Days 8 – 10 (September 16-18, 2015): Folegandros

The Quick Facts

* Stayed at the Aria Hotel in the town of Chora

* Spent a lot of time in the town squares, which are all connected by a single street that does not allow cars

* Spent a day at a remote beach

The Good

* More stunning views

* The quite, charming village of Chora

* Remote and relaxing beaches

The Bad

* Nothing, we can’t wait to go back!

They say that if Santorini didn’t exist, Folegandros would be Greece’s “Santorini”.  We are inclined to agree.  And after four days in Santorini, with all of its tourists, traffic, and crowds, arriving at Folegandros was the perfect antidote: Folegandros is a small island with only one road, and eventually that road does not permit cars.  But what is small and sleepy does not disappoint in terms of breathtaking views and landscapes:

We checked into our hotel, just off one of the main squares in Chora, and were pleased that our gamble to go with a newer hotel without many reviews resulted in a nicely appointed room with an awesome view:

We then set about to walking to the one cultural landmark on the island: the Dormition of the Mother of God, which sits atop the highest hill on the island.  Unfortunately, the inside is not as nice as the outside, so we’ll just leave you with the great scenery of the exterior of the church:

After our walk we enjoyed a nice sunset from our hotel room patio, followed by a nice night out in the village.

Our first (and only) full day in Folegandros was spent taking a bus and then a ferry to one of the many remote beaches on the island.  Much like in Crete, even Andy the “Beach Grinch” couldn’t help but enjoy himself.

Before leaving on our final day, we took one last walk around the various squares that make up Chora.

Finally, one of the more amusing interactions we had during our stay was with a waiter/owner (Yannis) of one of the restaurants in Chora.  We stopped there on our first day, just after arriving, and ended up eating there a few more times.  For whatever reason, during our first couple meals there, Yannis got the impression that Carrie was a much bigger eater than me, and made numerous facial expressions and voice intonations to communicate his amusement.  So it was with great pleasure that we went to Yannis for our final meal on the island, before boarding the ferry for the 4+ hour trip to Athens.  It was 11AM, and I was more in the mood for breakfast so I ordered greek yogurt, fruit, some bread, and a cappuccino.  Carrie had been planning (since the night before) to order one of their special Greek chicken dishes, which she did….along with a beer.  I’m not sure who got more amusement out of this: Yannis or us, but it was a great way to end our stay on this lovely little island.

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