Sifnos

We packed our bags (again), said goodbye to our  little hotel off the Plaka in Athens and took the train down to the busy port of Pireus. There we got the ferry to Sifnos.  In doing some reading about the Greek Islands we decided that Sifnos was far enough away to be slightly "off the beaten track" but near enough that it didn't take all day to get there.  We weren't disappointed. It had been grey and rainy during the trip but as we arrived the sun broke through a little and we were able to get off the boat in dry weather.  Our little apartment was located in Appollonia, the "capitol" of Sifnos.  The bus took us there dropping us off in the center of town. Luckily this was right in front of the one and only tourist/travel agent who knew all about us and directed us towards our apartment.  We were met at the apartment by the owner, Francesco. Although he spoke virtually no English, he managed to get us set up.  It's hard to describe the village or the apartment.  Hopefully pictures will help.  The town itself is built on a hill and there are very few actual streets. The houses are connected by little stairs and pathways. All are whitewashed and beautifully maintained.  There are little tavernas and shops throughout the central area, including jewelry, pottery and clothing shops.  There are literally hundreds of churchs.  Our guide book told us there are 365 throughout the island....one for every day of the year!  These are white with blue domes.  The first day on Sifnos was very rainy. Water literally poured down the pathways.  We wondered what would come next!  Luckily, although the next day began cloudy and overcast it gradually cleared and we walked to a medieval village several kilometers away called Kastro. Surrounded by a wall, perched on a hill with a spectacular view, it actually dates back to prehistoric times and was the original capitol of Sifnos. Although the castle is from the 14th century, the remains of houses from the 8th and 7th century BC have been excavated.  The next day was sunny and warm and so we took the bus to Faros.  From the beach we could see the 17th century monastery, Chrysopigi. On our final day we went to the longest beach in the Cyclades, Platy Yialos.  We were virtually alone on the beach and the surf was incredible.  Although it was actually too rough to really go swimming, it made for good wave jumping. We had lunch at a beach taverna with fresh fish (Elizabeth was able to pick out the fish before they were cooked and was a little disconcerted to have them arrive with their heads on still). We have really enjoyed the Greek food with lots of tomatoes, olives and cheese.  After our day on the beach we picked up our bags from the apartment, made our way to the port and caught the evening ferry back to Athens.  We returned to the same little hotel off the Plaka where we were greeted as returning friends.  This time, only an overnight stay and then off to the Peloponnese. 
Heather