Kimolos
Surprisingly, jet lag has its advantages. Waking up before the entire port city of Sifnos is a rather peaceful experience. I climbed to the back deck of the boat in search of high ground with a cup of coffee in hand wanting to see what the new day would show. As the sun crept over the island’s mountains small signs of life could be seen on the other boats and in the town itself. Despite my early rise, signs of life on this Greek isle are rather scarce at 7 AM, but we must depart because Kimolos is in the distance and this is the nature of an expedition.
We cruised over to the island of Kimolos for a leisurely late morning of swimming, kayaking, and Zodiac cruises to the near by beach. The boat anchored in more pristine blue waters of the Aegean. The gentle breeze blowing across the sea kept the heat at bay for another excellent day. My wife and I piled into a kayak after some playful swimming to go explore the rock outcroppings. We found a small cave made by the ocean with a large white slab of marble placed over the cave entrance. I could not tell what was carved into the marble, but the fact that someone would bring this symbol out to a small cave the size of a passenger van in a cluster shows its importance. Now it is time for lunch so I must run.
After lunch we cruised out from behind Kimolos and found the prevailing winds. This allowed us to raise the sails for the trip to Folegrandros. Now jet lag also has its disadvantages; because the smooth rocking of the ship under wind power was like a lullaby to me and I slept most of the journey. Arriving in Folegrandros, we boarded a bus for a short trip up to the capital city. From there we could wander the town or hike for “15 minutes” up to a small monastery of the Virgin Mother. The hike took a bit longer than the claimed “15 minutes” but the monastery was almost at the apex of mountain and the surrounding views were worth every step. The monastery itself was small, orthodox and amazing to see. After looking around we came back down to the town and strolled through the streets soaking up the evening. Actually my wife wandered the streets; I was sucked into a pub with cold cappuccino and colder beer just to watch the Sweden vs. Spain football match. After catching the bus back down the mountain to the boat, we had a great dinner and I have somehow talked her into watching the Greece vs. Russia football match that is starting right about now.
It has been a great day, like the rest. There are not enough words to describe the kindness and sincerity of all the people we have met on the islands. Greece is wonderful, Poseidon has been kind, we eagerly await tomorrow.
Surprisingly, jet lag has its advantages. Waking up before the entire port city of Sifnos is a rather peaceful experience. I climbed to the back deck of the boat in search of high ground with a cup of coffee in hand wanting to see what the new day would show. As the sun crept over the island’s mountains small signs of life could be seen on the other boats and in the town itself. Despite my early rise, signs of life on this Greek isle are rather scarce at 7 AM, but we must depart because Kimolos is in the distance and this is the nature of an expedition.
We cruised over to the island of Kimolos for a leisurely late morning of swimming, kayaking, and Zodiac cruises to the near by beach. The boat anchored in more pristine blue waters of the Aegean. The gentle breeze blowing across the sea kept the heat at bay for another excellent day. My wife and I piled into a kayak after some playful swimming to go explore the rock outcroppings. We found a small cave made by the ocean with a large white slab of marble placed over the cave entrance. I could not tell what was carved into the marble, but the fact that someone would bring this symbol out to a small cave the size of a passenger van in a cluster shows its importance. Now it is time for lunch so I must run.
After lunch we cruised out from behind Kimolos and found the prevailing winds. This allowed us to raise the sails for the trip to Folegrandros. Now jet lag also has its disadvantages; because the smooth rocking of the ship under wind power was like a lullaby to me and I slept most of the journey. Arriving in Folegrandros, we boarded a bus for a short trip up to the capital city. From there we could wander the town or hike for “15 minutes” up to a small monastery of the Virgin Mother. The hike took a bit longer than the claimed “15 minutes” but the monastery was almost at the apex of mountain and the surrounding views were worth every step. The monastery itself was small, orthodox and amazing to see. After looking around we came back down to the town and strolled through the streets soaking up the evening. Actually my wife wandered the streets; I was sucked into a pub with cold cappuccino and colder beer just to watch the Sweden vs. Spain football match. After catching the bus back down the mountain to the boat, we had a great dinner and I have somehow talked her into watching the Greece vs. Russia football match that is starting right about now.
It has been a great day, like the rest. There are not enough words to describe the kindness and sincerity of all the people we have met on the islands. Greece is wonderful, Poseidon has been kind, we eagerly await tomorrow.
