I got up early, packed, and had a sandwich with the remaining ham, cheese, and bread. I had planned to pack the two oranges I hadn't eaten and take them with me, but when I picked them up I discovered they had rotted. That's the weird thing about Greece - fruit and veg rot within a couple of days, but the bread, ham, cheese, and milk will last for two months or longer. I don't even want to know what kind of super preservatives are keeping them fresh for that long.
I checked out at 10:00am. She hadn't seen / received my email asking to check out a day early, but said it was okay and only charged me for seven nights. (Background: I had previously booked the Blue Star Naxos ferry, which was leaving Naxos that day at 11:55pm - yes, midnight - and arriving in Amorgos at 2:00am the next day. I had booked an extra night at the hotel so I had somewhere to hang out during the day and early evening while I waited to catch the ferry. When I discovered I could get a midday ferry connection, I didn't need the extra night.)
I caught a taxi to the port because I didn't think my legs could handle the walk. I was expecting to have to wait 30 minutes for the taxi to arrive, but he must've been parked around the corner because he arrived in under five minues. Thiis meant I got to the port at 10:30am, a full 1.5 hours before my ferry departed.
The port has a covered waiting area, but it's open to the weather. A storm was blowing in and it was fucking cold. I mean, yeah, 17C and windy, but fucking cold for Greece. I tucked in behind a pillar to get out of the direct wind and waited. Three ferries came and went. By the time my little ferry arrived, I was shivering. Only 15 people boarded, so we were off like a shot. I found my seat then decided to get a hot coffee to warm up. By the time I got to the cafe the boat was heaving up and down and lurching sideways in the heavy seas. I got my coffee but had a helluva time getting back to my seat without spilling it.
I'm pretty good on the water but after an hour I was starting to feel a bit seasick. So, I was glad to hear / feel the engines power down as we approached Katapola harbour. I got off the ferry and my driver was waiting. He bundled me into the van and drove me to the hotel in Tholaria, in the hills above Aegiali.
I had forgotten how mountainous Amorgos is. The roads are barely big enough for two vehicles to pass, and there are wicked switchbacks as you climb over the mountains. Amorgos is a rocky island, with red rocks and sand from iron deposits. The only green is from hardy weather-beaten thorny shrubs and scrubby trees. There are usually goats everywhere - in the hills, on the road - but today there were only a few out and about. Most were probably hunkered down somewhere out of the wind. Still, the island is beautiful and I had a smile on my face the entire drive.
I checked in at the hotel and settled in. The hotel is situated at the entrance to the village of Tholaria, up in the hills. The views are amazing. However, the wind was crazy.
The room is amazingly clean and stylist. I think it was recently renovated because it has almost a Scandi vibe.
A really nice touch was the complimentary raki:
After settling in, I went to the hotel restaurant to catch a late lunch / early dinner. They explained that the restaurant wasn't fully open yet, because it was so early in the season - which seems to be the theme of this trip - but they had a few dishes prepared for guests. One of the first dishes she mentioned was goat stew. Ding ding ding! I knew from previous visits that Amorgos had fantastic goat dishes, so that's what I ordered.
After eating, I walked up into the village to try to find a market where I could buy beverages and snacks. I tried to go into a cafe which also served as a market but the half-door was locked. I was reaching inside to undo the lock - which made me feel a bit like a thief breaking in - when an old man came over to let me in. It was basically his living room and I had interruped him while was having a smoke and a drink and watching TV. I bought a couple of beers for later, but I felt weird and left without looking around much.
Back at the hotel I was still feeling chilled so I had a long, hot shower. I try not to waste water in Greece - or anywhere - but I really needed to warm up. It felt so good! After that I got into my jam jams and climbed into bed and checked out the TV offerings. There are five channels. Sadly, my Greek TV drama is not available on any of them.
I read a bit of "Mythos" by Stephen Fry to pass the evening. It's his modern, cheeky retelling of Greek myths / the origin stories of the Greek gods. It was amusing but a bit like reading Genesis in the bible - so and so begat so and so, and so and so begat so and so. There was an awful lot of sibling fucking, though. That made it more interesting.
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