Tilos 2018 (Dodecanese):

Livadia harbour on Tilos island

I'd last had a holiday on the Dodecanese island of Tilos way back in 2006 with the now long gone British specialist tour company Laskerina. That, in fact, turned out to be their final season in business. I've written about that trip here before and it is fair to say that whilst I enjoyed Tilos I hadn't really seen it as a return destination in the way that Halki has become. However, after a couple of day trips from Halki I began to consider that Tilos was worthy of a prolonged visit and finally booked for June 2018.

Having used Expedia to put together a few short trips (Athens etc) I finally abandoned the safety net of a package holiday to book my first prolonged holiday. Settling on the well reviewed Apollo Studios in Livadia and convenient British Airways flights I found myself at Rhodes airport on the Monday night. This is where research comes in as I already knew exactly where to board the public bus to Rhodes Old Town. Coming out of arrivals you turn left and the bus stop is by a cafe with outdoor wooden seating. At only a couple of euros this bus will save you a fortune on taxis -just don't expect any special luggage facilities! The 40-60 minute bus ride takes you along the coast to the Old Town before terminating at the bus "depot" (it's just a side street in reality). Now to find my hotel the Domus Rodos in the heart of the Old Town. Luckily a helpful woman at the bus ticket office pointed me in the right direction. Put simply, you head back the way the bus has just come then left at the end of the street straight down to the seafront. Turning right here you will find yourself in the walled Old Town with Kolona harbour on your left. This was exciting as there were the Dodekanisos Seaways fast catamarans moored up for the night. All ready to take me to Tilos on Tuesday morning (ticket already booked online through their website). Actually finding my hotel proved rather harder as I soon got lost in a maze of narrow streets and alleys but eventually found it.

Collecting my booked tickets the next morning from the ticket office at the harbour it was soon time

Bell tower of Agia Zoni, Mikro Chorio

to board the Dodekanisos Express for the just over two hour trip to Tilos. Be aware that (at this time anyway) there were no facilities at the harbour for buying water etc but as I found on boarding there was already brisk trade at the bar well before departure time. Powering down the length of Rhodes it was up on deck all the way for me alternating the calm of the stern area with being blasted up in the bows.

First stop is Halki island and I had wondered if this would be the point at which I regretted going on to Tilos. However, Halki all looked just as it ever does and with that reassurance I was excited when we headed off again after a very brief stop. This time the ferry follows the length of Halki before heading on towards the already visible Tilos. Arriving at Livadia I was met my the owner of the Apollo Studios who transported me and my luggage all of the few hundred yards to the studios. It was a nice touch anyway! My ground floor apartment was great with a large patio area to sit in all planted up with basil plants

Megalo Chorio on Tilos island

First day. First walk and it was off to the cliff top path to Lethra beach. Find this by taking the uphill road out of Livadia for five minutes or so then the turning on the right marked for the Ilidi Rock hotel. Just follow this road to the end where a closed "goat gate" will lead you onto the path. Enjoy the spectacular sea views on this circa 45 minute walk but do watch your step in a few places where erosion had undermined the path. Lethra itself is a big stony beach which I actually had to myself being quite late in the day.

Next day was up to the deserted village of Mikro Chorio. Again just follow the uphill road out of Livadia for circa 40 minutes. For a short cut and welcome shade you can scramble up a bank onto a path through a wooded ravine. Find this where the main road turns sharply to the left. Mikro Chorio is highly photogenic with all the deserted houses now thronging with goats and sheep and the beautiful church of Agia Zoni. What I missed on previous visits was the remains of a medieval Crusader Knights castle. This is at the top of the village to the right (looking uphill) and well worth the few minutes it takes to walk up to.

If one deserted village isn't enough for you take the cliff top path to Gera. From Livadia head right

Solar energy on Tilos island

(facing seaward) and just follow the seafront road up the hill at the end of the bay to the chapel of Agios Ioannis then continue on the path beyond. Gera is truly deserted and derelict but, again, you will have plenty of company from goats and sheep.

It's always fun to take a ride on a local bus and I did this to the Capital of the island Megalo Chorio. This is full of pretty blue and white houses and narrow little paths. Walk upwards to the top of the village to see the church of Archangel Michael. High above Mikro Chorio are the ruins of another Crusader Knights castle which, in theory, you can reach via a path winding its way up the hillside. Find the path by going to the rear right (looking towards the castle) of the village. There should be a wooden sign pointing you to the path. Be aware that though this path starts off as an easy walk it does get trickier higher up and, in fact, on this visit I lost the path totally and didn't make it to the castle itself -just ended up fifty foot or so below it with no visible way up. Worse, because I now had the sun directly in my eyes I couldn't see the way down again either! I just had to carefully stow my camera in my backpack and improvise a route down. I now know that there are two key things to look out for. Firstly when you come to a derelict building on the right of the path you need to turn right and head up behind this building. Secondly, the path has lights (sort of) so look out for black electric cables and low level lights at intervals to keep you on track.

Another thing you can do by bus is to take the Sunday excursion (in season) to the monastery of Agios Panteleimon. Essentially the bus does its normal route but then continues up the rather precarious cliff road to the monastery where it stops for an hour or so to give you time to look around. Dating from around 1470 the monastery is well worth a visit and you can roam around at will. On the way back sit on the left hand side of the bus so you can get a good look at the huge wind turbine which forms part of the Tilos Horizons project. Luckily, the bus had sliding windows that I was able to open to photograph the turbine as we passed.

Monastery of Agios Panteleimon on Tilos island

For my final walk I took the bus up to Megalo Chorio and then did the road walk back to Livadia. This would take around 90 minutes if you just did it direct but there are diversions. Shortly after leaving Megalo Chorio take the road on the right marked Caves of Charkadio (or something on those lines). A short diversion to the right takes you to the island reservoir (which was empty when I visited) then back continuing along the road up to the caves. Here you will find a new visitor centre (not open when I was there) and beyond that an amphitheatre with great natural acoustics. Note, this a modern one, not an ancient Greek relic. Taking the path behind the amphitheatre takes you are to the cave entrance itself although, sadly, this is securely fenced off. It was here that bones of pigmy elephants were discovered - you can see these in the museum at Megalo Chorio though I assume they are destined to feature in the visitor centre once open. Once finished here head back to the main road and resume your walk back to Livadia. Shortly on the left you will see the multiple banks of solar panels that (with the wind turbine) aim to make Tilos self sufficient in power in the future. This is a major award winning project that has attracted attention and coverage around the World and was a deciding factor in my choosing Tilos as my destination because of the photographic possibilities.

So twelve years after my last holiday on Tilos I finally came back and was very glad that I did. Great natural beauty, fabulous walks to be had, lots of photogenic views and an exciting energy project ongoing. What's not to like? The Cockerel Count on Tilos remains at medium -there are some to be heard but do not expect a mass dawn chorus. Goatiness rating remains high especially in the deserted villages of Mikro Chorio and Gera.

Halki 2017 (Dodecanese):

Chapel by Pondamos beach, Halki

June 2017 saw me making my fifth visit to the Dodecanese island of Halki making it my most visited place in Greece. Here are some notes on my trip.

Early starts, long lunches and leaping mammals:

This year I came on the Easyjet 05.30 flight out of Gatwick. Unlike previous years there didn't seem much point in getting a room at the airport for such an early flight so I just got a late train up from Hastings getting me in shortly after midnight. This only left three hours or so before it was time to head to bag drop off and security. On arrival at Rhodes the Olympic rep asked me to come back in an hour as they were awaiting another flight (the early Monarch from Manchester) so I had the chance for a coffee and catching up on emails. In fact the Monarch flight had just a family of three Halki bound so I was quite impressed that Olympic had a small coach just to take the four of us to Kamiros Skala which we reached at 14.00. As expected we were booked on the 17.30 Nissos Halki crossing so there was time (plenty) for an enjoyable lunch at the Althemeni fish restaurant washed down by my first two bottles of Mythos of the holiday.

In fact, had I paid for a one way ticket I could have got a much earlier crossing on either Fedon or Express Nikos both of which made the crossing around 15.00 - but I realised that would probaly just cause confusion all round and with nobody ready for me at the other end. Eventually the four of us duly boarded and it looked like a repeat of last July when just five of us made the crossing until, after some delay, another full size Olympic coach arrived with around another thirty passengers and we set off for Halki.

Excited enough as I was anyway things hit fever pitch half way across with the shout of Dolphin!

Ferry departing Emborio harbour, Halki

And, yes there it was, leaping out of the water in the wake of the boat. I've probaly mentioned before that in seventeen years of visiting Greek islands I have never seen one (except on fridge magnets, beach towels, postcards and just about everything else you can put a dolphin image on). It was truly a magical moment.

Arrival and studio alarm:

Hyped up by the dolphin event everything was going just great with this trip until on being warmly greeted by Zifos Travel (agents for Olympic) at Emborio I was told I was in Studio 3 at the Dorothea. Now that wasn't in the script as I had specifically booked and had confirmation of a Side Sea View (which is Studio 4 only). Read my Dorothea review posted previously to fully understand the difference but, simply, four has a private balcony leading off the kitchen, three has a front balcony accessed from the communal corridor. Studio three is lovely (I've sneaked a look when it was empty!) but I wanted MY balcony. It seems that Zifos do not get the info (from Olympic) about front/side bookings and it was suggested that I should have made a special request for studio 4 (I'll be taking that one up with Olympic in due course). However, a quick resolution was proposed namely that if four was empty when I arrived at the Dorothea I should take that and let them know I was in that one. A rather nervous ascent of the steps followed but, thankfully, I was greeted by an unoccupied studio 4 and promptly took possession! Next Retsina (six euros this year for a 1.5ltr bottle) cheese, crackers, oregano crisps, peach juice and water were all promptly purchased and lugged back up the steps and I was sitting on my balcony enjoying that spectacular view over the harbour. Home!

Tarpon Springs Boulevard, Halki island

First day storm, A moment of Pride and Meet the Kids:

There's nothing like getting up on that first morning on a Greek island to head out to the balcony with a cup of coffee and soak up that sunshine. This was, indeed,  nothing like that. Storm clouds, bolts of lightening and then rain greeted me early the next morning. That wasn't in the script either. Luckily the rain didn't last long at this point. This being a Thursday morning I knew that the twice weekly arrival of the Dodekanisos Express fast catamaran ferry was due only to find (who says nothing much changes on Halki?) sister ferry Dodekanisos Pride powering into the harbour. This vessel normally runs the Symi route (I transferred back on it from Symi in 2011). Essentially they are both very similar but with Pride being built in 2005 (in Norway) five years after the Express. At least, as a photographer, this was something different to photograph.

I later did my traditional first walk of the holiday to Kania later on (having to put my camera away several times as rain started up again). For variation, whilst descending down to Kania I took the dirt road that goes off to the right. This then becomes a very overgrown road before coming to an end by a large gap in a wire fence.  Passing the sign on the fence (in Greek) that might have said Danger Unexploded Mines but probaly just Private: Keep Out I picked my may down across a very rocky field until I was almost at Kania. Sadly, at the bottom there didn't seem to be any corresponding gap in the fence and retraced my steps back up. Heading back to Emborio I was delighted to meet a family of goats in the road with two very tiny young kids (who bleated at me rather forlornly). Eventually the family moved off into a field leaving just one kid behind -which I now felt personally responsible for (what if it gets run over by the bus?). I saw them all on a later walk so they were fine. Arriving back at the harbour front heading for a Mythos and toasted cheese sandwich at Costas the rain started in ernest and chucked down for a good ten minutes. If seeing a dolphin was a first, seeing a Greek person sheltering under an umbrella was another.

Regatta time:

Small boats in Emborio harbour, Halki

Sunday 18th saw the Channel Regatta come to Halki when 23 yachts gradually arrived and moored up together. Organised by the Offshore Yachting Club of Rhodes and the Marmeris International Yacht Club this is a three stage race taking in Rhodes to Symi, Symi to Halki and finally Halki back to Rhodes. It certainly made for a lively evening with speakers set up on the harbour front and loud music being played -quite a contrast to the normal peaceful atmosphere but, I thought, made for a nice change. The next morning they all set off -again with music playing from one of the yachts.

Walk to Lagonia, Mist and close encounter with a well:

I saved this lengthy walk till near the end of my holiday. Taking the road to Kania I turned off by the old power generators -there's now a sign post for Areta here. Through the two gates and then a steep clamber up the rocky hill. There is a path of sorts but I struggled to see it at times. With a stone wall on my left I kept going upwards and then bore left when the wall did. A further climb away from the wall took me to the welcome shade of some olive trees. From here there is a steep clamber taking you up to a gap just below the summit which brings you out onto a huge valley sweeping down to Kania which you can see far below. This is where I went wrong and instead of bearing right for the track to Areta I just kept moving round the island just below summit level -sometimes with a defined track and sometimes improvising. Eventually after about 90 minutes (total) I reached the steep ravine of Lagonia. From here I could have descended into the ravine and up the other side before continuing on and eventually ending up coming back down the road to Emborio.

Nissos Halki ferry arriving at Emborio, Halki

However, I decided to call a halt here as I had no idea how long that stage would take and, worryingly, a thick sea mist was now rolling in and covering the summit ahead. I had no idea how thick that mist was likely to get but I did realise there was no chance of finding my back down if I couldn't see ahead. Back tracking I kept looking back to see the mist slowly advancing on me -no rush then! This is the point at which I realised I was about to walk into a deep uncovered well next to the ruins of an old chapel. Thankfully I stopped just in time and I was very pleased when I was finally making my long descent back to the Kania road - Emborio visible ahead.

As ever, the time to return home came and we set off on the Nissos Halki at the fairly civilised time of 07.30 (I've had earlier transfers in my time). Boarding the coach at Kamiros Skala I was a bit surprised to have my name called out. It turned out that I was the only one catching the noon Easyjet flight home and the coach made a special stop at the airport just for me before taking the rest of my fellow travellers off to kill time before their later flights.

The end of another two great weeks on Halki. I have a feeling that I may visit a different island next year but I can certainly say I'll be back for a sixth visit in the future.

Aegina 2017 (Saronic Gulf):

Marine Research vessel Aegaeo at Piraeus

Whilst on my second visit to Athens in April 2017 I decided to take a day trip to the nearby island of Aegina. This wasn't to be my first time on the island as back in 2002 whilst enjoying my first ever Greek island holiday on Agistri I also made a one day visit to Aegina. That time it was a short ten minute journey as the two islands are in sight of each other. From Piraeus expect from 45 minutes to a bit over an hour depending on which of the several transport methods you choose. I passed on the faster hydrofoil and opted for being up on deck on the slower ANES Lines ferry boat Nektarios. Outside of peak season don't worry too much about booking tickets -just head down to the harbour where all the operators have ticket offices and signs displaying departure and return times. In 2017 my return ticket was circa 13 euros.

Being up on deck meant I was able to take photos of the harbour as we got under way and I was

Carriage rides past the Panagitsa church on Aegina

lucky enough to capture the Marine Research vessel Aegaeo. Operated by the Greek Institute of Oceanography this is a high profile vessel that is involved in all sorts of research work -both around Greece and further afield. I didn't, to be fair, know any of that at the time but the power of the internet worked wonders when I got home. After a thoroughly enjoyable crossing (during which I yet again failed to spot a single dolphin) we were soon docking at Aegina Town.

After capturing images of passengers disembarking from Nektarios it was on to the first Aegina landmark in the form of charming whitewashed chapel of Agios Nikolaos (Saint Nicholas -patron saint of fishermen). That duly photographed it was out of the harbour onto the main seafront road. Despite the fifteen year gap since my last visit it all seemed very familiar though what I hadn't remembered were the number of horse drawn carriages waiting at the harbour entrance to give visitors rides round the town. Maybe they weren't there back then because it's hard to imagine forgetting such an obvious photo opportunity. It's maybe a bit of a photo cliche but this is just the sort of image guide books and the like are going to buy to illustrate "Aegina". The question was where to capture them at their optimum and the answer soon presented itself when walking along the seafront for a few minutes to the impressive looking Panagitsa church. Here it was then, great looking church with horse and carriage going past. Easy. Well not really as I stood on that spot for a very long time waiting for a carriage to go past (and for there not to be traffic going the other way and blocking the view). And people. People constantly walking in front of my camera (they obviously didn't realise the work of art that was in progress!).

The Temple of Apollo on Aegina island

Carriage and church picture finally caught I headed off back along the seafront and up the hill at the other end of town. What was drawing me on was an ancient looking column which I vaguely remembered from last time. I soon realised that you cannot just access this from the road and backtracked to the foot of the hill (Hill of Kolona). There you will find the entrance to not just a museum but a whole archeological site full of fascinating excavated ruins from a whole variety of periods. The column is, in fact, the last remaining part of the ancient Temple of Apollo (dating from circa the 5th or 6th century BC -depending on your information source). There's a modest charge for entrance (4 euros when I was there) but it was worth every cent for such a fascinating site. Informative signage throughout gives you all the information about what you are looking at. I wonder how many visitors to Aegina miss this experience just minutes away from the town centre? I certainly did last time I was there.

Back into the town centre and exploring further I came across a lovely old building which turned out

The historic Markellos Tower in Aegina Town

to be the Markellos Tower. Dates for this also vary according to source but lets just go with 17th century for now. Back when Greece was fighting the War of Independence (against Turkey) this tower was one of the seats of Government and, indeed, Aegina itself was for a time the Capital of Greece.

There only really remained the importance business of a late lunch. Aegina Town has a plethora of eating places all along the seafront and it was great to be able to sit with my lunch and the obligatory bottle of Mythos and just watch the world go by. And then it was time for another enjoyable (dolphin free) crossing back to Piraeus.

Aegina Town seafront is certainly busy and bustling with tourists but during my visit I managed to find some fascinating subjects to photograph. I certainly cannot offer a Cockerel Count or Goatiness rating for Aegina as that would take a longer visit and the time to explore the island further.
Regards, David.

Tilos 2016 (Dodecanese):

Livadia harbour on Tilos island

On my three previous visits to Halki I have always made a day trip to Nisyros and its active volcano. For a change this time I decided to visit Tilos where I had a two weeks holiday in 2006. Not only would it be interesting to revisit the island after some ten years but it would also be a good opportunity to get some stock photographs. The only images of Tilos I had were just of the harbour front taken from the ferry whilst en route to Nisyros (Tilos is roughly the mid point of the journey from Halki to Nisyros).

It was great fun stepping aboard the Dodekanisos Express yet again and powering over to Tilos. The initial part of the circa 45 minute journey takes you past Kania beach then right up the length of Halki. Pulling into Livadia harbour was, of course, very familiar but it felt strange to actually be getting off there. Really, nothing much seemed to have changed once I got to exploring the town. I had some fun trying to spot the apartment where I stayed years before. At the time this was above the office of my holiday company Laskerina (sadly no longer in existence). I'm pretty sure I found it but as it is now a private house couldn't be totally certain.

One of the highlights of my holiday there had been walking up to the old abandoned village of Mikro Horio

The abandoned village of Mikro Chorio on Tilos

(about 45minutes walk) so I made this my first mission there. I knew there was some sort of off road shortcut there but couldn't remember where to pick it up so just used the road. I found it coming back however. After leaving Livadia and just past the side turn to Ilidi Rock hotel the road turns at right angles to the left. At that point scramble up the bank on the right where there is a rough path heading upwards through a ravine. This cuts out a lot of the road journey and provides some very welcome shade.

The old village is fascinating to walk through and you may well encounter sheep and goats scrambling about in the narrow streets. Not everything there is derelict - the churches and chapels are maintained as is the music bar where holidaymakers can come at night (they run a minibus bus service to and from Livadia). Sadly, it doesn't open until 11pm so no chance of a refreshing drink!

Back down in the harbour I had a great photo opportunity when yachts taking part in the Rhodes Cup race started appearing round the headland. Just a few at first then more and more kept coming. Eventually they all moored up together in the small inner harbour. I'd never seen so many in one place before. From looking at the boats it was obvious that people of many different nationalities were taking part in the event.

Rhodes Cup yachts moored in Livadia on Tilos

What I didn't have time to do on this visit was to take the bus to the far end of the island to see the Capital of the island Megalo Chorio. You would need to be fairly confident of the return bus times if doing this to ensure you didn't miss your ferry home. You could walk back along the road which I remember as being roughly two hours (with breaks) having done this on my last visit.


It was certainly interesting and enjoyable seeing Tilos again and the abandoned village was just as much an experience as I remembered and very photogenic. I know that many people split their holiday between Tilos and Halki and the short distance between them makes this very easy to do. I will certainly be returning to Tilos next time I stay on Halki. There was a low Cockerel Count on this trip but the Goatiness rating is high due to so many being around the old village. Regards, David.

Halki 2016 (Dodecanese):

Emborio harbour on Halki island

July 2016 saw me making my fourth visit to the lovely little Dodecanese island of Halki. I've posted here twice before on the island and as little has changed there (thankfully) I'm keeping this report down to some specific points rather than writing a full review of my two weeks there.

Departures and Arrivals:
Things got off to a great start when after queuing for check in at Gatwick for some time I realised I was heading for "The Gambia Experience". I'm sure that would have been lovely but it was The Halki Experience at the next check in that I was hoping for. A slightly delayed departure for the Enterair flight but pleasant and friendly cabin crew made up for this. I had slight concerns about the ferry connection due to the late arrival at Rhodes (especially when the Tilos bound couple in front of me were told they were being overnighted) but I was soon on a mini bus heading for Kamiros Skala. This was the first time in four visits it had been a mini bus rather than a full size coach and it became clear why after boarding the Nissos Halki when I realised there were just five of us making the crossing. I've never been in July before but I had expected it to be much busier than my last two visits in June. I have to say it was quite an emotional moment when we arrived at Emborio harbour -with a real sense of home coming.

Dorothea Studios:

Restored chapel at the Crusader castle on Halki

My plan here worked and I was delighted and relieved to get the same delightful studio as last year. This is the one at the top with a stunning panoramic view over the harbour and its own private balcony at the side. See my review and photos of the Dorothea in an earlier post here. The lower studios have a view which is partially obscured by the roof of the houses in front and the other top floor one has a balcony that you enter from the corridor so is less private. Look for "Side sea view" when booking. The TV didn't work any more than it did last year but I stand by my claim that this is the nicest Greek island property I have ever stayed in. Only a couple of other apartments at the Dorothea seemed to be occupied when I got there and in the second week just one other that I could tell. In fact, many of the holiday properties around the village appeared to be empty during my stay -maybe it is a July thing. Only the Nissia properties showed much signs of life including the one at the top of the steps behind the Dorothea -which I eventually realised was the Laskerina property I stayed in for my first visit in 2005!

Retsina:
I know this is a subject dear to the heart of many so a quick word on the subject. I mainly used the Lefteris supermarket -being closest to my studio and my 1.5 ltr bottle of Restsina started off at 5euro. To my horror supplies ran out a few days into my holiday and I made to the trip to the Petros supermarket only to be charged 7euros for the same Restsina! Thankfully, Lefteris soon received fresh supplies though price now migrated to 5.50euro. They did run out a second time but had the alternative of the 500ml bottles at 2euro so substituted with those.

The Church of the Holy Trinity above Chorio on Halki

Walks to Kania:
I've posted before that the upgraded Kania beach isn't to my personal taste and much preferred the unspoilt cove it used to be - with just a lizard or two for company. Nethertheless, I still always enjoy the road walk to there and back (I just leave out the stopping bit in the middle!). It's always good to see those bee hives are still there as they always have been and those two huge abandoned trailer things are still parked up at the side of the road. I made a more concerted effort this year to try and see what they actually were but lack of any name plates or signage on them left me none the wiser. Some sort of refridgeration units connected to the old fish farm? Something to do with road building or power lines? In fact I was on the right track with power lines as a regular on the excellent Halki Visiting forum informed me that they were emergency generators intended for use during power cuts. It seems they arrived, parked up and were then never used. Looking at them now I think it safe to say they never will be used.

Castle renovation:

Old stone building by Emborio harbour on Halki

I reserved judgement on this last year as the work was very much in progress. I have to say that, overall, they have made a good job of this. Much easier path to reach it and some interesting and informative signage here and there. If I was afraid that it was going to become a crowded tourist attraction I needn't have worried -I was the only person there -as previously. A couple of minus points were that the numerous tall shrub like plants have now regrown inside the castle walls making photography difficult. It looks like having completed the work no further attention has been paid to it. It may well be that there is no budget available for this. Secondly, I was disappointed to find that the restored chapel was locked. I had hoped to see what they had done inside. Maybe it gets opened on special occasions (my visit not being one of them!).

Orange alert and Apaches:
My holiday this year certainly co-incided with a lot of events both in the UK and elsewhere. One such event was the attempted military coup just across the water in Turkey. This manifested itself on Halki in the following week when we had two ribbed patrol boats with guns fore and aft turn up in the harbour followed shortly after by two Apache helicopters thundering low over the island. I thought it was some kind of excercise but it turned out that the Greek military had gone to Orange Alert (combat ready) after reports of some Turkish military attempting to head for Symi after the failure of the coup. That was about it really but we did have the boats return a few days later before heading back towards Rhodes

The Greek flag flying at Emborio on Halki

Celebrity glamour:
My time in Halki was livened up by the presence of an U.S. actress (not a household name in the UK but she has appeared in numerous television and film roles). Initially on a yacht moored in the harbour, her and her family later moved to apartments close to mine. What was fun was that every night she organised games for the children on the harbour front. I never worked out exactly what the game involved but it consisted of her directing individual or groups of children to various points around the harbour (some sort of strategy game I guess). They all seemed to have a good time and one night there must have been fifty or so taking part! I'm not mentioning her name to maintain privacy (and she may well want to return to Halki another time).

Halki 2016:
So the end of another great two weeks on my favourite default island. As always, it is the little things that make it good. Toasted cheese sandwich and beer at Costas. The chickens clucking around by the cemetery. The goats on the road to the castle. And, of course, Prevelis gliding into the harbour with all the drama and excitement that causes. Cockerel count and Goatiness ratings were medium for this trip. I never thought I would return to any island four times but Halki has lured me back and, no doubt, will again in the future.  Regards, David.

Agistri 2016 (Saronic Gulf):

The domed church of Agioi Anargyroi on Agistri

As mentioned in my previous  post about Athens a city break there also affords the opportunity to make day trips to a number of islands. Whilst there in May 2016 I was in no doubt where I would go - back to the little island of Agistri (Angistri) which lies less than an hour away from Piraeus port via high speed hydrofoil (slightly longer by ferry). As I wrote in my earlier post about Agistri this island has the distinction of being the very first Greek island I ever visited (back in 2002). An experience that has led to a life long love of the small islands of Greece.

Boarding the Hellenic Seaways hydrofoil Flying Dolphin XX1X I was full of anticipation about what changes (if any) I would find on Agistri after fourteen years. The first, and pretty much only change, was that the hydrofoil docked at a new marina area at Milos whereas last time it came into Skala -the main village on the island. For those that didn't want to walk the fifteen minutes or so to Skala the hydrofoil was met by the local bus (handily labelled Local Bus). I certainly wasn't going to miss the chance of the short seafront walk to Skala and set out on foot.

Arriving at Skala it all seemed pretty familiar but smaller than I had remembered. Now as this was primarily a

The former home of German artist Gerti Brauner on Agistri

photographic expedition (I wasn't taking photographs in a serious way the back in 2002) it was a bit disappointing to find a sea mist hanging in the air.  I struggled with the light all day but, all the same, managed to get a set of images good enough to upload to my various agents.

After exploring Skala and enjoying a snack on the beach I decided to head up along the coast road through a dense covering of pine trees. This was one of my favourite walks last time and as a bonus I had the nostalgia of passing the apartments where I had stayed. Returning from this walk I then diverted uphill to Metochi which has commanding views down to Skala and onto Aegina island just a short distance away. I was interested to see a plaque on a whitewashed house marking the former home of the late German artist Gerti Brauner. I must admit that I haven't been able to find out much about her on the internet other than a website of her work set up by her family and, inevitably, some stock photographs taken by photographers like me who felt this was something that needed to be photographed.

Flying Dolphin XX1X arrives at Milos on Agistri

Back down to Skala and it was time for a late lunch of cheese balls with chips complimented nicely by a couple of Mythos beers -all at a charming taverna overlooking the beach. This pleasant scene was ended by the sudden thought that I might be about to miss my last hydrofoil home to Piraeus. Because Aegina is so close you can hear the hydrofoils power up and then watch them make the ten minute crossing to Milos. Though my watch said I had an hour until my transport home I have had a previous bad experience with my
watch strangely losing an hour (see my post on Lipsi). Even checking the time on my phone didn't really reassure me that all was well (maybe that was wrong as well?). I needn't have worried as arriving at Milos after a speedy walk I found that the hydrofoil I had seen was the rival service to Hellenic which runs an hour earlier. This did provide a lesson though as I had only taken enough cash for the day and no cards so if I had had to stay on Agistri overnight I would have had no means of paying for it! That said, I know Greek hospitality well enough to be sure that someone would have helped me out.

The final part of my day trip was spent photographing the boats in the Milos marina in the, by now improved, afternoon light before boarding the Dolphin home.

It was good to see Agistri again, nothing much had changed and it was rewarding to see where my Greek island adventures had all begun. Regards, David.

Athens 2016:

The Acropolis of Athens - full of history

Smart readers of this blog will have already realised that Athens is neither small nor an island. Nevertheless it deserves a place here because of its pivotal role as a key departure point for ferry and cruise ships to the many islands of Greece.

As a lover of small un-touristy islands I resisted the City of Athens for a long time -thinking that it would all be too un island like for me to enjoy. Strange really because I enjoyed living and working in London for many years and have had regular great trips to Paris in my time so it's not as if I dislike cities in general. Against that background I realised last year that there really was no reason to ignore the Capital of Greece any longer. I also factored in that, as a gateway to so many islands, I might be able to combine a city break with an island day trip.

So in May 2016 I found myself booking a last minute hotel/flight package to Athens. Last minute as in booked on Sunday and travelled on Tuesday! I'd be lying if I said I hadn't previously done some extensive research on this trip. Possible hotels, transport to and from the airport, ferry schedules to various islands had all been looked at. What I settled on was the Faros1 hotel conveniently situated by Piraeus port but, equally, not too far from central Athens.

I'd decided that the X96 express bus was going to be the best solution for getting to and from the airport as

Adamantios Korais - non stop nautical action at Piraeus

this goes right to the heart of Piraeus (other buses are available for different destinations in Athens). You'll find the ticket kiosk for the bus handily situated outside the doors of the arrivals area. Should this be closed for any reason you can always pay when boarding the bus. At the time of writing the fare is currently a modest six euros (each way). After boarding the bus don't forget to validate your ticket by inserting it into one of the little machines you'll find throughout the long, two sectioned bus. Travel time to Piraeus will vary depending on traffic but expect between 60 -90 minutes. My big concern was that, unfamiliar with Athens, I wouldn't have a clue when it was my stop to get off. However, on boarding I soon saw that the bus has screens displaying a graphic of its current location and the name of the next stops (in both Greek and English) so this wasn't the problem I thought it might be.

The hotel proved to be barely a five minute walk to the harbour front and I spent a happy few days watching and photographing all the comings and goings of numerous vessels. All the various shipping lines have offices along the harbour front with timetables and fares detailed so this is a good place to book an island trip. My hotel actually had an in house travel agency which I used to book a trip to Agistri island (a post on that will follow later) but you could just pitch up to the harbour front if you wanted.

Panagia Tinou - listing badly at Piraeus

One of the more interesting boats to photograph in the harbour was the ferry boat Panagia Tinou. This wasn't going anywhere, however, as having taken on water it was listing badly to one side. At one point the list had been more pronounced and my picture shows the "after" result of stabilising things. Some internet research threw up the interesting information that I knew this ferry from the past. In a previous life it had been the Folkestone to Boulogne ferry Hengist which famously became beached near Folkestone during the Great Storm of 1987 in the UK. Photographs and film of the unlucky vessel featured heavily in the British media at the time. Now here it was, 29 years later, again not doing so well.

Of course, no first visit to Athens would be complete without seeing the legendary Acropolis. I must admit that initially I had my doubts about this -mainly because of many people insisting that I just had to go while in Athens. I was concerned that it would be overrun with tourists and perhaps be something of an anti climax in reality. Common sense prevailed however and I did go. From Piraeus it was just a 30 minute or so ride on the metro to get there. Yes, there were plenty of tourists but not so many as to spoil the experience and the sense of history I felt in this spectacular hill top location standing high over the city was unmissable. It truly deserves its place as one of the top tourist attractions in the World.

So my first (but certainly not my last) visit to Athens was a mix of ancient history, fascinating busy port, cheese pies, and a trip out to the islands. Of course, my main holidays will continue to be to small tranquil islands but vibrant Athens is certainly a great city break and one that I can really recommend. Regards, David.

Nisyros 2015 (Dodecanese)

A line of Octopus at Mandraki on Nisyros island

Whilst staying on the island of Halki for the third time in June 2015 (see previous post) I decided that, as previously, I would take a day trip to Nisyros island to experience yet again the chance to walk in a still active volcano crater.

The only current way to do this (as far as I know) is to take the Dodekanisos Seaways fast catamaran Dodekanisos Express which makes a twice weekly round trip from Rhodes to Kos with stops at  Halki, Tilos and Nisyros on the way. Just get your tickets in advance from one of the agents on the harbour front such as Zifos Travel (agents for Olympic Holidays). You could book online yourself I suppose providing you had access to a printer to print out your tickets. At just over 40 euros I was a bit surprised at the price - I'm sure it was a lot less last time - but do look out for special offers that Dodek Seaways run from time to time.

Old stone tower on Nisyros

From past experience the ferry will probaly leave Halki around 10 (so not too early a start) and be back around 5 (just in time for a glass of Retsina/Mythos).


This really is a great trip as the catamaran is fast and powerful, cutting through the Aegean in no time. Best of all you can travel up on deck in the fresh air. Either at the stern where there is seating or for a real adrenalin rush head up to the bows of the craft to feel the rush of wind and sometimes sea spray hitting you in the face. Don't forget to take any hats off or they'll be gone in an instant! The first leg of the journey takes you to Livadia harbour on Tilos and is around 45 minutes. Unless it is misty you'll probaly still be able to see Halki far in the distance. After a very quick turn around the Express sets off again for the 40 minutes or so to Mandraki harbour on Nisyros.


I was glad to find nothing had changed at Mandraki and sure enough there was the familiar stand selling coach tickets for the volcano trip (at 8 euros these seemed a bit cheaper than I remembered). Chances are the trip won't depart right away and you will have some time to explore the town first -just be sure to return to the harbour on time. This gave me a chance to wander round the familiar streets taking lots of photographs. This is where I struck (photographers) gold when I spotted a whole row of Octopus hung up to dry on a line outside a taverna. I say gold because, though just about every guide to Greece seems to have an image of Octopus on a line, I had never come across this before -not on any of the Greek islands I have visited. Not a chance I was going to miss then!

Stefanos volcano crater on Nisyros island

Octopus and THAT stone tower thing (lighthouse/fort whatever) duly photographed it was back to the harbour to board the coach to the volcano. This is quite a ride as the coach climbs up the steep and narrow road and you get some great views. If you don't like heights you might want to sit on the other side of the coach. After a half hour or so we arrived at the volcano. Now here was something new to me. They've set up a ticket booth to buy tickets to visit the crater. Previously there was nothing there (apart from a cafe) and I realised that might explain why the coach trip was cheaper. Nothing drastic -around 2 or 3 euro but remember to have enough cash on you for this. I don't blame them at all - it's another way of getting some income into the Greek economy and is a pittance to pay for such a great experience.

Moon like surface of  the volcano crater on Nisyros

Some of the coach trips come equipped with a guide who will tell you all about the volcano. This trip didn't have one (perhaps that's the real reason for a price difference?) so I was just free to get on exploring at will. Ignore the signs warning you that you enter the crater at your own risk (another new addition!) and make your way down the (fairly) steep path to the crater surface. The surface was just as exciting as I had remembered, a barren alien like environment (indeed this was the "moon" location in the James Bond film Moonraker). Hot under foot and a powerful smell of sulphur wafting round you. Dotted around you will see yellow splodges of sulphur crystals and small blasts of hot steam will emerge from the ground. In the centre of the crater were deep fissures (fumaroles) full of gently bubbling hot mud.

Dodekanisos Express powers into Mandraki on Nisyros

In a second concession to health and safety a wire on stakes had now been placed around these. Really, there's nobody going to stop you going in and having a closer look (maybe a guide might?) but, anyway I'm British and respected that "fence"! Expect to get around 45 minutes or so to explore and photograph before heading back to the coach. Note you should only enter the signposted crater (Stefanos). There are a couple of other smaller craters near by which I was previously told are not safe to enter.

And so, after my third brilliant volcano experience it was time to head back to Mandraki and await the Express making its return run to Rhodes. Don't worry about missing this - the coach driver will be well aware of what time it leaves and get you there in plenty of time.

Having now done this three times I can say that it really is an unmissable experience and one that should tried if you are in this part of Greece. If you are on Rhodes, Halki or Tilos you can use my route via the Dodekanisos Express. If on Kos, I am sure there will be trips from there to Nisyros.

Halki 2015 (Dodecanese):

Prevelis ferry docked at Emborio

June 2015 saw me making my third trip to the beautiful little Dodecanese island of Halki. A full five years after my last visit in 2010 (review here:Halki ) I decided it was time to return and see if anything had changed there -for good or bad.

This was a holiday that nearly didn't get off the ground (literally). For many years now I have been in the habit of staying at an airport hotel (Gatwick Hilton to be exact) for the simple reason that this eliminates the stress of getting to the airport on the day with all the potential transport delays that can occur (and, trust me, I know all about that). With an 9.00am flight and check in from 7.00am all I had to do was a leisurely five minute walk to the desk. The problem was I didn't hear my alarm and woke up at 8.15. A mad dash ensued without even time for a coffee. Thankfully, an airport employee got on his radio and they agreed to get me on the plane (they even re-opened the check in desk just for me). The deal was, though, that I was going but they couldn't guarantee my luggage was. Instead of a four hour flight full of happy anticipation I had a miserable few hours working out scenarios of what to do if my case didn't arrive. To say I was delighted when my case was one of the first few out is something of an understatement. Now my holiday could begin!

On board the Nissos Halki ferry from the port of Kamiros Skala we drew ever closer until that final moment

Stone sculpture on Ftenagia beach

of swinging into Emborio harbour on Halki. There it all was -the bell tower (tallest in the Dodecanese), the harbour front, and above all the clock tower still showing the time as twenty past four as it has done for so many years now. It really felt like coming home to me as it was all so charming and so familiar. I've already posted about my accommodation at the Dorothea Studios which had a magnificent view right over the harbour -it really exceeded my already high expectations from the brochure pictures. Needless to say my first priority was an outing to one of the three small supermarkets to stock up on essential items like Retsina where I was pleased to find the generous sized 1.5ltr bottles available. Sitting on my balcony with a glass of the piney stuff and looking over the harbour was about as good as it gets and continued to be for my two weeks there.

One of my favourite short (about 40 minutes) road walks on Halki is the one to Kania beach. Take the main road out of Emborio towards Pondamos beach and then the road to the right just past the school. This climbs steeply taking you past some strange industrial looking vehicles. I've since found out (thanks to the excellent Halki Visiting forum) that these are emergency electricity generators. Brought to the island, parked up and then never used -and never will be looking at them now. Less industrial, you also pass a field containing loads of wooden beehives all painted in the blue and white of the Greek flag. Now Kania was, in 2005 and 2010 a lovely deserted cove where your only company was likely to be a lizard or two. Not anymore! There are now sunbeds, umbrellas and a taverna and a handy bus service bringing Rhodes daytrippers up from Emborio in their hordes. It's not for me to be churlish -everyone has to make a living and I'm sure many more people now get to enjoy Kania as a result (and the taverna is said to be very good). It's just not for me anymore, sadly. But I still enjoyed the walk there and back even if I didn't venture onto the beach itself.

View of Emborio from the Dorothea Studios

Also on the Kania walk you will pass the new de-salination plant which converts seawater to fresh. This means that you will no longer see the several times a week visit of the water tanker boat from Rhodes. I rather missed that as well but on the plus side didn't find the water stop running in my studio like on previous visits.

No visit to Halki is complete without a walk up to the medieval Crusader Knights castle. Passing Pondamos beach just keep going as the road (Tarpon Springs Boulevard) climbs up from Emborio to the (nearly) deserted old village of Horio. In the old days it then involved some scrambling up a sort of path to the castle but in 2015 this was all changing with EU funded restoration work going on. The path up is now much easier and clearer. I found myself in what was clearly a building site with cement mixers and other equipment dotted around. The chapel was in the process (nearly complete I think) of being rebuilt but, sadly, couldn't get inside to take a look. Health and safety also get a look in with a new wall at the cliff side of the castle and proper covering over the very deep well. Back in 2005 you had the choice of plunging down the cliffs if you put a foot wrong or disappearing into the uncovered well. Think I preferred that but as it was very much a work in progress I'll reserve judgement.

New for me this time was a walk to Giali beach. Reach this by entering Horio village and taking a long

Renovation at the castle on Halki

winding dirt track downwards for about 40 minutes (longer coming back up!). Somebody has a house just above Giali and had chosen to position three less than friendly dogs either side of the track. Just tread a precision path between them and you'll be fine. This is quite a wild rocky cove and beach with pounding waves that I certainly wouldn't venture into but made for some interesting photographs.

Also new this trip was a walk up to the plateau high above Emborio. Just follow the road on from Horio. When I say "Just" be aware that it gets much steeper and harder going and I considered turning back a few times especially when turning yet another bend and seeing the road still going steeply upwards. However, finally reaching the plateau I was rewarded by another charming little chapel and the remains of an old stone windmill and best of all goats. Lots of goats -as I found out whilst passing a stone enclosure and snapped a twig. Cue startled animals bolting out from the enclosure while I stepped back in a hurry. That's as far as I went on this trip but the walk back down gives fantastic views down into the valley and down to Emborio in the distance.

Tarpon Springs Boulevard down to Emborio

As with my previous two visits I took a day trip aboard the speedy catamaran ferry Dodekanisos Express to Nisyros where, for the third time, I was able to walk in the still active volcano crater. I'll post about that in more detail in due course.

So there were some changes. Kania transformed beyond recognition. The castle being renovated. The ANEK Lines "big" ferry from Piraeus to Rhodes is now Prevelis and not the Ierapetra L (but still created just as much excitement on each visit). And other things were just the same as they always have been. The chickens were still clucking around in the road by the town cemetery. Pondamos beach has a lot more sunbeds but still the lovely excellent taverna. Costas is still a great place to enjoy a cold Mythos and toasted cheese sandwich while watching the world go by. Above all the peace, charm and tranquillity of a small Greek island (except for the ferry arrivals and the daytrippers -but they come then they go again). Halki is, without doubt, one of my favourite Greek islands and one to which I intend to return many times in the future.

Dorothea Studios review, Halki (Dodecanese):

Front windows with a great harbour view

Last June I made my third visit to the little island of Halki which is near Rhodes in the Dodecanese island group. Read my previous post on Halki here: Halki review .Travelling with Olympic Holidays I stayed in the Dorothea Studios at Emborio. A new post about my 2015 trip to Halki will follow in due course but meanwhile here is a review of my apartment.

View of Emborio from the window

The Dorothea Studios qualify as simply the most delightful accommodation I have ever had on a Greek island. I was in the number 4 studio, which along with number 3 is situated at the top and front of the building. Large, light and airy with lots of wood panelling - with a colour scheme of traditional Greek white and blue - the studio was a joy to stay in for two weeks.

Two large shuttered windows faced out directly over the harbour affording views of both the village and all
the nautical comings and goings -from the serenity of small sailing and fishing boats chugging in and out to the drama and excitement caused by the arrival of the massive Athens-Rhodes ferry which calls several times each week.

Private balcony at the side

I also had a side balcony leading off from the kitchen area which again had great views towards Nissos island and the harbour front. I was able to take countless photographs without even leaving my studio!

The kitchen area had a good selection of crockery, glasses and utensils and a kettle was provided. The shower was astonishing for a Greek island -shower curtain, fitting for the shower head and a powerful blast of hot water which put my shower at home to shame. Hot (very) water was available whenever I used it.

The studio has two comfortable twin beds and there is an additional double sized raised sleeping platform

Forward view from the balcony

accessed by steep wooden steps.

It's hard to find fault with this lovely accommodation (I couldn't get the television to work but I'm sure that would have been dealt with if it had been sufficiently important enough to me to report it). A light on the balcony would be a nice addition -if only to see if any flying objects have landed in your Retsina!

I thoroughly enjoyed my stay in the Dorothea and have re-booked the same studio for Summer this year. Worth noting that the other studio has a harbour facing balcony which you access from the corridor rather from the studio directly. This might bother some so look for the studio with the "side sea view" when booking if you want the one I had. Regards, David.

ETA Anyone considering a visit to Halki should check out the excellent and informative Halki Visiting forum. I have been looking at this for many years but I have only recently got round to signing up as a member. I have know idea why it took me so long but I am glad to be there now :)
Check it out with this link: Halki Visiting forum

Have a great Christmas!

Wishing all readers of My Small Greek Islands a great Christmas and a brilliant 2016! I hope you will continue to enjoy reading my blog in the coming year. Kind regards, David.



Enjoying a Mythos at Lakka harbour, Paxos island

Lipsi, Photography and Me:

Rediscovering photography on Lipsi.
Copyright: Serban Enache/Dreamstime

Readers of my previous review of the little island of Lipsi will notice that it came without my usual photographs (I licensed two images from photo agency Dreamstime.com). There's a story to that which some might find interesting.

From my biography you will see that I used to be a professional press photographer -mainly concentrating on politicians and other public figures. The advent of (initially) very expensive digital cameras and the founding of the internet led to a situation where my type of photography was no longer viable due to the changes in the way newspapers and television news made use of and paid for images. I changed careers and moved on from photography -even selling my set of film cameras (two Olympus OM1 SLRs and a medium format Mamiyaflex).

Moving forward to the early 2000s saw me start to visit small Greek islands where my photography was just limited to holiday snaps using a one-use disposable film camera. Quite sufficient for record shots for me -with no thoughts of ever offering images for sale. Then came my Lipsi trip in 2004.....

It started with the welcome meeting (the morning after our "peril at sea" transfer from Rhodes). One of my fellow guests was sporting a very substantial professional level camera (a Nikon or Canon). My little disposable suddenly looked very insignificant compared to that and I felt the first twinges of missing out on "proper" photography. In conversation it turned out that he worked for the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) and that him and his French partner were both Greek island lovers -recommending Tilos as another small island to check out. Now, when I was photographing, the BBC (News) had been one of my major customers. Again, there was that feeling of missing out and links to my past.

Throughout my two weeks on Lipsi my BBC man became a regular sight (it's a very small island!) lining up, no doubt, stunning professional images of the island. That Greek wedding that I went to check out in the early hours? Of course, there he was already -skilfully capturing the action from every angle (I hadn't even brought my camera). By the time of the Panagia Harou religious procession I didn't just want to take a snap. Oh no, I wanted (needed) to "document" it -the small fact that my camera was rubbish not putting me off. A misjudgement on the route the procession would take found me careering through a building site to regain ground and catch up with the action. That, by the way, is a key to much of Editorial photography -knowing what is going to happen, when and where. This time my BBC friend had excelled himself -not only being in place to capture the procession throughout but (the final triumph) had his partner waiting, positioned at the church, with ANOTHER camera -shooting the event from a whole different viewpoint. I think I ended up with a few blurry images of the band marching and that was it.

Back home in England I had a lot to think about but one thing I knew was that I really wanted to do some serious photography again. My BBC friend had ensured that. By chance, somebody I knew was selling their whole camera outfit. An Olympus OM20 SLR complete with a whole range of lenses and accessories -and at a bargain price. I was back in the zone. Crisp, sharp images. Changing lenses as required. Using different apertures/shutter speeds to get the effect I wanted all started to come back to me.

This also coincided with getting easy access to the internet for the first time and the discovery that there were actually photo agencies that would take sufficiently good images from anyone, professional or otherwise and market them. I suddenly had an outlet for my creative drive and started submitting to a few. I pretty soon realised that in a digital age the Olympus film camera (no matter how good) wasn't the right camera for this new direction and invested (for me) a small fortune on a Nikon D80 DSLR and eight years later that same camera is still going strong.

Of course, I would still love going to small Greek islands with or without a camera, just as I would enjoy going to airshows without taking photographs but having the camera adds a whole different dimension -it really makes you look properly at things and look for those things other people do not notice -and the satisfaction of having good images to remember experiences by is untold. I owe a big thanks to that BBC photographer for giving me the inspiration to get photographing again. If that's you, or it sounds like someone you know please do leave a comment below. Regards, David.