We leave Skyros with a little melancholy - a place of longing where everything was just right. In completely calm seas and glorious weather, we continue northwards, where the next larger islands of the northern Sporades await us.
Alonnisos somewhat disappointing
Our first destination is Alonnisos, which welcomes us with the bustling little harbour of Patitiri. Even our first impression of the harbour is different to Skyros: ferries, tourist boats, charter boats and people getting off on a self-built catamaran make for more hustle and bustle, more noise and more swell. Luckily we arrive early enough, because the harbour is soon overcrowded. Boats mooring in the basin of the large ferry are shooed away just as quickly as others blocking the moorings of the small excursion boats.
The atmosphere around the harbour basin is also not very inviting - everything looks much more touristy and a little more loveless. The harbour master does come at some point - but only to collect the mooring fee."
Before we continue our journey the next day, we visit the former main town in the mountains. After a severe earthquake in 1965, the town was initially abandoned - only later did the inhabitants return and rebuild most of the houses. Today, the high old town is a major tourist attraction with many tavernas and shops. Donkeys take over the function of transport in the steep and narrow alleyways where no vehicle can go. Our taxi driver seems to be from the autistic category. He nods wordlessly and impassively in response to our enquiry and remains stubbornly silent during the journey. Only when we want to know the price at the end does he open his mouth. However, the view is fantastic and well worth the trip.
More luck on Skopelos
The island of Skopelos is just under an hour's drive away. Just entering the spacious harbour bay makes our hearts beat faster. The village of the same name, with its whitewashed houses and chapels, nestles against a steeply rising mountain ridge. The pretty Church of the Virgin Mary - also known as the Panagitsa Tower - towers above the sea and pier on a rocky spur. The entire waterfront is lined with one restaurant after another, only rarely interrupted by a shop, café or car hire office. You can take a wonderful stroll along the shore - in the evening the small street is closed off so that the many people have this attractive area all to themselves. Skopelos has everything we missed on Alonnisos.
We quickly decide to stay another day and take a hire car to explore the island. We travelled clockwise around Skopelos, first reaching the west coast. The island is incredibly green and heavily forested. One pretty bay follows the next - everywhere you look you can swim, sunbathe, sail or anchor. We take a short break in the second largest harbour, Loutraki, and once again enjoy a refreshing homemade lemonade. When we browse the internet, the producer turns out to be the company "bfresh" - apparently an extremely successful Greek start-up that has already won several awards.
Then we take a winding route to the chapel of St Ioannis, which was built on a steep rock on the east coast. The chapel was made famous by the Hollywood comedy "Mamma Mia", which - although only marginally known to us - is apparently one of the most commercially successful musical films of all time."
With international stars such as Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan and Colin Forth, this popular hit was filmed on Skopelos, Skiathos and the neighbouring Pilio mountain range. The spectacular chapel of St Ioannis became a place of pilgrimage for thousands and thousands of tourists - including us in this case. Those who are not afraid of the strenuous climb will be rewarded with a rather average chapel, but with a first-class view.
The northernmost destination on this day is the Gourouni lighthouse. Built in 1884, it was powered by oil for 100 years and only switched to electricity in 1984. It is located in a rather inaccessible area and can only be reached via a narrow road, which turns into a gravel track with holes, stones and washouts for the last three kilometres. The car used should therefore not be too low - we demand a lot from our hire car.
As soon as we arrive at the lighthouse, the previously empty sea comes alive and a large ferry, a tourist ship and a sailing boat pass by at the same time and almost in formation - photo luck! We quickly pick two wild figs and then make our way back."
After a short flying visit to the monastery of St Riginou, we look forward to a delicious dinner in one of the many restaurants. In the large square below us, Greek locals prepare a traditional drink or dish, which is later distributed free of charge. But we decide against it and prefer to stroll back to the ship, where we round off the evening with another ice-cold ouzo. Kalinichta!
Continue to Skiathos
The next morning, we circumnavigate Skopelos again by boat on our way to Skiathos - this time in the opposite direction. We pass the chapel and lighthouse again in marvellous conditions before setting course for Skiathos. The island has a busy airport - planes are constantly landing or taking off. Anchoring is forbidden in the water under the flight path - and we can't find a place in the impersonal harbour either. So we look for a quiet anchorage nearby and take the dinghy to the main town in the afternoon.
The charter boats are now moored there in rows of three on the short pier, while small tanker lorries roll out their hoses and fill the boat tanks between the guests coming and going."
The tour of Skiathos confirms our first impressions: lots of people, a lot of noise, very touristy, a high proportion of tourists (especially English) and little charm. On the other hand, the film "Mamma Mia", which is obviously part of the local colour here and has become cult, is advertised everywhere: the film is not only showing in the local cinema, but also in a "public viewing" in a large square. Somehow, none of this is for us - so we take the dinghy back to the ship and cook on board. After the tourists had been tossed around on rubber tubes by a motorboat in our anchorage in the afternoon, the peace of the night now reigns here. No swell, no noise, no disco music from the beach - what a wonderfully reverent atmosphere ...
