Day 11 & 12 - Tilos

I think during most sailing holidays there is a place that surprises you, somewhere that you think will be ordinary but turns out to be very special. On this trip Tilos is just such a place.

The reason we're here is because it's on the way back to Kos. Of course it's a lovely island, small, just the main town, Livadi, and a Chora (village) called Megalo. Tilos is famous for a prehistoric dwarf elephant (google Tilos dwarf elephant and you'll find it). It isn't famous for beautiful architecture or picture box blue and white houses and the chora is unremarkable compared with some in the Cyclades.

The main harbour, as you can see from the picture below, is cute with a small village behind it and a beach which stretches out from the harbour for the best part of a mile. The beach is touristy, plenty of sun beds, apartments, a couple of very small hotels, and whilst it is touristy it isn't vulgar or tacky, it's very quiet and peaceful.

But it's the village that makes the place. Whilst it does have a tourist element it's full of locals, it feels very Greek. So, much to our surprise we're staying in beautiful Tilos for two days.

No parking news today, for a change, the harbour is tight so as with Chalki you have to take care to get enough chain out, almost T boning the yachts side-too on the opposite side of the harbour, making sure your anchor is on the sea bed before reversing back dropping plenty more chain on the way.

Back to the village, we started our day today at the bakery, enjoying pastries and pies with a take away coffee from the corner cafe, Bagia (pronounced 'Batia'). A perfect start to any day.

With the girls off to the beach and Bill lingering at the bakery I had a mooch around. I found Panayotis from who I bought some herbs, yes I know I paid well over the odds, but did buy something different (see the piccie), pronounced 'Throovia'. Our Greek friend Nancy (many of you know Nancy well from previous years blogs) tells us it's from the same family as Thyme and Oregano but different. Here's 'Throovia' and Panayotis.

After a mooch I ended up back at Bagia and wrote a blog whilst watching the comings and goings of Tilos. Bagia is the hub of Livadi and probably the whole of Tilos. There are other cafe's in the village square, with the odd tourist, and a cafe / ouzeria called Georgos, with a few hard core local men. But it's Bagia's where most of the locals go. For the hour and a half I was there the place was continually on the go, people coming and going, lingering, getting a take away, having a chat, the staff from the pharmacy next door enjoying a coffee (and a smoke!). Everyone knows everyone and it's Bagia's where they catch up on what's going on in each other's worlds. I just love it, I could sit there for hours, just watching. So here's Bagia and it's owner Stavros and the boss, his Grandaughter.

So that's Tilos, for me the surprise of the holiday so far and well worth the extra night we stayed. I suspect we will be back. Tomorrow on to Nissiros then back to base at Kos.

More soon,

Yamas!

P.S.

It was of course football last night and I had the pleasure to watch the game mainly with Greeks and a smattering of Brits and Germans (just the one with a German shirt). Two things amazed me, we won, and that it was the first time we've beaten the Germans in a knock out competition since the world cup in 1966!

P.P.S

The flip flop marks are coming on nicely.