Day 9, 10 & 11, Amorgos, the island that just keeps giving

Those that read the last post will have seen that Katapola, the main port of Amorgos, did not begin well for us. Things got worse as within a short order if time our well set anchor had dragged again. We don’t know if it had been dislodged by a cat (catamaran, not a pussy cat) which was messing around or it was just poor holding. Anyhow we pulled the anchor in and it held.

We ended up spending 3 days on Amorgos because of the weather but we probably would have stayed even if we could have moved on. Being storm bound is a fact of life in the cyclades, but making sure you’re in the right place is key, and Katapola is the right place.

So what did we do for 3 days and what makes Amorgos so special?

Whistle stop tour, Katapola is 3 villages around a bay. This is where we moored up

This is the prettiest of the 3 villages.

Since we were there for a storm bound extended period we decided to hire a car which cost us the princely sum of 40 euros for an upgraded car with extra insurance! We sitch specifically wanted to see the Chora and the Hozoviotissa monastery. The chora was really special as you’ll see from the pictures below.

Hozoviotissa monastery was just breathtaking, perched on the side of mount Elijah, 300 meters above sea level. It was originally constructed in the 9th century and refurbished in the 11th century. It’s maximum depth is only 5 meters, it’s 40 meters wide, has over 50 rooms and currently just 3 monks. Part of their duties is to receive and provide hospitality to visitors. You are welcomed, invited to sit at a table in a reception room and given water and Rakomelo, the traditional sweet honey based liquor of Amorgos. The picture below might just give you an idea of how spectacular the monastery is.

We did a lot of walking whilst in Katapola and our favourite was to a small church on a spit of land at the entrance to the bay. Really pretty.

Hopefully we will return to Amorgos one day, it has been one of the highlights of the holiday so far. One final piccie, on the day we arrived the Greek navy were in town providing one of the most unusual sunset pictures we;ve ever taken.

Tomorrow, weather permitting, we move on to what we hope is a beautiful anchorage just 7 miles north of Katapola called Kalotiri.

Yammas!