Poliegos and Sifnos Islands, Greece
Sometime early in the morning the captain and the crew of the Panorama got us underway for our next destination from our anchorage inside the caldera at Santorini. The winds from the afternoon of the day before had dropped to a light breeze and the Aegean was very calm when we awoke this morning.
There were a few early risers who could see the island of Poliegos off in the distance as we made our way northward. Poliegos means “many goats” in Greek and the island is mostly cliff-faced on all sides except for the anchorage that the captain had chosen for our morning’s activities. We did not find any goats on the beach when we arrived, only a lovely spot to explore. Everyone came and went from the landing at a very relaxed pace. Many guests chose to paddle the bay by kayak, some snorkeled and others just enjoyed the sunshine. Conditions were favorable for just about anything and the water color and temperature was ideal as well.
Just prior to lunch we gathered our gear and returned to the Panorama. While we were dining the ship got underway for Sifnos Island, our destination for the afternoon. The approach into the harbor revealed a small community based around the pier which is the only way to get on or off this small island. The port is known as Kamares and is the only source of transportation on and off of Sifnos. The captain had secured us a small spot just next to the ferry landing and he and the crew moored us by the stern of the Panorama in good time. Shortly thereafter we boarded our coaches to explore further inland on Sifnos.
The first stop was the small village of Kastro on the far side of the island. This village is built on the site of an ancient acropolis. Effie and Stella, our Greek guides, led us through the winding alleyways of a community designed to confuse invaders and it shows many signs of its past as a Venetian fortified town. Many residences still have their Venetian coat of arms and artifacts from the acropolis are still evident today as well. We had a chance to grab some refreshment and view the valley below before departing.
Next on the agenda was the opportunity to walk between the twin villages of Artemonas and Apollonia. There were lots of photo opportunities as we wound our way from one village to the other and took in some of the charm of these two small villages. At the end of our trek there was time to wander about Apollonia, the modern capitol of Sifnos and then we boarded our coaches to return to Kamares port and the Panorama.
Many guests took advantage of the opportunity to dine at one of the waterfront tavernas in the harbor for dinner while others returned on board the ship and wandered the waterfront afterwards. All of us enjoyed the charm of this small harbor village and its intimate atmosphere.
