Ostria Studios Agia Paraskevi Skiathos

... of staying in Skiathos town was a wide choice of taverns to spend an evening in. When I say a whole evening, I mean it, because it takes quite a time to eat as much as the Greeks do. I certainly mean sharing one plate for two. The food is so good that you simply cannot refuse it. Having this great variety of places to eat in you simply can’t go wrong, as the Greeks seem to be competing in the art of cooking.

Still, we certainly had our favourites.

The day-cruise was on the list of musts. It was worth doing just to see the turquoise waters of Lalaria and its white pebbles and the rock arch, which is one of the symbols of Skiathos.

A very impressive sight is Castro, the old town of Skiathos. But to my mind it is not reasonable to go there by boat. It is situated on top ...

Skiathos. Unforgettable first sailing experience with Peter aboard “Voula of London”

“Have you ever been on a sailing boat?” – asked Lida when we were having lunch in very nice tavern with lovely view on the harbour.
That was the beginning of our adventure.
On Lida’s recommendation in the evening we met Peter, the captain of “Voula of London” in the New port of Skiathos.

The next day we headed to ...

... at the hotel.

To say we had a great time is to say nothing! It was not at all like a standard excursion, it was like meeting a friend who is showing you around the place which is loved and known well.

We saw so many things without which we cannot now imagine Skiathos and which we for sure would have never seen on our own.

The Monastery of Evangalistra (Annunciation of the Holy Virgin), which is very old but ...

... the harbor while it drizzled off and on. Ventured around town, tackled a small hill, ate dinner and bought dessert at a bakery. We ate our cheap dessert with free coffee on the terrace of the place we were staying and watched the sunset. Ended up sitting outside and talking for quite a while.

Day two: Hiked to the place where the scene from Mamma Mia in which Merryl Streep sings ...

Arrived and headed to the place we were staying. The owner is a German woman who married a Greek guy and lives on the island for six months out of the year. The younger of her two sons (21) grew up there, just finished school and will be moving to Vienna in August for college. He came upstairs at one point to bring us a towel... The place itself was pretty cool. Cheap, up on the hill outside the ...

We're having the most magical, relaxing time. This island is what my dreams of Greece were, it's incredibly beautiful, tranquil, peaceful, stunning, with crystal clear waters, pine trees, tons of crazy goats with bells, wild Greek cats, gorgeous little coves along the ocean with the turquoise green and blue waters you only see in postcards, rocky cliffs, fast talking but very friendly Greeks, magnificent views of the Aegean Sea, warm breezes and clean, fresh air! Oh and ...

... means stop... but amusing. Then Marmaris again and back to the ship. Lots of fun, great way to see the countryside. Back from lunch around 1.45pm, then much needed shower as very dusty. Another show tonight... Classical Music so should be fun. Last nights show was excellent, a juggler, 2 strong men doing a routine that used various gymnastic strength and balance moves, very impressive and then the dancers did a couple of numbers as did the violinist. Deb

... and try not to think about lurking poisonous snakes, I see it. A furry animal folded over itself - nay, wait - fur and hooves minus a body, in a canned tomato box. Silly Greeks, don't they know that they need to place goat carcus' in the appropriate receptacle. Just another friendly neighborhood goat roasting I guess... I will write more about goat cuisine when I do my food blog that is in the works... Last thing - Don't know if any of you have seen Mamma Mia, but it was ...

... to what Simon and I consider to be the best beach we have ever been to - Fakistra Beach. Si has way better photos than me and when he can download them I will put them on my blog. It took us less than an hour to get here from our camp. You can walk here but it is at least an hour walk so only the dedicated come here. We had such a wonderful day here. We have very fond memories. When we got back to ...