Karpathos: The Windy Island
As the early morning ferry leaves its white surf wake in a curve away from Siteia harbour, we bid farewell to Crete after a varied and interesting two weeks on the island. It’s just over a month now since we left the UK and the island hopping that we had envisaged to be earlier on this journey now begins in earnest: if our plans don’t change we are due to call in to at least ten islands in the next four weeks.
Our last night on Crete is in Siteia, which we thought was just a port town but turns out to be so much more. Our one night stay here is a little weird though, in an unmanned hotel where we have a code to enter the main door and then another code to release the key to our room. Reception, lobby and breakfast room lie deserted and silent, we never see a single member of staff, but the place is clean enough and just about passable for one night.
In contrast our next host, Sophia, is waiting at the door as we step off the ferry, thanks us for coming back, says how nice it is to see us again, and asks if we remember her cleaning lady…which is almost as odd as last night, because we’ve never been here before in our lives!
And so begins the island hopping. This is the island of Karpathos, with a reputation of being one island that the Greeks keep for themselves. Certainly the tavernas of the port town Pigadia are rammed already and it’s only midday; we can’t pick up any language other than Greek – mind you, it’s hard to pick up anything when the chatter decibel level is about the same as the cicadas of Hania. Yep, we reckon these are Greeks.
Karpathos is a notoriously windswept island, and as if to justify that notoriety Meltemi welcomes us by going up through the gears and changing mood from playful to distinctly belligerent. The soundtrack to our night hours is the howling wind and the crashing of the waves beneath our balcony.
High above Pigadia (aka Karpathos Town), like an eyrie on the mountainside, sits the little village of Menetes with houses in pastel shades and a beautifully re-created traditional house with its unusual interior. Consisting of a single room despite often housing families with six children or more, the sleeping area is raised above ground level to enable the occupants to “sleep in the warmest part” according to the lady owner. How different from these days of air conditioning.
As we wander its tiny twisting alleys the air is filled with the scent of cinnamon from the village bakery. Bread baked in traditional stone ovens, often positioned outdoors, is one of a number of foodstuffs for which Karpathos claims exclusivity, a number which also includes makarones, small pieces of hand rolled pasta made without egg and served with caramelised onion and grated goats cheese, and “Karpathian shrimps” a large bowl of tiny prawns which you eat whole.
After taking lessons years ago, Michaela’s conversational Greek is returning fast and coming on in leaps and bounds given so much chance to use it on this trip. Until, that is, we enter the car hire office and she finds herself sitting opposite an incredibly handsome six-foot-plus athletic looking young Greek lad with piercing blue eyes, and for a minute she can’t remember any English, let alone Greek.
Karpathos is for its size – it’s the second largest Dodecanese island – sparsely populated and under developed, but driving the road north from Pigadia to Olympos it’s very easy to see why. This is unforgiving and inhospitable territory, sharply mountainous, boulder strewn and with hardly a flat area to be seen. As well as the customary sharp hairpins and steep inclines, the road, which at times clings to the very edge of the island with the sea way below and the wind pounding in, is peppered with rockfalls at virtually every turn. There are hazards galore, but thankfully everybody knows this and drives sensibly slowly.
Up here in the north of the island the land is grey, the peaks through which the road is cut are the colour of cement powder, the land appearing to be broken as boulders crumble into rubble. Then suddenly, out of nowhere, something almost magical appears.
Yet another sharp bend brings us within sight of Olympos, another improbably positioned mountainside town, but one which absolutely takes your breath away on first sighting. The pictures here will speak louder than any words. Within its cramped walkways and pastel houses, the ladies wear traditional costume and the town oozes charm – although it soon becomes clear that those traditions have become part of the tourist theme rather than unbroken custom. These seemingly time honoured ladies can say “come look in my shop” in several languages- a dead giveaway!
Narrow street of Olympos 
Olympos village life
Yet there’s no doubting how lovely Olympos is, it’s really quite visually stunning. From one of the stone ovens we sample another cheese and honey pie, which is even better than the first one a few weeks ago. These ladies use thyme honey, so the dominant flavour is the herb, with delicate undertastes of sweet honey and salty cheese. Delicious!
Olympos Architecture 
Olympos Architecture 
Kittens of Olympos 
View of Olympos from bell tower
Our route back from Olympos brings around the other side – the west side – of Karpathos, where we discover two delightful coastal villages, Finiki and Arkasa, either of which could provide an excellent base for a stay on the island.
Karpathos has only a handful of settlements, a small number of decent roads and an extremely modest bus service, all of course due to the harsh terrain. The distances between towns is magnified by the slow progress on the roads so it’s plain to see why the main port town Pigadia is the most popular of its destinations, not least because the evening atmosphere in the town is so good, with tavernas, bars and shops full of activity, and full of feelgood.
It’s a larger island with lots of rocky and remote areas, yet all of the towns and villages we’ve visited are well worth the effort and all worthy of a visit, with the tavernas around Pigadia harbour the perfect ending to each day.
Oh, and it’s incredibly windy here. Did we mention that?
24 Comments
Alison
I can’t begin to tell you how jealous I am, but loving every bit of your trip. I’ve always wanted to visit islands that aren’t on the tourist trail. You both seem to make the most of every day and explore every possible inch.
I’m impressed that you post while travelling
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Alison, well posting is made easier when there’s two of us sharing. I guess it’s only like writing a diary. Yes this is heading towards being a nicely varied trip.
wetanddustyroads
Yes, I certainly like the look of Olympos (and wouldn’t mind to see the handsome Greek at the car rental 😉)! And that bread … they way you’ve described it, I could almost smell it 😊.
Phil & Michaela
It’s a spectacular little town!
Jyothi
Lovely captures!!!
Phil & Michaela
Thank you x
Lookoom
I am surprised by the number of houses when local resources seem limited. The light in the photos is amazing.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you. Yes the ability to fill a steep space with housing is impressive!
grandmisadventures
Stunning pictures!! I love the bright colors of not only the sea, but the buildings and the clothing as well.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you, yes the bright sunlight just enhances the colouring
Toonsarah
I’m loving following your adventures 🙂 Menetes and Olympos both look beautiful and worth the dodgy roads to visit! And I’m hungry for a taste of cheese and honey pie 😆
Phil & Michaela
All of which were terrific!
Heyjude
So many blues! You seem to be having a great time and I am very impressed by the roads you choose to drive on! Not sure I’d be so brave. I am totally enjoying my virtual tour of the Greek Islands and getting hungrier by the minute for some Greek food.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you Jude, I think we’ll be seeing some serious differences island to island over the next few weeks.
carolinehelbig
Oh my! Your photos of those white-washed villages clinging to the sides of hills and overlooking that stunningly deep-blue sea are making me want to book the next flight to Greece.
Phil & Michaela
Ha yes the colours of the sea are really amazing.
Christie
Such an amazing contrast between the rugged hills, the bright coloured buildings and the endless shades of blue😊
A beautiful place!
Phil & Michaela
Spot on, Christie – it’s the contrasts which make it so endlessly attractive
ourcrossings
Wow, Karpathos looks like an amazing island to explore, especially the white and pastel houses of Menetes that make up one of the island’s most pictured sights. Thanks for sharing and have a nice day 🙂 Aiva
Gilda Baxter
I am impressed that Michaela is managing to speak Greek and I imagine that in some of these islands people don’t speak English? Such stunning places, absolutely picture perfect. 10 islands in 4 weeks is quite ambitious, but I am sure you can do it.
Phil & Michaela
Thanks Gilda. We think that as long as the ferry schedule works for us, we’ll manage it!
rkrontheroad
I could almost hear the waves and wind! Love the pastel houses and red domed church along the seascapes.
Phil & Michaela
Thank you for reading and for your comments Ruth…those things were a constant soundtrack
Annie Berger
Another delightful post about your journey to, and around, the isle of Karpathos. Your photos made us feel as if we were just a step behind you as you traipsed along the narrow lanes and hillside towns – thank you for the virtual trip.