First Impressions Milos and Day Excursion Kimolos
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Tuesday morning and time to farewell Folegandros. A quick ferry stop at Kimolos then on to Adamas, the port of Milos, a journey of around 2 and three quarter hours. Looked up to see my friend Albert on the ferry, on his way to Piraeus and flight home to France. A lovely surprise and time for a quick catchup.
Because I have 6 nights on Milos, I made the decision to stay in the seaside village of Pollonia, 10km away from Adamas, where generally accommodation is cheaper. Even so, 45 Euro a night is fairly steep. In hindsight probably not the best way to go as what I didn’t know is that the bus service is nothing wonderful… perhaps they think all visitors are rich enough to hire a car. I booked my room at Elena Apartments through Booking.com and in this case, I paid in advance so pointless thinking I could change plans now.
Although my room is on the outskirts of Pollonia, it is only a 5 minute walk to the seaside. By the time I had unpacked I was starving so I went to find Alkis as I had read that they make a very good Gyros. Sat down, ordered a beer then too late, I realized there are two Alkis eateries side by side and I was sitting at the wrong one. So, I ordered lamb in lemon sauce with potatoes. It wasn’t cheap, wasn’t very nice but the two resident ginger cats had a wonderful lunch.
Wednesday I hopped on the ferry to the island of Kimolos. Believed to have been inhabited at least from the late Neolithic Age, the island has been threatened and destroyed many times by pirates, the imminent constant danger having left a conspicuous trace until today, in the form of the Medieval Castle. The main settlement is Chorio, which the Castle forms part of… a good walk up hill from Psathi.
On the edge of the Square, a two storey stone house with yellow trimmings took my eye. Snapped a picture, walked away, then heard someone whistling at me. It was the owner of the house and he wanted to point out that it was built in 1862 and is still standing strong. A conversation in Greek ensued which led me to be invited inside their home to see the original thatched ceiling with wooden beams… beautiful. His wife offered me a drink of cold water, for which I was very grateful, then a bowl of freshly made Rizogilo (rice pudding) which I love! He had been to New Zealand as a seaman. We swapped stories about our families and she proudly showed me photographs of their son and daughter and grandchildren. It was just one of those unexpected liaisons that make travelling worthwhile.
As I walked back down to Psathi, a ferry was just leaving for Pollonia which I had missed… damn! 1245 hours and the next ferry not until 1715 hours. I should have taken my bikini and towel but hadn’t so I sat at a table on the beach to eat and drink and pass a couple of hours using their Wifi. Then paddled, walked some more and watched the world go by.
Early night before an early start the following day.
