A walk through a volcanic landscape

Our long walk for Milos was a coastal one.    We took a taxi to the start at Agios Konstantinos with a view to walking the 12km or so of coast and paths back to Adamas.

Milos is a volcanic island and the ground is an open geology book of what happens after an eruption.  I shall spare readers the technical details and instead invite you to enjoy the rocks which cover the N coast and some of the bays with their boat houses.

a paddle at a deserted bay was a must

Finally the view back to Adamas as we headed downhill to a well earned cup of tea and treats.

Last day on the islands tomorrow.  

A good slow cooked goat

Yesterday was a bit cool and windy so we stuck to some local walks.

By late afternoon the sun was back out and we strolled to a restaurant a couple of km away right round the bay.  

On a very eclectic menu centred around local produce, we enjoyed a shepherd's salad followed by stuffed aubergines (Bill) or "goat cooked for hours in the embers" (Helen).   It was all good and the walk home was a delight as the sun was setting.

Over the sea and under the ground

Another day and another crossing to a new island.  We knew it was going to be a good day for a crossing as a Greek Orthodox archbishop (not sure of his actual rank but he had a flag on his car and was shown great deference by the ship's captain) was also catching a boat, though not ours.

Travelling on a jet boat, we reached Milos in about an hour and walked 5 minutes along the promenade to our hotel.

As it was only 10.30, we sat down with the owner for a welcome cup of coffee before leaving our bags and setting off to explore town.   It is the biggest so far with a big harbour serving both fishing boats and yachts.  

We caught a bus up to Plaka and Trypiti which cost the usual €1.60 and headed up to a cliff top chapel, partly built out of bits from an ancient temple.

We then walked down the hill towards the village of Klima where there are some remarkable catacombs tunnelled out of the soft volcanic rock.

With over 200m of tunnels and with family graves on the sides and in the floor, the total number of burials is enormous.

We followed a donkey path or Kalderimi back to Adamas, stopped to buy some drinks and supper ingredients and arrived back to check in properly.  We have a beautiful room

and a lovely balcony overlooking the harbour where we plan to eat supper later.

More of a stroll than a hike

The thunderstorms continued through the night but the morning had that washed pale blue look, apart from the grounds of the hotel and much of the area which was covered in reddish sand which had washed off roofs and everything else.  The hotel owner had mobilised the whole family to try to sort out the outdoor dining area but it was clearly going to take a while.

We caught the bus up to Artomena where we strolled round waiting for the bus to Faros on the far side of the island.  People wer going about their daily lives....

Faros is a pretty sheltered fishing harbour 

but our destination was a couple of kms away along the cliffs.  The monastery of Christopigi sits out on a rocky promontory and offered a lovely walk on a well paved path.

It was only about a half hour walk til we reached the monastery 

where we looked round the chapel with its beautiful carved seats and numerous icons.

Lunch was a juicy Apple eaten out on the rocks beyond the monastery 

and then we headed back to Faros to watch the fishermen sorting out their nets and catch

and took the return bus journeys.  It was a very good way to see a bit more of the island and with bus fares of €1.60 no matter where you go, good value too.

Now we need to sort things out a bit as we are on the early ferry to Milos in the morning and choose which restaurant to eat in tonight.

One of those nights

A blog without pictures.........

The thunder seemed to have abated so we wandered into town for dinner, stopping briefly under a fig tree as the rain started again.

We picked out the Fish Taverna for dinner because it advertised Octopus stew in the oven.   In we popped and the fun commenced.

Greek menus are pretty flexible, starters, salads, mains can be arbitrarily mixed and matched so we asked for chickpea balls, fish roe with beetroot crisps and Greek Salad with sea fennel to be followed by Sifnian lamb and the aforesaid octopus stew.  

As we sat there the streetlights came on as the sky went completely black then the rattling of huge hail and an absolute deluge started.  Everyone shot out of the kitchen, but the waitress assured us we were welcome to stay the night and there was ample food and wine.   

As various drowned locals either came into the restaurant on foot or simply parked their cars in the space normally occupied by the outside chairs, the staff filmed the torrents of water coming down.  We just ordered more wine!   

Not too much later the storm seemed to clear and we enticed in some passing French, Italian and an American with the promise of delicious food.  

For our efforts, we were rewarded with a free dessert and left as best friends.  (actually I am about to give them an outstanding on tripadviser)

We walked home with a cool breeze for accompaniment but are now watching a stunning light and sound show of yet another big storm passing over.

A brilliant day and night.  Sifnos is quite a place.

Walking to Castro

The morning began when we opened the curtains and saw a 4-masted windjammer anchored in the bay looking very piratical. 

After breakfast we walked into Kamares and got the morning bus to Appolonia.  The route we planned was about 10km long and took us out to the coast, along to Castro then back through a ravine to Appolonia.

We stopped for a slightly premature elevenses when we met a friendly donkey and thought he might like an apple core.  

The church of Panagia Poulati offered a second stop 

then we walked along the coast to the ancient fortified town of Castro which was absolutely stunning.  Anywhere else a place like this would be packed with tourists, but we had it virtually to ourselves.  We found a sign for a bakery and snapped up the last 2 pies.  Greek home made pies are NOTHING like Greggs pies but are probably equally addictive..... We chatted to the shopowner  who was clearly regretting only baking half a dozen this morning as 2 more couples spotted us and clearly hoped he had more.

The streets of Castro were a delight of tiny alleyways with the buildings towering up on both sides, their outer walls forming the villages defences.  

The walk back after lunch took us on ancient tracks through farming areas.  The sides of the ravines were a flower lovers delight with all sorts of flowers such as acanthus, statis and lupins joined by typical meadow flowers and hillside plants like broom.  Anywhere there was more moisture, there were oleanders in profusion.  

We reached the end of the walk back in the square at Appolonia ready for a cup of tea and a sit at a charming cafe.  Rather than wait a long time for a bus, we took a taxi back to the hotel.  Just after we got back, we were entertained by quite a thunderstorm.

Another island in the sun

Not sure which one Demi's Roussos was referring to but Sifnos is starting out as a good contender.  

We said farewell to Serifos after a final lunch on the balcony and caught the high speed ferry over to Sifnos, the island which has appeared ghost-like on the horizon in earlier photos.  

The trip took about 30 minutes which we spent on deck.  As we approached the island we steered into a wide natural bay and docked with the precision of a Formula 1 pit stop discharging passengers, freight and cars, loading up a new lot and heading back out in little more than 5 minutes.

We were met by George who took us round the bay to his hotel where we were welcomed with his father's home-made wine and olives.  

A 20 minute stroll took us back into Kamares where there is a wide selection of restaurants and cafes all set along the waterfront.

Now relaxing in our room /balcony looking out onto the endlessly blue Aegean Sea and contemplating options for our first evening in Sifnos.

To the lighthouse and beyond

Today we awoke to a warm and sunny morning so after early coffee on the balcony and another splendid Vangelis breakfast we packed up our rucksacks and headed East.  

Following the road then some well marked paths through the lovely flowers and herbs which yielded incredible aromas of lavender, menthol and thyme, we reached the cliff top lighthouse which guides ships to the route into Lavadia Harbour.  

After a sit to watch not a lot go by, we headed for a deserted beach we had seen on the way up.  The map indicated a "narrow" track, but we couldn't find it so we just bushwhacked our way through to arrive a secluded beach set in a small bay.

We enjoyed a refreshing paddle followed by even more refreshing melon slices for lunch.  The route out was a good deal easier to find as it was marked with cairns.  Climbing back over the ridge we could see back to the idyllic setting with only our footprints in the sand.  

Back to our apartment for a shower, to pick the seeds out of our socks, do some laundry and relax ahead of going out to dinner on the shore later.

Our Serifonian Feast

Having shopped in a variety of little local stores, dinner is a Serifonian take on a Greek Salad - the local cheese is a bit Parmesan-like and Mr Vangelis's wine more like sherry, but sitting on our balcony it all tasted great.  

Not sure we'll be staying up for Eurovision tonight as it doesn't start until about 11pm, but if we could vote we'd definitely be voting for Cyprus......

it is all uphill on Serifos

last night as we arrived we saw a spectacular hillside village so today we decided to walk there.

mr Vangelis serve up a delicious breakfast with thick creamy yoghurt and his wife's own preserved fruit and we were soon ready to leave.

The Harbour looked beautiful in the morning sunshine and the track took us uphill through fields and past small farms along a cobbled set of steps.  Chora, our destination was a beautiful white washed Village with well kept houses nearly all with blue doors and with pots of flowers everywhere.

we stopped for refreshments in the square of Upper Chora whilst watching the local delivery service , then climbed higher still to the castle and the churches right on top of the hill. 

There are some photogenic traditional windmills on the far side of the village so we visited them. By now it was nearly noon and getting hot so we took the bus down the hill admiring the driver's skill as he negotiated the hairpin bends.

we popped into the shops in the village and collected what we needed for tonight's dinner then returned to our apartment for lunch and a siesta.

Island one - Serifos

The Speedrunner Ferry arrived more or less on time and we were met by the very cheerful Mr Vangelis who took us about 10 minutes out of town to our apartment which will be home for the next 3 days.  

High on a hillside it has superb views over the Bay and a balcony out front to make the most of them 

Having landed not much before 8pm, we quickly headed back into the port for dinner.  As advised we had a chat with the chef and selected our extremely fresh fish from his chiller.  Seated on the waterfront and drinking local wine, we had a lovely evening.

A short walk back uphill under a slim crescent moon and we were ready to sleep.

Temples and games

If in Athens, you have to visit the Acropolis and Parthenon.  Avoiding selfie sticks and people taking pictures of people taking pictures with selfie sticks, we joined the crowds above the city.  It really is an impressive site and it is good to see UNESCO funding being put to good use to stabilise and restore it.

We descended the hill back to the main city level and strolled along the beautiful pedestrian boulevard to the Temple of Zeus and Hadrian's gate.  The latter built in honour of the Emperor who had finally finished the project just a couple of hundred years late.

Our final stop of the morning was the Olympic stadium used in pre-history but re-built for the first games of the modern Olympiad.  It is a striking all marble structure with built in thrones.  Today it was being used by a school group for their own mini-Olympics.

having completed our own 400 metres  in a little over 45 minutes we stood atop the podium and waited for our medal ceremony.

Acropolis Now

Just a quick snap from our hotel to prove we're here.

A very straightforward trip brought us safely into Central Athens by about 8.00.

A stroll to a charming street taverna somewhere we might find again, where we had a nice meal accompanied by 2 excellent musicians with a splendid repertoire of (probably) folk music.  The style fell so where between Fado and Arabic but produced a delightful backdrop to dinner.

Although we have a view of the Acropolis from our room, we popped up onto the roof for a closer look.

Overview of our trip

After a brief but glorious English spring it is time to fast-forward into summer.  We are off to the Greece to enjoy 3 different islands in the Cyclades.

We will travel from Athens via Piraeus to Serifos, then make a short crossing to Sifnos before travelling on to Milos before returning to Athens.

We will travel mainly by inter-island ferry and use local transport while on the islands.

We will post some pictures and stories as we go.

We look forward to you joining us on our travels.