It is well known that marble has been quarried on Thassos since ancient times. Driving across the island in a hire car, we see quarries in the mountains, but also right by the sea. However, it is in the harbour of Limenária that we discover that there are also an unusually large number of black cats on this island. They are everywhere, coming on board with us and jumping onto our laps when we drink beer on the beach in the evening.
In the harbour of Limenária, we are protected by a bow anchor with our stern at the pier. It is a good place to leave the boat to explore the island. There is no harbour authority, no shore power and no other infrastructure for sailors. But there is water at the pier, so we can thoroughly clean our deck of sand, Posidonia and salt from the breakers of Samothraki. Here we finally free our ‘Adenauer’, which had become stuck at the top of the besan mast.
Limenária is an old mining town. The first official rights to mine iron, zinc, lead and silver ore were granted to the Speidel company from Pforzheim in 1903. At that time, the island was still under Turkish administration. The Speidelschlösschen, which has been uninhabited since 1964, towers directly above the harbour. Unfortunately, it is not being maintained. We took a look at the old mining facilities and also at the ‘Crown of Limenária’, twelve marble slabs arranged in a circle, which were designed by pupils from the Stuttgart Waldorf School.
Pictures of Limenária and the surrounding area
The weather continues to be very changeable, cool, cloudy and rainy at times. But that didn‘t stop us from exploring the island further. We drive along the south coast in a hire car for a day, climbing down the steep rocks to a special bathing spot (Gióla) between the cliffs. Along the rugged marble coast and beautiful sandy beaches, we continue past the Archangélou monastery to the Alikí peninsula. We walk around it and admire the large marble blocks right by the sea and the remains of the sacred sites from Byzantine and Roman times.
Pictures of Gióla an Alikí
We take the local bus for a day trip to Liménia/Thassos on the north side. There is a busy ferry service here to Keramoti on the mainland. In the old naval port, where fishing boats are now moored, we enjoy the breakfast we brought from the baker (spinach pies and tomato and cheese pies). There are many ancient ruins to discover right in the town. And up in the forest above the town, we marvel at the amphitheatre, made entirely of white marble, which is currently being restored.
Pictures of Liménia
When it becomes sunnier and warmer again, we put on our hiking boots, take the bus to the mountain village of Theológos and walk along the Dipótamos stream bed down to the coast. A very well-marked trail takes us almost eleven kilometres through varied terrain, sometimes along stone walls through olive groves, then through oak and plane tree forests and through pine trees and heather. In Germany, such a well-maintained, beautiful trail would be classified as a ‘premium hiking trail’. Apart from goats and sheep, we didn't meet anyone here.
Pictures of Theológos and hiking
Today we are treating ourselves to another day in the harbour before setting sail for Kavala on the mainland tomorrow.
