Tinos Island
We slept late this moring, then wandered into town where I got an amazing cheese pie at a bakery and Carrie picked up some apricots and an apple tart for breakfast. We ate sitting on a stone wall in the sunshine while watching Marco the Pelican chase small children.
After a little shopping (where I discovered what a difference my attempt at Greek makes in the demeanor of the shopkeepers) we met our group and boarded a bus for the interior of the island. We had Sharon, a quirky older, American woman who's lived on Tinos for years, as our guide for the afternoon, and though we tried, we could never get any of her story out of her.
We started by going to visit the Convent where the nun who had the dream that led to the relic finding and eventual church lived when she'd had her dreams. After we toured the grounds we took a few minutes to buy peanuts and herbs from a local farmer. These were quite possibly the best peanuts I've ever eaten!
Convent
From there we went to the adorable little town of Volax. The town is built in the midst of a huge swath of boulders - come to think of it, the entire interior of the island is a huge swath of boulders - in the mountain. Some of the boulders are so huge the locals often incorporate them into their buildings, rather than attempt to move them. The town was so cute, with quaint little shops, basket weavers, and flowers everywhere. We had lunch at the local taverna, where we were entertained by the owners young twins and the chickens that came to visit. The food itself was made with all local ingredients and was incredibly good. I even ate artichoke and tomatoes!
Basket Weaver
Volax
Lunch
We then made a quick stop at some old ruins and a Catholic cathedral as well as a dovecote. Tinos was once occupied by the Venetians, and is covered with dovecoats, some of which are in ruins, some are still in use, and some have been converted into homes. This one was actually still in use, with birds coming and going. I'm not sure if anyone actually comes to get the birds and eat them, though.
Dovecoat
Back in Tinos, Erica, Carrie and I had some ice cream, did a little more shopping and then napped. It's so unbelievably windy here that I was actually chilly despite the temperature and changed into jeans to sit out on the veranda after my nap. Jack told us that today is a little windier than usual, but it does typically blow like this from the end of June through September. It's nice because it keeps it from being so very hot, but it's also incredibly annoying. My hair won't stay out of my face, my skirts keep flying up and nothing stays where we put it.
The three of us had dinner at another outdoor taverna, sharing a greek salad and fried sun-dried tomatoes before our main courses. Tonight I had chicken slouvaki. With fries. After dinner wandered through the narrow streets, window shopping until we came to a bakery we've had our eyes since we arrived. We each indulged in a little bite of chocolately goodness, after much deliberation. It all looked so good!
Erica and her pastry
On our way back to the hotel we ran into Sarah, Ken and Ruth at a bar and ended up joining them for a few drinks. We sat there for a couple of hours, watching the local children play in the streets and drinking our wine.
June 28 Athens - Or How I Got Spit on My First Day in Greece
June 29 Ferry Trips and Bad Beaches
July 1 Tinos to Mykonos - A Party Under the Windmills
July 2 Delos, Mykonos and Being Hit on by a Gigolo
July 3 Mykonos, Santorini and Rooster for Dinner
July 4 Sunsets and Late Night Parties on Santorini
July 5 Red Beaches and More Sunsets
July 6 Bruising my Butt in Santorini
July 7 Taking in the Ancient Culture in Athens
After a little shopping (where I discovered what a difference my attempt at Greek makes in the demeanor of the shopkeepers) we met our group and boarded a bus for the interior of the island. We had Sharon, a quirky older, American woman who's lived on Tinos for years, as our guide for the afternoon, and though we tried, we could never get any of her story out of her.
We started by going to visit the Convent where the nun who had the dream that led to the relic finding and eventual church lived when she'd had her dreams. After we toured the grounds we took a few minutes to buy peanuts and herbs from a local farmer. These were quite possibly the best peanuts I've ever eaten!
Convent
From there we went to the adorable little town of Volax. The town is built in the midst of a huge swath of boulders - come to think of it, the entire interior of the island is a huge swath of boulders - in the mountain. Some of the boulders are so huge the locals often incorporate them into their buildings, rather than attempt to move them. The town was so cute, with quaint little shops, basket weavers, and flowers everywhere. We had lunch at the local taverna, where we were entertained by the owners young twins and the chickens that came to visit. The food itself was made with all local ingredients and was incredibly good. I even ate artichoke and tomatoes!
Basket Weaver
Volax
Lunch
We then made a quick stop at some old ruins and a Catholic cathedral as well as a dovecote. Tinos was once occupied by the Venetians, and is covered with dovecoats, some of which are in ruins, some are still in use, and some have been converted into homes. This one was actually still in use, with birds coming and going. I'm not sure if anyone actually comes to get the birds and eat them, though.
Dovecoat
Back in Tinos, Erica, Carrie and I had some ice cream, did a little more shopping and then napped. It's so unbelievably windy here that I was actually chilly despite the temperature and changed into jeans to sit out on the veranda after my nap. Jack told us that today is a little windier than usual, but it does typically blow like this from the end of June through September. It's nice because it keeps it from being so very hot, but it's also incredibly annoying. My hair won't stay out of my face, my skirts keep flying up and nothing stays where we put it.
The three of us had dinner at another outdoor taverna, sharing a greek salad and fried sun-dried tomatoes before our main courses. Tonight I had chicken slouvaki. With fries. After dinner wandered through the narrow streets, window shopping until we came to a bakery we've had our eyes since we arrived. We each indulged in a little bite of chocolately goodness, after much deliberation. It all looked so good!
Erica and her pastry
On our way back to the hotel we ran into Sarah, Ken and Ruth at a bar and ended up joining them for a few drinks. We sat there for a couple of hours, watching the local children play in the streets and drinking our wine.
June 28 Athens - Or How I Got Spit on My First Day in Greece
June 29 Ferry Trips and Bad Beaches
July 1 Tinos to Mykonos - A Party Under the Windmills
July 2 Delos, Mykonos and Being Hit on by a Gigolo
July 3 Mykonos, Santorini and Rooster for Dinner
July 4 Sunsets and Late Night Parties on Santorini
July 5 Red Beaches and More Sunsets
July 6 Bruising my Butt in Santorini
July 7 Taking in the Ancient Culture in Athens