Amorogos... to this day, I still sigh a sigh of sheer, heavenly, relaxed happiness when I think of Amorogos. It's one of those little places that gets under your skin. It's kind of amazing. Kind of unique. Kind of cool. Really, it's really all of those things.
A large-ish bay, complete with berths for sailboats awaits those who wander to this little island. Whatever you do, while securing your GAdventures Sailing vessel, don't jump into the water and go for a swim or you'll get into BIG, finger-wagging trouble from the local authorities. And by BIG, finger-wagging trouble, I mean that the local authorities hadn't seen excitement of that caliber in YEARS and made a big to-do of it when the skipper of our boat (a bit of a sea-monkey) made merry and hopped into the bay for a swim. The excitement was such that within the hour all of the shop-keepers and restaraunteurs up and down the promenade would spot our skipper, then point to brave Ekavi, our vessel, and then shake their tanned, weathered heads and whisper things in Greek that sounded oh-so-very ominous!
The remedy to such head bobbing and finger-wagging kerfufle? Flash them a genuine smile, and you'll win them over easily enough.
Having begun our time so famously on Amorogos, I just knew, deep in my gut, that this island would be something *special*, something extra fantastic, something quintessentially Greek. So, leaving my boat-mates behind, I determined to set out and explore on my own. I rented my first-ever scooter and began to wind my way around the island's tortuous, breezy roadways, falling in love with the towns I passed and not really having a clue where I was going.
The first sign that caught my eye was this one:
And my jaw dropped and my sixth-grade-studies-about-ancient-Minoa-and-Mycenae lessons came to mind and I did a happy dance on the seat of my scooter and promptly fell off. Just kidding. (Wouldn't that have been crazy? I mean, it was hard enough driving the darned thing with my busted [dislocated only two days prior] thumb.)
And I thought to myself: self, you became a history nerd in the sixth grade, only you didn't realize it until now.
So I drove my scooter up and down hilly climes, around wind-whipped outcroppings and onto a treacherous dirt path that actually did try to buck me from my scooter. (But I stayed on!) And I decided that quad bikes are definitely more my style than scooters. Que Sera. And I arrived. Here:
Those mounds of rocks and rubble (pictured) are all that remain of a civilization that existed and thrived on this island thousands of years ago. How exciting is that??? Well, really, the ruins were a bit anticlimactic in person, as was the literature explaining the place:
But for this American gal, this much history all at my fingertips was positively thrilling. And I will always, always remember that I visited a place I studied in the sixth grade. And that feels like some kind of large accomplishment to me.
The low-down on Amorogos:
-You can reach Amorogos by boat: Sailboat, Ferry or luxury yacht cruise.
-The food is delicious. Everywhere on this island. Gyros. Greek Salads, Bakery Pastries. Yummy. Eat up.
Don't Miss:
-The Monastery
-The shipwreck
-Le Gran Blue Cafe
-Ancient Minoa and Mycenae
A large-ish bay, complete with berths for sailboats awaits those who wander to this little island. Whatever you do, while securing your GAdventures Sailing vessel, don't jump into the water and go for a swim or you'll get into BIG, finger-wagging trouble from the local authorities. And by BIG, finger-wagging trouble, I mean that the local authorities hadn't seen excitement of that caliber in YEARS and made a big to-do of it when the skipper of our boat (a bit of a sea-monkey) made merry and hopped into the bay for a swim. The excitement was such that within the hour all of the shop-keepers and restaraunteurs up and down the promenade would spot our skipper, then point to brave Ekavi, our vessel, and then shake their tanned, weathered heads and whisper things in Greek that sounded oh-so-very ominous!
The remedy to such head bobbing and finger-wagging kerfufle? Flash them a genuine smile, and you'll win them over easily enough.
Having begun our time so famously on Amorogos, I just knew, deep in my gut, that this island would be something *special*, something extra fantastic, something quintessentially Greek. So, leaving my boat-mates behind, I determined to set out and explore on my own. I rented my first-ever scooter and began to wind my way around the island's tortuous, breezy roadways, falling in love with the towns I passed and not really having a clue where I was going.
The first sign that caught my eye was this one:
And my jaw dropped and my sixth-grade-studies-about-ancient-Minoa-and-Mycenae lessons came to mind and I did a happy dance on the seat of my scooter and promptly fell off. Just kidding. (Wouldn't that have been crazy? I mean, it was hard enough driving the darned thing with my busted [dislocated only two days prior] thumb.)
And I thought to myself: self, you became a history nerd in the sixth grade, only you didn't realize it until now.
So I drove my scooter up and down hilly climes, around wind-whipped outcroppings and onto a treacherous dirt path that actually did try to buck me from my scooter. (But I stayed on!) And I decided that quad bikes are definitely more my style than scooters. Que Sera. And I arrived. Here:
I was the only person there. The only vehicle around for miles was mine.
Time, it seemed, had tried it's best to forget this place.
Those mounds of rocks and rubble (pictured) are all that remain of a civilization that existed and thrived on this island thousands of years ago. How exciting is that??? Well, really, the ruins were a bit anticlimactic in person, as was the literature explaining the place:
The low-down on Amorogos:
-You can reach Amorogos by boat: Sailboat, Ferry or luxury yacht cruise.
-The food is delicious. Everywhere on this island. Gyros. Greek Salads, Bakery Pastries. Yummy. Eat up.
Don't Miss:
-The Monastery
-The shipwreck
-Le Gran Blue Cafe
-Ancient Minoa and Mycenae
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