Tinos Island,Cyclades,Greece

---

After the 35 hour trip from home we arrived on Tinos Island about 10pm on Friday night and were greeted by the Kalikakas’s and our friendly Hotel manager who transported us all back to the hotel overlooking Tinos Beach from an elevated position about 1 km from the beach.

I must say the Diners Club lounge at Dubai airport was a welcome oasis of which we took full advantage including some interesting snacks and Moet et Chandon.

Tinos is the third largest island of the Cyclades having an area just under 200 sq kms and a population of around 8,000. The island is quite mountainous with its highest peak being 713 mtrs. It has much history, settled in 1000 BC by the Ionians.
The roads are narrow with few straight stretches and often in need of repair. There are no traffic lights!

Saturday was spent quietly with short walks, good local food and time devoted to an afternoon siesta. Later we walked with the family around the cliff-top west of Tinos Beach past an ancient seaside chapel and across sloping rocky ground in search of buried treasure (planted for the children). It has been very windy on the island since we got here and apparently for the last month and a half without a break. It was a real challenge to maintain balance and momentum against the wind. However, after digging up a mysterious box containing valuable coins and jewels we were revived with some Jamaican rum (and Coke).

Late on Sunday afternoon we travelled up to the monastery on a hill high above the village of Tinos to join the twice yearly procession from the monastery to Tinos cathedral, a distance of around 10km. About 300 joined in the walk which celebrates the icon of Our Lady of Annunciation. On arrival at the township we observed a short religious ceremony followed by a colourful fireworks display at the port. The whole area was packed with locals and tourists.

On Monday we piled into the Kalikakis's little Fiat (4 adults + 2 children) and drove to a sheltered beach called Skiladari near Porto, about 6-7 km from the township of Tinos. We had a swim and picnic lunch. The beach was a firm darker sand with rocky outcrops at each end of the beach. The water was very clean, clear and a little fresh at first.

That evening we visited a small village called Smardakito which is about 10 kms from Tinos. We arrived by car and I was curious about our prospects when we started down a neglected rough and somewhat steep path from the village parking area. But, to our delight the pathway led to a charming taverna set in a garden courtyard adjacent to a small but quite beautiful local church constructed in stone with white rendering and a marble paved terrace defined by a low stone wall. Again we ate well with dishes including goat with shallots, chicken in a tomato ragout, stuffed eggplant, and a veal stew, with freshly cooked beetroot.

Tuesday Maz and I wandered around the local village and after lunch had another swim at a nearby beach at Agios Markos, a small part of which was a pebble beach, but mostly rocks. We swam from the rocks. It was cold but the water was crystal clear and very clean and refreshing. It was a very pretty spot, accessed via stone steps down the side of a cliff-face. The vivid turquoise water is just as you see it in the colour brochures and travel mags.

We hired a small car Tuesday afternoon, a Ford Fiesta, and at 55E for the day (A$90+) they are doing nicely. But it is peak season. You get a full tank and must return it full or you get charged 1E per km - WOW.

That night we went with the Kalikakis family to Vangelis’s village where we had a delicious meal at the local taverna accompanied by white wine (Greek..ok..not Retsina thank God!). We then walked down a twisting rocky path bordered by ancient stone walls for most of the way, across the valley and winding down to our hotel. We started at 8.30pm and it was supposed to take 1 hour with plenty of twilight. In fact we took longer with the ladies and children and finished the walk slowly stepping down the unkept track in the dark. It was a bit tricky but we got there eventually about 10pm.

Wednesday we met up with Antoinette, an elderly friend of the K’s. It was her birthday and she came up to our hotel with the K's for coffee and cake to celebrate her birthday.
Vangelis and I then set off on foot back up the walking track to his village to pick up the rental car. It was a vigorous walk up the winding track and took us about 45 minutes (but felt longer) We met up with the girls and headed off to the North Western side of Tinos, a journey of winding narrow but sealed roads taking about 45 minutes. We all swam at the beach and enjoyed a drink before making our way to a local seafood restaurant by the water.
The lunch of various dishes of fish and calamari including a delicious plate of calamari stuffed with capsicum and cheese with some dry white wine was most welcome. That night we walked around the harbour front at Tinos followed by a meal of Souvlaki.

Thursday morning was spent working after which Maz and I planned to spend a little time around the town exploring some more of the narrow lanes which include residential housing in little cottages or villas, restaurants, and retail shopping. But I discovered my Mastercard had gone missing and we spent a couple of hours searching high and low and tracing our movements (to no avail) looking for it. While in town we located an internet café and used the opportunity to research our ferry options between islands after we leave Tinos. The trick is that all the menus and dialogue boxes are in Greek which is not the most user friendly alphabet to guess the right answer. Blessed are they who made Google which, while needing a little more filtering, gave us the info we needed.

We re-hired our Ford Fiesta late afternoon and drove to Kolympithra, a popular beach protected from the prevailing wind by a horseshoe cliff-face. The water here was not so good with the wind and currents seemingly funnelling much rubbish into this small bay. 15km to the south east of Kolympithra is another small village called Agapi where we met up with Ion and Jonsi, good friends of Vangelis and Michele, whose company and hospitality we have enjoyed on our previous visit to Tinos. We dined at the village taverna, Kamara tou Agapiou (meaning arch of love), overlooking the hills and valley winding down to the next village. Another feast!

Our stay on Tinos has been longer than anticipated and, since it was not possible to extend our accommodation at Hotel Myrtia we relocated on Friday morning to a new hotel almost on the waterfront in town, opposite Hotel Aphridite, which was our Hotel on the first visit 9 years ago.

In the afternoon we drove to Iannakis Beach, firstly to a small protected cove where we all swam. Vangelis donned a giant pair of flippers together with goggles and snorkel and took off for a long swim following the rocks to the next beach.

We drove around the cliffs and along the beach to meet up with him at the end of the beach outside a beachside taverna called Animos where we ate another dinner of seafood dishes chosen by Vangelis who seems to find menus unnecessary, making his choices after a lengthy dialogue with the waiter.

After a short visit to the internet cafe Saturday morning we were picked up outside our hotel by Michele and Vangelis. We met up with their friends Nicholas, Annique, and their young son Jason and headed off all together in a VW Transporter driven by Nicholas. Our first stop was at a quiet, out of the way spot, Pacchia beach north of Porto on the eastern coast of Tinos, where we walked down a gravel path, accross some rocks and hot sand and arrived at the quite beautiful beach where we swam and the boys did some snorkelling around the rocks and, further out, the reef.

It was a warmer day, around 33C and with little shelter we were conscious of getting burned so we left the beach at around 1.00pm and went to Nicholas's house overlooking the Argean sea and Mikenos, Dolos, and Naxos, where we are headed on Monday.

Sunday (30 July ), after an early breakfast of toasted cheese and ham sandwich and tea at a nearby coffee shop, we hired a taxi and set off for the village of Ktikidos where we joined the Kalikakis’s for the Sunday morning Greek Orthodox service. The church was quite small but lavishly decorated with ceiling frescoes, gold and silver icons, and prolific decoration and adornment of the walls with many paintings which were regularly but seemingly not systematically visited and kissed by worshippers. Lighting consisted of chandeliers, lamps, and candles. There is no singing by the congregation in the Greek service but much chanting by elders and the priest.

It was a special service to remember loved ones who have passed on. A collection was taken for aid to the Lebanese. The priest announced that the Greek Orthodox Church had booked two hotels to accommodate 700 Lebanese refugees and were sending large quantities pf blankets and food to Lebanon.

As we left the church we received a Greek cream cakes and could have also drunk some Raki but it was a bit early for me and unappealing to Maz. We visited the local taverna for tea and coffee after which Vangelis, Maz and I walked the ancient track / road built in 600BC from the village back to Tinos, a distance of about 7-8km. Along the way we passed the ruins of the Tinos Acropolis and ancient underground water storage still in use until the 18th century.

Maz and I went for a quick swim after lunch prepared by Michele. We rested and read a little before dropping into the internet café for a fresh orange juice before heading off to the village of Smardakidos (again) for dinner with the K’s and their French friends, Nicholas and Annick Grigoriou, together with the 4 children. It is a charming setting with abundant yellow and bright pink Oleanders bordering the pathway to the taverna. Most of the tables are outside in long garden courtyard with plenty of space for the children to play. With Greeks, French, and Aussies around the table, plenty of good food and wine there was much to talk about and a very good night was had by all.

---

Photos

The Port at Tinos
Ferries come and go almost by the hour, reversing into port with great skill

View from Hotel Myrtia
The terracing of steep hillsides with rock retaining walls is prolific all over the island. Alas, the land is largely unused except by goats these days.

Waterfront at Panormos village
The stuffed Calamari at this taverna is "to die for"

Iannakis Beach
Access by vehicle to the Taverna and houses beyond, is along the beach front.