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Greek islands
Greek islands
Good prospects
Looking for a new and attractive destination to extend the summer? Or would you like to start the season earlier? An island trip through the Greek Aegean allows both, as a visit to Samos and Chios proves.
Josef Seitz
12/06/2005
The view of mountains, curves and the sea attracted me to Samos. And now? Instead of pounding across a pass road somewhere or hanging out in a quaint harbor tavern, I am stuck with the loaded Africa Twin on a path interspersed with coarse stones between vineyards and olive groves. Using hiking map navigation from Samos town across the hills in the east of the island to Mitilinii might not have been such a good idea after all. Slowly the suspicion is hardened that this card would be better suited as a knitting pattern. In any case, the Honda can’t go any further here. So turn what turns out to be an extremely sweaty action. And retreat. I finally get to Mitilinii via a well-developed route. Past Mavratzei and Mesogio, I stroll through rather barren land towards my next destination – the highest point on the island that can be approached. The route on the 1153 meter high Profitis Ilias is developing into a bumpy slope again. The last stretch to the summit, in particular, has been partially washed out and mixed with loose gravel. This time I’m not giving up, I’m giving up a lot. And get a fat reward for all your efforts: The view from the flat head of the mountain is simply unearthly, extends far over the blue shimmering Aegean Sea, and in the east the mountains on the Turkish mainland appear close enough to touch. Impressive.
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The descent in a northerly direction is again difficult in terms of orientation. At most of the countless junctions I can only rely on my feelings. What the heck, the main thing is that the general direction is right. I’ll land somewhere. When I stop again and take a look at the map, an old Greek appears out of nowhere. His name is Iliad, and he explains with hands, feet and a few bits of German that he lives nearby. Visitors are rare up here, so he would love to invite me over for a glass of ouzo.
His simple residence overlooks half the coast of Samos, and as dawn falls the lights of the Turkish coast twinkle like stars in the night sky. Because it wasn’t just an ouzo, he offers me the bench on his terrace, where I spend the most pleasant night of the whole tour in my sleeping bag. The fresh, cool mountain air ensures a deep sleep. The next morning, instead of ouzo, Ilias served me a cup of coffee, strong enough to wake up the dead, and a piece of hearty, spicy goat cheese. And tells that he was born up here, the first of a total of eight children. The house only consists of a single room. The bed in one corner, the fireplace in the other and a tiny cupboard opposite. A donkey served as a means of transport and he would talk to his dog. A frugal life that the old man seems to like very much.
Only from Stavrinides do the tires start rolling over asphalt again – along a fantastic road along the coast. Shortly after Karlovasi, the route disappears again into the mountains and turns into a dusty path in front of Pandeleimonas, yes, that’s right. After all, it’s going through a shady forest. A boon to the barren east of the island, which was still suffering from the consequences of a violent forest fire five years ago. Only after a kind of pass crossing does the landscape open up, as if a theater curtain had been pushed aside. The Gulf of Kambos, the valley around Marathokambos and the Mont Ambelos lie below me. A picture like from the glossy brochure of the tourist office. From this perspective, Marathokambos itself looks like a sea of red-tiled roofs that are huddled together to protect themselves from the scorching sun.
Behind the city, the route continues along the coast. The road crosses the island’s biological oil well, a wide valley in which there are thousands of gnarled olive trees. From here you can already see the massive granite walls of the Kerketeas, the highest mountain range on the island, which towers at least 1433 meters. A grandiose finale, especially since the route was carved into the rock high above the water and has a characteristic that Greek roads all too often lack: grippy asphalt. I forget landscape and decency and let the Honda fly rampantly through the curves. Unfortunately, the fun in Drakei ends far too quickly. The host of the tavern on the small village square sums it up: I have not only come to the end of the street, but also to the end of the world. Well, it’s an end that can be endured for more than one night. I like to stay. The ferry that is supposed to take me to the island of Chios further north is not allowed to leave at the moment anyway because of the rough sea. A day and a half later, at least the stormy wind subsides. The passage across the Aegean is tough and I’m more than happy when the port of Chios appears in the spray. The queasy feeling in my stomach only subsides when I dash up the serpentines that lead from the island’s capital Chios up to the Nea Moni monastery, one of the most important complexes of the Orthodox Church. However, upon arrival I am confronted with a banal and extremely mundane problem: lunchtime. The facility will only be open to visitors again in three hours. Alright Until then, you can easily take another detour. Directly below the monastery, a hidden slope that disappears between gray boulders and lush green pine trees piqued my curiosity. A few fine sandy hairpin bends, a long climb, then Nea Moni is far below me. I follow the path further south, passing some seemingly long-abandoned villages in the sometimes barren mountain landscape. Even the medieval Pirgi looks at first glance as if nobody lives there anymore. It turns out to be the most beautiful place on the island. Many houses are completely decorated with graphically painted tiles. In the narrow center, a square opens up on which typical Greek village life takes place: old women sit in front of the front doors and gossip, while the men have taken over the rustic kafenions and restaurants. In one of them, the landlord shows me what has made the villages of this area known and relatively prosperous: a lump of mastic (resin) that is obtained from evergreen bushes and has been an export hit on the island of Chios since ancient times – frankincense. Even the ancient Egyptians burned mastic as a fragrance dispenser. Today this resin is used, among other things, in toothpaste, in the production of space-resistant paint stabilizers and in liqueurs, jams and chewing gum.
To the north of Mesta I come to the coastal road, which presents new views of lonely bays after every bend. The thought of turning around and letting your legs dangle in the water is extremely tempting. But I decide to aim for the Nea Moni monastery again. In a lively mixture of wide curves and tight hairpin bends, it goes quickly and easily back up into the mountains to the monastery. Well worth a visit. Instead of painted frescoes, the interior of the sanctuary is decorated with pictures made of millions of, sometimes even gilded, mosaic stones. When I want to leave the monastery, out of curiosity I take a look into an inconspicuous building next to the exit. And winced, startled. Human skulls are neatly lined up in a showcase, and various bones lie in the compartment below. A plaque explains this macabre exhibition: The remains come from monks who were murdered by the Ottomans during a massacre in 1822. Likewise, almost all residents of nearby Anavatos were killed at that time. The abandoned village has been a memorial ever since. Via Avgonima I get back to the coast and head for Volissos, which is already in the north of Chios. A dream road begins behind the village. The grippy asphalt adapts itself in endless curves to the sweeping landscape. I found what I was looking for. Mountains, sea and curves.
Info – island of Chios and Samos
“Island jumping” is the motto: Countless car ferries operate in the Greek Aegean. Chios and the extremely charming Samos are just two of many attractive destinations.
getting there
If you want to explore the islands of the Greek Aegean with your own motorcycle, you will usually opt for a ferry route from Venice (or Ancona) to Patras. From there it is 220 kilometers to the Athens port of Piraeus, from which all Greek Aegean islands can be reached. The 30-hour passage from Venice to Patras costs 55 euros per person with “Minoan Lines” (phone 04532/205516; www.minoan.gr) in the cheapest option (low season / deck passage). You have to pay 36 euros for the motorcycle. Current ferry information can be found on the Internet at www.greekferries.gr. The passage from Piraeus to Samos takes about ten to twelve hours, depending on the stopover, from 25 euros per person and around 35 euros for the vehicle. It takes around three hours to get from Samos to Chios several times a week. The ticket for this costs around twelve euros per person, while a motorcycle costs around 25 euros. Information about the connections within Greece can be found on the Internet at: www.gtp.gr/RoutesForm.asp.
Travel time
With the exception of Crete, the Greek islands are only partially suitable as winter escape destinations. The most pleasant period for motorcyclists to explore Samos or Chios: spring and autumn. Anyone who is out and about in July or August will work up a sweat under their helmet.
Stay
Samos has a wide range of accommodation options, especially in the vicinity of the well-known seaside resorts. There is almost always something free there. Only in the first two weeks of August is it really busy when many Greeks spend their holidays here. Chios does not belong in the league of the classic Aegean holiday islands, but is for most of them a transit station on the way to or from Turkey. Accordingly, the supply of accommodation is significantly lower. Most of the pensions and hotels are in Karfas, south of the city of Chios. In general, a simple double room on both islands costs around 25 euros.
Route tips
On Samos, the best routes can be found in the mountain ranges around Mount Ambelos and around Mount Kerketeas. With an Enduro you have a clear advantage here: Many roads would have had to be re-asphalted long ago – or continue as slopes, the condition of which is heavily dependent on the weather. On the neighboring island of Chios further north, the route from Nea Moni Monastery to Aghios Georgios Sikousis offers panoramic views as far as Turkey.
literature
An excellent island guide comes from Michael Muller Verlag: “Greek Islands” provides a comprehensive overview of all islands on 808 pages. Price: 22.90 euros. If you only aim at Samos, you should grab the work of the same name from the same publisher for 15.90 euros. The best maps come from Road Edition: “Samos” on a scale of 1: 50000 and “Chios” on a scale of 1: 60000. Both sheets are available in good bookshops and cost EUR 6.60 each.
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