Far too early, the radio burst into life to tell us that it was time to get up. The old part of Skopelos Town is on a hill and consists entirely of narrow streets with steps and it is impossible to get down to the promenade without negotiating some steps. We had established a route with the minimum number of steps and pulled the suitcase along the streets trying to make as little noise as possible. We arrived at the ferry dock (it can't be called a terminal as there are no buildings and nothing to indicate that the ferry stops there!) very early and occupied a vacant seat facing the sea. The rather windy weather and subsequently rough seas of the last couple of days had been replaced by a very still day and the sea looked like a mirror – sea sickness pills were definitely not needed. The 'Flying Dolphin', a small hydrofoil, came in, picked up a few passengers and set off for Aghios Constantinos. As it left the harbour, it passed the much larger catamaran of the 'Flying Cat' that was our ferry to Volos. Unlike the traditional ferry coming out, the Flying Cat did not have any outside seating area and the interior looked more like an aeroplane than a ferry. It was however very fast and the journey took only two and a half hours on exactly the same route that the outgoing ferry took four hours and twenty minutes.
We thought about visiting the archaeological museum in Volos but decided that we would rather get back to the campsite. We went in search of the bus station and found one – the wrong one - fortunately the correct one was just across the road. We had nearly an hour and a half until the next bus, so we relaxed over a coffee and spanakopita (spinach and cheese filo pastry pie) before I wandered off to a street market just down the road. I bought olives (from a bewildering selection), courgettes, green beans, cherries and strawberries, all at very reasonable prices.
Like the bus journey on the outward leg, our bus was a very modern and comfortable coach. As with all Greek buses, the front was festooned with prints of icons including one set in a slab of crystal and screwed to the bodywork – it looked just like an optional extra supplied by the coach builders! This was not quite as ornate as the previous bus that had an illuminated icon on the driver's door and a garlic bulb (to ward off the Evil Eye) hanging from the rear view mirror. These icons have a practical use as they allow the driver to safely negotiate mountain roads and pass through gaps with centimetres to spare whilst he holds his mobile phone in one hand. The icons are a great comfort to the passengers for the same reason although it is sometimes better for the faint hearted to sit further back in the bus where they are less aware of the action!
When we arrived back at the campsite, we were greeted with the news that, although they were very busy, there was a pitch available next to the sea for the next two days, just the period that we intended to stay. We moved Henrietta and settled in. It was very warm again and lots of people were on the beach or swimming. Jane decided to go for a swim, reporting that the sea was really warm.
Jane noticed that there was going to be live Greek music in the bar / restaurant in the evening and sure enough at 20:30 we heard the sound of bouzouki. We walked the 30m to the bar and spent a very pleasant couple of hours listening to the group of two bouzouki players with a guitarist. They played a mixture of instrumentals and songs, and I recognised many of them from my Theodorakis and traditional Greek records and CD's but I resisted the temptation to sing along!
Photos: Dawn over the bay of Skopelos Town; The early morning light on Skopelos Town; The Flying Cat arriving at Skopelos Town.
We thought about visiting the archaeological museum in Volos but decided that we would rather get back to the campsite. We went in search of the bus station and found one – the wrong one - fortunately the correct one was just across the road. We had nearly an hour and a half until the next bus, so we relaxed over a coffee and spanakopita (spinach and cheese filo pastry pie) before I wandered off to a street market just down the road. I bought olives (from a bewildering selection), courgettes, green beans, cherries and strawberries, all at very reasonable prices.
Like the bus journey on the outward leg, our bus was a very modern and comfortable coach. As with all Greek buses, the front was festooned with prints of icons including one set in a slab of crystal and screwed to the bodywork – it looked just like an optional extra supplied by the coach builders! This was not quite as ornate as the previous bus that had an illuminated icon on the driver's door and a garlic bulb (to ward off the Evil Eye) hanging from the rear view mirror. These icons have a practical use as they allow the driver to safely negotiate mountain roads and pass through gaps with centimetres to spare whilst he holds his mobile phone in one hand. The icons are a great comfort to the passengers for the same reason although it is sometimes better for the faint hearted to sit further back in the bus where they are less aware of the action!
When we arrived back at the campsite, we were greeted with the news that, although they were very busy, there was a pitch available next to the sea for the next two days, just the period that we intended to stay. We moved Henrietta and settled in. It was very warm again and lots of people were on the beach or swimming. Jane decided to go for a swim, reporting that the sea was really warm.
Jane noticed that there was going to be live Greek music in the bar / restaurant in the evening and sure enough at 20:30 we heard the sound of bouzouki. We walked the 30m to the bar and spent a very pleasant couple of hours listening to the group of two bouzouki players with a guitarist. They played a mixture of instrumentals and songs, and I recognised many of them from my Theodorakis and traditional Greek records and CD's but I resisted the temptation to sing along!
Photos: Dawn over the bay of Skopelos Town; The early morning light on Skopelos Town; The Flying Cat arriving at Skopelos Town.
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