Syros and Tinos

The ship set sail during breakfast for a run of about two hours from Naxos to Syros. Even though it was a gorgeous day and the wind had died down, the swells were still deep and we had quite a roll. Fortunately Mary, now on her second sea-sick patch, rode through it without ill effects. She really has her sea legs! But the patch continues to make her feel “funny” and to affect her depth perception, so I hold onto her when we are out walking, especially on stone or uneven ground, of which there is a lot on these islands. They use white marble for everything – even for paving streets and sidewalks. It’s very beautiful, but it can be slippery and uneven.

The ferry docks at Syros only briefly

Immediately upon arrival at Syros we were given the option of getting on one of the big commercial car/truck ferries for an excursion to Mikonos, one of the scheduled islands we had to miss. The only catch was that the ferry would take over an hour to get there, and there would only be an hour before it left again.

Another option was that the same ferry stopped on the island of Tinos both ways, so instead of going to Mikonos, we could get off at Tinos after only a half hour, then get two hours on Tinos before the ferry returned. We opted to skip Mikonos for a little more time on Tinos.

Promenade along the shore on Tinos.

The ferries are huge ships, and are the life-line of these islands. They dock, unload, and load very quickly in a well-choreographed procedure. When the gate opens for loading, it is best not to tarry, as the ship doesn’t wait long. As people board to one side, motorcycles, cars, buses, ambulances, etc. come roaring past. Tractor-trailer rigs go on last, but the tractors come off. Only the trailers are left. Everything takes place in minutes.

We were amazed at how much smoother the ride was on the ferry – but about eight of our ship would easily fit aboard the ferry. The ferries are much faster, too. But they belch a lot of fumes -- it’s hard to guess what huge amounts of diesel fuel they must burn.

The carpet on the right side of the street goes
all the way to the church at the top of the hill.

Tinos is known for an Orthodox church housing an icon of the Virgin Mary that has been linked to many healing miracles. Pilgrims come here from all over the world – the tour director described it as the “Lourdes of Orthodoxy.” There is a strip of carpet extending from the port all the way up the hill to the church – probably a kilometer or more – and then up the steps into the church. Pilgrims come on their knees all the way (we saw a few).

A pilgrim moves toward the church on her knees.

The streets are lined with shops selling icons, candles, medallions, and other “Jesus junk.” One big seller was empty bottles that could be used for collecting and saving the holy water distributed at the baptistry of the church (many in our group got a bottle, we declined).

Orthodox church of the Virgin Mary on Tinos

Upon return to Syros, we climbed to the big Orthodox church high on the hill above the city, and found that there was a group of women scrubbing the floors, so we couldn’t really go in. They were laughing and saying something in Greek that appeared to be offering to let us come in and mop with them if we wanted to get inside. We smiled and laughed, but did not mop.

Scrubbing the church on Syros

The trip down was a bit more direct, as it was easier to navigate the streets from the top down than from the bottom up. Along the way we saw the government buildings for the administration of all the Cyclydise Islands, which is located here, along with the local government buildings. It was a good hike, and we felt we needed it as we’ve been doing a lot of standing and moseying, and a whole lot of eating, but not much real exercising.

Mountaintop view on Syros

I went to the internet café to catch up on email while Mary returned to the ship, which was docked right across the street. Small ships dock in close, if one can stand the rough seas in them. Tonight was the farewell dinner aboard the ship, and it was an excellent, five course affair.