Glorious Greece!: Part I - A Stay in Syros

We checked into Greece two weeks ago at Kos, but it wasn't until we arrived at our fifth island/stop in Syros that we both had the feeling we had arrived to our Greek destination spot. Admittedly, we didn't spend much time at the first several places - Kalimnos, Patmos, and Naxos - as we were making tracks to get across the Aegean and out of the Meltemi winds as quickly as possible. We didn't even get off the boat in Kalimnos or Patmos except for a swim. We planned to sail the Adriatic all the way up to Venice before having to turn back down to lower latitudes and then Turkey by mid Oct, so needed to move quickly on the way up.

However, when we arrived in Syros, we found an extremely nice (read: strong holding and well situated) mooring buoy available and Greek neighbors (who have sailed these waters for over 35 years) who told us that this was one of the best spots around all of Greece and they visit here often. They also told us that in August the Ionian Islands, Croatia and Italy were even more crowded (everyone in Europe goes to Italy in August!) and expensive than the Aegean islands, and recommended we not rush to go there this season. In fact, he suggested not to rush out of Greece and the Med period. We liked it so much on our mooring in front of the Finikas basin that we decided we wanted to follow Dino's advice and stay. We've traveled over 6000 miles since the beginning of the year and we felt that taking a break in a lovely spot like this was the thing to do. We may (and likely will) change our minds a dozen times again, but for now, we're loving Syros and are planning to stay here for a spell. At some point we'll meander to a few other nice recommended places on our way back to Finike, Turkey... unless we decide to stay in Greece, or...?

Ermoupolis (or Hermoupolis) is the main town on Syros and the capital of the Cyclades Islands, located right in the middle of the Aegean and just west of Mykonos, the more popular of this island group. A short bus ride away from Finikas where we're calling home for now, Ermoupolis is a lovely town and because there isn't an airport on the island it feels real and isn't too touristy. Only those traveling by ferry or on their own boats make it here so it doesn't have the vibe you get from big charter tourism on other islands. The town has lovely Venetian architecture and alleyways, lots of steps up the hill to the famous Greek Orthodox Church of Resurrection, and pleasant little outdoor cafes to sit in the shade, relaxing and people watching. 

We happened upon one of these on our first excursion into Ermoupolis, the Belle Epoque "cafe and more" is just off the main square in front of the Town Hall. Owner Eric, half French and half Greek, prepared a delightful brunch of eggs, warm rolls and a croissant with Greek coffee (my first) and custom brewed ginger tea. Everything he served was created from local ingredients and with loving care. The water in Syros is considered the best in the Cyclades and it makes everything taste better here... and we believe that. And speaking of water... the waters surrounding Syros island are crystal clear turquoise and cobalt blue. Every afternoon we jump off the boat and into the refreshing seas to cool off then take a sunny/breezy back-deck shower... heavenly!

The small west-coast town of Finikas is perfect for us. It's pretty quiet as the beach resorts are further to the south. Despite that, there are several excellent tavernas (restaurants) with terraces and views of the bay. One of these made a great pizza for us one evening and another prepared possibly the best-ever grilled calamari. It's easy when deep fried, but when grilled tender calamari requires more skill. There's also a little supermarket that not only has most of the things we need, but also has low-fat goat milk (a favorite) and sure sign we're in the right place.

So here we are on our dream cruise in Greece, snug and smitten and staying in Syros.

With Equanimity and Joy,

The Turquoise Coast

Once across the Gulf of Antalya we entered into what's known as the "Turquoise Coast", stretching along the Med with the most beautiful cobalt blue and turquoise waters. We made an unplanned stop at the Finike Marina, deciding to visit at the last moment to see the ancient rock tombs and ruins at Demre and Ayakanda. We are very glad we spent a few days there as this is where we'll likely come back to for the coming winter months. Finike itself is an agricultural center and a real working Turkish town, rather than a tourist resort destination, which we really like. The marina and staff are lovely, and the market in town on Saturday is the best so far!

From Finike we sailed towards Kekova Roads and the lovely hamlet of Kalekoy. The castle ruins perched atop the hill had stunning views and looked out across the bay to the sunken city and beyond. The top of the hill was also covered with sarcophagi.









Continuing west, we spent a few days in a bay near Kas (pronounced "cash"). A lovely gullet was anchored next to us and the captain had a nifty little flying drone which took our picture as it whizzed by. Captain Ergun sent us these photos. He speaks excellent English and if you are planning a trip to the area and would like to spend a few days along the coast on a boat (unless you have your own, of course), contact him on his website at: www.boattripturkey.com.

Then on we went to Fethiye, Gocek and Skopea Limani, all located in a large bay. This is one of the prime cruising grounds in Turkey and the place was swamped with private yachts, charter boats, gullets (Turkish overnight boats) and day-tripper boats... some of which were nothing more than big party boats with pink passengers reddened by the excess of sun and/or drink. With the area so populated, several entrepreneurial souls met the needs and desires of the cruisers anchored out with an ice cream speed boat and a market boat (floating supermarket), both of which we availed ourselves of during our week stay among the islands.

On to Marmaris Bay we went in order to buy boat bits and to take care of some repairs and maintenance for the boat and for us too! We visited the Marmaris Devlet Hospital (gov't/state hospital) for some check-ups, which was excellent. Thanks to Suzanne, who acted as translator and scheduled appointments for us. We were well taken care of. Then, off to see Ata at Aladag Optik with an updated prescription for stronger reading glasses. We covered a lot in just a few days and then were off to continue west and north along the beautiful coast of Turkey before sailing into Greece. We really, really like it here and are glad we'll be back in the fall. Well, unless we change our minds... which of course never happens. :)

with Equanimity and Joy