Hiking on Kastellorizo

Today we had set the alarm for 6am. We were going to do a hike and wanted to get going before it got too hot. Yesterday we had stocked up on water and fruit. Before we left we had breakfast on the balcony with fresh bread from the bakery around the corner. (The baker is from Albania, the previous Greek baker didn't bake any good bread, the new one does and everyone is very happy.)

Halfway up to the top you have this beautiful view. Kas in Turkey is visible in the background.

We thought it would be hard to walk up to the top above Megisti. But it went smoothly. Maybe because we were out so early. It only took 25 minutes to walk up. The view just got more and more beautiful.

Even though the path was steep, it was no problem going up.

It doesn't get more beautiful than this.

When we got to the top of the staircase we met a man from the island. We asked if it was possible to walk to Paleokastro from where we were standing (we were actually on our way to a monastery). He said it was possible, but you have to watch out for the snakes! I asked if they were dangerous. He replied: Dangerous? Hrm. They bite. For sure. So you can call them dangerous. We didn't go to Paleokastro. :-)

The man who warned us about dangerous snakes.

Despite the warning about dangerous snakes, we continued our hike.

Instead of going to Paleokastro, we chose to stop at the monastery of Agios Georgios.

The view of Megisti and Turkey was just as adorable on the way down as on the way up.

This is how satisfied we were when we got back down to Megisti.

After lunch, we went to Mandraki beach, but it didn't look swimmable.

Most people swim in Megisti bay, which is like a large swimming pool.

Here are pictures of the best beaches in Kastellorizo »

There are not many buildings left in Megisti compared to what it looked like during Kastellorizo's heyday. Back then, there were nearly 15,000 people living on the island, today there are about 580. (25,000 Kastellorizians live in Australia.)

The island's past is marked by war, atrocities and sorrow. One of the few buildings that survived the merciless bombing of the island during World War II is a mosque. The mosque houses a small exhibition about the island's painful past. When we were there today, a film was shown about all the horrors. The film was well-made and very moving. We were both moved to tears. Watch it if you happen to come to Kastellorizo.

The mosque is next to the bar and beach of Faros. Kas in Turkey in the background.

Faros is also an internet café. There is WiFi here, although no one knows where it comes from. :-)

In the evening we had a fantastic dinner at Restaurant Little Paris.

Finally, I can tell you that the toilet has now been fixed by - as our landlord said - the only man on the island who can handle a Turkish toilette. :-)

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