The Greek Islands

I wanted to call this post ‘Don’t go to Santorini’, but that’s a bit harsh really. When Ali said that she wanted to go to Santorini I was like ‘really? Over 200 inhabited islands to choose from and you want to go the busiest, most touristy island of them all’. So, following the principle of ‘happy wife, happy life’, we went to Santorini.

Look, don’t get me wrong, Santorini is a beautiful island, but I was under the impression that everything that it has to offer is available by visiting a handful of the other islands, preferably ones that don’t have up to four cruise liners a day disgorging thousands of selfie stick wielding tourists all jostling for position to get the perfect sunset selfie or one of the blue domes. Not really my thing I’m afraid. On the subject of blue domes, I’m sure everyone has seen those iconic Santorini pictures of the white buildings and blue domed churches, that look beautiful. Well, they do look beautiful in real life, if you can fight past the crowds to get a good view that is. But, my point really is that those blue domes are pretty much everywhere in Greece, and there are plenty of much more peaceful islands where you can admire them in solitude and tranquility.

Ok, ok, Santorini isn’t all bad, and I don’t mean to sound like a grumpy old man. The walk from Thira to Oia along the caldera is stunning, and the view from the top of Skyros rock along the way is spectacular. I had the top of the rock to myself though as few people seem to make the effort to get to the top, which made it all the more special. And one of my favourite moments of the whole trip happened on Santorini. Ali likes to remind me of that but I contend that this could have happened in any Greek village anywhere. Let me explain. It is possible to escape the crowds, souvenir shops, overpriced restaurants, traffic, mistreated donkeys etc. on Santorini if you rent a scooter and seek out a few of the small villages where some semblance of traditional Greek life actually still goes on. Well, whilst in one of these villages on a Sunday morning we found the locals at church, with a marching band waiting outside. We wandered up to the top of the hill where another whitewashed blue domed church stood that you could actually stand on top of, which we did, on our own. And then the church bells of the other two churches in the village started up (there are more churches than you can poke a stick at, and blue domes abound). We stood there, no tourists, no selfie sticks, it was beautiful. When the bells stopped and we came down the locals were all outside their church sharing food and drinking wine. Beautiful.

Alright, my last rant on Santorini and then I will move on to more tranquil and peaceful things. The Donkeys, poor things. We walked to the bottom of the cliff at Thira where the cruise ship passengers disembark (no cruise ships there that day), down the steps, all 588 of them. It was a relatively quiet day, but there were still a few donkeys walking up carrying tourists back up to town but I couldn’t help noticing there was no water for the donkeys and one in particular looked a bit distressed. So I couldn’t help doing a little bit of googling to find out more about them. Turns out that animal rights activists are up in arms about the way the donkeys are treated. They are made to do the trek up and down 6-7 times a day with someone on their back and apparently it has got so bad now that even some of the cruise ships are encouraging their passengers not to use the donkeys. There is a cable car, same price, or you can walk, but it is a tough climb.

Interestingly when you talk to Greeks on other islands about Santorini you always get a bit of an eye roll and a shake of the head. One lady described it as ‘poor poor Santorini’. A victim of its own stunning beauty. She told me that the locals have had enough (I’m sure those making lots of money are ok with it), and that the government is now starting to cap tourist numbers.

After three days on Santorini we got a ferry to Folegandros (best thing to come out of Santorini). As we sailed out, we passed three cruise ships coming in for the day. Good timing. As we disembarked on Folegandros with the three other people and one bicycle I felt the peace returning to my body and soul that had vanished the moment we arrived on Santorini and disembarked with the thousands of people, buses, cars, etc.

Folegandros is only about 15ks from end to end and about 1k wide. One road, one bus, a population of around 700, a small port town with a handful of tavernas and a main town 3ks up the road with a couple of shops and a few more restaurants. It was absolute bliss. And watching the sunset from the monastery on the top of the hill was every bit as good as a Santorini sunset, but minus the selfie sticks.

Folegandros also has some great walking trails, nice secluded beaches and the best Greek dining experience we have had so far. Whilst out exploring on a rented scooter one day we came across Irene’s restaurant. It was actually more like Irene’s front room with a few tables and chairs. It’s is run by Irene, who does the cooking, and her granddaughter Irene who serves the customers. Folegandros is famous for its matsata, which is basically a kind of hand made pasta, so we thought we had better try it. I went for the braised lamb in tomato sauce and Ali had the pork in lemon sauce. It was real rustic home cooked Greek food, all washed down with half a litre of locally made wine. Dessert was complementary and delicious and it was such a great experience that we went back the next day for lunch to try a few different dishes which were equally as good.

We spent four days on Folegandros and could have stayed longer. If you want bars, nightlife, and a big selection of restaurants then Folegandros probably isn’t the island to go to, but if you want to chill out for a few days, do a bit of walking, eat some rustic and simple Greek food and swim at your own beach with no one else around, then trust me, this is the place.

In fact we loved it so much that when it came time to leave we nearly didn’t. We were just chilling on the balcony of our apartment waiting for the ferry which we thought was due at 10.50 when we heard a blast from what sounded like a ferry horn at 9.50. When I looked over to the port, sure enough, there was the ferry coming in. We had got the time wrong. I have never finished packing so quickly in my life, grabbed my rucksack and ran. I just made it as they were about to start untying from the quay and persuaded them to hang on for another couple of minutes to wait for Ali. If we had missed it I wouldn’t have minded an extra couple of days on Folegandros but we had already booked accommodation on Paros so it would have been a bit awkward.

Paros was the largest of the islands that we visited. We stayed in the little town of Aliki which has a nice little sandy beach, fishing boat harbour and a handful of restaurants. There are a couple of towns with much more going on and Naoussa at the top of the island is full of restaurants and souvenir shops but nothing compared to Santorini. We spent a week on Paros as there is quite a bit to explore, some great beaches and a few good walks. It really is a beautiful island with a great mix of solitude, scenery, culture and restaurants.

One of my favourite experiences on Paros was riding our little rented scooter to the monastery on top of the hill where we were greeted by a lovely lady who spoke no English but her hospitality was fantastic. We were given a glass of mead and some loukoumi which is basically Greek Turkish delight. We were allowed to look inside the church and also into the monks cells in the monastery and as we left Ali was given a posy of freshly picked flowers.

Whilst on Paros we took a side trip to the tiny island of Antiparos which is only a 10 minute ferry ride away. A very quiet and tranquil place with a nice walk around the top of the island. Apparently Tom Hanks and Bruce Willis have houses here but we didn’t spot either of them, although there was an odd looking bloke sitting on a park bench telling his life story to anyone who would listen.

And now, as I write this we are on Syros. And I can’t make up my mind if Syros is my favourite island or Folegandros.

Syros is quite different to the other islands we have visited. The main town of Hermoupolis is huge compared to other island towns but it still has a relaxed feel to it. Syros is the administrative centre of the Cyclades and also has a couple of universities so although there is tourism here the island doesn’t rely on it quite like the other islands and this gives it a very different vibe. The architecture here is also quite different. Sure there are a few blue domes, but there is a lot more colour here other than blue and white and in fact Hermoupolis actually looks a bit like a Croatian beach side town. There is a medieval old town on the hill overlooking the port with a great view from the top which is pretty cool.

The beaches here on Syros are the best we have seen since Portugal and there are plenty to choose from. Some secluded ones that you need to hike to, and others with beachside bars and sun loungers where you can relax with a cold beer.

The scenery on the interior on the island is stunning too. The hills rise up pretty steeply from the coast and once you get up the top there isn’t much there other than a few goats and donkeys and the views are well worth the effort of getting there.

Of the five islands that we have been to the only one I wouldn’t rush back to would be Santorini. Not because it isn’t beautiful, it certainly is, but anyway, there are 195 more that I haven’t explored, not even counting the 300 or so uninhabited ones, so next time we come to Greece I think we’ll try somewhere new.