high school graduation trip was to, but I didn't really get along with anyone in my high school so I opted out and went skydiving with my mom instead...and then got a job as a videographer at the skydive drop zone, but that's a story for another blog post. :p
On my way to Mykonos we flew over the Swiss Alps and holy moley what a beautiful sight it was! I booked a window seat because, well, duh, it's the window seat.
Our pilot came over the intercom to let us know that if we looked outside we would see a glorious view of the Alps. I hope to travel through them some day and get car sick the whole way. lol
1 - watch the sunset on the water
Upon arrival the sun was setting and I got to snap a few shots of the town of Mykonos. What a beautiful reflection shot this is, with the warmth from the sun bouncing so perfectly off of the buildings and water. This shot is must for any traveling photographer who's going through Greece.
From my room at the Kuros hotel, which I highly recommend, I stayed up late on our first night there to get some long exposure shots from the balcony of my room. I don't get to take shots like this very often, but when I do I am always impressed by them. I think the harbour added a lot to these photos. Anytime you get the opportunity to photograph water, take it.
2 - RENT AN ATV
If you're looking for a fun way to explore and you've got the money to fill up a tank at least four times, you can rent an ATV and zip around the island of mykonos. I wanted to get out and go photograph the island alone and make a video for my YouTube channel in my Spiderman suit, so I suited up, had an ATV delivered to me, strapped my PRVKE bag to the front, and off I went.
I rode all the way to the Super Paradise beach and said hello to the bar tenders. I was a bit early for there to be anyone out at the beach, so I decided to move on and continue exploring.
I found an abandoned, barely constructed house that stuck out from a cliff and launched my Mavic Pro and flew it up to capture the beautiful coastline and harbor, which was full of cruise ships.
I love the composition of this particular shot and have sold quite a few versions of this on my Stock Photo site. One tip for traveling photographers is to definitely try to capture images you can later sell on stock sites. It's a great way to make a bit of money while traveling.
Here's a drone shot I took while riding through some abandoned areas. I tried to use the "follow me" feature but my drone stopped when I rode into the airport's airspace. Thank goodness the drone doesn't just go into the flight zone, otherwise I would have accidentally been the asshole that delayed all the flights.
Look at this local ambulance! I love it!
3 - get tattooed
The town of Mykonos was constructed in a way that would confuse any invading pirates. The alleyes within the town twist and turn and connect like snakes slithering overtop one another. It's a very confusing place to explore if you've never been, but after a few days I was able to get my bearings. It took me about an hour to find this particular tattoo shop that I had found on the first day that I was there. I saw some of the artwork and immediately walked in and booked an appointment to get a grueling, four hour back piece done while I was there. The shop I went to is called Mykonos Art Tattoo and if you like to get tattooed while traveling, like I do, I recommend you going there and asking for Mark.
My friend Chris had passed away and I had been searching for the right artist to do my memorial tattoo for him and when I saw Tattoolts artwork I knew he was the guy to do the job.
Tattoo video:
4 - Rent a boat
We rented a yacht to take us around the island of Mykonos and we happened to have the only female sailing captain in all of Greece. How crazy is that?! I had to ask her for an interview. :p
We set out on an epic four hour excursion around the island of Mykonos and my god it was one of the most peaceful, serene experiences I've ever had. Feeling the sea breeze on the other side of the planet made me like I belonged there. There's definitely something magical about Mykonos. I can definitely understand why people live there. I could probably spend a month there, just exploring all of its hidden gems.
I couldn't believe how blue the water actually was. It was so clear and clean and not full of trash like the California beaches are. This place is exquisite and so picturesque. I'd highly recommend renting yourself some kind of floating vessel and getting out on the water. I was freshly tattooed so I figured that being in the water for more than a. few seconds would not be good for my freshly inked skin, but while I was in the water it was absolutely amazing. I will definitely have to go back to Greece and go scuba diving.
This rock formation looks like the face of one of the Greek gods, I believe our captain said it's Poseidon, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes, and horses.
5 - Visit the Abandoned Windmills
After getting tattooed I jumped on the four wheeler and rode out to some abandoned windmills I found online. If you're in Mykonos you have to go check these things out. Just seeing the architecture was amazing.
These are some of my top selling photos on my Adobe Stock profile and I am so happy with how these shots came out. These shots were taken on my Mavic Pro drone. I tried to fly away from the few people that were exploring, because you're not supposed to fly over people. I think I did quite a bang up job on these photos and I'm so glad they're selling well. If you'd like to support my work you can grab a photo print on my site.
I couldn't resist getting a spidey selfie with these ancient structures.
6 - head to athens
From Mykonos we jumped on a massive ferry to Athens. It took a few hours for us to get there so I spent my time editing on the ship and roaming around.
Once we arrived in Athens we got into a taxi and our driver told us everything that's wrong with Greece and everything that is wrong with America almost in the same sentence. I've learned a lot about peoples' perspectives of my home country while traveling abroad. Most of them think they have all the answers, but this country is complicated.
During my time in Greece I was tasked with making a bit of. content for an electric skateboard manufacturer called Captain Smokes Longboards, so I grabbed my board before sunset and headed out into the town we were staying in. By this time I had grown comfortable walking and skating around Greece. I am pretty good at picking up on a place's vibe and the energy of the people around me, so I have a pretty good idea about where is safe and where isn't safe. For example, walking around Lisbon, Portugal at night you'll run into a lot of dealers, especially if you stick out as a tourist. I always feel threatened when a dealer approaches me. I get that spider tingle on the back of my neck and immediately want to escape the situation. In Paris you'll have to deal with the pickpockets and guys trying to sell you wine and flowers. There's something wrong everywhere you go, but knowing ahead of time is always helpful.
Anyway, back to Athens. I skateboarded over to this cool arch and looked at some other pieces of architecture that were unfortunately fenced in and then headed to dinner with the family.
Local graffiti:
The next day we went up to the top of this Mountain to get a view of Athens and would you look at how beautiful this place is?! I mean, can you imagine being a God and looking down on this beautiful place? Amazing. Also, I learned during my time in Greece that the Greek Gods were real and they were made extinct by the Catholics that came to conquer Greece during the Byzantine Empire.
7 - visit the acropolis museum
We went into a museum that didn't like that. I was wearing a Spiderman suit...well none of the places we went to that were museums liked it, because they thought that I would be taking promotional photos for Spiderman...little did they know that I was just being a dork and wearing a Spiderman suit in public to make a video of myself for my small audience on YouTube. :p
If you're looking for recommendations on museums you have to check out the Acropolis Museum. This place is full of archeological finds and fun facts about Athens and its history. We were lucky enough to have a guide with us to talk us through everything. I must say, I look pretty cool in my Spidey suit. haha
8 - visit the athenian agora
Before walking into the Athenian agora I got to capture this shot of a passing train. I love the composition of this piece and the edit.
I remember studying about Greece in high school and I couldn't believe that I was standing on the ground where so much took place. Not only did I get to see and take photos of these places, but I also got to do it as my favorite superhero.
If you ever see me out in public you best believe we are getting a photo together. Seeing the smiles on the faces of the Athenians made my day. No matter your age, income level, or language, you know who Spidey is.
If you walk up the huge set of stairs you will see this amazing building. I wish I. could have somehow climbed up on top of this thing, but alas, you can't touch the old stuff. It was still very cool to see.
9 - Visit the Acropolis of Athens
This has been my journey to Greece! I hope you feel inspired to get out and explore your area or maybe this can help you plan a trip to Mykonos or Athens yourself! Let me know if you are liking this content by sharing this blog post, and subscribing to my adventures on Youtube!
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