Amorgos

We really didn't know what other islands we wanted to visit... maybe Crete, maybe Karpathos, but those islands meant that we would have to go back on ourselves and the ferries didn't run everyday because it was the end of the season. So instead we caught a ferry to Naxos and had a very brief one night stay there so that we could catch an early ferry to Amorgos.

We'd done our research and knew that the campsite at Aegiali was still open until the end of October. There are two ferry stops for such a small island; Katapola is the main one and Aegiali is the smaller one in the north of the island. When we got off the ferry there was a mini bus waiting to take us directly to the campsite. We were the only ones camping, but there were other guests staying in the Askas Family's pension attached to the site. The camp was well suited for us; a short walk from the beach, kitchen so that we could cook for ourselves, tent in a shaded area amongst olive and orange trees, hot water and clean showers. It was good to know we could make use of the tent again and that Jason wasn't just carrying it around for nothing.

The island basically has one main road for cars that runs from north to south, and then numerous donkey footpaths that wind through the mountains so that farmers can tend to their goats. These also make great walking paths too. So on our first day there we decided to walk 17km around the northern spur, which takes you through a beautiful village called Lagarda, then onto a path that takes you to the top of a small mountain so that you get a view of Aegiali Bay and then through olive trees and herding goats. Jason was desperate to get back to doing some proper hiking, I suppose we had been having a lot of beach time. As a reward after the walk we sat at a beach side cafe and had a Greek feast; white wine, fish, Greek salad, zucchini balls and tomato balls.

Like I've mentioned in previous blog entries, we have been impressed with the local house wines, and especially their price. My favourite time here was spending the evening on the beach, watching the sunset, working our way through 1.5 litres of red wine for the cost of 4 Euros (£3). Not just from an alcohol point of view, but because of the setting too.

Jason's Birthday!!! He woke up in his tent to open his one and only card from my brother and Nicola (it was a great idea you two, to pack those few cards for us to open on special days we're missing at home). J decided he wanted to spend the day exploring the island on a motorbike... he is desperate to do his motorbike licence now that he has had so much practice since we've been away. The weather was perfect, bright blue skies with a slight breeze. First stop was Katapola, which was really cute. Quite a few harbour cafes and restaurants within a beautiful bay, which we later returned to to have lunch and cake (Jason's birthday cake was a cherry cheesecake). We stopped to have a little stroll around and give my bottom a rest from the bike. After this stop we went to the main village of Hora where there's a monastery built into the cliffs edge. You have to go just outside of Hora itself to reach it and there are a lot of steps that lead you up to the main door, but it looks pretty impressive, white washed with nothing but dark cliffs around it. Jason was a bit put out at first, he was asked to wear a thick denim pair of jeans, which after the steep climb and then narrow doorways proved extremely hot. But he was soon won over when after you visit the main monastery alter you get led to a reception area where the priests offer you complimentary honey raki and Turkish delight. You certainly don't get that offering in other religious buildings we've visited. The final part of his birthday exploring was finding a perfect secluded beach; it was a small pebbled cove with refreshing clear blue water. We managed to pass away most of the afternoon here, it was perfect! Jason reckoned the only thing missing from his day was going out for a few beverages. So...we spent the evening sitting in a bar by the sea near our tent, learning how to play gin rummy, whilst working our way through Greek beer, Fix. I'm sure he'd say he had had a good birthday.

We really enjoyed our stay on Amorgos, for us it gave us a sense of traditional Greek island life. There's no airport on the island and we went at the end of the season when there were hardly any foreign guests on the island, so it made our visit extra special. The scenery is beautiful, there's tonnes of walking routes to do, loads of hidden gem beaches, quaint villages, stunning harbour side, amazing food and it gets the best of the Greek sunshine. As much as I love Santorini, it is undeniably a Greek tourist destination, whereas Amorgos is a local island unspoilt by tourists. I love them both for different reasons (Jason preferred Amorgos).