Samos isn’t one of the larger Greek islands, but it is one of the most easterly, with Turkey sitting just across the water. It’s a very green island and has managed to retain much of its identity and Greek charm. For the moment at least, it appears to have stayed off the radar of the big hotel chains.
Large parts of the island are difficult to reach, and the car rental company made it quite clear that taking the car off-road would result in a fine. Apparently, all their vehicles are fitted with trackers, so there would be no getting away with it.
On a cloudy Sunday, we decided to take a trip into Pythagoreio, named after the famous mathematician Pythagoras, who was born on Samos. It’s a pretty town, with narrow streets and neatly presented shopfronts. We’d come to see the museum dedicated to him and a cave associated with his time on the island, but unfortunately arrived too late. Still, we enjoyed a good lunch overlooking the harbour.
Heading across the mountains in the opposite direction took us to the very windy northern side of the island and the coastal village of Kokkari. Its narrow, winding pedestrianised streets run between traditional white and blue houses, with a sea of terracotta rooftops spilling down towards the waterfront.
On the drive back, we could see where the sea had reclaimed parts of the road, with crews working to repair the damage. Apparently, it had been windier than usual, bringing some particularly rough seas with it.
We made another trip into Pythagoreio, this time to see the castle and a few other landmarks and its coastal walks, but once again managed to miss the opening hours for the museum and cave.
It did, however, give us the opportunity to head back up into the mountains to a very basic but extremely good restaurant overlooking the bay and across towards Turkey. It appeared to be run single-handedly by a charming chap who seemed perfectly happy looking after everyone himself.
One thing I’d noticed was that almost every journey, regardless of which direction we travelled, involved about fifty minutes of winding up and down mountains. The roads passed beneath canopies of citrus trees, with wonderful views either out to sea or across valleys filled with olive groves. The drives were almost as enjoyable as the places we were visiting.
We’ve been fortunate enough to witness some fantastic sunsets during our travels, so for our final excursion we decided to find a Samos sunset for Mum.
That meant a trip out to Drakei, which certainly didn’t disappoint. We watched an incredible sunset, with the sun appearing to sink slowly into the sea. According to Rachel, it was also accompanied by the best glass of wine she’d had since arriving.
The drive back in the dark was a little less enjoyable. Having already travelled the road in daylight, I knew there were places where rocks had fallen from the cliffs onto the road, with very little in the way of barriers protecting the drop on the other side.
But we made it back safely, and Mum had her Samos sunset.
