Autor: Gisela Wuerfel

We were on our way a good 40 nautical miles from Kardamena. Our destination: Astypaleia. We really wanted to visit this island. First we sailed along the south coast of Kos with a nice sailing wind. Then the wind shifted more to the north and a strong swell meant that we could not keep the direct course to Astypaleia. So that we could still arrive before nightfall, we motored the last stretch.

Astypaleia is certainly one of the most beautiful islands in the Aegean. It has the shape of a butterfly with a width of only 100m at its narrowest point and a total extension of about 25 by 15 km. The Chora, white Cycladic houses with a brown castle on top, towers majestically above the tiny old harbour (a maximum of 12-14 boats fit in). The castle was not built by crusaders or Ottomans, it was part of the village and protection against pirates. You can see this landmark from almost every point on the island. There are also eight windmills opposite, but they are no longer in use. 

We wanted to rent a car, but then realised that the landscape is so beautiful that it is best to walk: Rusty brown shining hills with many deeply cut dry valleys, now and then green olive trees, in contrast to the deep blue or turquoise green water in the countless bathing bays. Barren landscape, partly karst, overgrown with millions of silver thistles, now shining golden, and various hard prickly salt weeds. At the confluence of several valleys, a freshwater reservoir, dammed up to store water. All the hills (up to 500m high) are criss-crossed by gravel tracks and goat paths - sometimes it sounds like in the Alps: the goats carry bells. You walk on the gravel tracks and paths far up the heights with gigantic views. Only the old mill, which stands on a central vantage point and has been converted into a cocktail bar, was unfortunately closed due to the end of the season. 

The harbour is small and familiar, surrounded by a few bars and cafés where the locals sit - you hardly see any tourists here. In short: an idyll. We stayed for a whole week and it was hard to say goodbye.

Kardamena is located in the south of Kos, with long, beautiful sandy beaches to the west and east. However, since Kos has an airport with direct flights from many German and English destinations, there are many huge hotel castles near these beaches. The nice little village with its likewise small harbour is virtually overrun by tourists when the excursion boats leave for the volcanic island of Nisyros in the morning - the same picture back in the evening. But the village has largely kept its nice character and we liked it. 

Above the village, a 5km walk through olive groves and bare macchia-grown rugged volcanic landscape inhabited only by goats, lies the Johannite fortress of Antimachia, with a wide view over the sea - and over the hotel castles. At the entrance is a Greek man in classic Efzone costume who explains some of the history to us. 

Here in Kardamena, Claudia's sailing time with us was over, her friend Pepi came from Thessaloniki and they both went to Kalymnos to hike.

When we left for Astypaleia after a few days, we had to leave (early because of the long distance) before the excursion ships styled as pirate ships and it came as it had to: an excursion ship had laid its anchor over our chain when mooring the evening before and we were stuck. Gisela, who now has a lot of experience with anchor salad in Vathys on Kalymnos, directed our boat, which was stuck in the harbour, forwards, backwards, to the right and to the left until our anchor had slid out from under the other chain. Meanwhile, the captain of the excursion boat stood on his bridge and watched the spectacle. After half an hour we were free and off we went towards Astypaleia. 

Kardamena has a decisive advantage, which is another reason why we liked it here: You pay neither mooring fees nor water nor electricity - everything is free. It was easy for us to put up with the fact that all the big screens in the bars and kafenions were showing the celebrations for Queen Elizabeth's funeral for a whole day.

We would have liked to visit the island of Symi in the southeast of the Dodecanese. However, the wind forecast told us that the wind would first turn to the west in the next few days and then to the north a few days later with increasing strength. As we wanted to be back on Kos on 16.9, we decided to head north again from Nisyros sooner. With a south-westerly wind, we were able to reach the small island of Pserimos between Kos and Kalymnos in one day. In the large Ormos Vathy, which is well protected against north and west winds, we found a nice anchorage. Going for a swim in the turquoise, clear water, no artificial light in the evening, just the moon and the starry sky and in the distance the lights on the Turkish coast. Once again, pure idyll. 

But we knew that in two days the Meltemi would start blowing again. We still had one, at most two days to get further north. Next destination: the small harbour of Vathys in the south-east of Kalymnos. In the narrow entrance to the harbour, we had the feeling we were driving into a fjord, deep water, steeply rising rocks. When we arrived at noon, most of the excursion boats were about to cast off, but it was still very narrow. The anchor had to drop just in front of the rock face opposite the pier. At the first attempt we caught the anchor chain of another boat, which we only got rid of with a lot of strength and endurance. And then it was too shallow for our boat just before the pier. So we had to stay with long stern lines and wait until we could go alongside the small pier of the excursion boats in the late afternoon. "Tomorrow at eleven o'clock you have to be gone," the harbour master tells us, wearing a large natural sponge as a headdress. Kalymnos is the island of the sponge divers. We liked Vathys very much: the fjord, the small village, which becomes quiet after the departure of the excursion boats from Kos, the friendly, almost warm-hearted locals. A place to stay for a few days. But we were supposed to be gone by eleven o'clock and besides, it gets uncomfortable there when the Meltemi blows down the valley.

Actually, we wanted to go one bay further north (Ormos Palaios) the next day, before the north wind really got going, because there are mooringtons. But when we left the fjord of Vathys, we were met by 40 knots of wind with a swell of up to two metres. We didn't want to do that to ourselves, even for a short distance. So we turned around and headed for Pserimos, the large anchorage we already knew. The way there was short and hard, a roller coaster with broken glass. We will have to get five new wine glasses soon. With gusts to over 30 knots, but no swell, we were quite happy with our choice of anchorage. Now the wind blows unabated, but all is well.  

Pictures:

After welcoming our friend Claudia, an experienced sailor and area expert, on board, we set off south in a north-westerly wind between three and five bft. Our destination: the small volcanic island of Nisyros. Now there are three of us and setting and hoisting the sails, which is labour-intensive on Aglaya, is much quicker. After a beautiful day of sailing, we find a place in the harbour of Pali right next to the fishermen, from whom we can buy fish directly from the boat on one of the next days. It is Thursday and the harbour is already full of boats, mainly charter boats, which will probably all have to be back in the marinas tomorrow evening. And it gets even more crowded. Later, there are two more boats in the packet with us. The next day, however, it becomes emptier again.

The island of Nisyros is described in the guidebook as a natural wonder. We spend a day on the island, first with the island bus to the main town of Mandraki. Then we are allowed to ride in the bus of a Polish tour group and can take a look at the large volcanic crater (one of the largest in Europe). Mountains up to 700 metres high rise directly from the sea. Under the floor of the crater, which is only 120 metres above sea level, it is still bubbling. Here we learn a lot about volcanism in the region, to which Santorini also belongs. As we descend to the bottom of the crater, it gets even hotter than it already is, and there is a smell of sulphur. Back in Mandraki, we climb up to Paleokastro via a beautiful stone-paved and wall-lined path. Here, too, we are quite impressed: the well-preserved walls are made of huge stone blocks and the view to the surrounding islands and the Turkish mainland is magnificent. Archaeologists still have a lot of work to do here, because the inside of the castro has not yet been uncovered. It is not known whether the walls of an acropolis are here or whether they are fortress walls.