The end of days on Greek ferries
Last time we spoke we had started exploring the Greek Islands. Serifos was next up. As long as we could survive the ferry. If you have travelled around the Greek Islands you will know exactly what I mean. It is like the end of days. As though the world was collapsing around us and all civilisation has is one boat for us all to escape on.
You join a seething mass, all crowded together under the only sunshade there is. A huge space by the ferry terminal and a tiny awning. Then, the boat arrives and even before it has docked the gaping door is dropping and the staff have already started shouting. In what can only be described as organised chaos, cars, vans, bikes, and people start rushing off and almost simultaneously, or at least this is how it seems, we are shouted at to board.
Quick. No, even quicker. Come on, come on. And so we all start a little jog, dragging cases and bags behind us. I am not sure everyone is even up the ramp before the boat starts pulling away again. And in the belly of the boat, like we have all been swallowed by Moby Dick, there is a crush as we climb to the steps to find a seat. It is frantic. And you have to repeat it every time you get a boat.
Settling in Serifos
Thankfully, it is all worth it. The reward at the end is time spent on a Greek Island. Which Greek Island is anyone’s guess when you are planning as you go. As usual with out long term travels, we don’t know where we are headed until it is time to move on. Look at a map. See what looks close. And if there is transport, a boat in this part of the world, let’s go. This has tripped us up a few times. Not being able to go somewhere we had intended. And it always works out. One way or another.
And so it was today. Having never heard of the island before we arrived on Serifos, which is very small, and very traditional, you soon forget the drama of getting here. The closest you get to drama on the island is whether to order a glass of wine or a carafe. Of course, the carafe wins everytime.
And with the carafe of wine you get the Greek food that you have been dreaming of for so long now. Squeaky halloumi cheese. Devine dolmades. Fragrant moussaka. Smells and flavours that stay with you for a very long time.
Sleepy Serifos
Morning two on Serifos and we spent a couple of euros and got a local bus to the village of Chora. High in the hills with great panoramic views across the island. We had intended to get lunch in Chora but hadn’t anticipated exactly what “sleepy village” actually meant. On small islands such as Serifos, sleepy village actually means what it says. With little options for food I had an espresso Freddo and we got the bus back to the port for some food and an afternoon swim.
We were slowly settling into the kind of routine I imagine you would have if you lived somewhere like this. Long, slow lunches. Strolls along the beach. Afternoon swims in the sea. A glass of wine watching the sun slowly set on the horizon. Dinner and wine in the evening. Even remembering it now makes me wish that the UK would quickly come to its senses, rejoin the EU and allow free movement again. As the world should be.
Our sights set on the Greek Island of Sifnos
Our movement was a 30 minute boat ride to the even smaller island of Sifnos. Which turned out to be my favourite island. And I still don’t really know why. It was a feeling I got whilst there. Something deep inside me settled on Sifnos. It resonated, to use a term that I usually reserve for use in my work. Whatever it was, it wasn’t conscious. I felt that I could have stayed on Sifnos a very long time. Longer than the three nights we had.
Staying in the port of Kamares, you immediately notice less traffic. Less people. More of a village feel. We had a hotel room with a balcony offering views to the nearby hills. The beach was out front and allowed for easy access for our afternoon swim. And the sunsets? Oh my word. The sunsets. Did I mention that we love Greece?
Around Sifnos on a scooter
On Sifnos we hired a scooter for the day. The best 35 euros you can spend. We zipped all around this small island seeing some amazing sights. with a highlight being the Church of the Seven Martyrs. Find me a church with a more dramatic location. We also visited Chrisopigi Monastery, Faros beach, and the hill town of Apollonia. Just dreamy. Victoria certainly knows how to put an itinerary together.
As was our dinner that evening. Another dish of pastitsio for me. Fast becoming a firm favourite. Victoria had the local lamb dish, Mastelo, and we toasted the end of a wonderful stay on Sifnos with a carafe of chilled local white wine. Back at the hotel I had my customary whisky nightcap and drifted off to sleep dreaming about retiring to these parts.
Before retirement, we had the Greek Islands to explore. In fact, with each passing day we seem to have more and more. This is the beauty of travelling with no fixed plan, Victoria can make it up as she goes. And she does. Before leaving Greece we may have visited every last one of the 6,000 islands. Continuing tomorrow with Paros. If we survive the boat.
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