Karpathos
Arwenofbosham
Rob and Jacky Black
Thu 17 May 2012 11:49
14 - 15th May
Pighadia
We managed a few hours of sailing en route to the main port of Karpathos -
but later in the afternoon the wind died and the 'donk' went back on!
We enjoyed our stay here alongside the quay and decided to hire a car to
explore the island. It was quite an adventure driving all the way to the
far north to visit the hill town of Olymbos (hidden away in the mountains
to protect it from the pirates of long ago). It consisted of a warren of
narrow alleyways and steps and many of the women folk wear traditional
Greek costume as a matter of course. Part of the road was un- surfaced and
the route was very like driving in the alps hair-pin bends and steep
cliffs! We stopped for a late lunch at a super taverna recommended by the
car-hire chap - called Under the Trees on the south west coast. Had a
delicious lunch and the price was cheap! We met the uncle of the owner a
sprightly 92 year old who spoke English with a Chicago accent he certainly
had some tales to tell and sat with us for a good half-hour before he
drove (yes!!) himself back home up the mountain road! His nephew despairs
especially when the old chap still drives the tractor!
There were some lovely beaches on this island and we stopped at one on the
SE coast called Ammopi where Jacky swam in crystal clear turquoise water
and Rob sat under the shade of a handy taverna's terrace! idyllic!We can
certainly recommend this island - very un- touristy with some spectacular
scenery. With a southerly wind forecast for Thursday we decided to make
the most of it and set the alarm for 0530 to get off to Kassos our next
island on the journey to Crete.