%20(1).png)
Contents
24 May 2023 - Rest Day at Koroni, Greece
We woke up to sunshine and there was little wind. After having driven 4,000 miles in the last month we didn’t want to do any more driving today. There are 2 beaches a short walk from our house and we decided to go to the Agios Triada beach.
It’s about a 10 minute walk down to the beach and we took our 2 camping chairs and umbrella with us. The beach is very nice with a cliff behind it, clean sand and clear water. Initially we were the only ones there, but a few other people came later.
At this time of year the water hasn’t yet had a chance to properly warm up. However, it was warmer than the sea in the UK at the height of summer! After a couple of hours the wind picked up and we lugged our stuff back to the house and had lunch on the balcony. It’s a hard life.
25 May 2023 - Another Rest Day at Koroni, Greece!
In the morning we walked down to the local beach again and then returned to the house for lunch. In the late afternoon we decided to walk 40 minutes into Koroni along some narrow tracks. We had chicken gyros for supper.
26 May 2023 - Ferry to the Island of Syros, Greece
We had a reservation on the 15.00 Blue Star ferry from Piraeus to Syros. We didn't want to miss it as only certain ferries can take cars and we had paid for our accommodation on Syros.
We therefore left Koroni at 09.00, even though it is only about a 3 hour drive from Koroni to Piraeus. It was a pleasant drive along good and uncrowded highways until we got to the outskirts of Athens.
The road then deteriorated and became busy. We saw one small car pull out a bit too far and a passing lorry ripped off its bonnet. I am conscious that one small error like that could ruin our trip.
We arrived at Pireaus at 13.30 which was slightly earlier than the check in time of 14.00. We knew the ferry departed from gate 7 and the ferry was already there. There was no official controlling check in and we had no idea what to do.
It was very chaotic as there isn't much land at Pireaus's port and trucks were busy moving trailers into the vessel. I parked the car on the edge of the port and Lani asked one of the officials near the ferry what we should do.
He told her that we should get on the ferry not realising we had a car. He therefore wasn't too happy when I tried to drive onto the ferry! I was quickly stopped and told to park in a small area near the vessel.
We waited there until 14.30 watching cars and trailers being driven onto the ferry. Then they allowed us, and the few remaining cars, to drive onto the ferry. We were last as the ferry was stopping at many islands and we were getting off at the first island.
The chaos didn't stop there as the ferry wasn't a roll on/roll off ferry! I drove up the ramp onto the upper level for vehicles and an official told me to steer the car into several places and I had no idea where he wanted us to park.
He then wanted me to reverse into the back of the vessel along a very narrow passage with cars on either side. However, he wanted me to do it by just following his signals. It wasn't a pleasant experience.
It was a 3.5 hour ferry ride and it was warm enough to sit outside at the rear of the ferry. Luckily driving off the ferry was far less stressful!
Our apartment was on the other side of the island, but as it is a small island it only took half an hour to drive there. The apartment was very nice and the owner was very welcoming. See my blog "UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2" for more information about the apartment.
27 May 2023 - Day Trip to Ermoupoli and Ano Syros in Greece
Today we drove back to the port of Ermoupoli on the eastern side of Syros. Luckily parking was easy to find and we walked around, and up, the main streets. Unfortunately most of the churches were closed. We had a quick lunch of chicken gyros at one of the many waterfront restaurants.
Afterwards we drove up to the top of the nearby hillside town of Ano Syros. Again the church at the top was closed and there wasn't much to see at the top.
See my blog "Syros, Greece: Travel Guide" for more information about visiting Syros.
28 May 2023 - Hikes to Komito Lighthouse & North of Kini
In the morning we drove a short distance to Komito beach and then walked to the lighthouse on the most southerly point of Syros. The walk only took about an hour and a quarter but it took longer as we stopped a lot to take photos and enjoy the scenery.
After lunch we drove about 20 minutes north of our apartment to the coastal village of Kini. From there we walked for half an hour along a good track to the nudist beach at Delfini. Soon after that the trail petered out and we decided to return.
29 May 2023 - Hike in Northern Syros, Greece
The northern part of Syros has very little habitation and is very mountainous. It is a nice change to the southern part that has houses and villages dotted everywhere.
We drove to Kambos, which is where the road ends. We then walked to Cape Dhiapori, which is the northern most point of Syros. The walk was very scenic and took us about 3 hours and 15 minutes.
30 May 2023 - Ferry to the Island of Naxos, Greece
The ferry from Syros to Naxos goes via Mykonos. It was very easy driving onto the ferry and there was none of the complicated reversing that we had to do on the ferry from Pireas to Syros.
The ferry was fairly empty until we stopped at Mykonos. Several tour groups boarded the ferry there as the ferry was going on to Santorini, which is another favourite island for tour groups. There were 4 huge cruise ships anchored off Mykonos, so it was probably really overrun by tourists.
The ferry only took 75 minutes to reach Naxos and we arrived there mid morning. Our accommodation was in the village of Galanado, which is a 15 minute drive from Naxos. See my blog "UK to Greek Islands Accommodation - Part 2" for more information about the apartment.
Later in the afternoon we wandered around Naxos town and had dinner there. There were quite a few tourists, but we really liked the town.
See my blog "Naxos, Greece: Travel Guide" for more information about visiting Naxos.
Links to My Other Blogs
Comments