Site around Chios

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The size of Chios is comparable to the island of Montreal. Though we can probably cross the widest area of Montreal in about 3 hours, on Chios, it is a totally different story. The island is mountainous and most of the sites on Chios are on different altitude, thus it is harder to estimate the time from one site to another. We spend an entire day driving around and only covered a small portion of the island. Actually, probably just ten percent of the island.

From sea level up to the mountains, the trip was quite an adventure in itself. The winding roads all around the mountains can prove to be quite daunting. Actually, I don't think I'd be able to drive on those narrow roads with nothing to stop you from going off the road and into nothingness. Luckily Christina is a pro, and got us safely from one site to another.

On day 1, we covered Agios Markos, a church with a panoramic view of the island of Chios. One can visit the church where religious artifacts are displayed. There is also a cave used at a time to hide from persecution. The view makes it worth the trip to Agios Markos, with its mountains all around and the sea expanding into the horizon.

Next, we went to Nea Moni, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nea Moni is a Byzantine monastery build by Greek royalty back in the Byzantine era. Legend has it that the priests found an icon of the virgin Mary and had predicted that Monomachos would become emperor. When the prophecy did occur, he endowed the monastery with land, and thus Nea Moni became one of the most famous and wealthiest monasteries in the Aegean region. This is were many Greeks sought sanctuary from the Turks. Unfortunately, the monastery was not successful in protected the inhabitants, as many Greeks got massacred during an invasion. There is a display with all the bones and skull of the victims, quite a sad story, as the population on Chios never quite recovered from the occupation. There is also a nice little museums showing artifacts from Byzantine time.

Next we visited Anavatos, a medieval village constructed on top of a steep mountain, which was a natural fortification from enemies. The houses are about the same colours as the rocks on the mountain, so it is difficult to discern from afar. It must have been quite pleasant to live there. One can imagine how life was like during that time, as you walk down the serpentine roads that curl up and down the village. The air, the view of the sea, all seems uncomplicated and serene. Anavatos has been abandoned long ago because the villagers decided to build a new village similar to Anavatos nearby. There, one can sit down at the restaurant at the village center for a nice meal. The specialty is goat, so we decided to go for seafood instead, seeing that we were so close to the sea.

I couldn't let go of a chance to eat seafood freshly caught that morning. Crispy, grilled octopus, tender calamari, large succulent shrimp....ahhh!!!! The simple pleasure of life. I've also discovered "horta" a simple dish of boiled greens. It is actually weeds such as dandelion and may differ from season to season. The dish is served hot or cold and with lemon juice. Normally horta has something of a bitter taste. I found the taste quite refreshing and helped me digest.

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Photos

Argio Markus - group pic
Christina, me, Christina, George and Maria

Argio Markus
Though we all wore pants, they had the women wear these apron looking things inside the church

Nea Moni
Christina and Christina