Andros

 

 

Andros, first stop on the Superferry. 33km to get to the Hora, which is on the other end of the island.

Unlike other islands on the Cyclades, Andros is more than just a rock jutting out of the sea

a rock it is, with monumental mountains where light and shadow form interesting patterns

but there are valleys, fulls of cypress, sycamore and pine trees

with villages and hamlets perched on the side of the hills

or in the valleys

clouds resting on the tops of the mountains

a green island, compared to the rest of the Cyclades

with its own unique architecture

and dry stone walls the likes of which I have never seen before,

one more look at one of these fantastic walls which are made using the local slate.

We stopped at Batsi on our way back, one of the main seaside resorts of the island

very pretty

quite a big resort

very quiet in September as it is the beginning of the end of season

a beautiful beach - I am told that this is packed in June, July and August

and as always happens with the midday sun, everything becomes a silhouette, except for the sea that turns silver

I love this house

another look at this gorgeous sea

a great house which desperately needs some loving renovation

and on the way back some great views, the photographs taken from the moving car

awesome the way the light shines silver on the water

I wanted to get out of the car, dive into the sea and swim to those islands

back to reality when we reached the port - the fires that had been raging for the last two days had reached the peak of these mountains.