We have had entire streets all to ourselves in many villages and towns, including Skala, Chora and Kambos on Patmos; Adamas and Plaka on Milos;  Apollonia, Artemonas, Kamares and Kastro on Sifnos; Chora on Folegandros; Egali, Chora, and Katapola on Amorgos; and Chora on Astipalea. We have even walked empty or nearly empty streets during afternoon walks through villages and towns on bigger and more popular tourist islands, including Naxos Town on Naxos; Ano Mera and Mykonos Town on Mykonos; Fira and Oia on Santorini; Vathi and Kokkari on Samos; Paroikia on Paros; Heraklion on Crete; Rodos Town on Rhodes; and Kos Town on Kos.

Lat year, the same was true on Ios, where we encountered precious few people during daytime walks through Chora and Gialos. Cats actually outnumbered humans by a wide margin!

The best thing about the lack of crowds is that you don’t get people walking or standing in front of your camera while you’re lining up a shot; you don’t have to jostle other tourists for a brief turn standing at a spectacular, scenic lookout point; and you don’t have to line up to get into a museum.

So if you have been looking at my Greece travel photos and wondering: “Where are all the people?”, now you know why!

Below are some photos we shot during our walks around Chora on Ios. Don’t expect to see many people in the street scenes!

 

A scooter parked next to the Church of Agia Ekaterini

 

 Geraniums and steps in a narrow hillside lane

 

Afternoon sunshine illuminates stairs in a passageway near Panagia Gremiotissa church on the mountainside above Chora

 

Bold blue balcony doors accent two bright white cube buildings

 

A hotel construction site on south hill overlooking Chora

 

A neoclassical building near the basketball court cries out for renovation

 

The mural on the wall of Porky’s Gyro Shop

 

The four churches on the mountain above Chora at dusk

 

A flight of steep steps near The Mills taverna in Chora

 

The impressive blue-domed Cathedral of Ios

 

You can’t walk very far in Chora before you encounter stairs!

 

A monument in the main square outside the Cathedral of Ios

 

Laundry day at a house on the mountainside in Chora on Ios

 

A souvenir and clothing shop in Chora on Ios

 

 The Sunrise Hotel overlooks Chora from the hill on the south side of town

 

A view of Chora from a hillside to the east of the town

 

A sign points the way to Panaga Gremiotissa, the biggest of the four churches on the mountain above Chora

 

Steep steps lead from Chora to the church of Panagia Gremiotissa

 

Spotlights illuminate the Panagia Gremiotissa church at night

 

A cobblestone alley leads to a house with a purple door

 

A “flaming Lamborghini” is a fiery cocktail specialty at Flames Bar

 

A passageway offers a cool but brief break from the hot afternoon sun

 

An old domed church

 

A woman walks through the square near the Cathedral of Ios

 

Blue doors are common throughout the Cyclades, but it’s rare to see orange window and door frames like the ones on this building in Chora

 

One side of a narrow street glows in late afternoon sunshine

 

A turkey in a yard next to a house on the edge of Chora

 

The Church of Agia Ekaterini

 

A car parked outside the ancient city wall

 

A green gate between two blue staircases

 

Blue and gold trim on houses on both sides of a narrow street

 

Six cats laze away their afternoon in a doorway

 

The Cathedral of Ios at sunset

 

Patterned tiles on a walkway on the south hillside above Chora

 

Many of the bars in Chora don’t open their doors until close to midnight

 

A quiet cobblestone street below the Panagia Gremiotissa church

 

A walkway leading to the Cathedral of Ios

 

A view of Chora from the terrace at the Moonlight Cafe

 

A passageway on a hillside street

 

A shopkeeper outside her fashion accessories boutique

 

The sunny swimming pool terrace at Francesco’s hotel and hostel

 

Evening at the Dolce Vita café

 

That’s me walking the long road down the hill from the Lofos Village Hotel

 

The Lofos Village Hotel buildings

 

A snack bar behind the Cathedral of Ios

 

Another narrow street full of steps

 

Late afternoon sun illuminates a narrow terrace next to a street

 

A cat relaxes on a ledge outside a house

 

A dog rests outside a women’s fashion shop

 

My friend, Mark, poses for a photo outside his retro clothing shop, OiOiGeeza

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