~continued from page 1 ~

 

A Google satellite view of Gavrio village on the right-hand side of Gavrio Bay.  The port facility occupies more than half of Gavrio’s waterfront, while the long habourfront street is lined with restaurants and shops.

 

The outskirts of Gavrio, close to Liopessi beach

 

A tree-shaded walkway on the outskirts of Gavrio, near Liopessi beach.  The sidewalk ends abruptly and doesn’t continue all the way into town.

 

The highway passes through this rock cut as it approaches the town center

 

Several short blocks before the waterfront, the road narrows into a lane barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass

 

The road ends near the port entrance, seen on the left side of this image from Google Street View. Dozens of shops and restaurants line the harbourfront street (right) which extends halfway up Gavrio Bay.

 

Mountains and low, rolling hillsides encircle Gavrio Bay

 

The Gavrio harbourfront and village extend along one side of the bay

 

Motorboats moored at the pedestrian walkway

 

View toward a blue-domed church on a hill overlooking the port

 

Another view from the pedestrian promenade

 

Fishing boats moored near the commercial street

 

The pedestrian pathway extends along most of the harbourside

 

View toward a long strip of sand at the top of Gavrio Bay, a short walk past the commercial harbourfront area

 

A path to the beach crosses this footbridge above a creek

 

Though sandy, the beachfront didn’t look suitable for swimming … it appeared to be chiefly an anchorage area for smaller motorboats

 

Harbour and bay view from our table at Archondiko restaurant

 

The Golden Star Ferries ship Superferry II called into Gavrio port while we were having lunch at Archondiko

 

Rooms on the street side of the Galaxy Hotel have balconies overlooking the port and views of the entire bay

 

Departure day: Our final views of Andros

After six days and nights that seemed to pass in the blink of an eye, our first-ever Andros holiday was drawing to a close. It was May 31, and we would be taking a morning ferry to Tinos, where we would have several hours of free time before catching an afternoon ship to Syros, where we would be spending the next 10 nights.

We got to Gavrio port shortly after 9:30 a.m., and had to cool our heels for nearly half an hour before our ship, the Superferry II, was scheduled to arrive. The wait passed quickly, and we got to watch the Fast Ferries ship Ekaterini P call into port on its regular run from Rafina to Andros, Tinos and Mykonos.

 

I catch up on some reading in the waiting area at the Gavrio ferry port

 

Other ferry passengers wait for their ship to arrive

 

The Ekaterini P ferry prepares to dock at Gavrio port

 

Passengers gather on the rear decks of the Ekaterini P ferry to get a look at Gavrio during the ship’s brief stop in port

 

Passengers disembark from the Ekaterini P, which will next call at Tinos island on its way to Mykonos

 

 

Mere minutes after the Ekaterini P sailed out of the bay, the Superferry II arrived and tied up at the pier. Although several dozen passengers were still disembarking, port officials told us to begin boarding the ship. As we wound through the throngs of people stepping ashore, we were taken aback to see a tour company representative standing near the exit gate, holding a “Welcome to Tinos” sign in the air.  Several passengers coming off the Superferry II saw it, too, and stopped in their tracks, obviously wondering if they were getting off at the wrong island. One fellow approached us and asked: “Is this Andros or Tinos? I’m supposed to be going to Andros!” He breathed a big sigh of relief when I told him he was at the right island. A woman behind him seemed relieved, too, but was still clearly irritated. “Why the hell is that guy waving a ‘Welcome to Tinos’ sign when this is Andros? I nearly turned around and got back on the ferry!” I wondered if anybody had done just that.

Within minutes we had stashed our luggage in the hold and climbed up to the passenger decks, just in time to get some final views of Gavrio as the Superferry II left the pier and sailed out of Gavrio Bay.

 

The Superferry II steams toward the Gavrio ferry pier

 

A view of Gavrio port as Superferry II sails out of Gavrio Bay

 

Another view of the port and village with mountains as a backdrop

 

A final glimpse of the port area … 

 

… and one last look at the Gavrio waterfront and the hills behind the village

 

Buildings cling to the steep hills on the opposite side of the bay from the Gavrio port and village

 

Another view of the northwest side of Gavrio Bay

 

Passing the breakwater at the mouth of Gavrio Bay 

 

Passengers look back at Gavrio Bay as the Superferry II heads out to sea

 

I stood near a corner on one of the ship’s upper rear decks to enjoy the coastal scenery as the Superferry II sailed along the western coast of Andros

 

The Superferry II leaves Gavrio Bay far behind in its wake

 

A view of the Andros coast south of Gavrio …

 

… and a view of the coast even farther to the south

 

As the ship turned away from Gavrio Bay, a flock of seagulls began following close behind. The big birds took turns diving onto the ship’s wake, where they would briefly sit atop the churning water before flying back into the air. 

 

I shot this video of our seagull escort. While I have seen seagulls accompany some of our ferries in the past, this was the first time I had seen the birds land on the ship’s wake for a momentary rest. I initially thought they might be diving to catch fish churned up by the ship, but the videoclip shows the seagulls simply sitting on the water for a few seconds before taking flight.

 

Ferry deck view of Agios Petros beach on Andros

 

An islet off the coast of Andros 

 

Another small island near the Andros coast

 

Looking back in the direction of Gavrio as the ship passes the small island 

 

Houses on a hillside above the Andros coast

 

Sunlight sparkles on the sea off the Andros coast

 

A mountain on Andros

 

A passenger is surrounded by empty seats on the ferry’s upper deck

 

Upper deck view of Tinos island

 

A speedboat passes the narrow channel between Andros and Tinos 

 

It was extremely breezy on the top deck of the Superferry II, so it must have been even windier for the passengers seated at the front of the speedboat

 

The speedboat approaches the northern tip of Tinos as it passes our ferry 

 

Another view of the speedboat heading along the Tinos coast

 

Imposing mountains and cliffs along the northwestern coast of Tinos

 

 

A sitting area on one of the Superferry II‘s passenger decks

 

The Golden Cafe on the Superferry II

 

A large open area in front of the cafe

 

We nicknamed the open space “the Superferry disco” because it resembled a dance floor.  Sadly, nobody got up to boogie.

 

A lighthouse on the western coast of Tinos

 

Buildings on a hill above the Tinos coast

 

Another view toward the small settlement area above the Tinos coast

 

A view of the Tinos coast a short distance from Tinos Town

 

The coastline near Tinos Town, part of which is visible at right

 

A mountain peak looms dramatically behind Tinos Town 

 

Passengers wait to disembark the ferry at Tinos Town

 

A view of the Superferry II docked at Tinos port

 

Superferry II passengers walking from the port to the commercial center of Tinos Town

 

Port view of the Tinos Town waterfront and main commercial district

Pages: 1 2