Between the islands and the deep blue sea (part 2)

After arriving on Folegandros we tied up on the town quay at Karavostasis.  This sleepy town was very quaint.  We needed something at this stage to drag us kicking and screaming out of our island fever as they were all starting to blend into one in my mind (I know, I know......  a REALLY high class problem!).  Another island we had been told not to miss, we only just got here in a weather window by the skin of our teeth.

The fun started when we visited a nearby restaurant for our evening meal.  There was a distinct tension in the air and the Greek Mamma in the tavern had a face like thunder.  We knew there had been local elections throughout Greece that day but we hadn't realised how heated things were in this tiny metropolis.  When I tried to ask the Greek Mamma what was wrong she became almost apoplectic and started ranting about corruption and mafia, finally pulling out a Turkish flag and declaring that she just wanted to go and live in Turkey.  Very odd, or so we thought, before finding out from an English speaking local that this woman had almost been arrested at the polling station for trying to punch a young lad's lights out as she knew he was going to vote for the opposing team.  It turned out that the guy who won had won by only two votes and the whole island was basically divided down the middle.  Awkward!  Especially on an island of about 650 inhabitants.

All of this aside we spent the next day climbing to (another) chora at the top of (another) hill.  This was a particularly spectacular specimen however!  Dramatic cliffs fell away from an equally dramatic rustic chora and no day out on a Cycladic island is complete without a heart pumping climb to the highest church.  We were even able to climb onto the roof of this one and the views were fantastic.

I got really upset as this beautiful beast of burden was hobbled.  Apparently quite common in this part of the world....

The amazing cliffs of Folegandros

These houses were perched precariously on the edge of the cliffs!

Terraces from the Chora

The gorgeous streets of the Chora on Folegandros

Splashes of colour among the blue and white......

The view from the church down over the Chora and the cliffs of Folegandros

But wait, there's more.......

Evening at Karavostasis

Dragging ourselves reluctantly from Folegandros we headed to Serifos.  We had a fantastic sail in 15 to 25 knot winds.  Arriving at our destination of Livadhi we tied up stern to on the northern side of the town quay.  We were expecting strong winds for the next few days and wanted to be in a 'blow off' situation (no, you non yachties.....  this does not mean we have been eating too many baked beans!).  We also didn't think we had very good holding with the anchor and it was a very tight little harbour which shallowed out very rapidly near the end.  One boat went aground that first evening and there were a few flared tempers.

The boat off Shirley Valentine's starboard bow is aground.  The first of many on Serifos.

One very comfortable cat!

Views of Livadhi on Serifos from the road up to the Chora

The view from the summit



Those beautiful Cycladic colours around every corner......

 The following day was eventful with boats coming into the harbour thick and fast to escape the winds.  We met a lovely couple called David and Jackie on a charter yacht who were lovely company for a few days.  This was also the evening when we were reacquainted with Mike the Magnificent.  Now Mike is a fairly newly appointed charter yacht skipper who takes his role very seriously.  I want to write a children's book about this guy with him as the hero!  He was messy haired and chubby and liked to come to everyone's rescue.  We had met him and his clients briefly on Folegandros and he immediately irritated me (an unfortunate fault of mine - judging people on sight!).  He had that air of 'women don't belong on boats and should stay below in the galley cooking' about him.  Just the thing to ruffle my feathers.

Shirley Valentine 'blowing off' the quay at Livadhi, Serifos

The extremely handsome town hall. Chora, Serifos.

Possibly wasn't a real sensible place to leave one's car.......

Sheep huddling under a fishing boat to keep out of the wind.....

Lol....  I told Craig there were topless birds on the beach!

Dinner with David and Jackie unaware of the excitement to come.

Shirley Valentine on the town quay at Livadhi with the Chora of Serifos in the background.

On this particular evening we were returning from dinner with our new best friends, David and Jackie.  A flurry of activity turned out to be a unsuspecting charter boat which had come into the harbour in the high winds and had run aground.  Within minutes Mike the Magnificent had taken charge and was calmly and efficiently giving orders.  We were soon attempting (under Mike's instruction) to manually haul a 9 tonne yacht off the shallows with a very stretchy rope.  Even my tiny mind realised fairly quickly that this wasn't going to work, but my suggestion of using the boat's anchor fell on deaf ears.  Every shout of encouragement to the stricken yacht was also met with a command to 'calm down' from Mike.  I stopped trying to haul on ropes with my hackles rising rapidly.  I whispered into Craig's ear and suddenly we were using the yacht's anchor to haul him off after Craig had uttered my precious words to Mike.  We rapidly succeeded on getting the yacht off the shallows and soon had them snugged up alongside.  I made the poor starving crew a round of sandwiches and I don't think my food offerings have ever been so gratefully received!


The next day David and Jackie sadly had to leave to get their charter boat back to Athens.  Craig and David had been planning how to spring them off the quay in the still strong winds for about 24 hours.  As they started to prepare for the manoeuvre........ yes, you guessed it.......  Mike the Magnificent appeared!  Without actually asking if his help was needed he assumed control.  My tongue had enormous holes in it from biting violently down onto it but my calm, competent skipper and his new friend dealt with him admirably with Mike not even realising that they were being ever so slightly patronising.  The main thing was that David and Jackie were safely sent on their way (and my tongue recovered rapidly!).


We waited the next day for the wind to die down sufficiently for us to safely leave Serifos.  Leaving behind the blue and white hues of the Cycladic islands we headed off around 2 pm towards the Saronic Gulf.  We motor / sailed through the night arriving in Russian Bay on the island of Poros around 2 am.  After a nights sleep we moved onto the town quay on Poros.  Poros gets it's name from the 400 metre passage which separates it from the mainland at Galatas.  We paid 1 euro each way for a ferry trip to the mainland lasting all of about 3 minutes during our stay.  We had inadvertently moored up in front of a night club called Malibu's so we had a couple of dubious nights sleep.  Ear plugs come in useful sometimes.  One of the highlights of this stay was a meal at restaurant called Rota's (thanks to Craig's friend Peter for the recommendation) which is possibly some of the best food I have had in Greece.

 

The view from Russian Bay, near Poros

The reason it is called Russian Bay.....  an old Russian monastery, complete with beach chairs and umbrellas

Traditional fishing boat, Poros

Beautiful Poros town, the quayside lined with ferries waiting to whisk hardened travellers the three minute trip to the mainland

Haircut day on board

If you look really carefully at this shot taken in the fish market, you will see tassels hanging from the fan which then spins around keeping the flies off the fish!  Very clever people these Greeks.....

Fantastic marketing in my opinion.......

Our ferry which whisked us over to Galatas on the mainland looking back towards Poros

Our next island in this chain was Aegina.  Shirley Valentine got an opportunity to catch up with her mate Broke Aweigh and we got to catch up with her skipper, Keith.  We also met up with the skipper and crew of Crosswind, Steve and Joanna (Australian and Scottish respectively).  Keith and I shared the cooking for the next couple of nights and we had a lovely evening on Crosswind.  We did the sight seeing bit with a trip to the temple of Aphaia which apparently triangulates with the Parthenon at Athens and the temple of
Poseidon at Cape Sounion.

Keith and Craig taking on an ancient statue. So brave!

The temple of Aphaia, Aegina which triangulates with the Parthenon in Athens and the Temple of Poseidon at Cape Sounion

Just to prove we were there.......

Yet another cute kitten, begging for scraps while we were eating lunch, Aegina

Aegina town.  The red boat on the left is a fruit and vegetable market......

Shirley Valentine and her bestie, Broke Aweigh, reunited in Aegina

Dinner on Crosswind at Aegina with Steve, Joanna, Keith, Alie, Tony and Craig

Aegina was a terrible anchorage.  We were sitting having lunch one day when Joanna came running to tell us that Shirley Valentine was slamming into the quay.  We think that our anchor may have hooked on to a rock while we were berthing, giving us an illusion of security but had eventually given way or been ploughed up by a passing yacht.  After re-anchoring and checking for damage we watched yachts having problems with their anchors for the remainder of our stay.  I think the diver on Aegina is the richest man in Greece!  Broke Aweigh sustained some damage to her rigging and stern in heavy winds a few days after we left.


Aegina was our last port of call before leaving for Athens to drop off Tony and Alie.  Steve and Joanna came with us for the ride as they had some business to do in Piraeus.  We had a fun day dodging ferries and cargo ships on the way in and tied up happily in Zea marina in the early afternoon.

Shirley Valentine tied up snug in Zea Marina in Piraeus, Athens (or so we thought......)

The next day saw us farewell Tony and Alie and begin the clean up for our next crew change.  We found a fantastic supermarket (Carrefour's) near the marina which had baked beans and everything.  We even found a new kettle which actually whistles.  It's amazing what makes you happy in this neck of the woods............

Between the islands and the deep blue sea (part 1)

I love to talk to people about why they travel.  I have spoken to many, many people over the past few years about their motivation for the type of travel that they do.  Some want to visit as many Greek islands as they can, others all of the major cities in Europe etc. etc.  But my favourite so far has been an Aussie gentleman called Warren who we met recently while he was on a charter boat in the Cyclades.  He wants to travel to as many sites as he can where James Bond movies have been filmed!  After he left the charter yacht he was heading to Istanbul to visit the Grand Bazaar which features in Skyfall.  Last year he visited Marakesh in Morocco for the same reason (prize for the person who knows which movie that was!).


Our motivation for the areas that we visit in this part of the world has partly been to tick off places that Francesco Da Mosta visited during his TV show, 'Francesco's Mediterranean Voyages'.  Francesco is a fumbling, charming, floppy haired Venetian who retraces his ancestors voyage of the maritime trading route from Venice to Istanbul in a beautiful 100 foot sailing yacht called the Black Swan (worth a look if you haven't seen it).  One of the Greek islands he visits is Rhodes.  For 3 years we have sailed past Rhodes and I really wanted to visit.  As we had to check out of Turkey at Datca however, it was deemed to be too far south by my illustrious skipper and we decided instead to head for Kos.

Leaving Turkey at Datca. Not sure when we will be back.......

Arriving in Kos we completed the usual necessary formalities reasonably painlessly.  There has been a threat of a new cruising tax (which will cost us around 400 euros) looming since April but the systems have apparently not been put in place yet to collect it and we escaped with a fee of about 30 euros for our Greek transit log.


Kos is the home of Hipprocrates (of Hippocratic Oath fame) and Tony and I were quite excited to visit.  We pottered around the town and got a free train ride up to the Asklepieion (combination of temple, school and medical centre) which was built after the death of Hippocrates and was the most of famous of about 300 asklepieia in ancient Greece.  These were dedicated to Asklepios, god of healing.  The views from this place were stunning!  Shirley Valentine was moored peacefully under the Castle of the Knights in Kos town while we explored this lovely bustling, lively island.



'Hippocrates' plane tree.  I think it may be a cutting of a cutting of a cutting, but still special!

Balloon vendors in the square of lively Kos town

The Castle of the Knights at Kos town.

A funny looking statue!

Shirley Valentine anchored on the town quay at Kos town under the Castle of the Knights

Sunset over Kos town

The view from the Asklepieion over Kos town

Our next port of call was the island of Leros where we tied up stern to on the town quay at Lakki.  Luckily we picked the 'free' end of the quay as a few berths further up was the 'marina' which cost 25 euros a night.  Didn't look any different to me!  Lakki was an odd town.  Apparently it was a favourite of Mussolini during Italian rule on the island and was his vision of a Fascist dream town.  Today it is a little desolate and dishevelled with resident Romani gypsies living around the town hall.  Leros itself is the home of many of Greece's prison camps and mental hospitals and these still provide a lot of employment on the island. 


We hired a car here for a few days and had a lovely time exploring this beautiful island.  Tony had great fun playing with an old anti aircraft gun that we found in the vicinity of some old war relics.

Fishing boats on Leros

Check out the udders on these goats!

Craig, Tony and Alie at a beautiful little church on the island........

The church, sans people....

Partheni, Leros

Tony with his new toy!

Remnants of Italian war installations on Leros

Sunset over Panteli, Leros

Windmills on the road leading up to the Kastro, Leros

The view over Panteli and Vromolithos from the Kastro

Octopus drying in the sun, Psaropoula restaurant, Agia Marina, Leros

The Shirley Valentine table on the beach



The cinema at Lakki complete with squatters under the balcony on the left


Moving on to the island of Patmos we moored up to the town quay at Skala.  I could fill the blog with boring photos of Shirley on these town quays but will spare you for fear of boredom.  If anyone wants any further info on a particular place please let me know...


Patmos claim to fame is partly due to the presence of the Holy Cave of the Apocalypse where St John saw the vision of fire and brimstone and dictated the book of Revelations to his disciple.  There is also the spectacular monastery of St John perched above the chora of the town.  We spent a few beautiful days exploring this area although the Cave of the Apocalypse seemed a little over rated to me.

The bells of the monastery of St John, Patmos

Spot the monk.........

The view over Skala from the monastery of st John

The Holy Cave of the Apocalypse, Patmos

The chora and the Monastery of St John towering over the town of Skala, Patmos

We had been told not to miss our next stop by many of our friends and the island of Amorgos did not disappoint. We tied up to the town quay at Katapola after a night sail from Patmos as heavy winds were forecast.  Amorgos is the location of the film the 'Big Blue' and is a fabulous place.  We hired a car once again and Tony deftly drove us around as our chauffeur for the day.


The highlight of the island for me was the amazing Moni Panagias Chozoviotissas.  This stark white monastery clings to the 180 metre cliffs and defies gravity.  This was the first island in the Cycladic group that we visited and was to be the first of many with a beautiful chora (old village) perched on the hillside and spilling down the valley.  Historically, the residents moved up into the hills to try to defend themselves better from marauding pirates and these chora consist of beautiful winding streets full of blue and white houses and churches, red geraniums, smiling locals, cafes and tavernas...  and of course the cats!


Returning from a shopping trip one afternoon I discovered a stranger sitting in the cockpit chatting to Craig, Tony and Alie.  Simon turned out to be an Australian and seemed to be glad of a chance to chat to fellow Aussies.  He casually invited us all to dinner the next evening....  with his crew!  It turned out that he owned a 100 foot plus super yacht called Ariana and we were shouted a delightful 3 course meal at a local restaurant called Capetan Dimos with his crew of seven who were mainly from Turkey and Myanmar.  What a great night!  Life takes such strange twists and turns in this part of the world....

The island of Amorgos wearing the clouds like a toupe as we approached early morning

Sunset at Katapola, Amorgos with Shirley Valentine on the town quay

The windmills and chora of Amorgos

Agios Pavlos beach, Amorgos

The Moni Panagias Chozoviotissas, Amorgos, perched on the cliff

Can you spot the skipper?

So photogenic! As seen in the movie the 'Big Blue'

The shipwreck of the (?) Olympia as seen in the movie. We had a great walk down here

Man on a donkey.....  Amorgos

Dinner with Simon and his crew from the good ship Ariana

Reluctantly dragging ourselves away from this beautiful spot we headed off to Ios.  Another Cycladic island with a picturesque blue and white church at the top of the chora drawing us towards the summit, this one was particularly sweet and Ios is apparently a bit of a party island during high season.  Lunch was very exciting here for Craig and I as we managed to sniff out a Thai restaurant which a nice change from Greek salad and souvlaki.  Apart from a bit of drama with a German charter boat who ended up getting tangled up with our anchor chain while trying to tie up next to us on the town quay this was a fantastic spot.  There was even a wedding scheduled especially for us in the evening at the local church (a bit similar to the setting of the church in Mamma Mia) and Alie and I gate crashed to have a sticky beak.  There seemed to be about 200 people trying to cram into a church bit enough for about 40!

My skipper actually helming Shirley Valentine without the autohelm on!



Beautiful Cycladic colours, Ios

View from the Chora, Ios

Looking down over the town quay on Ios

Posing in front of (another) gorgeous Cycladic church

Oh my goodness.....  a blue and white church (just for a change!)

Onwards from Ios we headed to Folegandros, another island we had been commanded not to miss, but more about this next time.


In the meantime, take care and talk soon........