Mykonos Spotlight: Petros the Pelican

If you ask people what to do on Mykonos, you will probably receive the same answer repeatedly: "just get lost!" But what do you do when you are not a wanderer by nature? Set a moving target: find Petros. 

Petros the Pelican has been the official mascot of Mykonos since 1954. After a storm, a lone, wounded pelican made his way to the island. After the locals nursed him back to health, they named him Petros and adopted him as their mascot.

I bet you didn't know that pelicans live 60 years! That is because they do not. Sadly, Petros was eventually faced with his mortality and passed away in the 80s. The people of Mykonos had taken to him so well and were so upset with his death that they decided to continue his legacy. Of course, no one pelican was as good with the people of Mykonos as Petros, so they replaced him with three pelicans who still roam the streets today. 

Below is a photo-album of our pursuit of Petros:

First we walked up to the top of the city to try and spot him. While we had no luck (unfortunately he blends into the local architecture), we did enjoy this unobstructed lookout point right above a field of power generators.

Next, we looked around the beautiful blue-domed churches. Though he was not around them, they were pretty spectacular. Most of the churches were open to look inside at the Greek Orthodox interiors. 

After a few hours we had to stop for a break. Frozen Greek yogurt with honey seemed like the perfect bait. Unfortunately it didn't last long...

Apparently Petros doesn't hang out next to the famous five windmills. Note to future travelers: the fact that the city has windmills should be a hint that it is VERY windy in Mykonos. Skirts and dresses are an absolute no if you want to walk along the coast at any time. Also - a hair tie would have been a smart thing to bring...

Sweet success! Though Petros is actually a Great White Pelican, we were surprised to find that he is actually light pink! Just as we were told, Petros was very friendly and clearly used to tourists cozying up to him. A perfect Greek gentleman.