Go Back   Cruiser Log World Cruising & Sailing Forums > Regional Cruising > The Med, Atlantic & Caribbean > Regional Discussions
Cruiser Wiki Click Here to Login

Join Cruiser Log Today

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 08-18-2015, 07:01 PM   #1
Lieutenant
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 53
Default Leros, Greece



Day 10 Leros
The trip between the islands was a little unnerving as we meandered our way amongst the islands and freighter traffic; I’ve never been so close to land (1 kilometer at one point) on Skyelark during a night passage except for making landfall. Dan and Em took turns staying up with us amateurs whenever we reached a waypoint that would require a change in course and checking the AIS for shipping traffic. We arrived on schedule around 9:00am, having motored almost all the way due to light winds mostly on the nose. The harbor of the former capital was greatly sought after by both sides during WW II as it is the largest deep water port in the area; Mussolini’s summer residence was located here when the island was controlled by the Italians during the early 1900’s.
The main attraction on the island is a Byzantine castle which was renovated by the Knights of St. John in the 1300’s; the castle houses a small museum and the church of the Madonna of the Castle. It is perched high atop a hill above the current capital of Platanos a quaint village nestled in the hillside. Being Sunday the buses weren’t running so Peter, Jim and I split a cab while Dan and Em rented bicycles; the intention being meeting up before going up to the castle. The taxi dropped us off at a roundabout in the heart of the village, so we sat at a small sidewalk café and ordered coffee, which came accompanied by chocolate tarts and bottles of water. Local men were sitting nearby and at another café across the street drinking coffee and talking with each other.
Jim started off for the castle while Peter and I waited a little longer for our skippers; once it became apparent that they must have changed plans I set off while Peter chose to wait at the café, his knee giving him a little trouble. Looking at the castle perched high up the hill the thought of climbing up there started to seem a little daunting; the taxi driver had mentioned there were steps and a winding road, both leading to the top so I just went at my own pace.

[URL=http://s894.photobucket.com/user/sunsetsammy/media/Grand%20Tour/Greece%201/10-02_zpscsx63jsz.jpg.html][/URL

Oh yeah, that looks like the path; what was I thinking



Making my way up, photo courtesy of Dan

Once I got to the point where there were no more houses above me I unknowingly missed the turn off for the steps and the road seemed to be heading down hill.
I noticed a path leading up the face of the hill and looking up it didn’t seem that far so I made my way up avoiding the many thorny bushes that dotted the hillside. As I got further up the hill I could see that the path I was following was merely a goat trail; soon I was carefully inching my way along narrow ledges no wider than my foot, having to use my hands to pull myself up while wedging a foot in the cracks between the rocks to make progress.



The view from the ramparts


Finally at the top, the others were already there so we went for the tour of the church and museum, given by an American who teaches English on the island and is caretaker for the castle. He was very knowledgeable, especially about the religious background and significance of the many frescos and icons on display inside.

We spent some time walking the grounds and ramparts, taking photos of the surrounding area with harbors visible on both sides.



Inside the church




After we had seen enough Jim and I walked down the steps to where Peter was waiting, while Dan and Em headed back to the anchorage on their bicycles. I decided to visit the other harbor and look for a snack and a beer along the water. Once again there were many little cafes so I had a beer here and ouzo there just taking in the history of the old buildings nearby and spending some time chatting with an older gentleman as we drank beer and ate some anchovies. I stopped at an internet café to upload my trip reports, using my cell phone as a wifi hotspot isn’t working out as well as had been hoped for, not realizing I had the wrong jump drive with me so I was short a few photos. It didn’t help matters that the computers were in Greek but I did what I could and figured I’d take my netbook to shore later at one of the restaurants near where we were anchored.
I met up with Jim and Tina, we walked back to the original café, had some ice cream and then had the girl call us a taxi for the ride back to the anchorage. Dinner was at one of the small restaurants along the waterfront; octopus carpaccio and fish roe cream for starters, with a whole grilled squid for the main course. It was a nightcap of Greek brandy in the cockpit before turning in to bed.
__________________
Sammy is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
greece


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Non E U Yachts In Greece steelfan Regional Discussions 4 06-15-2008 06:53 PM
Advice Needed On Shipping Gear To Greece Or Turkey twotreeisland General Cruising Forum 3 03-18-2008 02:05 PM
Greece To Singapore thaidog General Cruising Forum 15 07-29-2007 04:35 AM
Swagman Is In Greece Swagman Position Reports 0 04-27-2006 01:03 PM
Advice please - Greece and Turkey Swagman General Cruising Forum 2 10-21-2005 01:38 AM

Our Communities

Our communities encompass many different hobbies and interests, but each one is built on friendly, intelligent membership.

» More about our Communities

Automotive Communities

Our Automotive communities encompass many different makes and models. From U.S. domestics to European Saloons.

» More about our Automotive Communities

RV & Travel Trailer Communities

Our RV & Travel Trailer sites encompasses virtually all types of Recreational Vehicles, from brand-specific to general RV communities.

» More about our RV Communities

Marine Communities

Our Marine websites focus on Cruising and Sailing Vessels, including forums and the largest cruising Wiki project on the web today.

» More about our Marine Communities


All times are GMT. The time now is 02:39 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 4
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
SEO by vBSEO 3.6.0
×