Tag: Holy Monastery of Patmos

Video perspectives of Patmos island

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This is one of two aerial videos that the Municipality of Patmos released in early March to promote the charming isle, located in the Dodecanese chain of islands. The municipality’s other official film appears below.

 

Simply delightful: We have enjoyed every island we have visited in Greece, but some simply feel more comfortable, delightful and memorable than others. Patmos is one of them.

Although we have been to Patmos only once,  for four days in May 2010, it feels like it was just  yesterday — our memories of how the island looked and felt remain razor-sharp and almost palpable. 

Those feelings got tweaked a little last week when the Municipality of Patmos released two official videos to promote the island for 2016. The aerial film of the island’s beautiful sights and scenery included views of many places we saw six years ago, along with others we didn’t have enough time to visit. Surprisingly, the light and shadows in some of the video scenes looked the same as when we were there — particularly when the camera captures locations bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.   

The clips include views of the island’s port town, Skala, the fortress-like Monastery of St John, Chora village, Grikos Bay, Kalikatsou Rock, and several of the island’s beautiful bays and beaches.

Watching the films has been a reminder that we’ve got to get back to Patmos to re-experience its charms and enchanting atmosphere. And to enjoy another serving (or two or three) of the absolutely amazing roasted chickpeas from Flisvos Taverna ….

 

 

Pic of the day: A mosaic at the Patmos monastery

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St John the Theologian icon at the Holy Monastery of Patmos

This mosaic icon of St John the Theologian greets pilgrims passing through the entrance (below) to the Monastery of St John on Patmos island

 

 

the entrance to the Monastery of St John on Patmos island

 

 

Island landmark: The Holy Monastery of Patmos

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Holy Monastery of Patmos

The biggest building on Patmos just happens to be the island’s biggest tourist attraction — The Holy Monastery of Patmos, seen towering above the houses and mansions of Chora. Also known as the Monastery of St. John, it was built around 1088.

 

 

Holy Monastery of Patmos

Another view of the imposing fortress-like monastery, the number 1 sightseeing destination for tourists whose cruise ships make brief calls into Skala port at Patmos

 

 

Holy Monastery of Patmos

The monastery dominates the Patmos landscape even when viewed from sea

 

 

 Holy Monastery of Patmos

A zoom view of Chora and the monastery, shot from a ferry departing Skala port

 

 

Greece holiday pic of the day

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Chora and the Holy Monastery of Patmos

The Monastery of St John looms large above Chora village on Patmos

 

Greece holiday pic of the day

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a street in Chora on Patmos

A cobblestone street in Chora near the Holy Monastery of Patmos

 

 

Greece holiday 2010: Patmos

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a horse on a hillside near Chora on Patmos

A horse on a hillside near Chora on Patmos

 

Island gem: Patmos was the second destination on our 2010 island-hopping holiday in Greece, and one of our favourite Greek islands so far. What a gem! It offered the things we enjoy best about Greek islands: spectacular scenery, great hiking and walking routes, beautiful beaches, friendly locals and wonderful food. Our only regret was that we didn’t schedule more time to spend on this island, since there were a lot of places and things we didn’t have a chance to see. But that give us a great reason to go back!

What we liked most about Patmos:

The food. We dined at tavernas in the Grikos Bay area, where we stayed, and enjoyed every meal. The food was excellent, especially the home-cooked meals at Flisvos Taverna. Their roasted chick peas were incredible.

The scenery. Patmos is a very pretty island, with gorgeous views of the sea, the coastlines, beaches, bays, and hillsides.

The hiking. We never took a bus on Patmos because we walked everywhere we went. Literally. We hiked up the mountain to Chora several times, and hiked into the port village of Skala several times, too. And we hiked up to the village of Kampos. Next time we visit Patmos, we’ll rent mountain bikes so we can see even more.

The views from our hotel. We stayed at Hotel Golden Sun, which sits on a hillside overlooking scenic Grikos Bay. We had incredible views from our room’s seaview balcony, and each morning got to enjoy fantastic views from the hotel’s outdoor breakfast terrace.

The people. Personable and friendly, but very laid back.

The animals. We met a friendly horse and donkey, and saw more cats, goats and sheep than we did people.

At some future date I hope to post a more detailed report on our visit to Patmos. For more information about the island in the meantime, check out the PatmosWeb online guide.

 

the Holy Monastery and Chora on Patmos

A view of Chora and the Holy Monastery from a ferry approaching Patmos

 

Sapsila Bay on Patmos

Sapsila Bay on Patmos, between Skala and Grikos

 

Sapsila Bay on Patmos

The crystal-clear waters of Sapsila Bay

 

Grikos Bay on Patmos

Approaching Grikos Bay on the road from the port in Skala

 

Hotel Golden Sun at Grikos Bay on Patmos

The Hotel Golden Sun on the mountainside high above Grikos Bay on Patmos

 

Hotel Golden Sun balcony view of Grikos Bay on Patmos

On the balcony at our room at the Hotel Golden Sun…

 

Grikos Bay on Patmos

where we had an amazing panoramic view of Grikos Bay

 

 

Breakfast terrace at the Hotel Golden Sun at Grikos Bay

The Hotel Golden Sun’s breakfast terrace view of gorgeous Grikos Bay

 

Hotel Golden Sun view of Grikos Bay on Patmos

I never got bored of looking at peaceful Grikos Bay and Traonisi Island. Occasionally, we could hear some of the goats that live on the island

 

Stormclouds above Grikos Bay on Patmos

Stormclouds move past Patmos the morning after a violent overnight thunderstorm thrashed the island with heavy rain and non-stop lightning strikes.

 

Grikos beach and bay

The curved sandy beach along Grikos Bay

 

Flisvos taverna at Grikos Bay on Patmos

We had the best meals of our holiday at Flisvos taverna at Grikos Bay…

 

roasted chickpeas at Flisvos Taverna

…where the home-cooked specialty, oven-roasted chickpeas, was delicious

 

Petra beach and bay on Patmos

Petra beach and bay are just a short walk past Grikos Bay

 

Petra beach and bay on Patmos

The water is gorgeous but there’s no sand at Petra beach — just stones. Ouch!

 

Stayrou beach and bay on Patmos

Stayrou bay and its beach are just a short walk from Petra beach

 

a donkey carries bales of hay

A donkey carries bales of hay on a farm near Stayrou Bay

 

a goat on a hillside below Chora

We saw this goat while climbing up the mountain from Grikos to Chora

 

a goat on Patmos

Another local resident we encountered while hiking up the mountainside from Grikos to Chora

 

mountains around Petra Bay

A peek at Petra Bay beyond a terraced mountain slope below Chora

 

Aspri and Meloi bays on Patmos

The view toward Aspri bay and Meloi bay from the hillside below Chora

 

The Holy Monastery and Chora on Patmos

Approaching Chora and the Holy Monastery of Patmos (the Monastery of Saint John the Theologian), which was constructed starting in 1088

 

Skala port and village on Patmos

A mountaintop view toward Skala, the port and main town on Patmos

 

a mule on Patmos

A mule on a hillside overlooking the town of Skala on Patmos

 

churches in Chora on Patmos

Churches along a street in Chora on Patmos

 

Skala the port and main town on Patmos

A view of Skala, the port and main town on Patmos

 

a goat on Patmos

A goat and a tree high above the sea on Patmos

 

Skala harbour on Patmos

Skala harbour on a cloudy afternoon following a rainshower

 

a cruise ship in Skala port on Patmos

A cruise ship dominates views of the port in Skala

 

Agriolivadi Bay on Patmos

Overlooking Agriolivadi Bay from the highway between Skala and Kampos

 

Agriolivadi Bay on Patmos

There were only two people on Agriolivadi beach when we passed by … perhaps from the sailboat anchored in the bay

 

Agriolivadi Bay on Patmos

Looking out to sea from a hillside above Agriolivadi Bay and beach

 

Kampos Bay on Patmos

Yet another scenic bay and beach area on Patmos, Kampos Bay

 

a flock of sheep at Grikos on Patmos

A late afternoon traffic jam on the road near Grikos

 

 

Greece holiday 2010: Kos to Patmos ferry trip teases us with peeks at Kalymnos, Leros & Lipsi

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Kalymnos island viewed from a Greek ferry

Ferry transport offers a teasing peek at places we might want to visit in future

 

Dodekanisos Seaways highspeed catamaran ferry

We took the Dodekanisos Pride, a highspeed catamaran ferry operated by Dodekanisos Seaways, to travel from Kos to Patmos

 

Pothia on Kalymnos

The port village of Pothia on Kalymnos

 

Pothia harbour at Kalymnos

Houses on the hillside above Pothia harbour at Kalymnos

 

Agia Marina port on Leros

Arriving at Agia Marina port on Leros

 

Taverna Milos at Agia Marina port on Leros

Taverna Milos and a windmill on the water at Agia Marina harbour on Leros

 

the port village on Lipsi

Arriving at the port village on Lipsi

 

Lipsi harbour

A fishing boat passes our ferry in Lipsi harbour

 

the harbour at Lipsi

Calm deep waters in the sheltered harbour at Lipsi

 

Skala port at Patmos

Entering the bay where the port village of Skala is situated on Patmos

 

Holy Monastery of Patmos

From the ferry dock, you can see the island’s biggest attraction, the famous Holy Monastery of Patmos, on the mountaintop in the distance

 

Dozens more photos can be viewed in the From Kos to Patmos album on the mygreecetravelblog.com Facebook page.