I am fairly sure that even the most avid readers of this blog won’t remember the photograph above. It featured in a post I wrote in August 2019 about our Easter festivities, and other adventures, in the Kyklades during the early summer of that year. It was taken from the “Kastro” on the island of Mílos and its title reflected our hopes not only to visit “this one” i.e. Mílos, but also “that one” – Kimolos, and “the one over there” – Políagos. Unfortunately, due to a longer than anticipated delivery time on a replacement part and our desire to be in Naoussa, Paros, for Easter we did not make it to “that one” or “the one over there”.
At that time we did not expect to be back in the Kyklades but as Covid has delayed our leaving Greece , here we are again, and this time not only have we so far visited all three of those islands we have also included a bonus, that being the island of Kythira.
Leaving Kalamata on 17th June the weather was in our favour for a short shake down sail to Koroni and an overnight at anchor just off the south beach. At 0600 the following morning we headed out for the tip of the Peloponnese hoping that we would be able to carry on to Kythira. The island lies approximately 12 miles SW of the mainland but our destination, Kapsáli is at the very south of the island and was therefore 30 miles from the tip and 67 miles from Koroni…. hence the early start!
During the Venetian era, Kapsáli was the island’s main port which we fully appreciated when looking down at the two harbours which lie within a larger bay.
However, whilst protected from everywhere except the south there are impressive gusts over the mountains to the west. Just before rounding the southern point we had approximately 4kn wind. Once inside the bay the gusts were 20+ and, even in the harbour averaged 12-14kn during our stay. We were glad we were there during a mild weather period!
What the “Lonely Planet” hadn’t told us when we read it was that Kythira was also very important to the British. Whilst lying between the Aegean and the Ionian it is actually considered an Ionian island and was the southern outpost of the island chain, Kerkira [Corfu] being the northern one. Having more or less escaped direct Ottoman rule between C15-19, the islands still have a turbulent history due to the fact that Europe’s powerful nations all wanted control of them.
For many centuries they were under the rule of Venice. However, following the dissolution of the Republic of Venice in 1798 the French took over. Two years later a united Russian/Ottoman alliance forced the French out. Between 1807 and 1815 the French, followed by the British, aimed to gain control and finally, in 1814-15, the Congress of Vienna granted full sovereignty of all the Ionian Islands to the British. Understandably the islanders wanted to be ruled by their motherland and on 28 May 1864 they were formally re-united with Greece but, between 1815 and 1864, there existed “The United States of The Ionian”.
We found the photograph of the flag and learned about some of this history in the “Markato” in Kythira’s Xora.
Built in 1834, by the British, it was used mainly as a meat, fish and vegetable market right up until 1990 when, in a fairly run-down state, it was given to “The Agricultural Bank of Greece”, the chairman of which had proposed renovating it and turning it into a cultural and exhibition centre. Quite when it became a bar we don’t know but we were very glad to find it for an early evening ouzo having passed another interesting looking, but closed, bar whilst walking up…
….then wandering the Xora….
…and visiting the Kastro from where, as well as excellent views over the harbour, we were able to see the outer bay and “Egg Island”.
We wondered why on earth it was called “Avgo” [Egg] because it certainly doesn’t resemble one. We later found out that its name comes from its legendary role as the birthplace of Aphrodite. It seems sometimes to be also known as “Itra” [Cooking pot] because of its said resemblance to a steaming cauldron when topped by clouds.
Whilst wandering round the Xora we came across this derelict building which, it seemed from the attached notice, is for sale.
Later, on sitting at a small café for coffee we looked across the road and there was the door of the same estate agent on which two Xora properties are advertised.
Not sure if you can make it out but the property we had seen seemed to occupy an area of approx. the same size as that advertised for €45,000. It would certainly need some work!!!
As well as the Markato in the Xora, we saw, in Kápsali, a number of other legacies of British rule. A Bridge and what was called an Aquaduct were two, but we weren’t sure how a square stone building could be an aquaduct so, maybe something has been lost in translation or maybe the building was part of a larger construction, no longer there?
Much more obvious was the lighthouse…
….and, the “Quarantine”…
… which, built in 1815, housed the “Heath and Inspection Service of Passengers and Crew” .
This building was at the far end of the smaller of the two harbours….
…..now only deep enough for small craft and occupied on part of its shore by the small hamlet of “Piso Gailos” – perhaps once the main village but now subsumed into the larger, popular tourist resort of Kapsáli itself.
Built into the cliffs above Kapsáli you can see, in the middle of the photograph, a series of small white buildings and walls. These are the “Church of St John”.
The church itself is in a cave in the cliffs, the visible buildings being the main part of the monastery where he spent time living after being banished from Rome and before moving to Patmos. It is in the cave that he spent most of his time and began recording his apocalyptic prophecy – the Book of Revelation.
There are other anchorages on Kythira but they are more exposed and so all of our time was spent in Kapsáli. Anyone wanting to holiday far from the madding crowd might want to consider Kythira as it is an interesting island with clearly more to offer than we saw. But we are really pleased to have finally got there having sailed passed its north end on three different occasions but not been able to visit. It was certainly worth the detour…. Our bonus.
Overnight on 24/25 June we motor-sailed to Mílos, and as in 2019, we made for the main port of Adhamas. We could have stopped at one of the anchorages on the south coast, as the wind was favourable, but we wanted to go to the Mílos KE? [KEP – the Citizens Service Centre] to get a print out of Mike’s vaccination certificates. You may remember I got mine in Kalamata as I received my second dose of the vaccination a week before Mike, as with the first dose. It takes about two days from second vaccination for the system to be ready to print the certificate and we hadn’t wanted to wait in Kalamata.
We then had fun trying to find the KE? on the island. As it turned out, Google was actually fairly accurate in pinpointing it but, as we have been fooled by Google maps on more than one occasion, we thought we would check it out before taking the bus to the Xora. The lady in tourist information was, for some reason French and thought we wanted a test. Having told her we had already had the vaccinations she then told us it was the travel agents who dealt with this. We just said “Merci” and left. We needed something from the pharmacy and realised we should have thought of this first as being the place to ask. Having made our purchase we asked for KE?. She looked very puzzled and was saying things like “What kind of cap”! Having given me a piece of paper to write on she immediately understood what we wanted. Understandably she hadn’t been expecting two British folk to be asking for the Greek Citizens Help Service but with laughter on both sides we established that it was indeed where Google said.
So, a bus trip to the Xora ensued. Last time on Mílos we had taken the same bus but not got off at the Xora and although we had walked much of the area we hadn’t found its oldest part. We didn’t know that until we revisited this time. So as well as the typical whitewashed, flower bedecked buildings and streets…..
….. we also came across this house…..
….with a plaque next to its front door.
It is a bit confusing, as is the whole story, because two years ago the information at the site where the Venus de Milo was reportedly found gave the name Yeorgos, not Theodoros. Admittedly there was, on that first board, a question mark after the name George – so maybe he was Theodoros really. History also tells that he hid the statue in a barn to try, unfortunately without success, to keep it out of French hands. That barn has certainly now made a nice house!
I don’t need to bore you with anything else about Adamas as that was covered previously but, before leaving “this one” we also went to the picturesque small “fishing village” of “Pollonia” on its NE corner.
These days, for “fishing village” read chic resort with prices to match!
Still, it was nice to stop at anchor for the night before venturing, next, to “the one over there”.
Nísos Políagos is a barren, uninhabited island to the east of Mílos. There are some fair weather anchorages on it southern side and, in calm weather or up to moderate winds from any direction except west, there is the lovely secluded anchorage of Manolonisi.
When I say secluded, the term is only a loose interpretation. As you can see from above, we weren’t exactly alone and a large motor yacht had already left by this time. But, by dusk all the other boats had left this side of Mananolisi and we spent a lovely evening in seeming isolation.
We also managed to “bag” both islands in our continuing quest to step on as many islands as we can, a list which was then extended again when we went to “that one” – Nísos Kimolos.
The only port on Kimolos is Psathi but we didn’t even try to get into there as it is known as a haunt of superyachts. We opted instead for what is, to date this year, our favourite anchorage.
It doesn’t seem to have a name but is just round the corner from Psathi. Depending on where you anchor, the big boys are visible as they moor to the quayside. We were tucked in and wallowed in the atmosphere of the fishing hamlet.
What amazed us is that what some of what we thought of as boat sheds appear to be people’s homes
It may just be somewhere they come occasionally but one elderly couple definitely occupied one of them and we saw two other families sitting outside two others as we went ashore.
Our trip ashore consisted of walking up to the Xora for a good look round.
We hadn’t, though, timed it very well. Where shops and restaurants in other places we have been to seem to open at about six pm nothing here was open before seven so we spent the hour walking down to the port to see what all the fuss was about. To be honest we weren’t impressed and, after an overpriced Ouzo where the advertised Meze was a small bowl of Olives[!] we headed back to the Xora where we found the perfect place to while away the evening.
All in all, therefore, our first fortnight from leaving Kalamata was thoroughly enjoyable and fun packed. It was great to be out on the water and to be bobbing at anchor once more. Our sense of adventure and finding places new to visit has been stimulated and we are really pleased that as well as returning to “this one” we can now report that “that one” and the “one over there” has now been achieved along with, of course our fantastic bonus.
