Moving On: From Syros to Andros

As we enjoy the early morning sun on our terrace one last time, Kini village is so peaceful. The bamboo fields sway in the gentle breeze, nearby cockerels crow and the bells ring out across the valley from Agia Varvara, the village awakens and we will be a little sad to move on.

We bid our farewell to Yiannis and head for the bus; rather than give ourselves a race against time we’ve paced the day comfortably, which first affords time for a breakfast omelette at Ermoupoli before boarding the first of two ferries. The port skyline at Ermoupoli is dominated by what is an unusual sight in these parts, a busy shipyard which employs no less than 800 of the island’s residents. 

To get from Syros to Andros, it’s necessary to return to Tinos and then take a second boat, so we also allow ourselves time for a lunch snack back in Tinos, where inevitably the crazy Meltemi wind is still hammering through the port and taking just about everything with her. 

So it’s around 4.15pm by the time the ferry hauls into Andros, and we are seriously surprised to find not a single room seller waiting to greet us, this is just not what happens on the Greek islands! But we are soon billeted in a room right in the mix, next to the ferry port and in the heart of the waterfront restaurant area. 

On Tinos, we stayed in the main town, which is the port town; on Syros, we left the main town and lived on the opposite side of the island. Here, a third alternative, as the ferry port is, unusually, on the opposite side of the island to the main town, and so we opt to stay in Gavrio, the port town.

This could be an interesting place: a run of Greek restaurants along the waterfront, the regular coming and going of ferries and the momentarily manic activity that comes with each arrival, and an evening buzz of chatter around the bay. September has arrived today, so high season becomes shoulder, and many Greeks are heading back home. The evening air is a couple of notches cooler, too. 

Andros is a larger island, one we are looking forward to exploring.