We spent about a week in summer 2021 in the small Cycladic island of Tinos. It is a small island, less than 40 kms in length, quite windy, rocky brown in colour, with shrubs and dry vegetation and dotted with small villages and cove beaches along its shore. It is quite slow and remote, living a life far away from the bustling lives we live. And the experience of living there for a week felt otherworldly almost, as if we had landed on a different planet altogether!
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| Typical Cycladic houses |
Our time there was completely unplanned, each morning we decided what to do and where to go - the beach or the villages or hike or eat with a view or do nothing. We had nowhere to go, no time deadlines, no list to finish. And so time slowed down for us there – it was quite an experience. I loved the time we spent on its gorgeous beaches. Just swimming in its deep blue Aegean waters for hours at end.
I loved this Greek island holiday, with the sun and water around. But the highlight for me was the slowing down, that idyllic weightless feeling, which will always remain with me as the memory of this holiday.
Itinerary in Mykonos and Tinos
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Day 1: Land in Mykonos; stay at Hotel Super Paradise Suites; explore Paradise Beach Club; dinner at Jackie O
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Day 2: Ferry from Mykonos to Tinos; stay at the village of Kardiani; dinner at Sunset Bar, Kardiani
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Day 3: Bianco beach; Lunch at Pastel Tinos; Chill at Sundara lounge on Agios Fokas beach; Dinner at Like Salt
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Day 4: Driving across the island, visiting Pyrgos and Isternia villages; Lunch at Mayou Cafe, Isternia (my favourite); Dinner at O Ntinos near Kardiani bay
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Day 5: Volax and Skalados villages; Kolimvithra (Kolibithra) beach; dinner at Kionia on Kionia beach
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Day 6: Hiking around Steni; lunch at Cafe Apodrasi
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Day 7: Kalivia beach & bar; Dinner at Drunk Sinatra
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Day 8: Ferry from Tino to Mykonos; dinner at Scorpio
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Day 9: Explore Mykonos Town; Agios Sostis beach; Principote beach bar; Nammos beach bar; dinner at Yalo at Platis Gialo beach
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Day 10: Platis Gialo beach; fly back to Amsterdam
Getting to Tinos
The whole Greek islands ferry system is extremely well setup - there are daily ferries leaving from the harbour to multiple different islands around, and there are generally multiple options available. You can easily book any of them using the ferry hopper app. We took the ferry from Mykonos to Tinos. It was a huge one, coming from Athens to Mykonos, dropping passengers to a few other islands and then going back to Athens the same day.
Each island has a main harbour, and we boarded the ferry from Mykonos harbour. The corona check-in was quick, and we spent most of our time exploring the ferry and enjoying the views outside. The ferry had a posh escalator inside and had multiple levels to it. All the floors had a few cafes, restaurants and places to sit. While going to Tinos, we sat on the top floor so we could enjoy the open air and views of the sea around. It was extremely windy though and tough to sit on the top deck - guess it was a preview of what was to come.
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| First view of Tinos |
It was a short ride in, as within 30 mins we were in Tinos. The approach to Tinos was scenic - slowly the island becomes visible and the white houses come into focus. The brightness of the sun made the houses sparkle amid the brown landscape, making the island almost shine. And the first look of the island told us already that it would be a quieter world than what we had left behind.
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| Tinos harbour |
Also, the ferry manoeuvring as it was landing into the harbour was enjoyable to watch. The captains turn and park it as effortlessly as if it were a cycle! It was a pleasure to see it from the ferry as it turned, twisted and parked itself next to the marina.
As we got off, our car rental guy met us at the harbour itself. He had the car ready, we drove to their office and sorted out the papers. The town of Tinos felt small and cute; slow and sleepy in the hot summer air. We then bought groceries from the only local supermarket which was open on a Sunday. And then were ready for our Tinos adventure.
About the island
Tinos is a very small Greek island in the Aegean Sea, about 200 km2 in area. It is one of the quieter of the Cycladic group of Greek islands, which are known for their white and blue houses, dry vegetation and windy climate. The most famous of these islands are Santorini and Mykonos, with Tinos, Paxos, Naxos etc. being the quieter ones.
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| Kardiani Bay, from above |
The capital of the island is the town of Tinos where the ferries from the islands arrive. And there is one main circular road which goes all along the island coast. At most places, you can see the blue sea, extending unto infinity. And all along this sea, are picturesque beaches in hidden coves. On the other side are tens of white villages dotting the whole island. The vegetation is dry, and the land looks bare. It is quite mountainous too, so the roads go up and down everywhere. And anywhere you turn, are some stunning views which fascinated us our entire time there.
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| Somewhere on the island |
Population on the island is low. So when you drive, you can just see the villages far off, with no people nearby. Just lot of desert shrubs and brown vegetation. The north side of the island is supposedly windier, while the south side is less. So people tend to hangout more on the south beaches. Generally it’s a slow-paced island, but in October, it just gets much more slower. It’s like time has come to a standstill in this part of the world.
Our airbnb in the village of Kardiani
After landing in Tinos, we first drove towards our Airbnb in the cliff village of Kardiani. It was a 20 mins ride along the coast, and we got our first look into what the island was like - dry grasslands, sparsely populated. Our village was on a cliff and a bit tough to get to the first time as we missed the small road going down steeply towards the houses. Also our car didn't go all the way to the accommodation - we had to park it at the beginning of the village, and then walk the rest of the way through the typical narrow lanes with white Cycladic island houses on both sides.
The house was pretty and cute, with a traditional architecture. With the blue doors, and a deep pink bougainvillea plant along its door – the typical look of a Greek house we had imagined. The best part though was its terrace – an open-air seating area with an imposing view of the sea, the Ermoupouli and Giaros island far away and the setting of some spectacular sunrises and sunsets every day.
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| Kardiani during the day |
From the terrace, we could see the whole village spread out below us along the cliff, the 3 churches of the village, the two bays down by the sea, the sea in between and the white houses on the two islands across the sea. The sunrises were quite scenic. The sun would come late to the village, as it rose on the other side of the cliff. And slowly it would come, warming up everything, one by one.
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| Kardiani at sunset |
In the evening, the sun would slowly sink behind the cliffs, turning everything in the village a yellow hue. The calmness and gorgeousness of the moment is tough to describe. And the nights were enticing too. We could see the lights of the holiday homes next to the bays and the white houses across the sea, twinkling at night – it was all so charming. And the heavens came out too. The sky was so clear that we could see all the stars in the sky, the Milky Way and all the constellations too. Every night.
I had a great time at the Airbnb, taking in the fresh air of a real village, a place I haven’t stayed at for a long long while. It kind of brought back memories of my village in India, the simplicity in living - something we have all left way way behind.
Kardiani village
The village of Kardiani is quite a popular stop among the tourists on the island. All day there would be many of them walking along its streets, walking down to the beach, visiting the main churches in the village and taking photos. The church which was closest to our home had a beautiful bell tower, which looked even more fabulous at night, all lighted up in orange lights. There was an old part of the village too which we explored but felt the same to me as the new one. There was a small café in the centre of town where tourists would sit for a quick snack. And admire the lighted churches in the village. And there were tons of cats everywhere, at last 200 in the village itself. As they were everywhere on the island!
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| Kardiani cafe |
The streets of the village were very similar to the other villages – painted white and houses on both sides with blue doors and windows. And loads of bougainvillea everywhere. It felt so refreshing every day when we came back after a long day on the beaches and across the island. All the streets were lighted up even at night, so it always felt alive.
One thing stuck in my mind though – the village felt so empty! Other than tourists, and the people running the café, we didn’t come across a lot of locals the entire week. I kept wondering where they were. Were they all staying indoors to avoid the wind, or were they generally introverted people, or were most of the houses just summer houses and empty now? With everyone back in Athens as the weather became cooler. I never got an answer to it and still wonder.
Tinos town
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| Tinos main street |
Tinos is the main town of the island and is a small cute little place. The ferries come to Tinos, as well as you need to come here to buy anything you need. So it was the centre of life for the island. Thankfully it had lot of parking next to the sea, so it was easy to come here and explore the centre. It has a few museums too, but our time spent there was mostly to eat and shop😊. We ate at the Pastel Tinos one day which had a nice view of the harbour, and Drunk Sinatra on the main street which was supposed to be happening at night but felt quite empty😊.
The town seems quite spread out, and a mix of the old and new. We mostly spent our time along the main market street, which starts from the harbour, all the way to the Panagía Evangelístria (Lady of Tinos) church, which is one of the highlights of this island. It is a very important place of pilgrimage for Greek Orthodox Christians, and each year there is a festival when thousands of people come to visit the church and island.
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| Tinos main street |
It is quite a vibrant street, lighted up at night. All along it, you have loads of tourist shops, as well as shops selling photos of Jesus Christ. Somehow it reminded us of Vaishno Devi. One evening, I walked to the church and it looked mesmerizing, all lighted up and shining. And even though it was locked, I peeked in and saw the décor which was quite grand.
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| Inside Lady of Tinos church |
The next day before leaving Tinos, we went to the church again in the morning. It looked so different. More sober than at night. We went in too (given my fascination for churches) and it was different – a Greek Orthodox church. There was so much silver everywhere, some kind of incense being lighted, and the priest was chanting – definitely a different experience than the other European churches I have visited.
Beaches
Tinos is full of beaches as are all Greek islands I would assume. And most of the beaches are in protected coves, at places you wouldn’t know there was a beach till you get there. And which provide protection from the fast winds which overrun the island. Given the end of season, most of the beaches we went to felt quite private. At max there were not more than 12 people at any time (if at all). Some of the beach bars were still open, so there was at least some
hulchul there, but the rest felt quite remote. And the water was such a deep Aegean blue, it felt like being in paradise always.
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| Bianco beach |
Bianco beach: Each beach though similar was unique. The first beach we went to was Bianco beach, which also had a beach bar. It was near the town of Tinos and in a hidden cove. It was a course in obstacle driving getting there, it was down a downtrodden narrow extremely steep road down the mountain. And then suddenly you come to a small walkway to the beach bar. The beach bar had shut down for the season the day before, and they were packing up when we went there. But they still served us coffee while we swam😊.
All around the cove, there were holiday homes on the cliffs around. The water was a deep blue and it was a pleasure to swim there, though it did get a bit windy. I was swimming in the warm ocean after a year and a half, and it felt like such a freeing feeling. I decided that I would swim at least half the days I was on the islands!
Sundara beach bar: We went to Sundara beach bar and lounge one afternoon, located near Tinos town on the Agios Fokas beach and stayed there all evening, again swimming in the sea. The lounge was on a very long yellow sand beach which was popular as it was on the side of the island supposed to be less windy. And it was lined with 7-8 beach bars all along, still open as they were near the town and full of people. I swam along the beach on either side of Sundara and then we went for a long walk.
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| Sundara Lounge |
The lounge was a good place to chill for sure. It was made of straw and wood, and had a very rustic feel to it. It had straw sun beds all along the beach for people to tan. Not for us though, we stayed inside under covers when not swimming. We saw the sun set on the city of Tinos, with its twinkling lights, and the straw umbrellas adding to the composition. We also saw loads of oldies there, out on holiday and spending their whole day at the beach bar, just playing games. I think this was the time that I finally started getting into the whole lazy beach holiday vibe. And it felt nice. The name of the lounge also reminded us of an old Hindi song from the 90s, and we danced to it in front of the lounge as a memory😊.
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| Kolimvithra cove |
Kolimvithra beach: One of the days, after visiting some of the villages nearby, we drove towards a beach on the north side of the island. Even though that side is supposed to be windy, this one turned out not to be. It was the Kolimvithra beach, next to a village of the same name. It has one long yellow sand beach which was empty. And next to it, it has another beach in a cove which was completely sheltered from the winds. The water was a deep blue, the winds controlled and the experience outstanding. The restaurant on this beach was already closed for winter though.
But we still hung out there in the bay for 3 hours. I swam for a couple of hours and I loved it. The deep blue colour of the water was awesome. And there was a bit of a crowd here (12 people over the 3 hours!) which still felt like being popular 😉. There was even a lifeguard there! We also saw some jellyfish in the water here, though only after we had finished swimming. So we were safe.
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| Kalivia beach |
Kalivia beach: One of the last beaches we went to was Kalivia beach which was located right below our Kardiani village. We would see the beach cove from our accommodation daily but ended up going there only on the last day. And what a find it was. There were 3 separate beaches in that bay, and we went to the one which was supposed to be less windy. And less windy it was. There was a beach bar there run by some locals who said as they lived there, they didn’t really need to wind up and leave. They were quite friendly too, so we had fun chatting with them.
We spent a few hours in the sun there, soaking in the heat and then the waves, just lazing around. It was a shallow beach, and though it had a few rocks, they were not so much that they would hinder our swimming. It was fabulous and I think my favourite beaches of all. As it was a relaxed day with no agenda, we made full use of it by just spending all our time in the water. And this was another beach with a lot of people, 12 at one point! So a good find overall.
Villages of Tinos
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| Loutra |
Tinos is full of picturesque villages, with its white and blue houses perched on top of cliffs, in valleys and overlooking the sea, all across the island. Each one of them is so unique, so breath-taking, I didn’t get bored of admiring and photographing them throughout my trip. I always wonder if the people living there actually realise how glorious their places of abode are? I am sure they don’t, but for tourists they are really magnificent.
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| Church on the pass |
We spent one full day visiting some picturesque villages towards the north of the island, one day hiking through some of the villages and every day seeing them on our drives anyways. The one full day, we spent visiting the villages of Pyrgos and Isternia, in the northern part of the island. It was a windy day when we drove from Kardiani to Pyrgos. We had to cross a pass in the mountains to get there. Right at the pass, there was a lonely remote church standing tall on top of the pass. And a windmill next to it. We stopped there (I seem to have quite a fascination for churches and visit all and any that come in my way when travelling😊).
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| Tinos view |
Given it was a pass, it was extremely windy there. The church was unfortunately closed (as were most churches on the island) and we couldn’t stop long as the wind was too strong. We did however get to see some stunning views of the other side of the island from there. Mountains all the way down to the sea, and then the deep blue water till wherever the eyes can see. It’s a sublime feeling very difficult to explain.
The landscape on this side of the island was dry, but still had stone markings and fencing to separate fields. And it looked as if there was some agriculture here – we did see lots of goats and sheep too.
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| Pyrgos village |
And as we kept driving on, in the middle of the mountains was this village - Pyrgos. It turned out to be one of the more touristy places we visited. Pyrgos (also known as Panormos) is quite a popular village in the north central part of the island, known for its marble art and architecture. There were loads of tourists walking around the village, as did we. We came across some charming views of the village, with its typical white houses with blue windows and doors. There were also loads of cafes in this village, especially the central square – this was so different than our own village.
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| Pyrgos street |
It had a few market streets which were closed at that time, as were the churches. But there were loads of houses with the red and blue doors. And lots of bougainvillaea too. So all perfect for a picture opportunity😊. As usual, I felt I didn’t get to see a lot of locals around. so wondered again, why were the locals inside all the time? Or were most of the houses empty?
After Pyrgos, while coming back we stopped at Isternia village which was close to our village. We went to Mayou café and had lunch there. It had a stunning location, on a terrace overlooking the Aegean sea. As it was a sunny day and the café was protected from the wind (a bit), we sat there for hours. Eating, reading and just chilling in front of the sea, watching it to infinity and beyond. I could have sat there for a long while - it was my favourite restaurant of the island. After lunch at the restaurant, we walked through the village to the church and saw the markings for the coastal trail which we planned to do one of the days but never got the time. Then we came back and sat at the restaurant again😊.
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| Volax village from far |
One of the other days, we drove to the village of Volax which is in the centre of the island. All around was a valley with huge boulders everywhere. It was a different landscape than the rest of the islands. And nestled in between those boulders from a different planet was this village. This might be the only village far away from everyone, I wonder why they did that! It was greener too, there were so many trees around. Maybe that’s why its residents came so far to settle?
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| Volax streets |
Inside, it was similar to the others we had been to – white houses with blue painted doors and windows. The only difference being some of the doors were full of inscriptions in Greek. I don’t know what they are about but it felt like they recorded the history of the residents of the house. We also walked around the village and saw artichokes on the trees for the first time.
While driving back from Volax, we had seen a lot of villages around a valley, so we stopped at those villages too. The main one was Skalados through which the main road went. We walked a bit there and to the local church which was closed again! By this time, I think we had had enough of the typical Cycladic villages, and we didn’t really want to visit any more. So we left soon.
Hiking
One of the days, we decided to do a different activity and went hiking in the mountains, on
this trail. It was supposed to be a ‘highlands’ trail, so we went up and down mountains all along. It turned out to be quite a scenic trek, but the wind hampered our progress a bit.
Our trek started and ended in the village of Steni, after a full loop. Steni was near the village of Volax where we had driven a few days ago. We parked behind the main church and started walking. The walk was through multiple villages; Steni -> Kechros -> Karya -> Exomvourgo -> Falatados -> Mesi -> Stenis. We missed two villages on the way Koumaros and Myrsini; Koumaros because it was too windy to risk going down a cliff to get to it and Myrsini because we got lost 😄.
The trail was named M1 but not marked at many places, so we had to find our route as we went along. It was fun to walk through the first few villages. Some part of the trek was through the main roads, some through the hills and some tracks. As the weather was sunny, it was fun.
The start of the trail, Stenis felt like a much richer village than others we had passed - the houses were bigger here and felt more modern. They even had gardens and amenities we hadn’t seen earlier in the smaller villages. And its chimneys had birds of metal next to them, something I had seen in Pringles Bay in South Africa before.
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| Karya village (most likely) |
Karya (or Karia) was all along a cliff and we ran into an artisan working on marble statues in his workshop there. Then we took a very roundabout route through multiple mountains to get to Exomvourgo. On the way there were 100s of churches everywhere, most of them closed. There was a point when I was standing on a hill and could count 15 churches I could see all around me.
On the way, I also walked up a hill without a path towards a church. It was closed but then I finally got inside a dovecote, which felt scary. It felt like ruins of a room with symbols all around. And inside, there was an eerie silence. I realised much later what they were – places made for doves and pigeons to nest, as a source of food for the people around. Apparently Tinos is famous for its dovecotes.
The feeling of being on that hill is difficult to describe. All around were these dried vegetation hills in brown, dotted every few kms with white houses. From here, we could see many gorgeous villages all around, all the way to the sea. And of course the many many churches everywhere. With an ominous wind blowing all around. It’s a scene difficult to describe and can only be experienced.
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| Somewhere on the hike |
I tried to make my own way over mountains, to get to Exomvourgo but the paths were not well marked. So I went back to the main road to get there, realising I could have easily taken the direct route I was thinking of 😊. Anyways back on the main road, we walked past a few more villages, some vineyards, lots of animals (donkeys and cows) as well as fruit trees - figs, blackberries, lemons and so on. It felt like being in a real rural area, unlike most of Europe we know. And it felt nice to just let it go, be one with where we were...
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| Path to Exomvourgo |
Exomvourgo (also called Compourgo) is a monastery on top of a hill, which overlooks a lot of the area around. The climb up to it was quite strenuous. And once there, the view was breath-taking. Of the mountains, villages and valleys below. Though that is when the wind got out of control and it got increasingly exhausting for us to walk.
We were going to walk down the mountain to the village of Koumaros but it got so dangerous to walk down, we just gave up on it and started walking to Falatados. It also turned out to be a much larger village – it even had apartments in it. And a beautiful church. We also saw Volax again from this side of the mountain and it felt good to recognise a village we had been to earlier – almost felt like we had built some familiarity with this island.
We got a bit lost after that and turned up in the village of Mesi before finally reaching Stenis. At the end of the day, we felt tired and stopped for lunch in Stenis, replenishing ourselves before heading back to our village. It turned out to be a fun day with some stunning views, but got too tiring too, not because of the long walk but the wind.
Restaurants
Eating out at places with breathtaking views was a definite highlight of the trip. The restaurants we went to all were different and quite unique, in terms of their food, location and views. Here is a list of some of them:
Pastel Tinos, Tinos city centre: It was a very small non-descript restaurant we went to the day we visited Bianco beach. It is near the harbour road in Tinos and offers a mix of cuisines. We sat outside for a bit, but then moved in because of the wind. The food there was very tasty and in huge quantities. And the view was interesting too, watching the ferries come and park themselves at the harbour all afternoon.
Drunk Sinatra, Tinos city centre: This restaurant looked very happening every time we were in Tinos City Centre. Except the day when we went there when it was very very quiet 😆. It had a pretty view of the main market street of Tinos though and looked quite exquisite at night with all its lights.
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| Like Salt restaurant |
Like Salt restaurant, Tinos: The restaurant had great reviews and was located very close to Sundara Bar, on the Agios Fokas beach. In fact we ran into a few people there who were with us in Sundara. It is located along the beach, with some stunning sunset views. And amazing food. It serves Greek seafood cuisine and I would totally recommend it.
Kionia restaurant, Kionia: This must be the least fancy restaurant we went to on our trip. And this also was on the beach with a gorgeous view of the blue waters 😆 (such high standards we had on this island!). We went there as we were late for lunch and it was one of the few places still open at that hour. It was in a touristy part of town where lot of the hotels and touristy areas were located. The food felt quite touristy, but the location was amazing. Next to the beach, with sunbeds, lashing waves and a sunset! As usual, the food quantity there was quite a lot.
Sunset Bar, Kardiani: Our first meal on the island was at the sunset bar, very close to our village. It had an amazing location, above the Kardiani village and with a panoramic view of the sea below. It also had a luxurious setup and offered Japanese food. Though it turned out to be empty the day we went as it was its last day!
So we had our dinner at the restaurant, some amazing sushi, enjoying the surreal view. It was too windy though and we couldn’t stay long. But was a good introduction to the kind of awesome places we would visit over the next week.
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| Sunset from O Ntinos |
O Ntinos, Kardiani Bay: This was a sea food restaurant in one of the bays right below our village. The food there was tasty, and the sunset views impressive. But the service there left a lot wanting – the waiter kept asking us every 20 mins if we wanted something more. That kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, so not impressed.
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| Mayou Cafe |
Mayou café, Isternia: I think this was my favourite restaurant of the trip, sublime, grand and relaxing. It is a small restaurant with a terrace in the village of Isternia. It is located above the cliffs, with a view of the Aegean Sea and the islands beyond. When we were there, it was sunny. And felt amazing to just sit there for a few hours, enjoying the sun, the cool breeze and read a book. The feeling I got there was out worldly, and I would remember it for quite some time. The food there was also great by the way. I had fried egg pancakes which were surprisingly so tasty, I will remember them for a long while.
Cafe Apodrasi, Stenis: This was a small restaurant we stopped at for lunch after our hiking around Stenis. And maybe the only restaurant without a view. And we were very hungry, but there was only one person serving everyone and he took forever to get us our Greek pancakes (which had become a favourite of mine already). They were yum though, I loved them. Also he was the only one server the entire week who was wearing masks and asked us if we are vaccinated. So kudos for that 😊.
Beach bars: We went to Kalivia beach bar and Sundara lounge when we went swimming in the sea. We didn’t eat at most of these places, but they did have some great offerings. (Details in the beach section above). Overall the food was outstanding at all the restaurants with some breath-taking views – definitely a highlight of the trip for me.
Impressions
About the island: Tinos has very less vegetation, feels desert like and has very sparsely population. It is quite mountainous, so driving is the best way to get around
It is one of the windier Cycladic islands and we noticed it every day – sometimes it was too windy to even be able to walk comfortably. And apparently there is wind the whole year round. However, the locals seem fully comfortable with it and didn’t even bat an eye or give it a second thought. Even the restaurants and shops are all set up in such a way, that nothing even flutters even when wind speeds are too high.
There are too many cats on the island. I don’t know if I can explain how many! They are everywhere, and so many. The village we were living in, every 20 seconds we would pass by another cat. It was the same in the other villages we visited. Everywhere.
People and houses: People here felt quite closed and not so open, I don’t know why. It wasn’t what I was expecting. And a lot of the locals looked obese which was a surprise to me. Also, most of the houses in the island felt locked and closed always. They had small windows which were all made of wood and always closed. Maybe because of the wind, I didn’t see a lot of glass anywhere.
The whole feeling of the place felt very rural. We saw so many animals while trekking and exploring the island. Like goat, sheep, horse, cows, donkeys and so on. We also saw loads of fruits and fruit trees everywhere, artichoke, cones, and so on. And we heard roosters near our apartment, every morning from 6 to 11am. It felt nice to live in this uncomplicated world. I wondered though what do the locals do. There was some animal rearing, and tourism too. But wonder what else they do.
Churches: The churches on the island are Greek orthodox which are different from the usual. They also have so many churches, everywhere. In the middle of nowhere, you see this white building with a blue dome and the cross, among the brown desert landscape around it. At times, in one view of a valley, I could see 10-15 small churches at the same time. Though most of them were closed at all times.
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| A dovecote |
There are loads of dovecotes too everywhere which for a while I assumed to be some kind of a religious building. But turned out to be a place for the doves and pigeons to stay.
Tourist season: The whole island shuts down once the summer tourist season is over, around end of September/October, after which it gets colder and windier. When we reached, lot of beach bars were no more open. And all these places employ people from Athens or elsewhere in the country, who come here every summer for work and then go back once the tourist flow reduces. So it’s very common to see the remnants of what would have been in summer.
Greek alphabet: An interesting aspect of the island was that all boards were written in the Greek alphabet. Even though similar, they were different than English. And I was trying to remember all the science and scientific constants we had learnt in school to be able to read the boards😊. It was fun to recall them all. But it also posed a problem as Google maps showed names in Greek which were then difficult to correlate with English names of places on reviews!
Driving: Driving was fun, as there were not too many roads anyways and no chances of getting lost. The roads were great, traffic was low and the views were breath-taking across all the mountains. Of panoramic views of the sea, ferries in it and islands beyond, the stunning villages on tops of hills, the valleys and so on. Sometimes there would be fogginess in the sea and you wouldn’t be able to see the islands. Sometimes it would be too windy. But always, there was so much peace and calm everywhere.
We felt it every time when driving back home, especially later in the evening. I think it was at times like this, I felt this island was miles away from civilisation. As if in its own bubble. And it felt amazing, like floating above everything. I think this is the part of this holiday that I enjoyed the most, will remember the most. The peace, calm and distance from the world we live in otherwise…
