Have I told you why buildings on the Greek Islands are traditionally white with blue trim? Thought not. In days of yore there were no antiseptics, and the best thing on hand to kill bugs (not that they knew about germs and bacteria then anyway) was lime. And there came upon the land a pestilence now known as cholera, and the decree went out that all houses needed to be lime washed to avoid the cholera spreading And lo, this decree was enforced with vigour, so all buildings ended up white, whether the occupants were happy about it or not. When it turned out to be an effective treatment, all buildings remained white, even though, of course, they are now all painted instead of limed.
The blue? Well, tradition states that it represents the colour of the sea, which in turn reflects the colour of the sky, but in fact nobody knows why every house does the same thing, and everybody chooses the same blue. Be a real pain if Bunnings every runs out of that colour. Actually, it seems that churches buck the system and paint their building a dull reddish colour, and nobody really knows why either.
All of that useless information is designed to mask the fact that there isn’t much of great excitement to tell you today. We were up and on the dock to watch the sunrise, which was lovely in such a small, isolated port. We left around 9:30 with no wind and dead flat seas, and headed over to a tiny island about an hour away called Kato Koufonissi where we dived of the boat and swam the morning away. Kato Koufonissi is one of the last uninhabited, free camping islands, so there were little tents and couples dotted all along the shore. Saw a farmer on a donkey mustering his goat herd, and heard the tinkling of their bells from the boat.
Another hour away was an even smaller island called Schinoussa where we docked for the night. No power, water or wifi at this one, and no docking fees either which keeps the skipper happy. The town is some distance up the hill and towards the centre of the island, so we headed up there for lunch just as the afternoon curfew kicked in. And it was Sunday. However, we did find a taverna that bucked the trend and stayed open. Filled in the afternoon nicely. Bit of a walk. Bit of a swim. Bit of a read. Mandy cooked tea for the four of us.
Sunrise
Leaving Pano Koufonissi
Sailing
Dhetis Beach – Kata Koufonissis
Dhetis Beach – Kata Koufonissi
Schinoussa
Schinoussa
Schinoussa