A trip to the moon
Milos is famous for its beaches, and perhaps its most famous is Sarakiniko beach, also known as “Moon beach” because of it’s unique, lunar like rock formations. Before coming to Milos, it was top of my list to see/do but I will confess to being a little apprehensive, fearing that it may be too crowded to enjoy. This sense of anxiety wasn’t helped by the first available bus not being until 10.10 am, and I was worried that the beach would already be full by those travelling by car (plus our bus was full – standing room only) Had there been an early bus, we would have made the effort and got up early in an attempt to beat the crowds, but there wasn’t/isn’t, so we got the 10.10 bus for the ten minute trip from Ademas.
On our arrival it was soon clear that I was right about the car drivers – there were a lot of them already at the beach – but I was pleasantly surprised that it didn’t feel overcrowded, probably because the unique rock formations spread a fair way in both directions giving plenty of space to absorb all the visitors. And I was even more pleasantly surprised by the magnificence of the place: strange, pure white rock formations, contrasting against a brilliant blue sky. It was unlike anything else I have seen.
Another big draw of the beach is a cliff jumping point – not for the feint hearted, a high leap into deep, clear azure sea below. But ever since we arrived on the island the Meltemi wind – a strong wind blowing from north to south – has been blowing, leaving the seas anything but calm and tranquil, particularly on the north side of the island (like the Sarakiniko beach) making the sea beneath the cliff a much less inviting prospect with strong swell topped with white horse, but more importantly the exit “bowl” resembled a washing machine and would make getting out of the sea after a jump very difficult indeed. So, sadly, I decided not to leap into the blue depths, but today’s disappointment has given me reason to maybe one day come back to Milos and have another go …
^^^^^ The exit bowl, resembling a washing machine on final spin, making exiting the sea too difficult and making today a no jump day.
There was, though, a calm channel and so we did both get the chance to have a swim
It is a strange, bizarre, landscape, but I loved it – probably my favourite place so far on our trip. Even the cats love it!
