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Patmos Island – a sunken caldera

We look out over a rugged island world from the main village of the island of Patmos, the Chora, and can well imagine that there was a volcano or even several here in an earlier earth age. Today, the peaks rise out of the sea - a sunken caldera, a beautiful island with many headlands and wonderful anchorages.

The panoramic view also extends to the surrounding islands: Arki, Lipsi (that's where we want to go next), Leros (our mooring for the summer break can be guessed at in the haze), to the north the Phournoi Islands and Samos, to the west Ikaría (that's where we came from).

Video: Panorama

Above the Chora of Patmos towers the great monastery of St John, one of the most important pilgrimage sites of the Greek Orthodox Church. This attracts not only believers, but also otherwise many tourists.

We also walk to the three windmills on the Chora hill. The wings turn in the wind. They look much nicer than the modern windmills. In the past the farmers brought their grain there to be ground.

Video

Our boat is moored in Patmos Skala, the harbour town. There is a lot going on here. Ferries come, many sailing boats, also large exclusive cruise ships such as the Club Med ship that we have already seen in Saint Tropez. The harbour town of Patmos Skala seems a little oriental. Yes, we are not far from the Orient. And in the eventful history of the islands in the eastern Aegean, there were also times of Ottoman domination.

By bus we drive to Ormos Grikou, a totally protected bay with an imposing rock. Here there are mooring buoys, which are all occupied in the evening, and beautiful beaches. Summer has begun and it is already really hot. It's good to be in the shade under the trees on the beach. The water is crystal clear and not as cold as it was a few weeks ago. Before the bus takes us back to our boat, we have a cool draught beer in one of the beach tavernas. Ormos Grikou: an idyll.

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