Milos which means "apple" is actually rich in obsidian (oops, i origianlly wrotethis entry as Iron Ore, my brain still in Minnesota)...

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....Obsidian and tourism...except of course in March. I was probably one of 5 tourists on the island and 3 of them seemed to be doing some sort of filming, so maybe they werent tourists at all...... Once i figured out that the buses would get me nowhere, especially on the weekend when NO buses were running, i decided to rent a car and was very glad i did. (but dont tell my aunt she worried about the drivers on the islands)..... in truth there were hardly any cars on the roads and they were not reckless. the Greeks I have found to be good drivers actually, just really aggressive. and the bus drivers are amazing how they maneuver their huge buses through the tiny streets without gaining a scratch is a miracle.... anyway, i digress....
-- the adventures!

At the car rental office as i was telling the woman that i was a photographer and she was suggesting where to go, a man walked in and she said to him "are you working today?"
"i dont understand" he said
"The girl is a photographer from america and she wont be returning any time soon"
"well i was going to give a walk with a friend of mine today at 3"
So they asked if i would like to go on a walk (actually it was a bit of a hike:16 km i think!) to an area of Milos unlike any other.... I agreed. Yannis, (the man) was a police officer and owned some hotels in the area... The walk we went on was on the far side of the island where people didnt really live because it was so rocky and mountainous, however it was quite different from the rest of the island because it had Trees (yeah, gasp) and they weren't olive trees. But only in the beginning really. The second half was all brush and pretty rocks. By the end of the hike we were at a very high peak of a hill which overlooked the island and in the distance some nearby islands. It was gorgeous even though overcast and quite windy. The hike was actually a business venture YAnnis had created this "monopati" or walkway through this area, and was going to take guided tours up it to see the view. I was impressed actually as he was very intent on keeping it natural, no concrete or anything. One of his daughters studies snakes so i have a feeling the family is natureloving. Anyway, YAnnis asked if he could see some of the pictures and use some for the brochure, i said yes of course if i could get some copies. so i ended up going to his home, meeting his wife, her mother and father, their cute spoiled dog, and their huge macaw. I used their computer and they fed me dinner. Yannis said that i should return someday and stay for a while, that he could find me some work, or that next time i return he hopes to see me married and with kids... . . 😊

The hotel i stayed at was the only one in a tiny tiny fishing village called Klima... unfortunately i dont have shot from my balcony. it was lovely, i could see over the little houses to the water and beyond to rocks in the sea and another island.

One thing i loved about Milos was the random caves. not even caves really, jsut little holes in the sides of the hills. MIlos contains some of the earliest Christian catacombs. I went to them but was kinda disappointed, not because of the catacombs themselves, but just because there was a ramp built inside that formed a circle and thats really all you could do... you walked the ramp - wow, ok there they are- and thats about it. actually just 2 yards off the path down to the main catacombs were 2 small little rooms that looked to have been tombs, but the same really - yup there they are, some tombs- and on i went......
to the ancient site at Milos... which wasnt much. Some remnants of something on a little hill. the theatre was decently preserved (see pictures) and with an impeccable view....

But by far the most amazing place on Milos was the gorge of "Sarakiniko" (again see pictures) there's not much i can say expect that i thought i was in heaven or on the moon. i spent hours photographing as well as had a lunch of bread, canned sardines, an apple and chocolate. which was all very tasty by the sea. the wind was a monster though. (and i believe i got some sand in my lens which i was really mad about, but there wasn't much i could do) Actually the reason that i chose milos in the first place was because it was described as having amazing rock formations and a very incredible place called Kleftiko which is only accessible by boat. Of course at this time of year, there was no way to get out there. i guess i'll jsut have to return someday....

The note about lunch reminds me of a cute incident at the supermarket where i was stocking up: standing in front of the fruits & veggies, trying to figure out what I could logically keep, a older man with a cane and a cap said to me something along the lines of "whatever you choose, may it be good" I"m not sure if he meant, because it was all healthy, or if he was just wishing me a good meal.......

The last day i was there i was driving out to do some healthy exploring in the center of the island when, not far from Adamadas (the port town) i passed a shipyard with all sorts of colorful old boats up on blocks. I saw the gate was open so of course i stopped. As i entered i saw a man working on a rather large boat. the deck was about 20 feet above my head. I called out a hello and was it ok if i photographed. The man shouted back sure not a problem at all. At some point after this he said something funny. he said : "we dont have Iraq here" I believe he was referring to the security measures in the US now rather than an actual warzone..... anyway, As i was shooting we had inter mitten conversation... what brought me to Milos, how did i like it, what have i seen etc.... after discussing Sarakiniko and my inability to see Kleftiko, he told me that there are some incredible places that he goes with the boat that i wouldnt believe. "its like a dream" he says. then tells me that he will give me his family's card and if i return some summer he can show me. When i went to leave and he gave me his card he asked if i was planning on going anywhere for dinner, I wasnt exactly sure what would even be open and he said there was a fantastic place in Adamadas that he could show me. So later that evening I ate the best lamb i have ever had in my life. (sorry mom) it was literally falling off the bone. the place was very greek, and very local. (i certainly wouldnt have found it on my own) It had ship paraphernalia on the wall, and a tall funny waiter who hunched over and scooted around the place very fast, no menu at all, the waiter tells you what the kitchen's cooking up. Dionisis (the guy from the boat, not the waiter) was certainly a character. He moved to Milos at 15 once he finished "gymnasio" (middle school) to work with his father on the boat so that they could afford to send his sister to school. a familiar story for Greece. And how else do i describe him? He loved his work. He loved his work so much he said that as long he is near the sea he is happy, if he had to go and live in the mountains, he would die. He also said that he is a good judge of character and that if a person is a smiling and talks with you and laughs, they are usually a good person. it is the quiet people who do not smile that are not good. His older brother came and sat with us a bit and had a wine. he spoke a tiny bit of english and had very definate ideas about how the US will spy on anyone that enters the country. After he left, Dionysis said that his brother is always melancholy, always somewhere else because 10 years ago his wife left him. "10 YEars AGo?" i said, as it seemed a long time to me. I guess he really loved her. I asked if he hadn't ever found someone else, Dionyisis said that there is a woman who loves him very much but he will not have her because he still loves his ex wife. wow. Anyway, so Dionysis, the fisherman, (as he turned out to be) was a bit of a Zorba the Greek. though i have never read the book or seen the movie, (there is a movie right?) from what i know of the character, he seems to fit the part.

Here's a bit of a secret about the Bush family that you will not find out in America,or even elsewhere in Greece, that you might only find out from a fisherman on the island of Milos. Every year at some particular time Papa Bush calls the Port Authorities at Milos. The authorities go out to Kleftiko (the amazing beach with rock formations accessible only by boat, that i couldn't get to) and clear the waters and surrounding area for Papa Bush to bring his private boat in. For a few days the authorities guard the area sending away anyone who comes near so that the Bushes can get their own private swimming heaven.

That concludes my trip to Milos. Looking back, it's a funny island, not the most beautiful overall (apparently its packed in the summer and lots of people come to windsurf.) but it has some incredible little nooks and crannies. The evening of my 3rd day I boarded the ship heading to Crete sure that i would have to return someday to see those that i missed.

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Photos

the magnificent sarakiniko
heaven right?

the whale rock
i think it looks like a whale's head..... since i've seen so many whales in my life i should know right?

the Trees!
Yanni said it reminds him of the headless horseman....

nearing the top... the goats old home
apparently they don't use it anymore.I guess they prefer one with a roof.

milos
in the distance past the bay is the town of Plaka on the hill (i think). Down below by the water would be Adamadas, the port town. and in the foreground is the way we came in. If you look closely, below the house and a bit to the right you can see a stone circle. I forget what they are called now, but it is where horses (or donkeys i guess) walking in a circle would stomp on the grain until it emerged from the sheath which would then fly away on the wind and leave the important part.....

the church
this church stands a little ways up from the road. as you an see it still has an impeccable view. there is actually a tiny little apartment where Yannis says people come and stay. I asked him "like who?" and he said "like us! we would come up when the kids were young and fly kites and take a little vacation." Wow.

klima
the tiny fishing hamlet where i lived... my hotel is actually a 5 minute walk up the hill behind the buildings

crazy paint job
people should do this more often... liven up the neighborhood... what do you think Sarita? when i return shall i paint our sidewalk blue?

the magnificent sarakiniko with water
in the summer you can swim here, which i would have loved to do but the water is freezing this time of year. thats ok, i quite enjoyed having the place all to myself. if it weren\'t for the trash on the beach i would have thought i discovered a magical new land...

Comments

[MIKAL]

This amazing avye.

[Billie Jo]

I am travel-starved...
You're having such wonderful adventures! Thank you for writing about them so I can imagine I am having adventures as I sit at my desk at work. I'm glad to hear your trip is going so well. And I'm also glad to know someone is as interested in rocks as I am... ; )