Greece


Travelogue

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7



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Part 2: Can we do it all in two hours?

I remember standing on the quay at Kamares, port of Sifnos, watching a beautiful cruise boat tie up. I was quite surprised to see it, for not many tours of that nature bother with Sifnos - it is too boringly unspoiled. It disgorged about 20 retirement-aged Americans complete with state of the art cameras, the ladies hung with gold necklaces and natty handbags. They gathered together in a clump and stood uncertainly, taking in the picturesque harbour, sandy beach and surrounding craggy barren hills.

It was a calm, warm, balmy autumn day. The tamarisk trees along the paralia were pale pink with flowers, it was siesta time and the village was asleep. The only people in sight were young Kalypso in her kiosk reading a book, the Kalogirou brothers serving caffe frappes to two tourists at their taverna, a fisherman sorting his nets - and me.

"Waddaya do in this town?" said a bejewelled lady, as I stared at the magnificent boat and it's beautiful people.

I tried to tell them how to catch the bus up through the hills and terraces to Apollonia, where the ancient narrow streets of the village meandered across the hillside, and of the beautiful views one could achieve by climbing the flagstone steps up to Katavati... but my new acquaintance said,

"We gotta be back by five. Can we do it all in two hours?"

Fat chance! They wandered off and sat down in the taverna instead. Later that evening I watched the cruise boat depart. It sailed off into a towering thunderstorm, and do you know, I hoped they would get seasick! No doubt they all went home to the States with suitable photos of their island-hopping!


Part 3: On the frontiers of tourism


this travelogue is part of the subside travelzine
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