Swimming in Amorgos

Even though there are quite a few beaches in Amorgos, we only used one, Maltezi beach, mainly because we were told that this is the only organised beach on the island and we just have to have shade. 

You can walk there, quite a long walk, which normally we would love to do, but not in such heat, so we took a boat to get there - that a treat in itself. There are two boats taking people to the beach from and to Katapola, alternating every half hour, and we used both. This one was much more fun

but so was this, particularly on the way back when sometimes it would be empty except for us

and sometimes the boats would return heavy with passengers.

We loved the boat ride which also gave us an opportunity to see some more of the island

Maltesi is not far from Katapola, so soon, we would see this little church which is situated in the bay next to where the beach is

and there it is. It's a small bay, half of it is an organised beach 

It was easy to find an umbrella and loungers as it never gets busy - not in the beginning of September anyway

 

This was our view on our right

and it was always fun seeing the boats arriving.

You can see how small the area of the organised bit is

and here,

This was the view on our left. This is the second part of the beach which has been left unspoilt,

wild countryside,

and people who did not want shade and did not want to pay would settle here.

I loved just lying on the lounger, looking at the crystal clear water, the mountains across,

it's like meditating.

We swam a lot but not as much as we usually do. That's because the water was freezing. Freezing. I would swim along and I would think, 'it feels I am in a bucket of ice'. 

We would swim along the bay, then come to these rocks and swim to the other side, to the next bay, where the little church is

This is the second bay, with the church on the point, and a beach at the end of it. I took the photograph from the boat, as I don't use my underwater camera anymore.

This is where Ken had his accident and hung on to the rock at the end.

And then we would take the boat back

past the church and the cemetery

and eventually we would get a good view of Katapola.

Chora in Amorgos - day 3

Our third, and last visit to the Chora was in the morning. Originally we were going to go swimming, but the wind was so strong that day, the strongest yet, that we decided that the only way to get away from it was in the shelted alleyways of the Chora.

The bus deposited us by the square again

but this time we turned right and started exploring that part of the town

they just keep getting narrower

I love the architecture

Our aim was to reach the top, then turn left towards the uppermost northern part of the village, across from the windmills and that led us to Kath Odon

then Arbaroriza

admired the view all the way down to the sea and Katapola

a church, (we did not know it then, but we had entered the area of the churches - we saw so many that day...)

another one - or is it two?

and somehow we ended up at the Upper Square - as I've said before, it's so easy to get lost here

it was so cool here, and protected from the wind, that we stopped for a cold drink

We then noticed that this building was not a police station as we had thought the other day, as policemen kept going in and out

but an art gallery, so we went in and had a look at the photography exhibition

We left the exhibition, had another look at the castle, disappointed that the wind prevented us from visiting

Another very narrow one

That's good. I can't translate it, I tried to translate it to Ken but it's impossible, but it's worth posting.

We had finally found our way and reached the top of the village on the north side

The primary school

What used to be the secondary school but is now the local library. When I was downloading the photos from my phone, I somehow missed some so I have no record of the library. We went inside and it's wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Comfortable, welcoming, lots of books, the children's area is fantastic. They have a section of rare books, first editions and books that only a single copy exists. We spoke to the librarian who was very welcoming and who spent quite a bit of time showing us around.

Another of these tunnels

with windows

and inhabitants

a church

We got to this square, the whole place taken up by this taverna

It's just above Arbaroriza, I had seen it during our last visits, but had not realised how big it is

A poem by Odysseas Elytis written on the blackboard by the door

a church on the edge of the square

and another one further on

you can see the windmills from here

We moved on

An opening, and in the distance, we could see a windmill with its sails this time

and then, there were so many churches one after another, in a very small area

This one hasn't been limewashed recently - it really stands out

We finally ended up in the Upper Square, sat here (got the last table) for a cooling drink, then went to a shop where I had seen some ceramic bowls I wanted, and then took the bus back to Katapola.