Only two days are not enough for an island like Chios to get to know it. In fact, I do not know how many days would be enough…because Chios has so many places to see, so many “hidden” spots to explore that keeps surprising the visitor that wants to go further than the obvious. Even I that have spent many summers on the island know very little. People on the island keep talking about places I didn’t know they exist.
Nevertheless, for the additional two days that I had available on the island, I preferred to spend them on known paths to keep memories alive. When relatives and people leave, when buildings and places change, when frequency of visiting the place decreases, when bonds to beautiful memories relax, when past was more beautiful than present, it is then that you feel an agony to keep the past alive, to hold it forever retrievable in your mind. This is what I feel about Chios.
Day 3
The driving route to Aghia Markella is not an easy one; continuous, stiff turns while climbing Epos mountain, driving through an empty lunar-like landscape, with man-arranged tufts of forests here and there to ease the view. Driving downwards to the Aegean side of the island slightly easier, but with a cloudy weather not helping the mood at all. The monastery lies by the beach with the coldest waters of the island; who enters them becomes blue like the sea. St. Markella is the protector of the island and on this beach she martyred, chased and killed by her own father because of her Christian faith.
(view of the city from Epos)
(rocky Epos)
(beach of Aghia Markella)
(the yard of the Monastery)
The easiest road to get back to the city is the same one followed to come – you may imagine the more difficult one... A stop at a nearby beach, called Limnos, relaxes the monotony of the drive. The decision though to have the first summer bath led to a frozen brain. The water was icy cold but I managed to stay in for about 15 minutes.
(Limnos beach)
(castle of Volissos)
Resting at the hotel, upon return, was a must before going out with relatives for coffee and dinner.
Day 4
Citi sightseeing, window and not only shopping, morning coffee at the central square of the city, staying away from driving and getting dizzy on the roads, visiting some more relatives filled the last day on the island.
(Aplotaria street, the commercial stteet of the city)
(central square of the city)
(Kronos icecreams, local producer with special different tastes that stands for years on the island)
(The library and the statue of Adamantios Korais, philosopher and nobleman from the island)
(Byzantine museum and the mosque of the Ottoman era)
Afternoon has come...
Time to take off from the really small airport and get back to Athens where rhythm of everyday life makes one lose time and mind.
May you travel and build nice memories! Take care all of you!