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.

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.

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.