Naxos next stop

We have had a great week on Astypalea. We  had all sorts of weather, a couple of days of high seas that kept folks on the island, fisherman on the dock and no vessels into/out of port. 

We managed to get out and walk in all weathers, covering point to point the highest ridge line with spectacular views down to the port and across to the castle and chora. At the highest  point was the cutest little kid goat taking a good interest in the two giants on his patch. 

We walked from the highest  point to the skinniest  point with only 100m  separating the two coasts - Astypalea is shaped like an open winged butterfly and this is the middle bit. 

Of course it just happens to have a wee chapel where we sheltered from the wind  on one side and had our picnic lunch before the return walk. 

So many beaches and coves along the way, many providing  shelter for the fishing fleet. Even the little working boatyard had a chapel on the beach. 

Astypalea is a really quiet island so when we saw 13 ribs speeding into the little harbour we thought either we were being invaded by the Turks or it was Tom Cruise and the Mission Impossible cast. Not sure what it was all about, they zoomed in, had lunch, then zoomed off again. 

We visited the little Archeological Museum and admired the treasures that are slowly being discovered across the island. 

 In the 1990's construction work uncovered an ancient burial ground  containing only children. It's continuing to be excavated. Excavation has shown that there are over 3400 burials, making it the largest ancient children's cemetery in the world.

All but one of the burials so far found has been in large pot/s. This method of burial for children was very common in Greece in ancient times however children were usually buried with adults which makes this discovery unique. There is still a lot of work to be done and as the island puts in more infrastructure to support tourism more finds are expected.

While it's not full on tourist season and many cafes/restaurants are not yet open we discovered  a beauty. Lovely hosts and homemade style food - delicious! 

One  particular day we were there an entourage came in and had that 'look at me/ don't look at me ' air of importance. Normally we are the only ones at the restaurant and after this entourage arrived suddenly all the locals came in and were getting selfies with this young guy who liked like Mr VIP. I thought he was either a Greek soap actor or a politician. Turns out I was right, after a quick  google search I discovered Mr Smoothe was the leader of the opposition party, youngest ejected to the Greek parliament. He just happened to be doing a tour of the islands in his launch and got stuck due to the high seas/swell. It's all go on Astypalea 😁

I think the human to cat ratio on Astypalea is 1:50. I spoke to the Australian supermarket lady and she explained they had a good cat neutering programme but with Covid the vets couldn't come across to the island so they more or less are starting again. There are cats everywhere! The sale display shelf outside the supermarket is a favoured spot - often half a dozen cats on sale! [There are 30 'Grozzies'  - Greek Aussies on the island. Many descendants of families that emigrated after WW2  now come back 'home' to claim family land]

As  we leave Astypalea I'm sure our calves are 10 times stronger after all the steps from the port up to the chora - calves of steel!

 So it's yassas to Astypalea. It will be all go in a week's time as the island fills up for the long weekend of Greek Orthodox Easter and Labour Day.... we've enjoyed the quiet times and for a few days  being the only tourists on the island!

Astypalea - last chance

There was a better weather forecast with less swell/wind so six of us hopeful passengers were waiting port side for the third attempt  for a complete journey to Astypalea. As we got underway the captain again advised all passengers were to sit inside downstairs as there would still be rough water ahead. After a while I looked at my watch to check our progress and figured the captain wouldn't turn back again like yesterday as we were over half way. We made it, third time's a charm!

It felt great to step onto the island. Astypalea is not top of the list for many island-hoppers, it's tricky to get to, very quiet and traditional. It has a small population of  about 1, 500 mostly working in  agriculture, fishing and more recently as the island has been 'discovered',  tourism. 

Lucky for us we like the more quiet, traditional Greek islands and Astypalea looks to fit the bill. A total of six of us got off the fast ferry and one chap was the air conditioning service rep, according to his vehicle signage, so it's early days for tourism. We're staying in the port area, Pera Gialos, at Vivre Luxury Suites and we have a great terrace where we can watch the port goings on. [Vivere Suites sounds grand but good basic accommodation in a good spot, not so much luxury 😊]

From the port area the only way is up! The castle and Chora/main village needed exploring and our sea legs needed stretching. Bags dropped off at our digs,  we set off. 

Up the most pretty lanes and steps.....a lot of steps! 

Naturally we bumped into our fellow boat passengers as we meandered about the chora, castle and trails.

We found a cafe open in the chora and Carol, one of  the intrepid six boat passengers, also ended up there. 

What a spot, quiet -  apart from the local cats making their presence known.

 

We had a great view of the iconic windmills as we sampled some local fare, it was pretty dam good.

The island name comes from  the wife of the sea-god Poseidon. Like so many islands it has a colourful past. In Roman times, the island was used by pirates. It was conquered by the Venetians, the Turks, the Italians, Germans and after WW2 returned to Greece. So naturally there's history galore. To the castle!

Just us and the local cats as we walked up to the castle or should I say Castillo [was built by a Venetian] as was on the sign markers 😁.

After winding our way up lanes and steep steps we entered the castle through a small portico.

We had the castle to ourselves. It's gradually being restored / the walls shored up and you get a real sense of the working castle, the rooms and lookout points down to the sea to detect incoming pirates.

There were two churches within the castle walls, the Church of Panagia Kastrou and  the Church of Agios Georgios. 

Both striking with their white walls and blue domes all offset by the aged castle battlements.

It's not all beer and skittles this travelling lark. Had a sick day from our holiday so photos taken over the course of three days on Astypalea and we've had all weather conditions - even thunder and fork lightening early one morning which was spectacular.

It's a wrap for now from Astypalea -  hiking pics in a day or so - yassas!

Kos play

Today we set off on the fast ferry for the island of Astypalea. We were due to do this trip yesterday but the ferry was cancelled due to rough seas. We set off with high hopes.  We stopped at Nisiros to pick up passengers and then on to Kos to drop off/pick up passengers.

As we left Kos the captain said to all sit downstairs at the back as we were headed for rough water. This leg of the trip was about 2 hours. It started to get very rough and after 45 mins the captain announced we were returning to Kos. 

Mad scramble to let the hotel on Astypalea know we would  be  delayed a further day and then  to find an hotel in Kos.  Ah well safety first. We'll try again tomorrow.

So we found a cheap hotel near the port and wandered about Kos. 

The Greek physician Hippocrates of Kos (460–370 BC), to whom the Hippocratic oath is attributed.

'Walking is man's best medicine " - we tend to agree👍

The Tree of Hippocrates is the plane tree under which, according to legend, Hippocrates taught his pupils the art of medicine. The tree is looking worse for wear and tear.....there's more dead limbs and scaffold than tree  but it's still showing green spring growth after hundreds of years. 

Found the church of Aiga Pereskevi - very peaceful and beautiful frescoes and icons.

Fingers crossed we can make it to Astypalea tomorrow.

Ferry cancelled

 Our ferry was cancelled due to 'weather' we were told. Then we discovered there was a public transport strike across Greece and this included no ferry movements from any port. So we scrambled and changed accommodation dates here on Tilos and on Astypalea. 

We walked a high track behind the port. There are over 200 churches/little chapels here and we found another one tucked into the cliff edge. There were a couple of headstones too - a fantastic spot to be buried with all the bay unfolding below.

 

A total fire ban is in place as everything is so dry and the municipality worries about the ability to respond to wildfires. Notices have been posted in the town today in both Greek and English.

The last Tilos supper and fingers crossed the ferry is running tomorrow. 

Last day on Tilos

Our last day in Tilos. Stunning  early morning sky as seen through the very necessary mosquito screens - the bloody biters/bliters manage to get in somehow. We decided to take the bus to a remote beach, Eristos, have a swim and from there walk up to the hillside village of Megalo Chorio - it's the capital of the island with approx  450 residents. So picnic in hand, along with water, we set off - we heard there were no services at the beach so left prepared.

It was no surprise that we had the beach to ourselves, well the goats were on the beach but scarpered when they saw us tripping down to the waters edge.

The surrounding hills were barren and dry and steep. Perfect goat country. The water was beautiful, crystal clear and warm. As we were larking about in the water we thought we heard gunshots and I thought the goat population may be taking a hit.  The gunshots increased and we we worked out that the Army had a range up in the hills for the recruits.  [We did glance across to the Turkish coast for a second as we'd seen jet fighters the day before]. We had seen a lot of young men on the weekend in army fatigues and discovered Greece still has compulsory military service for males aged  18 - 45 years of age. Males must serve for a period of 9-12 months. Women can serve but on a voluntary basis and can't be conscripted. I can't imagine the young men of New Zealand coping with military service. The young Greek men we saw looked fit, happy and involved....but then they are doing their time on a gorgeous island👌

We left a little stone 'baba' on the beach. When we were walking the Likya Yolu/ Lycian Way in Turkey, a young Turkish guy told us the little stone piles that marked the trail were called 'baba' which means father in Turkish ...father guiding the way on the trail. So we've fully adopted the  term 'baba'.

The Eristos valley floor is fertile and clearly where they grow their crops. Lots of fields of potatoes looking very healthy. They also grow herbs, onions and lettuces.

 

Of course there's fields of olive trees with wild poppies beneath....picture perfect!

The snail tree was a new one for us...little snails all over a green edging plant....I wonder if they harvest snails or the edging plant is a sacrifice plant? [Click on the photo to get a better look at the snails mum 😁]

It was very pleasant walking from the beach up to the hillside village, not too far and on our outwards  bus trip  we'd seen a wee taverna was open so refreshments awaited us.

Iced tea, 'cafe fredo' and local omelette - perfect after our walk up the valley.

 

One of the narrow alleys in Megalo Chorio - we followed our nose and came upon a beautiful little church - Άγιος Ιωάννης ο Θεολόγος , Saint John the Theologian baptist church.

Of course I slid back the bolt and peeped inside and discovered gorgeous frescoes on the walls in this tiny chapel. (I had to bend double to get in the door - they must have been tiny folks back in the day).

Much further up the winding village lanes we had seen the bell tower of a monastery.

We made our way to Taxiarchis Monastery and courtyard - stunning pebble patterns but unfortunately it was locked....no sneak peaks inside for us. So that's a wrap from Megalo Chorio 👍