Posts tagged: Beach

Kini, Lottos and Finikas

By , August 10, 2015 11:25
Kini Beach - Παραλία Κινίου

Kini Beach – Παραλία Κινίου

Yesterday was our last day with the car. We headed back to the village of Kini where we spent the morning on the beach there.

Kini Beach is almost like an English beach with bigger waves than elsewhere on the island – it was quite fun getting in and out (I did get splashed a few times)!

Just behind the beach of Kini is a small aquarium – it costs €2 to go and have a look around. Nothing too spectacular, but it was interesting to have a look and see what type of fish (and eels) live in the local waters.

We had lunch at a nearby taverna, before walking to the nearby beach of Lottos (Λωτός). Slightly outside the main village, it is a bit quieter than Kini but a bit rockier as well. I quite enjoyed having a nice long swim here then lying under the tree for a bit.

To Limanaki, Finikas - Το Λιμανάκι, Φοίνικας

To Limanaki, Finikas – Το Λιμανάκι, Φοίνικας

In the evening, for a change of scene, we got the bus along to Finikas (Φοίνικας). There is a wider selection of restaurants and tavernas in Finikas so we thought we’d give one of them a try. Near where the boats are moored, there was a nice looking place called “Το Λιμανάκι” (Little Harbor).

It perhaps wasn’t the best place we ate at, but it was nice to do something different for a change, and we enjoyed our starter of the Gigantes beans. My pork with honey and thyme wasn’t bad at all either, it was almost like Sunday lunch!

Today is our last full day on the island, and a day by the pool and the beach wouldn’t be a bad idea I think. At some point I need to go in to Ermoupoli too, to collect the tickets for our ferry to Athens in time for our departure tomorrow.

Bye for now,

FH.

Cats and Beaches

By , August 9, 2015 08:05
Ermoupoli

Ερμούπολη – Ermoupoli: Capital of Syros, of the Cyclades, and of the South Aegean.

What a busy couple of days we’ve had!

On Thursday we went in to Ερμούπολη/Ermoupoli, the capital of the island of Syros and of the Cyclades. It’s a proper capital city! Miaouli Square is my favourite part of the square. It’s like a mini Syntagma Square, with the City Hall dominating the square. The narrow side streets of the city, as well as the port, are all nice areas for a walk too.

The mother cat

The mother cat – her 3 kittens live in the flowerbed just below the wall of our balcony, where she is sitting in this photo.

Cat-wise, it seems that the tabby which has adopted us is a mother. Hidden just a few metres away from the back of our apartment, out of sight of everyone but us and the Greek family who live next door, she had 3 tiny little kittens. They can’t be more than a few weeks old. As long as we’re quiet we can watch her feeding them.

Normally she doesn’t like being watched with the kittens though, but she’ll happily come to our apartment 5, 6, 7, times a day in search of a meal and something to drink.

For the last couple of days we’ve had a car and have been out and about around the island. On Friday we went up to the village of Κίνι/Kini which has a lovely beach and harbour area. In the morning we were on the main beach of the village, but since this got rather crowded by the afternoon I moved over to nearby Lottos beach, which was much quieter.

Κίνι - Kini

Κίνι – Kini

I also visited the “Kini Cat Café” – a house in the village from where Jacky and a team of volunteers help the sick, injured and abandoned cats on the island. Each year there is also a neutering programme which takes place, since a large number of cats on Syros (and all over Greece, for that matter) are strays.

It was great being introduced to some of the local cats – some of whom made friends with me almost straight away. A lovely ginger one, McDuff I think he was called, jumped up to sit on me and made himself very comfortable.

Yesterday we have been along to Κόμητο/Komito beach – a very nice sandy beach along the coastal road from Agathopes. Since it is high season even the “out of town” beaches such as Komito are packed – particularly in the afternoons.

It seems that in the mornings the families go to the beach, and the young Greeks hit the beaches after lunch. Presumably, since most of them appear to be student age, they don’t get up until lunchtime anyway…

In the evening we went to Taverna Savvas where we all enjoyed Veal Stamna (it’s basically veal in a clay pot, with carrots, cheese and a little pepper). Very tasty!

Today is our last day with the car and we will probably go back to Kini and Lottos.

But for now… breakfast time!

FH.

 

Quiet Day at the Beach

By , August 2, 2015 10:01
Sitting on the balcony outside our apartment.

Sitting on the balcony outside our apartment.

Sunday morning on Tinos island and the meltemi winds are up, the sea looking quite white now, and Mykonos just a silhouette in the haze.

Yesterday was a quieter day, as we chose to stay in the Ag. Ioannis Porto area. There are two beaches in walking distance from Anemologio, the apartments where we are staying – Ag. Kyriakis and Porto.

The beach of Ag. Kyriaki.

The beach of Ag. Kyriaki.

We spent the morning at Ag. Kyriakis beach. As the winds were up we chose to sit on the rocks so we would not be sandblasted! Both of the beaches here are sandy, sunbeds in some areas but there is plenty of space for those wanting to get away from all that. Several guidebooks say they are the best beaches on the island.

For lunch, we went in to one of two beach bars located between the beaches. We went in to the Anemos bar. It’s quite a nice place to sit to keep out of the hot sun. There is another right next door.

Mum and Dad enjoy their drinks at Anemos Beach Bar.

Mum and Dad enjoy their drinks at Anemos Beach Bar.

At both, drinks and snacks are served all day, as are full meals if you are particularly hungry. The two more traditional tavernas are also open for lunch – and are in fact busier at lunchtime than they are in the evening, since this is when most Greeks have their main meal of the day. In the afternoon, Mum and Dad went to Porto beach, and I returned to the apartment for my siesta.

Later in the evening, we took the bus to Chora. Tinos’ main town has lots of narrow side streets leading away from the main shopping street. The main street leads up to the large Church of the Virgin Mary; a lot of Greeks come here as a pilgrimage and you will see people crawling up the red carpet which leads from the harbour to the entrance of the church.

The main street of Chora Tinos, looking up towards the big church.

The main street of Chora Tinos, looking up towards the big church.

In the narrow streets, plenty of tavernas, bars and cafenia can be found hidden – away from the bustling main street. We found a nice taverna – Malamatenia (named after the little square on which it is located) where we enjoyed our meal next to a small church.

Since the last bus back in the direction of our apartments is at 22:00, we took another taxi on our return. The taxi rank is located on the sea front, by the roundabout. Just walk up to a taxi at the front of the queue, and tell the driver where you would like to go. If you are in a village wanting to get in to Chora, you can always phone for a taxi on (+30) 22830 26000.

Today – Sunday – I am going to get the bus in to Chora to get some bread from one of the many bakeries which can be found there. I will also collect our ferry tickets for our transfer to Syros on Tuesday. This afternoon I will return to the beach… if the wind is not too strong.

Bye for now.

FH.

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