The last island that we
stopped at on our recent trip with Variety Cruises was Serifos, though it was not
on the original itinerary of their excursion they market as “Unexplored Greece”.
An inclement weather forecast had the Captain of the Panorama steering us to
other islands. All were worthy destinations. You cannot go wrong on a trip to
the Greek islands.
Perhaps the main attraction
of Serifos is its Chora rising high over the island. Brilliantly white sugar
cube shaped houses trimmed in blue are impossibly stacked along the road
leading to the summit.
Variety Cruises hired
local artist Silvia Kramer as our tour guide and she led us up into the
cobblestoned narrow alleys of the Chora where we finally reached the summit and
the church there, Agios Konstantinos. Its sun-splashed balcony afforded us a panoramic
view of the island, with the port of Livadi, where the Panorama was docked, far
below. Thankfully a bus brought us near the summit, but the rest of the climb
was still arduous, but worth the effort.
IF LOOKS COULD KILL
Agios Konstantinos Seriros
We stopped several times
during the climb for Silvia to point out different things like the iron ore
mines in the distance which operated from 1870 to 1965 and brought great wealth
to the island, though evidently the working conditions were brutal for the
miners. She also pointed out the church of Agios Iaonnis the Theologos where according
to Greek mythology the head of the Medusa is entombed. Serifos Is also the island
where Odysseus and his crew encountered the Cyclops Polyphemus. If one had the
time and inclination to visit the cave of Polyphemus it is supposedly near the
settlement of Mega Livadi.
We then lingered over
drinks in the town square, with all the establishments
trimmed in different colors to offset the ubiquitous white, before we headed
over to Silvia’s store/workshop to see and purchase some of her art.
Silvia's shop, Serifos
WHICH WAY TO THE BEACH?
Serifos
Serifos was an all too
brief stop for us as and the island is worthy of a longer visit. Depending on
who you talk to Serifos boasts around 70 beaches from pebble to sandy. Sadly we
had just an hour after our tour of the Chora before departing for Athens and
the end of our excursion and we had to settle for drinks and a light lunch at
one of the several tavernas that line the very inviting Livadakia beach which
is ringed by picturesque Tamarisk trees. As it was still June and not the
busiest time of the year, it felt like we had the place to ourselves.
Had we visited the
island of Milos first before all the others on our “Unexplored Greece”
excursion with Variety Cruises, we would have been delighted. Afterall, the
island has a lot to offer. From history; it was here the famous Venus de Milo
statue was discovered; to the hill-top Plaka that is like a Disney-land version
of Greek islands; to the lunar landscape beach of Sarakiniko that is carved
from ancient lava flows; to a port burgeoning with yachts and cafes and
tavernas all filled with tourists from across the world, with many of them having loud conversations where every other word is italicized.
It’s a very popular
island and though we were happy to have visited it because of all the
aforementioned sights, it was very busy…too busy… We had grown accustomed to relative
solitude throughout our cruise and Milos was far from quiet and overwhelmingly
touristed. Even Kalymnos, though busy, had a very working-man Greek feel to it
and the tavernas at the port were all filled with locals, while Milos was
hedging on more a party atmosphere.
We stopped at Milos
because of inclement weather that altered our planned itinerary.
I GO SWIMMING
Provatas, Milos
As always, the day
started with a chance to swim and Provatas Beach, on the south side of Milos,
was perhaps the nicest on our trip so far. Long and sandy with placid refreshing
water, there was even a lifeguard. There were little beach bungalows, looking
more like garages (which would be explained later on during our tour of the
island), that were for rent and there was a bar at one end and restaurant a short
walk up a hill that had the owner arranging the catch of the day on ice.
Provatas, Milos
WALKING ON THE MOON
There are several
notable beaches on Milos, but the most unique was Sarakiniko on the north side
of the island. The white volcanic tuff of the area has been described as a
lunar landscape.
Sarakiniko, Milos
Once the Panorama was
docked at the busy Adamas port, situated on the north side of the large sheltered
Ormos Miliou bay, we took an optional tour of Milos.
The first stop was to
visit the very popular Sarakiniko Beach. Though blazingly hot with the unrelenting
sun beating down, people climb all over the white tuff that has been carved
into wild shapes by the wind and weather over time.
The azure blue Aegean
was inviting and people would either jump into the water from the rocks or
enter the sea by a long narrow niche in the tuff that ends in a small beach.
the "beach" at Sarakiniko, Milos
Descending from the
parking lot the niche looks like Sarakiniko was cleaved in two. At the end of
this finger of water there is a lifeguard stand and behind them there are caves
that can be explored. They were carved into the tuff and used both by pirates as
a hideout to ambush passing ships and later, Greeks to store provisions.
Sarakiniko, Milos
cave at Sarakiniko, MIlos
There are no amenities at Sarakiniko once you leave the parking lot. It is a bit of a hike to reach the water. At the parking lot though there is a food truck.
As we were on a tour,
we did not have the opportunity to linger at Sarakiniko; we had less than an
hour to explore; although other Panorama passengers took a taxi to reach the
beach and spent the afternoon there. If you visit remember the sun heats the
white tuff making it very hot and there is really no shade. Bring water.
Here is a Google Earth map
of Sarakiniko and you can see the long narrow “beach” and surrounding terrain:.GOOGLE EARTH SARAKINIKO
cave at Sarakiniko, Milos
MIGHTY APHRODITE
In 1820 a farmer
working his fields discovered the statue called Venus de Milo. Venus is the
Roman name for the Greek god of love, Aphrodite. The statue was subsequently
spirited off to Paris and has been on display at the Louvre ever since. Our
tour of Milos next took us to the exact spot where the statue was found and a
little further along was an amphitheater dating from Hellenistic times. Some
scholars say the statue was part of a display on the side of the road leading
to the amphitheater.
amphitheater with bay and Klima in the background
From our vantage point
we could see the stage, the vast expanse of the bay and a hint of Klima, a
little fishing village whose colorful boat houses have been converted into
accommodations. Never had the chance to explore Klima though because the tour
was moving on to the next location, the Plaka.
Klima
TOO TOO
The Plaka is the
capital of Milos and atop a hill overlooking the island and bay. The narrow
streets with boutique shops and restaurants with waiters hawking passersby to
stop seemed preternaturally too idealistic. It was everything one would expect
on a visit to a Greek island, with tourists milling about and waiters scurrying
with plates of food and drink, but it seemed “too perfect” if one could be so
callous.
It’s difficult to explain, but after flitting through several islands
that were quieter and relaxed the Plaka on Milos seemed very aware of itself
and this had more a façade than a place where people lived and drank. We were
there just less than an hour, and it wasn’t until we were leaving that I
finally saw a group of old men and women sitting around the corner from the
Plaka kind of hoping no one saw them.
This is not to say we didn’t
enjoy our time there. The Plaka is great for catching a sunset, but we didn’t even
have time to visit the Sand Museum. The owner there has collected samples from
all over the world (sounds like me) and visitors are invited to view some of
the sand underneath a Microscope. Sadly, I found out about the Sand Museum only
after we left.
Avii, Plaka, Milos
At least we found the
Avli Milos Taverna where they serve a beer brewed specifically for them.
In the main port there
are countless shops and tavernas and restaurants. We had dinner in a crowded
street-side taverna. Filled with everyone from everywhere we shared a Greek
salad and Souvlaki. Tour buses rambled by, trust-fund kids chattered away as we
ate in silence and soon thereafter made for the relative quiet of the Panorama.
Adamas was too busy, and yet this was the “off-season” in June.
Again, if this were the
first stop on our adventure, we would have been very happy. We knew better
though. We were thankful to have visited Milos, but it was time to move on.
Maybe I’ll go back someday…just
to go to the Sand Museum.
You sainted readers who
are checking in at Vacation From Home expecting another installment of our
travels through some very small Greek islands, I have to digress today. Today
is my daughter’s birthday. She is now 40. I guess you can call that middle-aged,
but I would never level that accusation to her personally, lest I am flattened
by her feisty vitriol. It is that feistiness that I’ve passed on to her that
makes me happiest, because rather than lamenting the passage of time we both
embrace the opportunities a new dawn brings us. Afterall, the alternative is bleak.
She is my first born
and that always comes with a cache of pride.
Her birth was a bit
tumultuous as we got to the hospital at 1:00 pm and she arrived less than an
hour later, much to the chagrin of the nursing staff and the OB-GYN doctor. We
were in a birthing room (as young parents we had “planned” the event). But,
when I tried to retrieve the boom box (yes, that was 40 years ago) to play
soothing reggae music, the future ex-wife demanded I stay. The doctor wanted to
move us to a more spacious OR, but my Lamaze training kicked in and as the HC I
said the child was not going to be born in the hallway….it was happening that
quickly.
The doctor gave me that
patented dirty-doctor look and acquiesced. While telling the attending nurse to
get supplies, my daughter exited her mother and he literally caught her.
Then peed on him.
Everyone was stunned
with the speed of this “event”. My first words to the wife were, when we learned
it was a girl, (we were expecting a son): “Honey, we’re going to have to pay
for the wedding.”
I opted not to cut the umbilical
cord and the doctor had the blood splay across his scrubs.
When the nurses finally
cleaned her up and wrapped my daughter in a blanket and cap they presented her to me. My wife was in the throes of anguish and my daughter hearing
her voice began to cry.
I said to the as yet
unnamed human in my arms, “Don’t worry little girl, I’m your father. I've got you, and you are
safe.” She opened her eyes, a minute old and sighed, comforted by my voice, and
went right to sleep.
Happy birthday to my
daughter, long may she ride. She will always be safe with me.
Like a modern-day Odyssey, the captain of the
Panorama veered off the scheduled itinerary as we flitted through the many
islands of the Aegean, but rather than being tossed about by Poseidon’s ire,
the captain chose to steer clear of the capricious god. The itinerary
originally had us calling on three islands, Amorgos, Koufonisia and Iraklia,
but calmer weather had us sailing to Astypalaia, Milos and then Serifos.
SERENDIPITY SIMPLICITY
Astypalaia (we were
calling it Asti Spumante) proved to be a wonderful stop. The butterfly-shaped
island with white-washed houses looking like stacked sugar cubes trimmed in
blue is not a prime tourist destination. In fact, later in the day when we took
an electric bus to tour Chora and her windmills, and climbed to the Querini
Castle, we learned many of the owners of the little shops and restaurants there
were excited their island was being visited by a tour ship! With just 38
passengers the Panorama isn’t a big tour ship, but our visit elated the
population. It was interesting to learn that even some of the crew of the
Panorama had never been to Astypalia as well.
Astypalaia is quiet and
maybe that was the allure. The island did not have the throbbing crowds of
other islands like Santorini or Crete, but its relative isolation had every
passenger on the Panorama saying Variety Cruises should make the island a
scheduled stop.
As we were in the
shoulder season, July and August are the busiest time, the island seemed empty.
BEACHES, TAVERNAS AND SUSTAINABLE
SERVICE
We had some idle time
to walk around town and found a small family run taverna to have ouzo. We were
entertained by their precocious young daughter who kept sneaking looks at us
from the interior of the taverna while we sat in the shade of their patio.
It’s very hilly away
from the port so we limited our stroll to just one set of stairs where we were
greeted by an inquisitive clowder of cats looking for a handout.
There is a lone beach
near the port, but my understanding there are several beautiful beaches around
the island. All are accessible by car, motorcycle, ATV, taxi or limited bus
service by the electric Astybus. We had a swim stop before we made port and the
beach was sandy and the water clear and refreshing. It was the nicest beach so
far on the trip, though amenities like a beach-side bar were not yet open.
By the way, Astypalaia
is the first European place that is seriously trying to become completely
eco-friendly and completely decarbonized with a partnership between Volkswagen
and the Greek government. Currently the fleet of rental cars offered by many of
the rental companies are a mix of ICE and EV vehicles.
After dinner onboard
the Panorama we went on a tour of Chora, the main town of the island and on a
hill overlooking all of Astypalaia. There are several beautiful red-capped
windmills called xetrochari there, used by the people for centuries to mill
their crops grown on the island. The roofs rotate to catch the wind. Some are
still used today, although one serves as a tourist center for the island.
Astypalaia "map"
The eight windmills
stand along the edge of a plaza with shops and confectioners tavernas and
restaurants. Presiding over all of this is the remnants of Querini Castle
erected as a defense against pirates when the island was under Venetian
control. Citizens lived within the walls for protection, but ultimately built
homes outside the walls. The castle itself is derelict and there are no tours,
but we did trudge up the steep path and meandered through alleyways to get near
the summit affording us a spectacular view of the Aegean.
With a Greek naval
vessel anchored far enough off shore we had ouzo and meze at an outdoor hilltop
taverna with views of the entire island and the Panorama far below.
As we made our way back
to the square and the windmills our cruise director, Kristina called out to us
from a taverna where she was having dinner. She knew I was always looking for
craft beers and introduced me to 8 Mills, a session IPA brewed on Astypalaia. The
three of us lingered over the beers and yet another ouzo before the trip on the
bus back down to the port, the castle illuminated in the gathering night sky.
It was especially sad
to leave this beautiful quiet hidden gem.
I think I’ve reached an
age where there are more recollections than aspirations. That’s not a maudlin thought,
but rather an observation. What would be sad is to labor over the past and not
live the rest of my days in this Garden of Eden with an elan that befits this
fine world and this wonderful precious life.
All the things that to
us seem to be so dreadfully important today, all the trespasses, all the perceived
slights will be forgotten much sooner than we would give them credit.
It’s better to “let it
go,” or in the words of Dave Mason, “Let it go, Let it flow.” Or, the old
Buddhist tenet: ‘LET THAT SHIT GO.”
Enjoy your day. I am
going to do my part today on my birthday.
We recently sailed with
Variety Cruises on what they termed “Unexplored Greece”. The Panorama first
took us to Ikaria, where the mythological tragedy of Icarus ended, Patmos,
where St. John wrote the Book of Revelations and Lipsi, where we drank a lot of
wine.
The next stop in our
island-hopping adventure in Greece had us in Kalymnos, one of the larger
islands in the Dodecanese with a greater population than any islands we had
visited up until then. The island is famous for the harvesting of natural sponges
that since ancient Greece have been harvested by divers. For centuries sponges was
the main source of income on the island. Sons would learn the trade from their
fathers and the island’s identity was with the sea.
A BIT OF HISTORY
For centuries men would
freedive to depths reaching 100 feet. They would use a heavy stone, called a
skandalopetra that was rounded with a rope threaded through a hole in the
middle to help speed their descent and to preserve air. Depending on the
diver’s lung capacity he could remain underwater for up to five minutes. The
diver, usually naked, would fill a net with sponges before being hauled up by
the crew at the surface. Since ancient Greek times this was the method of
harvesting sponges.
Sponges at museum
Although freediving for
sponges was a dangerous profession, the industry took a tragic turn for the
worse with the use of diving suits, that began in the mid-1860s. Air would be pumped down to the diver wearing a helmet and suit. This allowed the diver to stay underwater longer and deeper than with freediving. Not understanding the dangers of decompression sickness, where dissolved gases, primarily nitrogen form bubbles in the blood and body tissues, causing excruciating pain. Also called the bends, thousands of men were crippled, paralyzed or died when they came up too quickly.
When we took a tour of
a sponge museum in Kalymnos the guide spoke of seeing men crippled from the
bends. As scuba divers we know that we need a “safety stop”, about 15 feet
below the surface for five minutes to allow our bodies to reacclimate to
surface pressures. At the museum there was a picture of a diver on the surface
smoking a cigarette. We were told that if a man could inhale cigarette smoke
after he ascended, he was okay. If not, he would go back into the water to decompress.
picture displayed at Kalymnos sponge museum
Different safety protocols.
SPONGE WORTHY
Ancient Greek writings
of Aristotle and Plato both mentioned sponges. Homer mentions sponges in both
the Iliad and the Odyssey. They were used in a myriad of ways, from bathing, as
padding for helmets, portable drinking vessels, and as a contraceptive. The
Romans used a xylospongium, literally a sponge on a stick, to wipe themselves
after defecating.
By the mid-20th
Century though overfishing and pollution nearly drove the sponges, and the
industry of harvesting them, to extinction. The introduction of synthetic sponges
was another debilitating blow to natural sponge harvesting, which involves a
labor-intensive process of cleaning and shaping to ready them for market.
Roman xylospongium
Today, the tradition of
harvesting sponges continues on Kalymnos, albeit at a much lesser scale when fleets
of trawlers would go out for months to harvest sponges. In Pothia the main town
of Kalymnos, and where we docked overnight, there are still a lot of boats
devoted to sponge harvesting and workshops and museums selling sponges to tourists.
CLIMBING
Less than 20% of
Kalymnos can be farmed, the rest is barren and rocky, which has proved to be
another tourist attraction to the island. In the past several decades Kalymnos
has become a rock-climbing holiday destination with several outfitters serving
this new reason to visit this island.
OUR VISIT
After a swim stop on Kefala
Beach where the Panorama’s tender ferried us to shore and the crew set up
umbrellas for shade on the sun-splashed cove we docked the busy main port of
Pothia, the main town of Kalymnos.
It was hot, but we had
time to head into town for lunch. Several tavernas line the port and we went to
To Steki Ton Nautikon as per a recommendation by our cruise director Kristina
with four other passengers from the Panorama. The table shared several appetizers.
Janet and I shared a Greek salad and a bottle (small) of ouzo. You’ll know the
restaurant when you see it by the boat suspended over the entranceway.
Our tour began with a
very touristy tram ride through the town with the guide pointing out different
statues, one of a naked freediver and another of a local diving legend, Antonis Kampourakis, wearing a dive suit. Still
alive, Antonis dove until he turned 72.
Freediver statue Kalymnos
The tram tootled
through town with the guide pointing out that streets here were not named, but are
known by the church that is in that neighborhood. We then went to one of
several little museums along the port for a demonstration about the steps to glean
and shape natural sponges for market, shown artifacts like the diving helmets
and skandalopetra and an array of sponges from luffa rough to silky smooth. All
were for sale. They also had displayed a picture of a diver smoking a cigarette,
obviously free of decompression sickness.
Variety Cruises made our
stay on Kalymnos “Greek Night” and ouzo flowed freely and Greek food was served
for dinner. On the sun deck afterwards we were entertained with traditional
Greek dances including the Kalymnos Sponge Diver dance, which has a man
crippled by the bends, at first unable to dance, but “cured” by the music.
Antonis Kampourakis
Janet retired, but I
wanted another walk around town and settled on one of countless tavernas in
Pothias all blaring the Stoiximan Greek Basket League Finals for one more
ouzo and meze.
BTW the Olympiacos Heroes
defeated the Panathinaikos Fighters to take the Stoiximan GBL 2026 championship.
FROM THE END OF DAYS TO
THE END OF A WONDERFUL DAY
Lipsi
Two islands in one day.
The first one you might have heard of, but probably not the other.
On our second day of sailing
with Variety Cruises for their “Unexplored Greece” excursion aboard the
beautiful three masted Panorama we got to visit Patmos and then sailed on to
Lipsi.
PATMOS
The Book of Revelations was
written on Patmos by St John the Divine, aka St John the Theologian, one of the
12 disciples of Jesus Christ. He was banished to Patmos by the Romans, but only
after they dunked him in boiling oil, but he emerged unscathed.
Revelations is the final book
in the New Testament and foretells the second coming of Christ and the end of
days.
Monastery of St John the Theologian Patmos
Appropriately it was on a
Sunday morning we visited this revered Orthodox Christian destination. We went
on a guided tour of the Cave of the Apocalypse, where St John wrote Revelations,
and the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian, of which the earliest parts
date from the 11th Century. Both are UNESCO World Heritage sites. The
monastery also has a museum with several manuscripts and relics including, believe
it or not, the skull of St. Thomas. (Pun intended.)
There was an admission cost to
both, but that was covered by Variety Cruises.
After our tour we had an hour
or two to idle away on this tranquil island. We found a shady table of an outdoor
café in the quiet port town of Skala and relaxed over freddo espresso, (Greek iced
coffee), with metrio (a little bit of sugar) before heading back to the
Panorama.
Monastery of St John the Theologian Patmos
Patmos
LIPSI
There is absolutely nothing to
do on Lipsi except walk the 8-kilometer island, swim on any of the quiet beaches,
go diving or sit at an Ouzeri along the lengthy quay to take in a brilliant
sunset. There are no cultural attractions on Lipsi as there was on Patmos. The
island of just 800 residents has no large hotels or resorts, and there is an ordinance
limiting buildings to just two-stories. Janet and I thought the island was
perfect, very peaceful and tranquil. It does get busier during the months of
July and August, but it felt like we had the island to ourselves as we explored
it on an early Sunday evening this past June.
Brilliantly white-washed
buildings with daubs of color, usually blue (as this is the cheapest pigment) for
accents lined the meandering pathways that served as streets away from the port.
Lipsi is an actively working marina,
with lots of colorful fishing boats moored, the ship’s nets spread out drying
in the sun.
The island is a popular stop for yachts as well and this
easternmost Dodecanese archipelago is closer to Turkey than mainland Greece.
Lipsi
WINE NOT
Our island excursion was a
visit to the Nico Grylli Winery where our group was seated at a long table
overlooking the marina and the vineyards to sample their five wines paired with
different foods. The last was the Aposperitis from the unique and rare Fokiano
grape variety which was served with perfectly spicy nibbles.
Seating at Nico Grylli Winery
We purchased a bottle of their
Rose Water to take home.
We opted to not take the van
all the way back to the Panorama and decided to walk the quiet streets before
finally settling in on the colorful chairs of the Asprakis Taverna (or Ouzeri) for
Ouzo and a Mythos beer and meze to watch the sunset. Yacht kids tootled past on
their scooters, people walked their dogs and it was just the perfect place.
We weren’t done for the night
though. We ambled over to Nick and Louli’s Ouzeri for more ouzo and yet another
meze. This place was even quieter and locals seated near a rack of drying
Octopus tentacles happily waved at us when we approached to enjoy one final
stop on this tranquil island where there’s nothing to do.
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