Tag: sheep

Looking sheepish on Sifnos

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sheep on Sifnos

Sheep watch warily from behind a thicket of bare shrubs at a farm property in a valley near Kastro village on Sifnos

 

Island driving distractions: Sheep gridlock at Grikos and 4-legged highway hazards on Amorgos

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sheep near Grikos Bay on Patmos

A flock of sheep approaches the main highway from a side road leading to the Grikos Bay resort area on Patmos island

 

Mass transit: One of the things we appreciate most about our Greek Island vacations is our temporary escape from the commuter chaos that clogs the city streets during the morning and afternoon rush hours back home.

That doesn’t mean we escape traffic problems altogether when we’re in Greece. It’s just that the ones we encounter are generally a lot more interesting and usually quite entertaining to see.

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Goats and sheep on the road and other perils of driving in the Greek Islands

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a sheep on Amorgos

A sheep stands on a bend on the main Amorgos highway near Chora. We also passed many goats on the roads while driving around the island …

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goats on a road in Amorgos

… including these three, who were in a herd of several dozen goats ambling along a stretch of highway between Egali and Chora on Amorgos

 

Highway hazards: One of the features we love best about the Greek Islands is the beautiful beach, sea, mountain and village scenery, and our favourite way to see it is on foot. Some islands, including Amorgos, Folegandros, Paros and Sifnos, boast excellent walking and hiking routes, with networks of well-established footpaths and donkey trails criss-crossing scenic mountain and valley terrain. Santorini has some fantastic footpaths, too, including the famous clifftop trail between Fira and Oia that presents spectacular caldera views every step of the way. And on some islands, including Kos, Milos, Naxos, Patmos and Samos, mountain bike rentals have offered a fun fresh-air option for getting around and seeing the sights.

When it’s not practical or feasible to hike or bike to the places we want to see, we usually rely on local buses — a cheap and easy way to get around islands like Mykonos and Santorini. But since we typically travel in low season, bus service can be infrequent or unreliable, particularly on some of the smaller islands that aren’t as popular with tourists. So we have occasionally rented cars to tour around islands and see places we couldn’t reach by bus.

 

We don’t enjoy driving while on vacation, though, because we like to check out the scenery and take photos — something that’s difficult for a passenger to do (and impossible for the driver) when you’re speeding down an island road or highway. So you could count on just one hand the number of times we have rented cars in Greece (only once on each of Amorgos, Crete, Mykonos and Naxos).

But when we have used rental vehicles to get around, we have quickly discovered some typical road hazards and dangers that first-time drivers in Greece should be aware of before getting behind the wheel and heading off on a road trip.

 

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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