Le Tour de Skopelos

Cadel Evans would be proud of us. We completed part of a circuit of the beautiful island of Skopelos that next month will test cyclists from around the world. Our two hour ride was rated “two donkeys” out of five with moderate climbs through olive groves, past goat farms and along precipitous tracks and roads overlooking the sparkling Eastern Aegean Sea. The good ship Corinthian has a fleet of mountain bikes on board but, sadly for our enthusiastic and able guides, only a handful of passengers come remotely close to being able to climb onto a bike, let alone ride one. So while most of our travelling companions parked their zimmer frames and took a snooze after lunch, we joined the gorgeous Skopelos-based Adonis for some adventure.

Thirteen had registered for the ride but only seven showed up and within the first 15 minutes, three had returned to the ship.  Adonis’ version of a “little climb” was not exactly what they had in mind. It was tough going and we were low gear most of the way but the views were lovely, the tinkling of goat bells and seeing the island where Mamma Mia was filmed was an attractive proposition. If we thought the hills were tough, then completing the loop and returning to sea level was an entirely awesome experience. Our hands gripped the handle bars for grim death and clamped on the brakes as we descended bumpy, narrow precipices narrowly avoiding oncoming motorbikes and cars. And where was faithful Adonis? Just a little way ahead encouraging us to face our fears like proper Greeks!

Thighs, quads, hamstrings and calves (not to mention hands and wrists) quavering, we eventually got back to the ship, proud we had made it but wondering if we should have instead taken a taxi to the nearest beach or even the little cove where Meryl Streep, Colin Firth and Pierce Brosnan had done their thing to the music of ABBA.  Our Swedish captain made the Mamma Mia pilgrimage and was very proud to have done so. No prizes for guessing what the shipboard movie was that night!

Skopelos is a scenic place and a favourite summer haunt of Greeks. It has lovely isolated beaches and an absolutely picturesque harbor and town. Wandering the backstreets is a delight and the wooden balconies are unique to this area of the Aegean. Skopelos is famous for slate roof tops and feta cheese pie (a spiral of pastry deep fried and filled with cheese).Definitely scope for a return…….

Fortunately the sky had cleared for our Skopelos visit and it was perfect for riding, but beaches? No swimming for us today. We joined the group for a visit to a local pottery workshop and later enjoyed an evening stroll through the back streets.

Our first island visit on this cruise was Limnos where we visited two archeological sites but it was so bitterly cold that no one could muster much interest. To warm up, we scaled the local headland to the fortress at dusk before hitting the cocktail bar. Thank God for gin and tonic, a great four course meal and unlimited wine……….

Our visits to the islands seem to be themed. While Lemnos was archaeologically based, Skopelos featured the local architecture and landscape. Chios will be a monastic experience and Nisyros promises a volcanic adventure. It’s a great program with two knowledgeable Greek guides and a resident lecturer.

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The food is fabulous, drinks are free (!!!!) and there is a good library.

We are sharing this wonderful experience with 72 others – extremely well-travelled Brits and Americans with an average age of 75. Some are quite agile while a few hobble about. All except us are retired so we are a novelty: Australian, young and employed. They are very interested in the Tasmanian devil and MONA!