Donoussa (O Kipos Guesthouse)
We were up very early for our scheduled 6:55 am ferry. The past few days the ferry was quite late but unfortunately one can't plan on it being so again. So up at 5:30 am; on the road by 6:15 am; to the port to drop off Gayle and our luggage by 6:20 am; return the car to FM Rent a Car by 6:25 am; to the bakery for a couple of cheese pies and a coffee for Gayle - out at 6:35 am; over to meet Gayle at 6:40 am - in plenty of time.
6:55 am came - no ferry and none in sight; 7:15 am came and went - no ferry; then 7:30 am; then 7:45 am; then 8:00 am. Still nothing. But finally about 8:15 am the Blue Star Paros appeared on the horizon. We finally left the port around 8:30 am - over an hour and a half late, and arrived in Donoussa about 45 minutes later.
We had a huge greeting party - our friends Bill and Linda who had arrived on Donoussa two days ago and Loni our host from O Kipos Guesthouse. Loni advised us our room would be ready some time after 10:00 am so we sat down for breakfast at Evalia, the recommended breakfast spot of Bill and Linda. Meanwhile Loni took one of our bags and said she would be back when our room was ready. True to her word Loni was back at 10:10 am.
After breakfast we headed over to O Kipos where we checked in and Loni gave us the lay of the land. The rooms in the garden (kipos means garden) are very cute. Not 5 star but very functional with a wonderful terrace and great value. The only down side is that there is no view of the sea although one can hear the waves and it is only one minute to the very nice beach.
Having been up since 5:30 am and given the festival (our reason for choosing Donoussa at this time is their annual festival) is not scheduled to start until well into the evening it should be no surprise the afternoon included a long nap.
Around 7:00 pm we heard bells and chanting from the nearby church so headed up that way. There were many people in and around the church. We sat on a wall and took a number of photos. After a while Linda and Bill arrived. While it got more and more crowded we had no idea what was going on - it was all Greek to us - and eventually left to get something to eat.
We ended up at Avli, a nice fish focused restaurant. Gayle had a plate of four large chick pea croquettes with . tomato paste, herbs and yoghurt while Norm had a plate of calamari with smoked paprika and aioli sauce. The 'house' wine was an excellent Argyros / Assyritko from Santorini - more expensive than other 'house' wine but much much better. Not a huge meal but very good.
Then it was down to the dock where the table were set up and seats on the hill were full. It was nearly 11:00 pm before any activity started when a few men began to dance to the music that had just begun. A few more joined in but we were quite far away and where we were still quite tired decided to bail. Bill and Linda stayed a bit longer, moving up closer to the musicians and dancers. As we were led to believe the music continued through the night. Even with the windows closed and the air conditioning on we could clearly hear the music. In the early hours of the morning we thought of getting up and heading down but just didn't have it in us. Perhaps tomorrow night / morning when there is apparently more music and dancing. The music finally ended around 6:30 am.
A good day with a very positive first impression of Donoussa.
We chose O Kipos (The Garden) Guesthouse for our stay here in Donoussa.
Seven very cute units here in the garden (there are another three more modern units five minutes up the hill with views of the sea) with a very nice terrace and a small but functional kitchenette.
We were met at the port by Loni who, while we were having breakfast, had our room prepared for us to drop by shortly after 10:00 am.
For dinner we ended up at Avli, apparently one of the better, if not the best in town. The Santorini 'house' wine was particularly good, and in our view worth the somewhat higher cost. Here Gayle and Linda are enjoying the wine.
September 12, 2024 - Amorgos (Pano Gitonia)
Our last full day in Amorgos was again quiet. We awoke to another beautiful day gazing out at the deep blue sea.
Yoghurt with fruit, walnuts and honey, along with a piece of baklava, coffee and freshly squeezed orange juice was on the menu for breakfast.
Then there was our visit from Alex where we again provided him a healthy breakfast - a huge apple.
Afterwards we went down to pay Theo and say our goodbyes as we are leaving tomorrow on the 6:55 am ferry, meaning an early alarm.
Of course we had to have our swim in the waters adjacent to Aegiali beach. So easy to access, so sandy and so warm - it can't get much better.
Rather than stay at Pano Gitonia for sunset we decided to drive up to Lagada to stroll through the village in the light, knowing we were not likely to see the sunset. Lagada is a very cute village with a maze of winding painted alleyways with brightly coloured doors and windows, and a number of excellent restaurants.
For dinner we went to the other small restaurant we ate at in 2022 - Loukaki Ksana that serves Cretan meals. We started with Tirokafieri, a dip of spicy peppers and feta cheese - and spicy it was - accompanied by some nice toasted homemade bread. Then the standard Amorgian salad although with a different style of olive. Norm had two extremely delicious (and large) sheep burgers with pita bread and a yoghurt with tomato jam. To round out the meal we ordered a plate of fried potato slices. After dinner Norm could not resist Gayle's suggestion of cherry ice cream. An excellent meal of tasty food we were very happy with our choice.
Back to Pano Gitonia where we finished packing in order to be ready for our early departure tomorrow morning.
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It is absolutely wonderful swimming in Aegiali Bay. Beautifully clear, colourful warm water with awesome views.
An exhausting day as we drove to the far (south-west) end of the island. But not before going down to the port and ferry office to get our tickets for Friday's early morning (scheduled 6:55 am departure) ferry to Donoussa.
We then headed across the island, again passing many many goats on our way. In fact we really don't understand why they don't call the island Amorgoats. At one point we encountered a fellow who had just dropped off some food for his 200, or so he said, free roaming goats.
The 37 km drive is one of the most spectacular we have taken. The sea is on one side or the other virtually the entire trip, with a number of dramatic elevation changes. A number of the side roads will take one to one of the island's beaches - Mouros, Agia Anna, Agii Saranta, Lefkes and Ammoundi. Finally, after passing the shipwreck the island is known for we arrived at Kalotaritissa Beach, a stunning beach in terms of water colour and gentle slope entering, dotted with a number of sailboats. We found one spindly tree that provided just a bit of shade for the post swim nap. We skipped driving all the way to this beach in 2022 but were very happy to return this year.
On the way back we took the 3 km side road to Mouros beach and taverna. Unfortunately the taverna was 'temporarily closed' - the owner retired so we understood - but the Cafe Snack Bar did have some food, and of course drinks. We split a tasty Amorgian salad while Norm had a small Mythos and Gayle a very good Margarita. Mouros has become a 'go to' spot each trip, and we were very happy to have done so again. The views of the sea to Santorini and Anafi are really quite something.
Many more photo opportunities, including a large flock of sheep just meandering down the road, had us racing home for sunset. We made it just in time and thankful we did as we again were treated to a colourful display.
arrival of the morning ferry.
And finally a video of the goats just off the side of the road.
Inland the landscape is barren - nothing but rock. Chora, the actual capital of Amorgos.
Nearby is a shipwreck. It was February of 1980 when the commercial ship Olympia reached the coast of Amorgos where it was blown on to the rocks due to the strong winds.
The captain, trying to find shelter, unsuccessfully threw an anchor as the ship struck the rocks. Apparently the ship's crew consisted of contemporary pirates heading from Cyprus to Greece.
Nearby Kalotaritissa beach and the shipwreck have been used for various travel shows and documentaries, including the movie Le Grand Blue.
Amorgos is known for its goats but as can be seen here sheep also inhabit the island. We just left Katapola on our way back to Aegiali when we encountered these sheep just meandering down the road.
The goats and sheep are the most significant road hazards, along with keeping ones eye on the road given the scenery here on Amorgos as traffic itself is very light.
Yet another relaxing, mostly do nothing day. The morning and much of the afternoon was spent enjoying our Panoramic room, view and terrace. We started the day - ok perhaps it was close to noon - with a delicious Greek yoghurt topped with fresh peaches, walnuts and honey. Excellent! The yoghurt was accompanied by a traditional Greek cheese / feta pie and glasses of freshly squeezed orange juice.
During the afternoon we had a number of visitors - a couple of cats and Bill and Linda who dropped by to join Norm for a drink (Norm - retsina; Gayle - water; Bill and Linda - beer).
Although the day again got away from us we did make it down to Aegiali to have a burnt-out head lamp replaced on our vehicle,. While Yannis was off having the repair done he put us in charge of his office. How much business could there be you might ask? More than you would think. In only 20 minutes there were two customers who arrived for their cars and three phone calls - which we did not answer given we fully expected them to be in Greek.
The water seemed a bit cooler today but still the beach was busy and the swim very nice.
We returned to Pano Gitonia to enjoy a spectacular sunset before heading down to the family restaurant - To Katina. We shared a Saganaki while Gayle had an Amorgian salad and Norm the Village Sausage. After dinner we saw and chatted with Theo, Pookie and their daughter Katerina. Katerina, now 16 is starting high school in Chora tomorrow. We later found out there are only eight in her class - six boys and only two girls, including Katerina.
We returned to PG where we had a night cap, and then turned in.
To the right Theo, Pookie and their daughter Katerina.
Below our after dinner 'gifts' of watermelon and raki.
Being our first day of four (five nights) here on Amorgos we spent most of it 'chilled out' here at Pano Gitonia (PG). Our first choice of room - Panorama was not available our first night so we booked Almond Tree, where we had stayed previously (and also very much liked). In the morning we moved from Almond Tree to Panorama, a unit one level up on the corner with ... wait for it ... a panoramic view out to the sea and the other side of the bay.
After lunch we went down into Aegiali, a fishing and tourism town on the north-eastern end of the island with a permanent population of 430. The town is popular with tourists for its facilities and long beach. Archaeological excavations have provided evidence the area has been inhabited since ancient times. We swapped out our car after which we picked up a number of pies and 'goodies' from the bakery and returned to PG where we made ourselves yoghurt with fresh peaches, along with the spinach and mushroom pies. We have tried to think of whether there is anything better than sitting here on our terrace of Pano Gitonia, eating breakfast / lunch looking out from our elevated position to the sea. We struggle to think of any.
Later in the afternoon we went down to the beach for a swim. For a port town the water was warm and very clear / clean - the beach 100% sand (no rocks). Access to the beach is easy with parking nearby.
Linda and Bill picked the restaurant tonight. They were in Lagada during the day where they found Niko's Taverna that 1. did not require an enormous number of steps to get to, and 2. had retsina. It is quite clear retsina, a Greek white resinated wine that has been made for at least 2,000 years is quite out of favour these days. It's unique flavour is said to have originated from the practice of sealing wine vessels with Aleppo pine resin in ancient times. Before the invention of impermeable glass bottles oxygen caused many wines to spoil within the year. Pine resin helped keep air out, while infusing the wine with the aroma of the resin. These days not many like retsina, but those of us who do like it a lot.
Dinner was again really good. The taverna had a great ambiance and the food both good and in huge portions. Gayle had Niko's eggplant - eggplant, feta cheese, tomato and onion cooked in the oven with spices. Perhaps not the most visually appealing but quite tasty. As well Gayle had a plate of Greek fries, hand cut with oregano, that of course were shared. Norm ordered the moussaka. A large serving that looked wonderful but unfortunately was not matched in taste / flavour. Of course Norm had retsina and Gayle some house white wine. Bill and Linda were very pleased with their choices of a cheese plate, a humungous Greek salad and souvlaki. Another very nice meal at a very nice taverna.
Sunset over Amorgos.
Left - all four of us at Niko's Taverna.
Below - wine served in 'copper' (actually tin) mugs - white wine for Gayle in the blue and retsina for Norm in the orange.
Amorgos (Pano Gitonia)
Our last morning at Hotel Petres and the island of Paros. Another delicious breakfast including a wonderful orange pie. We packed, said our goodbyes and headed off to the port. We picked up Stavros from our car rental company's office from where we all drove to the port. It was very crowded with a number of ferries arriving before the Blue Star Naxos on which we were booked, which was 40 minutes late departing.
We splurged by buying Business Class (BC) tickets, an additional 12.5 euros ($25 Cdn) each on top of the 30.5 euro fee. We understood BC would be quieter with fewer people and couches on which we could nap during our four plus hour trip that took us to Naxos, Iraklia, Schinoussa, Koufonisi and finally Amorgos, our destination. In spite of the forecast of a windy day it was smooth sailing. But instead of arriving at the scheduled 3:10 pm we didn't dock until 4:20 pm.
Then the car rental. We were provided a pretty beat up, dated vehicle. Having rented from FM Auto Rental now five times we decided to express our dissatisfaction to the owner here in Aegiali. Yannis was very understanding and without issue provided us an 'A+' vehicle to replace the 'A' vehicle we had rented. We are now happy and reminded of why we so much enjoy the Greeks and their reasonable approach to issues.
Although we have driven from Katopola to / from Aegiali many times it never gets old. The drive is spectacular, along the coast with the deep blue sea on one side and the barren, except for the goats, hills on the other. As is our practice we do count the goats - it was a light day today with only 18.
As you may recall from the first post our friends Linda and Bill Collins are also here in Greece. Our respective itineraries have us crossing paths on four islands, including here on Amorgos. In this case we are both staying at Pano Gitonia, one our favourite lodgings of all time. The rooms are very traditional and attractively decorated, each with a small kitchenette and a beautiful terrace, reasonably priced with awesome views of the surrounding countryside and the rich blue sea.
After checking in we went down to the town of Aegiali to deal with the car rental and pick up some groceries - coffee, milk, yoghurt, apples (for Alex, the resident donkey), a peach, honey, nuts and oranges for fresh orange juice.
It was then off to Lagada (or is it Lagkada or is it Langada) for dinner at Moschoudaki, a restaurant we ate at two years ago that we very much enjoyed. Although there were no available tables when we arrived the staff immediately brought out a table and chairs from inside for us. We again not only enjoyed a wonderful meal but a great time interacting with Theofillos, our 19 year old server, and his mother Popi (from Karpathos). Originally opened in 2019 just before Covid Popi and family have somehow made a go of it. We bantered with Theo and chatted about Karpathos with Popi, and their upcoming trip to Thailand. Even better than the excellent food (Saganaki, French Fries, Chickpeas in the oven and Goat in the oven) the personal interactions with Theo and Popi made the experience. The only downside was the unavailability of retsina (how can a restaurant in Greece not have retsina?) and orange pie. It was after 11:00 pm when we finally left, closing the place.
Right - a video of today's selections at breakfast here at Hotel Petres.
Below - fresh - we know as Norm squeezed it himself - orange juice along with orange pie.
Below right - tomatoes in olive oil and oregano, cucumber and olives.
What's a Greek restaurant without a cat?
Half the menu.
Another day spent virtually all at Hotel Petres. We again did not get down to breakfast until
10:00 ish, lingering until almost 11:30 am.
As promised, there was a new selection of dishes to add to the
standards, including a lemon cake, a tomato / feta cheese / egg concoction,
pastry ‘stars’ with cheese and cinnamon, and watermelon with seeds! Three glasses (for Norm) of personally squeezed orange
juice and two large cups of coffee rounded out breakfast.
Some time working on our travel blogs and emails followed by the obligatory afternoon nap after which it was some time in the pool. For some reason the pool area is quite busy in the morning, immediately after breakfast but then significantly less so during the afternoon. Gayle enjoyed a nice chat with a German lady who went back many (like 40 or so) years knowing Clea and Sotiris, having coached their daughter Maria figure skating.
Late afternoon we did decide to go out, not far but to a nearby sandy beach - Monastiri Beach. It was particularly easy to park adjacent to the beach with very easy access. The water was warm and clear, allowing us to see a number of fish swimming amongst our feet. Afterwards we drove through the nearby town of Naoussa, but with parking a challenge and wanting to chill out at Petres we didn’t stop.
Again we don’t understand why virtually no-one else has dinner here albeit there were a number of guests who did have lunch. We were again alone for dinner. Today’s dish of the day was perfect for Gayle – Yemista, or stuffed tomato with a few roasted potatoes. Norm was only going to have the tomato salad – a bowl of tomatoes and olives in olive oil and fresh oregano but when Eva offered a Paros sausage he couldn’t resist. Served with lemon and mustard it was delicious. We chatted with Eva, originally from Poland but having lived over half her life here on Paros about this and that. Hearing some music Eva mentioned there were two weddings on the island this Saturday, one in a hotel just below Hotel Petres. We wondered if the couple we met on the plane who were attending a wedding today might be there.
After dinner we sat out on our balcony reminding ourselves of how fortunate we are to be enjoying such another relaxing experience here in Greece and how happy we were with our decision to spend a number of days here at Hotel Petres.
about, along with 'my Greek goddess'.
Today we lived up to our reputation as 'sloths on vacation'. We slept in; enjoyed a delicious leisurely breakfast; returned to our room for a nap; then down for a swim (and afterwards another nap by the pool); work on the travel blog and emails (it seems every time I leave there are requests for crosswalk flags - two yesterday); and then dinner. Not a cloud in the sky and a temperature of 30 C. This is perfect after preparing for the trip and a night trying to sleep in a cramped airplane seat.
Breakfast here at Hotel Petres is one of the best we enjoy anywhere on our travels. Not only freshly squeezed but personally squeezed orange juice. The oranges are provided with the guest squeezing as much as they want. For those of us that love fresh orange juice that turned out to be three glasses. There are a number of fresh baked on the premises cakes and phyllo dishes - feta cheese; spinach etc.; tomatoes and cucumbers in olive oil and oregano; meats and cheese; yoghurt; boiled eggs; cereal; bread; home-made jams; cookies; and of course lots of coffee.
Dinner was again simple but very good. Tonight's dish of the day was Keftedes, i.e. meatballs served with Tzatziki. Gayle had the eggplant (melitzana) salad - grilled eggplant covered with tomatoes and feta cheese in oil. She could not have been happier. Apparently a number of guests have lunch here but we were the only ones for dinner (there was one other couple last night). It is hard for us to understand why more don't eat here. While it is true there is not any choice for a main dish - there is only the dish of the day - but there are perhaps a dozen salads and dips, each that we have had being delicious.
Back to our room for some time on our balcony just looking out over the field in front of our hotel out to the sea. This is heaven.
Right: Eggplant salad (the grilled eggplant is hidden beneath all the tomatoes)
Below: A portion of the dining / breakfast area.
Quite the couple of days but in spite of some anxious moments we arrived in Paros as planned to enjoy the sunshine and heat (30 C) and reunite with Clea, Sotiris and Eva at Hotel Petres.
But let's back up. We had a late morning flight from Halifax to Montreal - on time departing and arriving - a good start. Then it was supposed to be five + hours in the Montreal Air Canada Maple Leaf lounge with our friends Linda and Bill Collins (no relation) who are also spending the month of September in Greece. The good news is that it turned out to be nearly seven hours. The obvious bad news is that our flight to Athens was delayed - an hour and a half. We planned our onward flight to Paros three hours after scheduled arrival. But our plane touched the tarmac only one hour and seven minutes before our next flight, arriving at the terminal with only 53 minutes to spare. We were convinced we were not going to make it. Everything, and we mean everything had to go just perfect.
Fortunately we were seated near the front of the plan (Row 19) which had us off quite quickly. Next we needed Immigration to have short queues. Being late the other overseas flights had already landed - as a result the queue was virtually empty with us sailing through. Next to pick up our luggage. In spite of having priority baggage tags our last trip to France our luggage actually didn't arrive - still back in Montreal (it was delivered late the next day). We were nervous but hopeful. A number of other priority bags came out on the belt - getting less hopeful but voila we saw ours. It was now 12:22 pm. Next we had to get out of the arrivals area and up to the next level - departures and find the Aegean check-in counters. Fortunately I knew where they were from previous trips meaning some time saved. Still now 12:31 pm. I explained our situation to the first agent we saw who immediately directed us to the Business Class check in where an agent who took us right away. While checking in she said we would make it but still we should hurry. We crossed our fingers our luggage would also make it but if not there were other flights later in the afternoon that it should be delivered on. Then it was off to security where I explained to an agent our situation, and asked whether we could use the Fastlane. He checked our boarding pass and waved us through. 12:43 pm. It was a bit of a walk to our gate with us arriving at 12:51 pm. What a relief to see others still in the boarding line - in fact there were four passengers who arrived after us! We checked in and got on the bus that drove us to our plane. What a sigh of relief.
The 25 minute flight to the island of Paros landed on time. And to top it off our luggage arrived as well. Tons of anxiety and in the end needlessly considering other options should we not make the connection. There were four later flights but the website indicated no seats available for any of them. There is another small Greek airline - SkyExpress - that might have been a possibility, or a flight to nearby Naxos with a dinner time ferry, or stay in Piraeus and take an early (6:45 am) ferry the next morning. All were not very attractive options. And fortunately none of them were needed.
The car we rented was waiting for us at the airport. In fact we drove Stavros back into the port town to their office before continuing on towards Noussa and Hotel Petres, our lodging for the first three nights. We have stayed at Petres twice before - back in 2015, the first time we visited Paros and then again in 2022. The owners Clea and Sotiris are wonderful, as is Eva, the server. It is so nice to return to a place and people who remember us well from previous visits. Petres is a cute 16 unit hotel in the countryside, with a beautiful large pool and a scenic view of the surrounding country and the sea. While the hotel does not have a full restaurant they do serve many traditional Greek appetizers and a 'dish of the day', although tonight they had two. Perfect for us.
After reuniting and a lengthy chat with Clea over welcoming drinks and cookies it was back to our room for a much needed nap. Three hours later (7:00 pm ish) we awoke and went down to dinner. We started (well in Greece you generally don't start - everything comes at once) with a Greek brusketta of dried wheat bread (a Cretan rusk) smothered with tomatoes, capers and feta cheese dressed with olive oil and oregano - delicious. Norm then had chicken in lemon sauce with rice while Gayle the baked broad beans in tomato sauce.
Only 9:00 pm and in-spite of the afternoon nap it was time for bed.
So so wonderful to be back in Greece and here at Hotel Petres.
A villa adjacent to olive groves near the Paros airport.
Welcoming cookies and retsina.
We left Halifax on schedule at 11:30 am for a short flight to Montreal where we had nearly six hours in the lounge (where we are at the moment). Montreal's international lounge is quite impressive, certainly far better than its equivalent in Toronto.
However we began to receive notices of a delay in our flight - first for half an hour and now 1 hour 35 minutes. We'll see. Regardless, even with the current delay, this may very well result in issues with our connection in Athens to our flight to Paros. At the moment it appears we will have less than an hour to make the connection which is highly unlikely given we have to clear immigration, collect our luggage, go through security and reach our gate. The good news is that there are four later flights to Paros. The really bad news is they all appear to be full.
Tomorrow may be a challenging day!
But when we do get to Paros the weather appears to be perfect.
After being in the Ionian islands last year we are returning to our old stomping grounds, the Cyclades. A number (five) of islands we have been to before and a few (three) new ones.
After arriving in Greece we will then fly from Athens to the island of Paros where we will stay at Hotel Petres, a great small boutique hotel where we have stayed twice before, perfect for relaxing and overcoming the jet lag.
After three nights in Paros we will ferry to Amorgos, perhaps my favourite Greek island for five nights, again staying at Pano Gitonia, a very traditional lodging full of colour and spectacular views over the sea. Here we will meet up with friends who will also be in Greece during the same time as us.
Next is the small island of Donoussa, a new island for us. Five nights is no doubt longer than we would normally stay on such a small island but there are a couple of festivals on the island while we are there - one the day we arrive and then a smaller one our last night. We will be staying at O Kipos a small hotel only minutes from the beach.
From Donoussa it is on to Gayle's favourite Greek island (and my second), being Koufonisia. Another small island of only 26 sq. kms there are no car rental (although there has been a taxi our last couple of visits). This is an island for walking. This will be our 5th visit / stay at Pambelos Lodge set on a hill with stunning views of the sea and the uninhabited island of Keros.
From Koufonisia we sail west via Naxos and Ios to Sikinos, another island we have not yet visited. Also relatively small we found Zetine Suites - a small - only four units each with their own plunge pool B&B.
Then we return to two islands we visited in 2010 - Folegandros and Sifnos. It appears both have embraced tourism with some development over the past decade plus. We are outside of the Chora (main village on the island of Folegandros at a small five room lodging Provalma with views across the cliffs to the sea.
Then we will return to Niriedes Hotel on an island we really liked - with a nearby very authentic restaurant right on the beach looking out to a Monastery where we enjoyed a couple of great meals years ago. The island has a number of long sandy beaches that we very much look forward to.
Our final island of the Greece portion of the trip is Santorini, an island Gayle visited in her youth (before we met) but I have never been. No doubt the most popular island in Greece with its stunning sunsets its downside is the crowds. It is apparently overrun with tourists. But needing a place from which to fly back to Athens we decided to stay only two nights at Onyx. Hopefully now in October at least some of the crowds will have left.
However before returning home we are once again going to Istanbul for a few nights, staying at Dersaadet Hotel near the centre of the city and everything it has to offer. We are particularly looking forward to a few great Turkish meals.