Saturday 29 September 2018

Ceramics in Serifos




Kerameio is a pottery studio and shop in Kato Hora in Serifos. A large range of ceramic pieces was on display when I visited, some made in the studio and some from ceramicists from all over Greece. It was very difficult to work out the names of the makers, so I gave up in the end.


























































A second shop, in Livadi, owned by the same people




sells clothes, jewellery, and some ceramics too





















Finally, a re-working of Cycladic art,  a sculpture made out of pumice stone, by Dimitris Psomodotis,
which now hangs on a wall of our minimalist terrace.



Friday 28 September 2018

The castle in the Hora in Serifos


This was our second visit to the Venetian castle in Hora in Serifos and it was, again, highly enjoyable. The castle is situated right at the top of the hill and was built in 1434. Right at the top is the church of Agios Constantinos, a bit higher than the church of Agios Giannis Theologos, built inside the rock and according to tradition, on the ruins of the ancient temple of Athene.




It's uphill all the way in the Hora, but then you get to a set of steps that twist three times before you get to the summit.




Hard work.




Looking back you get a good view of the Hora




Looking ahead, the coast and the Aegean





Once you reach a plateau, another set of steps that lead to the church of Agios Constantinos.




Yet another church on the plateau - whitewashed and very Greek





Then, the descent starts, on the other side of the hill. It was midday, the sun was strong, and it was very hot, but I managed to find a shady spot here and sat for a while. Two terraces, obviously belonging to the house on the other side of the lane: one with three pots positioned just so, and the other with two comfortable chairs. I could imagine the people who own this, sitting here, with the fantastically panoramic view below.



















And then we got terribly lost. I had this idea that if we walked around the hill and down we would eventually get to the other side of the Hora, but we could not find a way through







it got too twisty and risky




with no clearly designated path










so we retraced our steps




past these five folding chairs which had been left in the middle of nowhere, and walked down to the Hora and the square for a much-needed cooling drink.






Thursday 27 September 2018

The Hora in Serifos


The Hora in Serifos is considered to be a model of a medieval castled settlement, built amphitheatrically on the hill above the bay of Livadi. The aim was to protect it from pirate invasions. 




Most of the houses are two storey, with narrow frontages




connected by narrow lanes





as Ken is demonstrating here.





At night the whole place changes and comes to life, as lots of people come to wander the streets and sit in the square




All the houses are white-washed




and, because the town is built on a hill-side, steps abound, which makes exploring hard work.




















Most doors and shutters are painted blue, blue and white being the colours of Greece




Views of the surrounding countryside abound




sometimes viewed from narrow slits





And up one keeps going







Detail on a whitewashed wall




As we neared the castle at the top of the Hora, the views got more spectacular











Lots of chimneys




We reached the steps that would take us to the castle, but this is the subject of another post.





After our visit to the castle, we retraced our steps heading for the main square - a rest and a cold drink were in order




More chimneys, each one different




a nice piece of driftwood outside this door




and we reached the square, empty in the middle of the day, as there is no shade.




Each kafeneion or bar has its own colour for the chairs





At night, it's a different matter - the place comes to life






There was a wedding on when we visited at night, so the place was particularly packed as one of the bars was hosting the reception




The neo-classical town hall dominates the square








as does the church.




During our day visit, we stopped here for a while, then started the descent, wanting to explore the area around the windmills and then catch our bus









Gaidaros (donkey) is one of the popular bars




Three windmills survive, all three have been renovated and turned into homes




looking back





We walked up the hill wanting to find out what this building is - just a door, no windows. But no clues...




Nice views of the Hora from here,




and of the windmills.