Week 44: Karpathos, Greece

If you are looking for traditional villages filled with kind locals, windy mountainous roads, and pristine beaches with turquoise water, look no further. We found it all on Karpathos!

After arriving in Diafani port, we were picked up by Yurlos and driven up to the town of Olympos. Olympos is a small, quiet town built on the mountainside, with steep cliffs dropping down to the water below. There are no roads, only walking paths that weave between the buildings. Along the main path, there are a few souvenir shops, small hotels, and restaurants tucked in between the houses and churches. This town is simply filled with churches! We parked on the edge of town and walked up the hill to meet Kalliopi, the kind woman running the AirBnB we would be staying in this week. Although she didn’t speak English, we managed to communicate well enough with hand gestures and smiles. Our room was located above her traditional bakery, and she treated us to a delicious breakfast every day. Our breakfasts included cheese and spinach pies, apple pastries, ham and cheese sandwiches, baklava, and Olympos chai tea. 

From the moment we arrived, we felt welcome. Each local would greet us as we passed by, and many would engage in conversation, even if their English was limited. We enjoyed delicious meals and wonderful conversations at a number of restaurants in Olympos. We had dinner at Olympitiko twice, where we paired mousaka, aubergine salad, and souvlaki plates with hours of great conversation with Bill and his father. They always treated us to a fruit plate as well, which was a perfect way to finish off our meals. We also ate twice at Maria and Marina’s Taverna Olympos, where we enjoyed mixed plates that allowed us to try a little of everything. We especially loved their stuffed zucchini flowers and tzatziki. They treated us to dessert and fruit after our meals, and were very eager to help make our visit easy and enjoyable. Another night, we ate at Tula’s, who chatted away with us as we ate. We also ate at Milo’s tavern, which is attached to the only restored windmill and could be seen from our room. Here, we enjoyed fresh bread, pastiticio and a dish with artichoke, tomato, and onion. 

Although we quickly fell in love with Olympos, this small town is set apart from many other villages, and we were eager to see more of this island (and it’s beaches). We quickly realized that we would not be able to rent a vehicle from Olympos, as we had originally planned on doing. Nearly all of the car rental companies are located in Pigadia, which is about an hour and a half drive from Olympos. We also couldn’t rely on public transit of any sort, as there are no buses that run regular routes on the island. So, we set about figuring out how to get to Pigadia to rent a car! 

Before heading off to get our car, we spent a day exploring on foot. We hiked from Olympos to Avlona along a well-marked trail, passing farm fields, a small monastery, and a number of goats. When we arrived, we stopped in to have coffee with the owner of Taverna Avlona, the only restaurant in the town. The owners, Mike and Anna, are the parents of our friends Maria and Marina from Taverna Olympos! After coffee, we walked down to Vroukounda. A fairly steep trail took us down to the water’s edge, where the stone foundations of an old town remain. We also visited a church that was built inside a cave. Many communities started out on the water’s edge on this island, but most were moved inland and uphill to get away from pirates who were pillaging the towns. It was very quiet and secluded down here; we only saw one other group of four hikers, a couple donkeys, and a few more goats. After a good look around, we hiked back up the trail in the heat of the day. Back at Taverna Avlona, Anna made us a delicious lunch of vegetables and fresh makarounes (Karpathian pasta). She also gave us “spoon sweet” (literally a spoon of preserved fruit in sweet syrup) and a bag of local tea. After lunch, we hiked back to Olympos, wrapping up our 20km day of walking. 

The following day, we had a true “island time” experience. After a relaxed morning of looking through the shops in town, including an old olive mill, we were ready to get our rental car. We had been told that there was a bus going to Diafani, where we could catch a ferry to Pigadia. However, when we found the bus driver, he said he wasn’t going for the next few days. There were a few people who told us they might go to Pigadia but might not, and weren’t sure when they would know what they were doing. Since we had the car booked at this point, we decided to just walk the 7 km to Diafani to catch the ferry. In Diafani, we enjoyed a cold drink by the water as we waited for the ferry ticket office to open. We then found out there wasn’t a regular ferry running today, and decided on one ticket for the tourist boat instead. I boarded the boat at 4:30, while Will walked back to Olympos. While I was gone, he helped Yurlos hang a goat he had just killed. It's a real shame I missed that. The tourist boat took me very close to shore, so I could really see the island from the water. It’s quite a large island, as far as Greek islands go! When I arrived in Pigadia, I picked up the car and some groceries, and then drove back to Olympos. Whew. Our advice for those travelling to Karpathos: book your rental car in Pigadia, get off the ferry in Pigadia, and THEN set off to see the rest of the island!

The roads on Karpathos are very windy and have a few places that are only one car wide. There are some sharp turns, which prevented us from ever going faster than 50km/hr. Luckily, it’s not a busy island, and we saw very few other cars on the road. I think we saw the same number of goats on the road as cars! The roads wind through gorgeous natural landscape, with all of the towns set a little ways off the main road. There are only a few roads, and they are all well signed, so there is no chance of getting lost. 

On our first day of driving, we set out to see the west coast of the island. We stopped first in Mesochori, where we walked around the small town and admired the beautiful coastal views. We were pulled into Kafe Skopi for a great chat with its kind owner and a Dutch couple who have been to Karpathos nine times! We learned that many Dutch and Swedes travellers come here, and that 60% of tourists here are “repeaters”. Before leaving, we were given a rock souvenir and a fresh fig. We then drove on to the relaxed beach town of Lefkos, where we walked along the road connecting a number of beautiful beaches. The sandy beaches and rocky cliffs were so picturesque! For lunch, we enjoyed a picnic on the side of the road with a stunning view of the cliffs dropping down to the water. We then drove on to Finiki, stopping for another little beach walk, and then on to Arkanas. Here, we walked out to an old monastery and explored the site. We finished off the day with a drive past the airport, landing at Diakofti beach. We had this secluded beach to ourselves to swim and read and enjoy the sun. After driving back to Olympos and having dinner, we sat out on a bench near our place to watch a beautiful orange-red sunset. 

The following day, we set off down the east side of the island. We landed at Kyra Panagia, a cute little beach area with lounge chairs and umbrellas. With the sun shining and the water sparkling, we decided to set up for the day on this small pebble beach. We swam and snorkeled in amongst the rocks, finding large groups of small fish, some medium-sized fish, and some long, skinny ones with pointed noses that hung out on the sea floor. There was even a rock set up for people to jump from. When we weren’t swimming, we were reading or enjoying our beach picnic. There were other tourists here, but it wasn’t crowded. On the way home, we stopped at Apella beach to check it out for tomorrow. When we arrived back in Olympos, we were invited to a church festival, where we joined many locals on the stone patio outside the church. We were handed a full plate of food that was refilled anytime there was any bit of space. This was our first time having spanakopita in Greece- it hasn’t been on any menus so far! We talked with locals, and watched as the owners of the church piled everyone’s arms with food. We finished off the night with a walk through town and a coffee with Sofia, a woman who always greets us when we leave or return to town. 

The next day was spent at Apella beach, which has been voted one of the best beaches in Greece. This beach is made up of a mix of small stones and sand, and is tucked into a cove surrounded by large rocks that protect the beach area. The road leading down to the beach is fairly skinny, but paved. We found a great spot to set up under the trees, and divided our day between reading on the beach, swimming, and snorkeling. At times, the water was fairly wavy because of the wind. For lunch, we ventured up to the taverna overlooking the water, where we enjoyed souvlaki and briam.

What did we do with our last full day on Karpathos? We had another beach day, of course! This island is just loaded with great beaches, so we couldn’t resist trying one more. After breakfast, we headed straight down to Ammoopi beach, where we walked along a nice path connecting a number of little beaches carved out of the rocky cliffs. We settled on one where we had a perfect view of an arch carved out of the rock. We set up for another day with lounge chairs and an umbrella. The café close by provided delicious frappes to pair with our beach reading, and we enjoyed another picnic lunch staring out at the turquoise water. We swam and snorkeled. I loved swimming in amongst the rocks, exploring a hidden underwater world of caves and drop offs. I even spotted a few rainbow fish! When we arrived back in Olympos, we visited a man who has been working on opening a new shop while we have been here, and he showed us his unique art created using found materials, clay, and paint. After another lovely dinner, we took some time to stare up at the perfect, full moon. 

The weather in Olympos was pretty windy throughout the whole week, and we had a mix of sun and clouds. There was often a dark cloud hanging over the town and the mountaintops, but it never rained up there. Driving just a few minutes away from the town would take us straight into the sunshine and nearly every day was warm and sunny. We did have a little bit of rain one day in Kyra Panagia, but it only lasted a few minutes, and was pretty awesome to watch from under our beach umbrella. 

I know, I know, our life sounds really tough these days. The words “this is what paradise feels like”, “I can’t believe this place is real”, or simply, “we are so lucky” were expressed each and every day. In terms of an act of kindness for this week, I think it’s pretty clear that the entire week was just filled to the brim with kindness. And so, so many sweet treats. We are so thankful to have found such a special place to spend a week!