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

Skopelos (Northern Sporades):

Boats in Skopelos town harbour

Skopelos is one of the group of Northern Sporades islands which also include Skiathos, Alonissos and Skyros. I spent a day on Skopelos in June 2013 whilst staying on Alonissos. It's a short journey of 30 minutes or less and as I had caught the 06.40 Flying Cat fast catamaran I arrived in Skopelos Town (Chora) around 07.00 as the sun was starting to rise.

This proved good light for photographing the harbour from all angles. If you follow the quay to the far right (looking inland) of the harbour you are in a good position to photograph boats and ferries coming and going -just be aware that the larger ferries create some wash which is likely to splash over the end of the quay.

Also on the right is the photogenic church of Panagia tou Pyrgou (pictured) which you can access via a number of steps from the harbour front to get good views over the town. Carry on from the church a little way and there are the ruins of an old castle. 

The old town itself is a maze of narrow alleys and steps with numerous churches and chapels to be seen. The usual adage applies here -if you get lost just head downwards and you'll reach the harbour front sooner or later. 

Skopelos Town from the harbour

Skopelos is, of course, a draw for fans of the 2008 film Mamma Mia! Most of the location filming was done in 2007 mainly at Kastani beach on the West coast. Don't bother looking for the long wooden jetty that features so much in the film  -it was built especially for the film and then dismantled. The other location that fans head for is that church used in the wedding scenes of the film. This is Agios Ioannis at the North East end of the island. Of course, if you are just on a day visit you're probaly not going to have time to get to these but worth noting that there are a number of excursion boat tours that will take you to the various locations. These also operate from Skiathos as well.

Church of Panagia tou Pyrgou on Skopelos

There are plenty of tavernas and shops along the harbour front but not so many as to make it feel overly touristy. Whilst having lunch I had a Greek island first when a funeral procession came past - priests, mourners in black and a grieving, elderly widow. Nobody told us what to do but I was pleased that out of natural instinct every person in the taverna respectfully stood up whilst the procession went past. Needless to say my camera remained on the table. It was one of those moments when getting a picture wasn't important and would have been totally inappropriate.

So Skopelos then, a very pretty old town with lots of churches and interesting buildings and, by all accounts, lots of nice country walks to be had inland. It is certainly well worth a day trip if you are staying on Skiathos or Alonissos and very worthy of consideration as a holiday destination in itself. Regards, David.

Lefkada (Ionian):

Approaching Nidri on the car ferry

As a companion piece to my last posting on Meganissi here's a post about a day trip made in 2008 to the nearby island of Lefkada (Lefkas) to see the Ronies waterfalls near Nydri.
Arriving at the port/town of Nydri (Nidri) after the short ferry trip from Meganissi you are met with a busy harbour front lined with tavernas and shops.

Ronies waterfalls on Lefkada

To get to the falls head back through the town away from the harbour until you reach the modern looking ring road. Now, I had to turn right and follow the road for around 10 minutes or so (though this is going to depend on where you initially joined it). There is then a smaller road on the left which is the one you want. Hopefully, it will be signposted either for the waterfalls or the village of Rachi which is near the falls.

Ronies waterfalls near Nidri

This is a lovely walk through nice countryside. As you near the falls note the dry river bed to your right (well, it was dry in August). The gorge up to the falls is signposted welcoming you to the waterfalls "Ronies". Some sources refer to them as the Dimossari waterfalls -don't worry it's the same place!
When you reach the top of the gorge there are a number of pools and lagoons of water fed by the stream of water coming down the cliff face. Don't be disappointed, this is unlikely to be a vast cascade of water (not in the Summer at least) but all the same it's a novelty to see running water. Some people took the opportunity to cool off by paddling in the pools. Just be aware that there are frogs swimming about in them as well. There was also a bat hanging under the rocks which periodically went for a fly around.
As you head back down the gorge there is a taverna where you can stop for a drink or meal before your walk back to Nydri.
You should probaly allow around 45 -60 minutes for this walk (harbour to falls) and
I certainly thought it was well worth the effort. Regards, David.

Skiathos (Northern Sporades):

The old harbour at Skiathos town

Not an island I have stayed on but for anyone heading for Skopelos or Alonissos there is a good chance that you will coming via Skiathos due to the presence of a commercial airport. The alternative route, of course, is taking a ferry from the mainland.

I transited through Skiathos in September 2012 and June 2013 - both times on route to Alonissos. The first thing you'll notice about Skiathos is the airport runway. Or, rather, the lack of it. One of the shortest commercial runways in Europe -with sea at either end- you're in for a quick landing. Expect vigorous braking, wing flaps fully down and jet engines roaring in reverse thrust (or combinations of these) before rapidly reaching the turning circle at the end of the runway. I must admit I loved it but can see that for nervous flyers it won't compare favourably to the sedate trundle when landing at Gatwick. Likewise, expect take offs to be fast and steep. Larger planes take off with limited amounts of fuel on board to keep the weight down and then make the short trip to the mainland (in my case Volos) to be fully fuelled.

Monarch Holidays jet descending into Skiathos

The chances are you'll have some time in Skiathos before your ferry departure and will have the chance to explore a bit. The harbour was where I started, getting photographs of the moored boats. The main front harbour is where the ferries dock and there are also a large number of private boats. Round to the left (looking from the sea) is the Old harbour where you will find fishing and excursion boats. This was the location for one of the early scenes in the 2008 film Mamma Mia!.

Agios Nikolaos clock tower on Skiathos

One of the local landmarks is the church of Agios Nikolaos and its stone clocktower. This stands high up above Skiathos Town and can be seen from the harbour front. Just work your way up a series of narrow steps and alleys until you get there  (there are some signposts here and there to help). What you get from Agios Nikolaos is a panoramic view over the town and harbour and it is well worth the few minutes it takes to get up there.

Aviation enthusiasts can stay on the harbour front and watch/photograph the planes coming in to land. In fact, Skiathos is a bit of a magnet for plane spotters due to the public road right at the end of the runway where planes pass low overhead. You can also expect to be waved at when taxiing before take off!

Certainly, from my limited time on Skiathos (and only in Skiathos Town)  it certainly feels bigger and busier than the other Sporades islands with a plethora of tavernas and shops and even an open air cinema showing, inevitably, Mamma Mia! Regards, David.

Symi (Dodecanese):

Looking down on Yialos harbour on Symi

Symi, 41km from Rhodes, is often described as having the prettiest harbour in Greece. That's certainly some claim but there is no denying how charming the pastel coloured neo-classical buildings around the Yialos harbour look.
I spent two weeks on Symi in June 2011 (well it would have been two weeks but flight/ferry timings meant an overnight stay in Rhodes both ways). Dissapointing because this is the only Greek island trip ever where I did not reach my destination on the same day.

I was lucky enough to have an apartment directly looking over the busy harbour which certainly provided plenty of entertainment watching the boats come and go - not least the Blue Star Ferries ship Diagoras (a vessel so large it manages to block most of the harbour off when in dock).

Yialos/Gialos (take your pick) has plenty of tavernas and shops and even an excellent Italian pizzeria and is certainly at the bigger end of what I define as a small island. It is, of course, all relative. Somebody used to the bigger islands such as Rhodes, Kos, Crete etc would regard Yialos as tiny. Things certainly got busy during early afternoons as numerous excursion boats pitch up with day trippers from other islands. There was even a burst of nostalgia when the Tilos Sea Star arrived - I had last been on that in 2006 (it broke down)*. However, after lunch and a look at the umpteen souvenir stalls that take up one side of the harbour they were all gone again.

High above Yialos lies the older village of Chorio.  You have three choices for reaching Chorio: the Kataraktis -a steep and rather slippery cobbled path/donkey track up the hillside (I had to sit down in the shade after tackling that one). Better to take the Kali Strata a series of some 350 steps which start in the town centre and twist and turn up the hillside with old houses (shade!) on either side. There are even a couple of handy tavernas on the way up if you fancy a rest.
The third route is to simply follow the main road up. Not, on the surface, very appealing but as you get higher there are great views (and photos) to be had looking down onto the harbour. There is also a bus available (timings varying).
Chorio, is a mass of little alleys and paths amongst the old houses and great fun to explore. You'll probaly get lost at some point but you are never far away from civilisation. There are also a number of tavernas up there as well.

From Chorio you can walk the road down to Pedi Bay, a pretty little harbour with a few boats and several tavernas. The bus calls there as well.

Yialos at night on Symi

Back in Yialos, I walked round the left hand side of the harbour where there is a boat building/repair area with a number of old boats piled up. I was fascinated by a fairly large sized former excursion boat called Lazy Days. It seems it has been beached there for years due to some kind of ownership dispute and is slowly falling apart. The signs on the boat advertise Moonlight Cruises and trips to Lindos (Rhodes). If it hasn't totally collapsed by now its probaly still there.

Continuing on from Lazy Days you can take the coast road passing Nos Beach (the small "town" beach) with a taverna and sunbeds. The road gives good views of the rocky coastline and after around 30 minutes you reach the beach and harbour of Nimborios. Again, there is a taverna here.

Looking down to Yialos village on Symi

For a change of scene you can take a day trip to Turkey (offered by various boats in the harbour). Symi is only just off the coast of Turkey so it's a short journey. Sadly, I missed this opportunity as I only had a few weeks left on my passport. You are required to have at least six months validity to enter Turkey. I'm not sure why this matters for a day trip -but never mind.

There are lots of boats/water taxis which will take you to beaches further along the Symi coast and to the monastery at Panormitis. Now, this is where I missed out and didn't take any of these. I'm not really a beach person and didn't want to be stuck on one all day waiting for the return pick up. Poor research was my mistake here as I failed to realise that these beaches would have been a good launch for interesting walks and worse still, this is where all the goats are. Lots of them. On the beach. My Goatiness rating for Symi would have been extremely low based on just one goat (in a paddock at that) in Yialos. But I would have been wrong. Not wrong on the Cockerel Count though - Symi ranks as high with a truly spectacular dawn chorus of crowing echoing around Yialos. Possibly the best I have ever heard anywhere (we'll overlook the one that couldn't crow properly and just issued something akin to a scream). Regards, David.

Tilos Sea Star at Yialos harbour

* The Tilos Sea Star is actually a superb fast catamaran of which the island of Tilos are rightly proud. It didn't break down for long and actually we were just relieved we hadn't ploughed into a dolphin or something.

Alonissos shipping:

Achilleas ferry docked at Patitiri

Oe of the fascinating things for me on Greek islands is watching the endless coming and going of shipping of all kinds. Ferries, in particular, always create a stir as people and vehicles gather on the quayside as the time of arrival approaches.

Cargo ship Ioanna Chrisoula at Patitiri

In these pictures you see the Skyros Shipping Company ferry Achilleas docked at Patitiri harbour. This was making several trips a week between Alonissos and Skopelos and its home island of Skyros during my June visit. This opens up the possibility of a trip to Skyros, though you would need to stay there for a few days before your return. I didn't see this ship when I previously visited in September so I am guessing it may only run during the peak season.
The second ship is the cargo supply vessel Ioanna Chrisoula which operates out of the mainland port of Volos -bringing supplies and cargo to the various Sporades islands.

Hellenic Seaways Flying Cat 5 catamaran ferry

Finally, we have the Hellenic Seaways fast catamaran ferry Flying Cat 5 moored at Patiri. This image is from 2012 when it had this vivid red Vodaphone livery. When I returned in 2013 this had changed to the green livery of Greek telecommunications company Cosmote. Personally I would recommend the journey on the slightly slower regular ferries Express Skiathos and Express Pegasus (also operated by Hellenic Seaways) as you can be out in the fresh air and enjoy the view during the journey. The Cats do have a small outside area at the rear (upstairs) which the crew may let you out on while docked -you'll be ushered back inside
once under way.
A useful tip for anyone interested in ships and shipping is to note the IMO (International Maritime Organisation) number of the ship (it's painted on somewhere). Then just search that number on the internet to get the ships history and details -always useful for photo captions. Ship Spotters can even get real time details of its current location and destination! Regards, David.

Alonissos (Northern Sporades):

Three mules posing by the donkey track

I must admit until I booked my first holiday there in 2012 I had never even heard of Alonissos - despite being a self confessed Greek island lover. A week in September 2012 and two weeks in June this year have put Alonissos right up there in my favourite islands list. Probaly the word "authentic" is the one I am searching for. Unpretentious might be another.

From the harbour at Patitiri (arrival point for most visitors) to the dense pine forests, everything about this lovely island feels slighly understated - the 3000 or so population know what they have here and don't seem to feel the need to shout about it too much. Of course, in season there are some concessions to tourism with a few excursion boats advertising their trips (mainly to the National Marine Park of which Alonissos forms a part) but otherwise that's about it.

15th century chapel at Agii Anargiroi

One of my highlights on both visits was to take the walk to the two small chapels at Agii Anargiroi. From Patitiri take the road to Votsi. Go past the turning on the right that takes you down to the beach and a few minutes later there is a turning on the left signposted for Agii Anargiroi. This is a small road that traverses the island from coast to coast. After about 15 minutes you will see a road on the left signposted for Tsoukalia beach. Turn down that then almost immediately take the smaller track branching off to the right. This is a wonderful walk through a dense pine forest (note the numerous containers attached to many of the trees for collecting pine resin). You will eventually reach a house with a great view down to the coastline framed by olive trees - an excellent spot for photographs (pictured). Pass the house and climb a few steps and you are now on a woodland footpath which will lead you to Agii Anargiroi. The two chapels (one 15th century the other 1940s) are perched right above steep cliffs dropping to the sea. This was for me an incredibly peaceful spot to sit and enjoy the view along the coast. There is also a stand alone church bell here which, again, makes for good photographs.  Best allow around 45-60 minutes for this walk.

Another good walk is to take the Donkey Track up the hill from Patitiri to the Old Village (Hora). Again, allow about 45 minutes for this one. There are two roads leading out from the harbour -you need the left hand one (looking inland). Pass the shops and a few minutes later you will see a signposted track on the left. It's quite steep in parts but not too hard going. Some way up you pass some pens of assorted farm animals and later a paddock with some mules and a Shetland pony (or something looking very like a Shetland pony).

The track comes out onto the main road and just follow that for a few yards into the Old Village.

The Old Village became one of my lunchtime destinations with some tavernas that had seating under trees to provide some welcome shade. A good place to enjoy a cold Mythos and something to eat. If you like dogs you're in luck here as two village dogs liked to do the rounds of the tables. One sitting at my feet and the other licking my arm at regular intervals. The village itself has lots of narrow streets and lanes to explore and a number of churches. There is also a good observation spot where you can enjoy the view down to Patitiri.

After lunch one day I took the walk to the summit of the Kalovoulos Mountain. Just continue to follow the road that led you into the Old Village and past the village cemetery. Carry straight on until you get to a signposted track on the right. A few bits of this walk involve a bit of a scramble but otherwise it is easy going as you gradually ascend the mountain along a good path through pine trees. As you get higher there are some great views and photographs of the Old Village to be had (late afternoon is the best light for this). Eventually the track comes to an end and you will just see a lot of rocks with a sign pointing to the summit. This bit is a scramble as you negotiate the rocks but you will quickly reach the summit which is marked with a concrete post. If you then head towards the cliff edge you will find a wooden shelter with seating where you can enjoy the view of nearby Skopelos island. On leaving the shelter you will find that the scramble over the rocks wasn't required -there's an easy pathway back to the track down (bear left at the Summit sign to find it).

View to the coastline near Agii Anargiroi

A good option for an excursion whilst on Alonissos is to take the Flying Cat (catamaran ferry) back to Skopelos or Skiathos. Be aware though that to have any worthwhile time there you will need to get the first ferry of the day (currently circa 6.30am). I took this to Skopelos -returning on the 3.00pm Cat (giving enough time for plenty of photography and lunch). Make sure you have a return ticket, I got sold a one way one in error. Well, I hope it was in error! Luckily I realised before departing and was able to get the return added.

Cockerel Count on Alonissos is ranked as Medium. Where I was staying there wasn't the en-masse dawn chorus of crowing but there were,nethertheless, plenty to be heard generally. Unusually, Ducks and Turkeys featured quite strongly here as well.

Goatiness on Alonissos also ranked as Medium. There were some in a pen on the Donkey Track but, much better, a couple in the Old Village had a small herd which they walked down the road to feed on bushes. I also encountered a family of goats wandering on the Kalovoulos mountain. I'm told there are more to be seen at the other (less inhabited) end of the island.

Alonissos - a little star of an island and right up there in my top three favourites. Regards, David.