Pyrgos Kallistis

This morning I hopped on a bus to Pyrgos Kallistis, about 7km out of Fira. It is a little village built on top of a hill, with an almost fairy tale labyrinth of winding passages, churches and lots of stairs. It has the ruins of a Venetian Castle crumbling away at the top.

Once you get to the top, the views are breathtaking. You can see the whole island from various points around the castle remains and the church.

The architecture of the town was really interesting. All the outside walls were fortified - thick and high - so that the town was protected. While it might have been invasion they were thinking of at the time, I can attest to the design's usefulness in protecting the modesty of skirt wearing women. When I found myself out on the flats at the top I was almost blown away by the wind, and I'm sure one or two lucky fellas got to see my knickers!

As I mentioned above, the town is speckled with churches (as is the island) dedicated to various saints. They also have a museum of Byzantine Art, which was more beautiful than some of the pieces I've seen in the Uffizi or Louvre. Perhaps it was just because I was able to get up close to them and see their beauty, or because they were in a church context instead of a museum, but they were really lovely.

The Orthodox Father sat at a cafe drinking coffee with some locals. I wondered how he would be able to pick which church he'd hold the service in each day. I'm sure there is a set formula, but if I was him I'd mix it up to keep people on their toes.

I also made a friend on the way up.

After the hike up the hill in the sun and wandering around in the heat I stopped off and had a frappe from a little taverna. I don't see the fuss with these things. It is just Nescafé with frothy milk and ice. It was nice to sit and watch the world go by though. I could get very very used to that.

Before heading back to Fira on the bus I bought a little bag of tomatoes and a half bottle of wine from a local producer (3,50€ for both). I'm having them for lunch now with some feta, taramasalata and bread. Yummy.

All I need now is a short nap and then I'll head up to Oia for a sunset from a different perspective.