Andrew is at the point of monastic overload but today he
capitulated and visited one last icon-enriched shrine. His reward was perhaps
the bluest, most turquoise, beautiful water we have ever seen, far below the
Hozoviotissis Monastery. Alas the water was out of bounds for swimming but just
to gaze at its purity was indeed a divine experience. While the pleasures of
such a vista is questionably wasted on the three monks, five goats and 30 cats
who now reside in this cave-like and claustrophobic hermitage, the visitors who
climb the 329 steps to the monastery cannot help but be totally captivated by
the aquamarine sea and rugged coastline of the island of Amorgos.
After a visit to the main village on the island which was in
the process of being closed up for the season, we had free time to explore the
lovely port town and to swim at a secluded little cove in lovely clear water.
The monks may have been safely tucked away in their cliff face seclusion, but
the eyes of the church were still witnessing our every move as a little church
was perched on the rocks right next to the beach.
Wonderful weather and calm seas have contributed to
brilliant sightseeing on the islands of Chios, Nisyros and Symi, all of which
are closer to Turkey than Greece. The highlight of a visit to the 11th
century world heritage listed Nea Moni Monastery was a baptism. The guests were
turned out beautifully and it was a treat to see this iconic pla ce overflowing
with Byzantine mosaics being used by Orthodox Greeks who still take their
religion quite seriously when it comes to weddings, christenings and other
ceremonial events.
Chios is home to two of Greece’s more unusual villages.
Pyrgi is known for its “scraffiti”. The facades of most of the old buildings
are decorated with intricate geometrical grey and white patterns formed by
scraping whitewash off the grey render. It is quite an amazing sight.
Not far away is the walled fortress town of medieval Mesta.
Its production of a highly-prized tree resin, mastic, continues today and it is
used in the production of toothpaste, hand cream, chewing gum, icecream and
other products eagerly sought by vulnerable tourists. It tastes vaguely minty
and has been distilled to produce a rather unappetizing digestive drink. Mastic
was a hot commodity back in the 14th century when Ottoman pirates
would ransack villages in the “Mastiohohoria” area of Chios to take their prize
back to the Sultan. Apparently there have been numerous attempts to grow mastic
trees in other parts of Greece and around the world but all have been
unsuccessful. The fragile combination of climate and soil is unique to Chios. The
mastic forms hard little lumps and is laboriously separated from the bark and
leaves of the mastic tree by hand.
The Stefanos Crater on the island of Nisyros provided a
stark contrast to the beaches, quaint villages, monasteries and unusual
architecture to date. Nisyros sits on a
volcanic fault line and a major eruption 30,000 years ago sent 3 cubic
kilometres of debris and lava over much of the island. Successive eruptions
have created five craters and steam continues to pour from the fumaroles.
Sulphur crystals give the crater surface a yellow tinge and murky pools of mud
bubble and squelch. It is quite surreal walking down into the main crater and
the gurgling beneath the surface is said to be the groaning of mythological
Polyvotis who was imprisoned underground.
The best view of the huge main crater is from above in the
gorgeous village (yes, another one) of Emborios. No matter how many of these
lovely villages you see, they never fail to impress. You just want to sit at a
sidewalk café, soak up the atmosphere and gaze at the impossibly blue Aegean.
After a while you ignore the 20 or so cats that might sidle up to you hoping
for a crumb or two.
We are not too sure who owns or even feeds the thousands of
cats that are seen at every turn on these lovely islands. Today we counted 14
cats hanging around a door step. They must have known it was lunchtime because
a man came out of the house and emptied a bucket of scraps for them. They
obviously serve a purpose (rodent control) and are not feral, timid or even
aggressive but some are so thin and mangey it seems cruel to let them free
range. Many little villages are car free but the peace is broken by the mewing
of hungry felines and the hissing and screaming of toms protecting their
territories.
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