Today we upped sticks again, leaving Ermoupoli behind and headed to the other side of the island to a beach resort in Finikas bay, in the resort of Possidonia, pretty much slap bang in the middle of the bay – about 5 or ten mins wailk into Possidonia and 15 minutes into Finikas itself. We have a lovely apartment, possibly the newest, and design led. Its best feature is a lovely big balcony looking out to sea, but with sails providing the perfect mix of sun and shade.
We got here by bus (of course!) – the busses from Ermoupoli run in a circular route around the island (although nothing goes north of Ermpoupoli – our first host on the island told us there is very little there) and Possidonia is mid-way on that circular loop so it didn’t matter which bus we took, we’d still get here in about 30 minutes from the port! As it happens, we took the circular route – a direct transfer would have been quicker but we wouldn’t have seen all the beaches that the bus route visited on its journey – sometimes (often) travelling by bus is the best way to travel.
Ermoupoli, the capitol of Syros, is a bit different from everywhere else that we have stayed – it is a city in its own right and is much less depenedent on tourism, giving it a different feel from our other destinations. We spent the day exploring the town (city does make it sound bigger than it is) and after breakfast under porticoes and an hour or so popping in and out of shops, we decided to visit the church on the hill that we hadn’t yet seen, the church that we originally though was in Ano Syros, the church that you see on all the photos of Syros.
Syros is on a hill, rising from sea level at the port and, despite a welcome return of a bit of a breeze, we didn’t fancy walking up the hill, so decided to take the free “mini” bus to the church at Anatasi. Now, I can’t complain as (other than exharisto, yassou and yamas) I speak no Greek, but probably because this isn’t just a tourist town, there is much less English spoken, and the routes and schedules of the busses do rely on a lot of local knowledge. Anyway, we got on a bus – but I think the helpful passengers all though we wanted to go to Ano Syros as, when we reached that stop they told us – almost forcibly ejected us – to get off, However, stood outside the bus we managed to explain we wanted to go somewhere else, and they let us back on. Using appalling pronunciation and a map, we manged to get them to understand where we wanted to go and, after a few more minutes, when we reached a T-junction they told us to get of and indicated right, as the bus headed left. I’m sure there where cheers from the passengers when we headed in the right direction – it was a lovely moment a group of strangers doing what they could to help two bemused tourists.
Anyway, we then had a ten minute walk – on the flat – to the church. It was worth the effort for the views over the city and up to Ano Syros.
We the walked down the hill – much easier than going up, but all those stairs!, still not simple – both of us commenting that it reminded us a little of Naples: its a town that has grown organically rather than being planned, and living and practically trump asthetics – but that doesn’t mean its not pretty, it is, and that the residents don’t care about what it looks like, they do (and the pic at the top is a giant mural, painted as part of a competition) but if a telegraph pole and wires need stringing up, they get put up.
The town doesn’t have a beach (but we are beach bound on the island tomorrow) but does have a fantastic swimming platform and we headed down from the hill, and plunged into the most beautiful blue, refreshing water.
Ermoupoli has been a bit different and I’ve enjoyed our couple of days here. And an added bonus, today I spotted both “Thunder” and “Blue Star Paros” – the ferries that brought us to and will take us away from Syros – in port at the same time.
Today we moved on from Antiparos (via Paros) to our next (and final ) island destination of Syros. Our ship for the journey was Fast Ferries “Thunder” – a magnificent vessel that took us swiftly and smoothly to our new home in less than two hours, including a stop to download and upload more passengers on Mykonos.
As ever, boarding was controlled mayhem – Paros as a port is busy, busy, busy (having arrived in the port about two hours before we were due to sail, we sat in a waterfront taverna for brunch, and I thoroughly enjoyed myself watching a fleet of ferries arrive and depart. When it was our turn to board we now know what to expect, strap on our packs, join the queue and head up the ramp when directed to do so. It is a great way to travel.
As one Blue Star Ferries ship departed, another arrived!
Ever since we landed in Santorini, a fairly stiff breeze has blown – good for making the heat bearable, not so good for stirring up the sea. Today, though, for the first time in three weeks there has been no wind. That made our crossing super smooth, with the sea as calm as a mill-pond, but it did mean that when we docked in Syros it was hot, hot, hot. After checking in to our apartment, we eventually dragged ourselves away from the air conditioning and went to explore the town – for 2 nights we are staying in the port/capital Ermoupoli, before we cross the island for our final five days. Bigger, and not so tourist dependent than anywhere else we have been, it is a pretty town, but with an architecture more Venetian than the whitewashed Greek houses we have encountered so far.
In the evening, at 7.30pm, we caught the free “mini bus” (mini because the journey is small, not the size of the bus) up to Ano Syros – a town on the hill overlooking the capital. I think everyone else had the same idea as the bus was packed (good job it wasn’t a minibus as we think of them) but after 10 minutes of standing we de-bussed in Ano Syros. But this wasn’t the end of the trip – we then had stairs, lots and lots of stone stairs to climb to the top and visit the classic cathedral atop the hill. If I’m honest, Ano Syros, and its cathedral are probably better seen from afar – when you are in the cramped, cobbled streets you can’t really see to appreciate its beauty. But as we descended from the top, we did see a magnificent view across the domed roof of another church, looking out to the calm sea, and surrounding islands, in the late evening haze. It was beautiful.
Rather than play sardines in the bus to come down the hill, we decided to walk back to our apartment – circa 15 minutes, all downhill, but some of the stairs were punishing on ageing knees! As the sun had set, the temperature had dropped to a manageable level and before long we were back in our apartment, wondering where the day (and night) had gone.
Today we went back to our secret cove but, for the first time since we left Santorini all those days ago, the wind wasn’t blowing, and the sea was calm. We set up “camp” in the same spot as yesterday and then soon took to the waters, which were still, and so clear.
Yesterday it had felt safe swimming in our little cove as it provided shelter from the breakers, today I was happy to swim out further and deeper and explore what lay to the left and right of our little slice of heaven. Rounding the the “headland” at the top of our cove, I didn’t find another lovely beach, but instead a sea cave going under the cliff face. With the sea calm, I felt emboldened to go in an explore – the cave was, perhaps, 5 metres from the front to the back, and the water about waist high. The light in a sea cave has to be seen to be believed, and it is very different looking into the cave, as from the cave looking out.
But it wasn’t just exploring the cave that was fun, the swimming – in deep (by deep I mean at least out of my depth) clear water, some ten or fifteen metres from the shore was delicious. The best swimming of our trip so far.
And talking of delicious, this evening we returned to the garden taverna we dinned in a few nights ago, enjoying the food, and probably the prettiest setting we have eaten in all trip.
Perhaps the only disappointment (and that is probably to strong a word) has been the beaches and swimming that we have encountered on our trip across the Cyclades – we haven’t encountered any of the brilliant beaches that we have previously found in Corfu, Kefalonia and across the Ionian islands. We like a small cove, pebbles/rock are our preferred surface, and I like crystal clear seas that gets deep quickly. Many of the beaches we have encountered on this trip have been thin strips of sand – and not to far from really being dirt – and very shallow shelving seas. Add in the near persistent wind ruffling the surface of the water – thereby masking its clarity – and the beaches haven’t been the best.
Today, though, we found a secret cove and enjoyed a wonderful, private, day on the beach. We had scouted it out on our first day on Antiparos, and this morning, laden with lunch, water, umbrella and other supplies, we walked over the “other side” of the island (the west side) and continued on past the main beach (with a surf rolling in that would tempt a Cornish surfer) along a track past the “Sunset” taverna before scuttling down a path to our cove.
We cleared some dried seaweed away and set up camp in space more than comfortable for two, but would be cramped if anyone else had wanted to join us. We had a very small bay which took the worst out of the waves, instead they rolled gently in, providing a rhythmic and hypnotic sound track to our stay. And the swimming was good. Sand turned to stone, and a few metres out the water deepened and bobbing in the swell was blissful.
All day it was just the two of us on a deserted Greek beach. Heaven.
Today we headed to the south of the island, to Agios Georgious. You could see across the water to the island of Despotiko, a (now) uninhabited island that in 500 BC hosted a temple to Athena. We make out the ruins of the temple from our side of the water, and we declined the option of going on a boat trip to the visit the ruins (and some sea caves) opting instead to find a small isolated cove/patch of beach to colonise for the day. We sat, swam, read – and roasted: it did get very hot. A chilled day.
Today we hopped on our local ferry for a day trip to Paros, big brother to our small island of Antiparos. After a swift seven minute sea crossing, we got a bus to Parikia – the main port on the island of Paros, where we landed from Sifnos and from where will depart to Syros in a few days time – and from there another bus to the Naoussa a resort on the north west of the islamnd (and yes, each bus journey was 2 two euros!) It was a pretty harbour-side resort, probably best characterised and known for a couple of squares by the sea full of taverna tables that fill up for dinning on the evening.
In the heat of the day time sun, it was not surprising that the tables lay empty during our visit, but clearly dinning is a big part of the Greek holiday experience in Naoussa. We wandered white washed streets, enjoyed a drink by the sea, and a lunch by the habour, and enjoyed the sights and colours of the town.
We then returned to Parikia, spending eventually finding a pretty street to amble along, but in reality it was not as pretty as, and more expensive than, Naoussa. Unless you fly into the island (possible from Athens) you will pass through Parikia, but I’d leave it at that – pass through it on to better places. As we awaited our bus down to the smaller port of Pounda (where we catch the local ferry across to Antiparos) we witnessed another couple of huge ferries arrive in the port, disgorging one set of tourists, and taking another boat load away. I know I’ve written a lot about ferries on this trip – I am in awe of them, some of them are just so, so big.
And on our return to more sleepy Antiparos, and after a gyros to keep us going, we walked over to the other side of the island (a ten minute walk) to watch the sunset across the Aegean sea. Magical.
Seventeen days – well over two weeks – into our Greek Odyssey, and there’s nothing I’m missing from home (sorry kids!) There was a moment today as I drifted serenely through the crystal clear sea when I wondered how my garden at home was doing – what was flowering, had my pumpkin plants survived the slugs and beginning to fruit, but the thought passed in a moment – I’m not there to see it, and nothing I can do about.
Plus, the plants and flowers encountered on our trip – particularly here in Antiparos – eclipse anything I can grow at home. Cacti always impress me, and I love to see “houseplants” outside in their natural environment (Snake plants aplenty in pots and borders out here) but my absolute favourite has to be Bougainvillea, a climbing, trailing vine like plant, festooned with deep pink flowers.
Turn any corner in the street of Antiparos and you will see these vibrant flowers highlighted against white walls and blue skies. This evening we ate at a wonderfully picturesque garden taverna with a canopy of creeping bougainvillea above our heads, creating the most magnificent vista – like a scene from Mamma Mia! I may not be missing anything from home, but I will miss this wonderful plant when I do go home.
This morning it was time to leave Sifnos, and head for our next stop of Anti Paros. Shortly before 9 am, we boarded our last Seajets ship of our journey – Super Jet – for the 50 minute hop to Paros. This vessel was smaller than the previous two we had travelled on, and was foot passenger only, no vehicles. Since our arrival in Santorini a couple of weeks ago, the wind has blown and I will confess to having Googled wind speeds and ferry crossings, and was a little concerned to read that smaller vessels are more likely to be cancelled than larger craft and I figured if we were to hit a snag in our travel plans, it would be this crossing. However, for the last few days, I’ve seen this ship arrive and depart twice a day from Sifnos, so I was confident we would sail today and, bang on time, she docked in Sifnos, and we boarded ready for our journey.
However, a few minutes out of the safety of harbour we could see, and very soon felt, the swell in the sea, often the waves capped with white horses. It was a somewhat bumpy journey – I can now see why these ferries do get cancelled in bigger seas – and we were all happy to reach the sanctuary of Paros port, where we disembarked. However, before we could do so, I had to find our bags from under a pile of luggage – in part I don’t think it was stowed well in the first place, but also it had been thrown around during the choppy journey.
And that still wasn’t the end of the road for us, we still had to get to Anti Paros.
A little disconcertingly, as we walked off the ferry I saw I sign that said ferries to Antiparos were cancelled due to the weather/sea state, however these were the direct ferries from Paros port to Antiparos, we had always planned on getting the bus to Pounda, and then getting a ferry from there. Asking around, it seemed that those ferries were still running, but we had just missed a bus, and needed to wait an hour for the next bus. We went to a cafe and had a coffee and cake (the most expensive so far 5.50 euros for a coffee!), and watched in a mix of awe and horror as big ferry, after big ferry, after big ferry arrived in the port, disgorging ever more passengers. Paros port was heaving, crowded and chaotic and we were glad when we finally boarded our bus, and then the next ferry (7 minute crossing, 1.50 euro each) to the relative calm of Antiparos, and our new home in Pavlos’ Place.
We had a little explore, I had a swim in a sea that Becky described as more like Cornwall than Greece (but the sea was much warmer) and in the evening we headed out for something to eat. Following (another) delicious meal, our plan was to have a quick wander before returning to our apartment, but as we walked it became clear something was happening at the church by the port.
It transpires that today – July 15th – marks the start of the three day festival of Agia Marina in Antiparos. There was a big church service (the church isn’t big, many people were outside its whitewashed walls) and big chunks of bread were being handed out to anyone who wanted them. They were cut from large circular loaves (circa 50 cm in diameter) – we had seen a couple being carried in the street earlier in the day. Then there was music and dancing on a stage – we stayed to watch a group of school children dance to a Greek language version of Bella Ciao. And literally as I type, the sky has just lit up with a magnificent display of fireworks. A surprising end to an eventful day!
Today, we didn’t venture far, deciding instead to simply cross the road to “our” beach, hire a couple of sunbeds and umbrella (15 euros for the set for the day) and relax. We are now about mid-way through our greek adventure and this is the first day that we have done very little. It was quite refreshing to do very nothing other than lie back, read, have a little snooze, and then plop into the sea when the mood took you. The weather remains hot (its been around 30 all trip) but the wind is quite strong – most of the time this is refreshing and keeps the temperature bearable – perfect almost – but at times it gusts and anything not weighed down is whipped away, and any exposed flesh sandblasted by sand blown across the beach. On balance, the wind has been a good thing, but it has, at times, been menacingly strong.
And a day spent on our beach has given me ample opportunity to indulge in my new hobby of ferry spotting. I have enjoyed getting to know the schedules and the different ferries, and watch them dock in the port on the end of our beach. Seajets Champion Jet 2 is definitely my favourite, a magnificent vessel best seen head on, when it looks like some futuristic vessel from a ’50s sci-fi movie. It is the ferry we travelled to Sifnos on, tomorrow we leave the island headed for Paros (and then Anti Paros) aboard the much smaller Seajets Super Jet 2. It will be a shame to leave Sifnos – we both love the island – but new horizons await.
^^^ As the sun sets, the ’50’s sci-fi craft Champion Jet 2 heads into port, shortly after Super Jet headed off into to the sunset, en-route for Paros and beyond.
^^^ Another ferry spotted today – definitely not Super Jet 2!
p.s. Like us – it’s (football) not coming home. Last night, England lost 2-1 to Spain in the Euro 24 final.
