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.





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