Chios, Greece~ Anavatos and nearby beaches

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July 18th, 2012

Our second day in Chios was just as fun filled as our first day. I am writing this more then a month after our trip so I hope I haven't forgotten any important destination information. As with all my blogs, if you are planning a trip and have questions just ask. 😊

The morning began with a nice light breakfast on Nick's Aunt and Uncle's large outdoor balcony. If only everyone could experience this environment every morning of their lives. Lovely weather, slight breeze, and a beautiful view of the sea in the distance. Our stomachs were filled with mandarine and orange juice, greek yougurt with honey from Chios, and of course espresso!

After breakfast we dressed for the beach and loaded up the cars to head to our first beach destination. Nick grabbed snorkel gear in hope of seeing fish or octopus and maybe digging up some sea urchins.

We headed northwest from Vrontados and headed to the west coast. I don't remember the exact beach we went to but I know it was north of the town Anavatos.The views on our way were spectacular. The beach itself was quite secluded in that we were the only ones there aside from the little bar. What a dream job! Serving drinks on a semi secluded beach. I took advantage of the sun and caught some rays while Nick and Claudia put on their snorkle gear and headed out into the water. As you can see in one of the photos the weather was a tad bit chilly- notice Nicks reaction. They made it from where we sat at the beach all the way down to the rocks and then walked back. It was a very nice and relaxing time.

With the swim and sun we all worked up an appetite and followed Clairi and Leftheris as they led us south to a great little restaurant in a fabulous location. Again, so lucky to have them. We would not have found this place on our own. We sat out on the huge porch which was right across from a great view of the sea.

Lunch was as delicious and filling as the day before. Everything was made fresh as we ordered it. It was great!

From lunch we parted our ways as they made their way home and Nick, Claudia, and myself headed south to find another beach or two, the old abandoned village of Anavatos, and to end the night watching the sunst in Avgonima.

We were given fairly simple instructions to find Elinta beach. Getting there was somehow another story. We kept driving and driving and had no luck getting where we wanted. We ended up finding an unpaved road off the highway and decided to investigate; thinking this could be our beach just poorly unmarked. There was a small paved area that we pulled into and parked. We thought it would be wise to look on foot first as this little dirt road appeared steep and unforgiving. As we began walking down we thought the little car could more then handle it. So Nick ran back and got the car. We slowly drove down but had to stop again as the road appeared worse in front of us. I got out and walked to the curve to only realize there was no way in hell this car would make it down and it would definitely not make it back up. If only I had my jeep! We made a family decision and decided to turn back. I was able to at least get a picture of the pretty secluded beach but that would be the furthest we would be going. So Claudia and I assisted Nick with turning the car around (Austin Powers style) and we rolled off. Only on our way to Anavatos did we find the sign for Elinta Beach; we pulled off and did a quick drive through. I have included pictures of our adventure on the rough road and a few photos of Elinta Beach. From here we headed straight to Anavantos.

Anavatos~ Quoted from Chios, The Fragrant Island

..."A whole village perched on top of a granite rock at the end of a cliff. The only to reach it is from the south...Even its name, which means inaccessible, reveals the reason it was built there. Its strategic natural location and the wall protected the villagers from the pirates raiding the west coast...The houses, about 400 in number, are two leveled and rectangular. Most of the buildings are well preserved and as a whole put forth an image of a living ghost town, adding to the sublimity of this rough country. The village has been deemed a national monument to be preserved under the law and restoration works have already begun."

I found online that Anavatos was one of the shooting sites for the James Bond movie "For your eyes only." I haven't had the pleasure of seeing that so I can't say if it's true or not. IMDB states many locations in Greece were used for the movie but doesn't list this specifically.

Anavatos is spectacular. We parked near the bottom and walked up. There was a large tour bus with a big group of people eating at the local restaurant. This is apparently a great tourist attraction. Walking up the uneven paths we almost felt as if we were trespassing. They had warning signs advising of falling rock. Some of the buildings closer to the bottom still seemed occupied. To see an abandoned village still so intact was amazing and a little creepy. Now not all of the building were in perfect condition. Many of the roofs were gone and second floors fallen through. I look forward to returning some day to see how it will look once fully restored. As we left the abandoned area and took a side route we realized it wasn't entirely abandoned. There were several small families who eyed us as our prescence got all the many many dogs in cages riled up. It was a brief "Deliverance" moment and we therefore moved quickly. Another great experience with good stories and pictures to remember forever.

From Anavatos we crossed back north to another medieval village called Avgonima. This small town seemed slightly abandoned by lack of people, cars, noise, and other signs of life. We were told this is the perfect place to catch the sunset and we were just in time. Although we started in the wrong direction we finally found the restaurant we were looking for. There were several large tourist groups already set up including a crying child who had been stung by a bee. We enjoyed some nice cold beverages and continued to relax and watch the sun set. A perfect ending to a beautiful day.

Enjoy the photos and I'll continue with my blogs 😊

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Photos

Map of Chios
Map of Chios

Claudia & Nick snorkeling
far out....