In the 1980s, after completing my studies, I finally got a real job and it turned out that my new employer allowed us to take fairly long uninterrupted vacations in the summer. This allowed me to spend 5-7 weeks in Greece, a place I had come to adore.

Unfortunately, my Interrail journeys came to an end as I had passed the upper age limit for the preferential card. However, I found that cheap flights were a good way to travel to Greece.

In the 70’s, traveling had been part of the goal, it had been a lot of fun to travel around Europe by train, but now it was all about discovering Greece for real.

Here are some memories of my trips to Greece in the first half of the 80s:

Island-hopping, in the 80s

From 1980 to 1984, I visited island after island in the magnificent Greek archipelago (from 1982 and on with then-girlfriend Eva, now wife). In the summers of 1980 and 1981, I saw a considerable part of the islands. I was determined to return to my beloved Amorgos and I would for sure stay a few days in Athens on each trip. In 1980, I traveled to Mykonos, Naxos, Santorini, Crete, Paros, and finally to Amorgos, the place of my heart.

When I returned to Amorgos in August 1980, I decided to stay in the port of Katapola and take the bus back and forth to Chora, which was still my favorite place on the island. It was a bit tricky to find a place to stay and for around a week I slept directly on the small beach next to the village. I shared space with a flock of ducks under the shelter of some αλμυρίκια/tamarisks (a saltwater-resistant tree common on Greek beaches). There was no organized camping place at that time.

After a while, though, I managed to share a room with a Cretan guy who worked as a waiter. When I visited Amorgos in 1979, I’d only seen Katapola and Chora, so I wanted to explore more of the island. But it was not easy to get between the different villages. The road between Chora and Aegiali wasn’t finished yet, the road construction was ongoing. To the “lower” part of the island (Kato Meria), there was a road, but it was barely passable. To get to the northern port of Aegiali, you needed to go by boat or with good walking shoes.

Island-hopping with Skopelitis (and Marianna)

Marianna was the boat that connected the small Cyclades with Naxos, which was a vital link for these islands. Marianna was built in Norway and operated as a fjord boat under the name Vaeröy. Many vessels operating in the Greek waters came from northern Europe, not least from Sweden. There were often small signs in Scandinavian languages about what you could and couldn’t do on board.

But it was something really special to go island-hopping with Marianna. I’ve never been so scared on a boat as I was on a couple of occasions on board this ship. Marianna sailed through thick and thin (and unfortunately also in storms). It was usually the legendary Dimitris Skopelitis himself who was at the helm. There are lots of stories about this sea bear. He started taming the waves of the sea with his various ships as early as 1956. You can learn more about the history of Skopelitis here, with some great images: http://www.smallcycladeslines.gr/en/home/.

Skopelitis was an amazing sailor and captain. He also played the violin well. I remember once we were on the Marianna somewhere between Aegiali, Donoussa, and Koufonisi. It was a heavy storm out there, and I was pretty scared as the waves were washing over the deck. Inside the saloon it was impossible to stay, people were all over the place feeling sick.
But when I was sure that our last moment had come, suddenly music came through the howling wind. When we looked into the wheelhouse, we saw Dimitris Skopelitis was playing the violin! All of a sudden, the ship and the rough journey didn’t seem so scary anymore.

Marianna was eventually replaced by the vessel Skopelitis, which wasn’t the best. A few years later, the Captain acquired the current ferry Express Skopelitis. Today there’s not much that’s “express” about this old vessel, but it’s still a seaworthy, reliable, and clean ship.

If you want to go island hopping in the Small Cyclades, a trip on board Express Skopelitis is almost a must. The crew is great. Giannis Foustiris usually captains her today. Legendary Captain Dimitris Skopelitis (Kapetan-Mitsos) sadly passed away a few years ago.

Amorgos – 1980, the hike towards Aegiali

When I first went to Amorgos in 1979, I didn’t know much about the island. I’d barely heard of Aegiali and the surrounding villages. So after a few days in Katapola and Chora, I decided to explore the northern part.

It was approaching August 15th—the Assumption of the Virgin Mary—one of the biggest holidays in Greece, as many travelers know. In the village of Lagada, this is celebrated for two days, August 14-15. I was lucky enough to experience the festivities there both in 1980 and 1981.

I had decided to hike to Aegiali from Chora together with a Dutchman I had met in Katapola. Many people said that the hike usually takes 3-4 hours, along a well-marked donkey trail. We were told to get an early start and to bring plenty of water.

However, things didn’t quite go as planned. In Chora, there was a small party at Dimitris’ taverna To Kastro, with music and lots of wine. I had earlier talked to a couple of soldiers about going with them in their jeep towards Aegiali, as long as the road was clear. The condition was that we had to be ready to travel early in the morning.

We had sleeping bags with us for some kind of accommodation in Aegiali, but we didn’t get up in time! The jeep had already left. The sun was high in the sky when we started the trek and we soon got lost. Hans was smart and turned back to walk the next day, but I kept walking, with far too little water.

If you’ve seen the classic movie Ice Cold in Alex, you’ll understand how I felt when I finally reached Aegiali. I still clearly remember the panorama when I passed all the mountains and was on my way down to the harbor (this was before the new quay was built). What a view! So insanely beautiful! It’s nice even today, but the old little harbor was so incredibly charming!

After the long, hot hike with far too little water (I know, a bad idea!), I was pretty exhausted.

The first person I met in Aegiali was a Greek musician I’d recorded in Stockholm and who had tipped me off about the island from the start. I had no idea that Giannis Alexandris would be there. This summer he ran a simple taverna with some friends.

But where would I sleep? I asked around and found out that there was no accommodation in the port of Aegiali or the villages of Potamos, Lagada and Tholaria. There was no camping at that time, so I had to do what many others did and use a part of the beach for me and my luggage.

Great festivities in the villages

In the days that followed, more and more people arrived in Aegiali to celebrate the festival in Lagada. On the 14th of August, many of us walked up the donkey trail to the festivities.

Lagada

It was a wonderful couple of days, with the village partying and dancing until dawn. In the evening a large group of us went down to the beach to sleep, only to go back up to the church the next day, where πατσά/patsa, soup made from cow’s stomach, was served after the church ceremony. According to many Greeks, patsa is the best thing to eat after a long night of drinking. And it was true, at least this time.

I spent a few fantastic days in Aegiali and the village of Lagada before returning to Katapola. The following year I made the same journey to take part in the great celebration of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary on 15 August.

Agia Paraskevi

On 26 July, I also saw the island’s other big religious festival, Agia Paraskevi in Kato Meria, the south of Amorgos. It was already big then, and today it is said to be the biggest in the Cyclades. The island’s famous dish, πατατάτο/patatato, which is goat and potatoes in a stew. It’s delicious!

In 1982 it wasn’t easy to get to Agia Paraskevi because the roads were terrible. But the legendary old Dodge bus managed to make a few trips so that people could join the celebrations.

I and a few friends ended up on a truck bed, which was fine. There weren’t many private cars on the island at the time, which made sense as the roads were few and in poor condition. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to experience this festival again.

You can read more about the Agia Paraskevi festival here: https://www.greekgastronomyguide.gr/en/item/panigyri-tis-agias-paraskevis-amorgos/

1984. Crete and Kalymnos

In August 1984 I was newly married and planned to go with my wife to Karpathos. We had heard that the island would be similar to Amorgos, which we loved.

We arrived in Piraeus to buy tickets for a ferry to the Dodecanese islands and then to Karpathos. This very long trip would end in Agios Nikolaos in Crete. We thought we’d take the same ship back to Amorgos.

But we hadn’t realized that one of Greece’s biggest holidays was coming up. It was August 15th, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. There were no tickets left for any ferries. Would we have to spend this weekend in Athens?

After a bit of a wait, we finally got a seat on the boat “Knossos” to Heraklion. The ship’s former name was “M/S Svea”, with lots of signs still in Swedish. M/S Svea had collided with another ship about ten years earlier, but after a few years at the shipyard, she had been put back into service. We arrived at Crete’s capital, Heraklion pretty early in the morning. We jumped on a bus that took us east to the town of Agios Nikolaos. From there, we planned to take the ferry over to Karpathos, from the wrong direction, so to speak. We thought it was a pretty smart move.

But we hadn’t expected the strong storm that hit the Cyclades and the Dodecanese islands at that time. Winds of 9 to 10 Beaufort stopped all ferry traffic for almost two days. We finally arrived 36 hours late, on the ferry “Kamiros” that would take us to Karpathos. The waves were still pretty high when the ferry passed the island of Kasos, but we were told that due to the storm, we couldn’t dock in Karpathos.

We were disappointed, so we rolled out the sleeping bags on the floor and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, we were woken up by the boat docking in some unknown port. It turned out that we had reached Karpathos after all! We then tried to pack our things as quickly as we could, but we didn’t have time before the boat weighed anchor again, heading for Rhodes. We decided to skip Karpathos and go to Kalymnos instead. Yes, this can happen!

We haven’t yet had the chance to visit Karpathos. It might sound a little crazy to mention a non-visit in the text, but I think that a canceled Karpathos visit is also a Karpathos visit. After all, we were so close! It’s been similar with many of our Greek wanderings. Plans have often had to be changed, often depending on weather and wind, among other things. But that’s also part of the charm, isn’t it?

1984. Kalymnos

When I think of our arrival at the port of Pothia on Kalymnos, the Greek concept of φιλότιμο/philotimo immediately comes to mind. There are many memories from travelling in Greece that describe this concept perfectly.

My then-girlfriend (now-wife) and I arrived on the new island pretty late after a long journey from Crete, where we’d been waiting for the boat. Rooms were scarce in the town, so we ended up in the village of Myrties, staying with an older couple called Kokkino, which means “red” in Greek.

The nice couple, Red, had lived most of their lives in Paris. Now in their older age, they spent most of the year on Kalymnos. We hadn’t had any food for quite some time, so we walked randomly north on the island and eventually found a tavern that looked quite nice after a 30–40 min walk.

The owner asked if we wanted fish. He had a σφυρίδα/ white grouper that he could grill. When the fish was brought in, we saw that it was huge! We thought the money we had brought for the evening wouldn’t be enough. When the bill came, we realized that was true. But, the owner said there was no problem. I offered to go to the hotel to get more cash, but that was out of the question. Pay tomorrow, he suggested.

The next day, we went back to do the right thing and also have lunch. The owner was sitting in the shade drinking ouzo. He smiled at us almost blissfully. His wife told us that her husband was happy on this particular day. We understood that he often had such happy moments.

When we asked for the bill, they apologized for selling us a fish that was way too big, so we didn’t have to pay the full amount. The man was in a particularly good mood that day, so he offered us even drinks for lunch. We’ve eaten sfyrida several times since then and always think of the fish tavern on Kalymnos.

Philotimo is a wonderful concept! It means showing empathy, compassion and generosity towards fellow human beings without expecting anything in return. We’ve experienced this many times in Greece, including in this lovely restaurant on Kalymnos in 1984.

Relaterade artiklar

In this Part 2 of my roamings, I will continue with a few more entries about the first trips I made to the country whose charm I have not been able to resist ever since. With the hope that the trips to Greece will become ever more frequent in the years to come..

1978. Road trip instead of island hopping

Stockholm – Germany – Belgium – France – Switzerland – Italy – Yugoslavia – Greece Halkidiki – Kavala – Thassos – Alexandroupolis – Istanbul – Bulgaria – Hungary – Austria – Germany.

In 1978 I had plans to make a longer trip as I had the possibility to be on vacation for 6 – 7 weeks in the summer. Together with three good friends we decided to attempt a road trip through Europe. Our vague goal was to get as far as Istanbul, if now the car would do the job. We had bought a Ford Transit for a good price and rebuilt it so that all four of us could sleep in it, if necessary.

The basic idea was that we would drive on small roads as much as possible.
After the long journey through Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Italy, and Yugoslavia, we finally crossed the Yugoslav-Greek border. By that time, 4-5 weeks had already passed since we left Sweden and started our journey through Europe. Thus, Greece became just a part of our travel.

Kavala – Thasos – Chalkidiki

When we arrived in Greece, we realized that the time would not be enough for a visit to Istanbul if we lingered in the country. That meant that there was not much time for Greece this time. I had already been quite short in Thessaloniki a couple of times in previous years, and unfortunately also this time the visit there became short. However, we managed to see parts of Halkidiki (Kassandra and Sithonia), as well as charming Kavala.

We also stayed a few days on Thasos, a nice island that was still almost completely unexploited. On Thasos we found entirely untouched nature and empty beaches and we were able to gather some peace and calm that we thought would be needed in Istanbul. I also remember a stop for lunch in the town of Alexandroupolis, before it was time to head towards Mikligarðr / Constantinople / Istanbul. But that is a completely different story.

From Istanbul we drove home through Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria, Germany and Denmark. We had traveled about 8,500 miles, and the car was still working! Much thanks to small local auto-repair shops, some oil, a few kicks, some more oil and a lot of love.

1979. A return to Greece – first visit to Amorgos

Stockholm – Copenhagen – Hamburg – Munich – Athens – Amorgos – Sifnos – Athens – Amsterdam

In the summer of 1979 it was time for island-hopping in Greece again. It would be my fourth time visiting the country. After the long road trip in 1978, I felt that it would be perfect with another train and interrail trip, my fourth and probably last. (It may of course happen that we will dust off our backpacks and hit the rails of Europe again, a thought which has become increasingly tempting in recent years).

It started with music recordings

Already in 1977, I had decided to visit lesser known Greek islands on my next trip. During those years, I was working on an essay for my university class in musicology, together with a group of other students. A large part of our work involved recording the music of various immigrant groups in Stockholm. It was a truly enjoyable job that allowed us to discover a plethora of good and exciting music. Several of the bands we recorded were Greek and it was through them that I got the valuable tips about Amorgos and Sifnos.

Amorgos – love at first sight

Well, it may not have been the very first sight, because the arrival at the port of Katapola took place in the middle of the night, after perhaps 12 – 13 hours trip on the worn ferry Agios Georgios. Most ferries that went to the smaller islands often had difficult arrival times, as I remember. It was pitch black night when we stepped ashore, so we didn’t see much of the island.

At the pier, me and many other people spontaneously ended up on a very old bus. It was a 1957 Dodge, as one of the passengers said. In this late hour, without thinking too much, I decided that I would go to Chora, the main village, which was about 20 – 25 minutes up in the mountains (today the same trip takes maybe 10 minutes).

Chora and Katapola

The bus stopped, around four in the morning, in front of the cafe/tavern To Kastro. It was a place that later on would mean a lot to me, but at the time I didn’t know that. The next challenge was to find somewhere to sleep. I had traveled with Terje, a Norwegian guy I had met on the train, and we quickly decided to follow a local woman, Maria, who offered rooms to rent. So before we really knew what had happened, in just a few minutes, we had a roof over our heads, right in the very heart of Chora.

I still remember waking up in this amazing village, as beautiful as the pictures on all the postcards you’ve seen from Greece. Whitewashed houses, narrow alleys, donkeys and friendly people. It immediately became clear that I had found the right place. For sure, Ios was beautiful, as was Corfu, but Chora on Amorgos was even more outstanding! I immediately had an overwhelming feeling of being at home!

This first time I stayed almost three weeks in Chora, but changed accommodation a couple of times. When Terje went back home, I shared a room with Jesper, a nice Dane, and Phil, an Australian (as well as with an unnamed mouse that happily ate of our bread).
We tourists, or travelers as many chose to call themselves, quickly got into the village life. In those days there were not too many taverns or cafes, let alone bars, so you often ended up in the same place as everyone else. The social hub of the village was the cafe/tavern To Kastro, which was located where the bus from Katapola had its final stop. Here we slowly but surely got to know people. I often had the opportunity to chat with Parvas and his family, who ran the tavern.

Swimming in the Big Blue

During the days, we spent most of our time swimming. There were several options to choose from. The closest, just below Chora, was Agia Anna, a beautiful rocky shore where parts of the movie The Big Blue were filmed. Other times we took the old bus to the harbour village of Katapola, and from there boarded a small boat out to the rocks, where you could swim naked if you wanted to – although some times the police disagreed with us about the latter. Occasionally, we would hike down to Katapola, which was a unique experience, especially if you chose to follow the donkey trail, although such walk took its own time.

After the wonderful dives and swims we enjoyed during the day, many of us would gather at the central square of Katapola. There you could sit down in one of the three cafés: To Kamari, The Pirate or Nikoletta’s, in order to get some food and drinks. The whole square looked different back then, still unaffected by the hotels later built, or the sun-shields and ceilings the cafés were covered with the years to come. It was an open and simple meeting place.

To Kamari, is today run by Michalis, son of Georgios and Evangelia, the couple who started the tavern/café at that time. Maria, the daughter of the family, became an important person for us tourists as she spoke good English and could act as an interpreter. To Kamari still feels to me like the center of Katapola, although today they no longer serve so much prepared food, apart for some good pies and pastries. We loved to sit outside those taverns/cafes after swimming in the azure sea and sunbathing on the flat rocks.

Most of the time, the bus driver honked the horn at us Chora residents, that it was time to go up the mountain. But even driver-Vangelis sometimes needed to res,t and then we had to go with a truck. We sat on the back of the truck, on wooden benches. A canopy was also set up as protection from the sun and wind.

Already after a couple of days, I knew that Amorgos was the place I had been looking for. In that time, you didn’t meet many tourists there, neither in Chora nor in Katapola.

Aegiali

It took me a while to realize that there was another very nice part of the island, Aegiali/Αιγιάλη. This first year, however, I didn’t make it all the way there.

At that time, there were no car roads, so you had to take a ferry between the two ports of the island, or walk for about 4-5 hours on ridge trails over the mountains. At the end of the 1970s, the ferry Marianna was the lifeline between the small Cycladic islands and Naxos (Marianna was a Norwegian fjord boat that originally was called Vaeröy). The owner and captain of the ship was the later legendary Skopelitis, who was also a very talented violinist.

The larger ferries served both Katapola and Aegiali, but in the 1970s, the latter port could not harbour the ships in the small quay. Instead, the passengers had to jump or climb from the ferry down to the small boats, latzes/λάντζες, which transported the passengers ashore. Quite a nasty experience sometimes, especially in strong winds. More about Aegiali in the next episode of my Greek roamings (part 3).

Although I had already fallen in love with the country of Greece, I now also fell in love with the island of Amorgos. I knew I would return. And with a little hindsight, I can say that there have been over thirty revisits since then.

1979. Sifnos

I had promised myself to visit two islands this summer. Again, I traveled alone, but when I remember those trips, I think that I was never really alone. I met people constantly throughout my journey – some completely new acquaintances, or some already familiar faces encountered along the way. I now had only 10 days left to explore a new island before my train would depart heading North. I also wanted to stay a few days in Athens, my favorite city. Several people I met on Amorgos praised Sifnos as a fantastic island. So it became my next stop on this, my fourth, Greek odyssey.

I came to Sifnos directly after Amorgos in August 1979 and was quite heartbroken about having to leave my newfound love behind. But Sifnos turned out to be a wonderful balm for my heartache, even if the encounter with this island was not as strong as the one with Amorgos. From the northwestern port of Kamares, I took a very old bus straight to the mountain village of Kastro, via the slightly larger settlement of Apolonia.

The village of Kastro had been described to me as very picturesque and beautiful, and it really was! A fantastic place with only two minor disadvantages – there was a lack of accommodations offered, and no real restaurant to find. But we quickly discovered a small grocery store / παντοπωλείον, which sometimes served simple dishes in its beautiful garden. In addition, there was a small taverna at the tiny beach, just below Kastro. Simple food was often offered there, although it could take an awfully long time to get any order in.

One evening, I ordered potatoes and meatballs. The tasty potatoes arrived after maybe only 20 – 30 minutes, while the meatballs took so long that I forgot about them (perhaps because of the delicious retsina that you had to serve yourself). But when the meatballs finally did arrive, after almost 2 – 3 hours waiting, they were tasty, carefully seasoned, and prepared with love.

During the 5 – 6 days I spent on Sifnos, I stayed most of the time in this small village of Kastro, with a minor break for a bank visit in Apolonia. I had managed to find a kind of basement abode to live in, which I shared with a Norwegian couple. A simple and discreet retreat but with a magnificent view. In the east you could even see the island of Antiparos when it was not too hazy.

Kastro was truly a gem, where the villagers seemed to have little interest in exploiting their community for the sake of tourism. On my visit in the summer of 1979 there were perhaps 10-15 tourists, mostly from Norway, and we all enjoyed the local society. I was lucky enough to be there on August 15th, when the Virgin Mary’s Ascension Day is celebrated, and had the chance to experience the beautiful ceremony and feast/πανηγύρι in the whitewashed alleys of the village.

I promised myself that I would return to explore Sifnos more thoroughly, which I did many years later. I visited the island with my wife and children, and that time we became very fond of another village, Faros, on the south-eastern side of the island, where we stayed for a week. With Faros as a base, we got the chance to explore larger parts of the whole beautiful island.

Last year, 2023, we came back to Sifnos again. This time we only stayed three nights in the arrival port of Kamares. But we had time for a wonderful hike over the mountains between Apolonia and Kamares.

Sifnos definitely has an obvious place on our list of favorites in Greece.

The 1980s begins

The trip of 1979 brought an end to the era of traveling by train or car. Interrail had become a lifestyle where the journey was as much a part of the destination as the actual destination of the trip. In the early 1980s, however, I felt too old for Interrail. I also wanted to stay a little longer in Greece than the 3 weeks I managed in the previous years, as the train journey itself took about a week in total.

In the forthcoming chapters of my wanderings, cheap flights will play the main role in how I travel. But it is during those coming years that my love for Greece and especially for the island of Amorgos really deepens.

The 1980s were the decade when I began to get to know Greece more in-depth.

So here are a few lines about the first trips I made to the country that became my favorite. My traveling there has continued since then and will hopefully continue for several more years.

1976. The first journey

Stockholm – Copenhagen – Hamburg – Munich – Milan – Bologna – Brindisi – Corfu – Athens – Ios – Sikinos – Thessaloniki – Amsterdam

Thanks to the Interrail pass, you could at that time in a cheap manner get around Europe and thus get the opportunity to see large parts of the countries where the card was valid. In 1976, the age limit for Interrail cards was raised to 23 years (from 20 I think) so I had a couple of years left to jump on the trains to the continent and eventually to Greece.

I started traveling by train already in 1975, but mostly in Spain and France. I often met a lot of other train enthusiasts who had traveled around Greece. They were thrilled by their visits to a country that had managed to get rid of the military junta just a few years ago and that breathed positivism, joy and opportunity. At the end of the summer, I found myself on the French Riviera and realized that neither time nor money would be enough to continue to Greece. But right then I made the decision. The next summer, the interrail journey through Europe would lead to the long-awaited Greece. And the following year, the dream became a reality.

Just like the year before, I was traveling alone. I still remember how exciting it was when the train left the platform of Copenhagen and finally I was on my way. That very special feeling of freedom, of having a month’s vacation ahead of you and no other plans than to take the easiest way to Greece by train. I always loved going by train and now I got a good dosage of this mode of transportation.

Train change in Hamburg, Munich and Milan and then on to Brindisi, down at the tip of Italy. Our train from northern Italy arrived in the middle of the night and the ferries to Greece only left in the evening, which meant I had to wait a whole day in Brindisi. However, this was not so bad as it turned out. I still remember Brindisi of that time as a pretty cool city, one of the oldest in Italy, I understand. But the next evening I excitedly jumped on the ferry to Corfu.

Corfu – the gateway

This island was my first contact with Greece and I was absolutely stunned! Already on arrival I was completely overwhelmed by the warmth and friendliness of the locals. Their curiosity and genuine interest made me feel seen, despite my young age, in a way I had rarely experienced before. And last but not least – the wonderful nature, the amazing beaches, with their turquoise waters, framed by steeply plunging cliffs.

Once in Corfu harbor, I joined a fairly large group of young people my age. We ended up at the Kontokali campsite, a bit outside the town, where there was room in a dormitory for a few drachmas per night. It was like being in a big family with young people from all sorts of different countries.

I did not know much about Corfu, or Κέρκυρα/Kerkyra, as it is called in Greek, other than what I had read in brochures from the Greek National Tourist Office. Like so many others, I rented a moped and saw much of the island. One day I also rented a car, together with two Swedes and a Norwegian. We discovered pretty much the rest of Corfu this way.

I remember there was a local feast the first night in the village next to the campsite. A fantastic evening where I learned to like ouzo, knock the bottom out of wine bottles and dance Sirtaki. Just imagine! Good start, I felt, on my first visit in Greece.
Retsina-wine I had more difficulty with this first year but I learned to like it a few years later, Slow but steady wins the race. I think I stayed 4 – 5 days in Corfu.

Athens – love at first sight

I quick began to realize that the journey through Greece would be marked by coincidences and by going with the flow. I was one in a crowd of young travelers who all seemed to be following roughly the same route: train to Brindisi, then ferry across to Corfu. After a few days, the flow took me to the port city of Patras, on the mainland of the Peloponnese, after which I continued east towards Athens.

In Patras, it was mostly a short stopover before the journey continued towards the capital and the archipelago that loomed far away on the horizon. But that feeling of freedom and adventure, not knowing where the journey would take me next, was a big part of the charm of the whole Greek experience. At that time, many people traveled to Greece through former Yugoslavia, but I still think the majority came via Italy.

I loved Athens from the first moment! My first accommodation in the city was near Victoria Square. Like so many others, I had received a flyer at Larissa station for the Athens Youth Hostel. But I moved away after a few days to a hostel closer to Plaka – Athens’ historic center, because that’s where you hung out and met people. I found a bed on a rooftop for a mere penny.

Plaka was nicely bohemian at that time, lots of music, maybe even a bit too much music, if you liked to sleep, but it was not something that really bothered us who were young at that time. OK, a lot of the music being played was, to be honest, absolutely awful, with blaring speakers, squeaky organs and choir synthesizers. But a great deal of it was also fantastic. Already on this first trip I became interested in Greek music, especially rebetiko.

However, it was soon time to start island hopping!

Island hopping to Ios

July was coming to an end and it was very hot in Athens. Now the Greek islands were really appealing. The original plan was to visit Paros, because I had heard from others that it would be nice. Maybe later also to Ios, which almost everyone I met told me was the coolest island. After a few incredibly funny days in Athens, it was time to head off to Paros, which I knew almost nothing about.

The old ferry Leto skimmed very slowly from Piraeus through rather large waves and after a number of slightly seasick hours she docked at the port of Paros. The small harbor looked very calm and peaceful. But almost none of my fellow travelers got off here. On a whim, I stayed on the boat to Ios, where, according to legend, Homer himself died and was buried.

I still remember the nice bay of Ios and the beautiful main village of Chora, sparkling like a white gemstone above. We immediately found a simple room to rent from an older Greek woman, it was located between the harbor and the village.

Chora offered lots of fun bars and cozy taverns that served good food at a mouth-watering price. There I ran into a lot of familiar faces both from home and new friends I had made during the trip.

Every evening at sunset you could listen to classical music at the Ios Club bar, a wonderful musical experience in the warm dusk light. I went swimming like most others on Mylopotas beach. I absolutely do not regret that I went off on Ios, because the days on this island were outstanding funny and festive, but after five days I was completely exhausted.

Onwards to Sikinos

One of the days before returning to Athens, I made a day trip to the nearby island of Sikinos, together with some Swedes. It was probably the hottest day of the whole trip. We missed the mule transport to the main village of Sikinos and got stuck in the harbor. The owner of the only open tavern said he had no energy to cook as it was too hot. We also did not manage to walk up to the village because of the heat.

However, we could take drinks out of the freezer where a number of pilsners lay together with a bunch of fish. I began to understand that this is how it could be in Greece. Simple, charming but sometimes also a little … annoying. But the fish-scented beers kept the mood up. In the end, the owner of the tavern served us small snacks, but it was just when the boat was about to depart back to Ios. Pretty fun, when you get some distance to it all.

Return trip 1976

Back in Athens, I took the opportunity to visit several of the attractions, had time to sleep in a few more hostels, before it was time to get on the train together with the small group of Swedes who had gotten to know each other during this trip.

First stop to the north was Thessaloniki. Unfortunately, we did not get a good feel for the city on this first visit, largely because we were hit by a huge thunderstorm where lightning struck all around us. A bolt of lightning hit a power pole that started to burn just a few meters from where we were and it became pitch black in the surrounding neighborhoods. A tremendous thundershower made us quickly jump on the train to northern Europe a day earlier than we expected.

The train was as full as only a train in the former Yugoslavia could be. A girl in the company was robbed of her passport on the train (in the sleeping cabin) in the middle of the night, which put her in trouble. The Germans would not let anyone through without a passport. But it was solved when the German police made sure that we did not belong to Bader Meinhof and after visiting the Swedish consulate in Munich for a temporary passport.

The trip ended in Amsterdam. My first thought upon returning to Sweden was to start saving for a new trip so that I could go island hopping in Greece again next year.

The month-long wandering was the absolute coolest trip I had made so far in my life!

1977. Second journey

Stockholm – Copenhagen – Hamburg – Munich – Bologna – Brindisi – Corfu – Athens – Ios – Thessaloniki – Halkidiki – Amsterdam – Stockholm

My second trip to Greece followed pretty much the beaten path from the previous year. Train to Brindisi with various changes and then the ferry to Corfu.

Campsite Kontokali was not nearly as nice this year. Already the year before, some guests had problems with the manager. He was particularly rude to the Italians, who often traveled in large groups. In my opinion they were very nice people, but he got stuck on the fact that they were singing socialist songs like Bandiera Rossa etc. This was explained when I went to pay for my stay and saw that he had a large photo of former dictator Papadopoulos on the wall. That came as a bit of a shock. After an argument between the owner and especially the Italians, many of us left the campsite.

It was a pity as most of us had enjoyed very nice days in Corfu. But this time I got time to see a bit more of the beautiful old town.

Revisiting Athens

Then I headed off to Athens again, a city I really enjoyed the year before. It was a pretty long stay in Athens this time. I spent quite a lot of time up on the Acropolis rock. Despite the large amount of tourists, it was magical to sit up there (which it still is).

Also the Lykavittos hill got a couple of visits again. In addition to the view from these two hills, it is also pleasantly cool there when the city is at its hottest.

Already in 1976 I became very fond of the central food market in Athens, Varvákios Agorá, as it is called in Greek – on Athinas Street. I love food markets. This time I was there daily and sometimes even at night – the market is open around the clock – when you could eat patsá/πατσά, a soup from pork leg and belly. I had to try this, as Greeks said that you did not become “day after” if you ate the soup before going to bed. Do not really know if it is true. However, I have eaten patsá, or some variant of it, only once more since then.

Plaka and Monastiraki were also this year the places where everyone met. Other areas I liked in Athens were Thissio and Psyri/Ψυρρή. The latter neighborhood was at that time full of workshops, with craftsmen, shoemakers, carpenters, etc, mixed with simple taverns and small cafes. Very far from today’s restaurant- and tourist-dense Psyri.

In 1976 I also ended up at the fantastic tavern Diporto (which means two doors). A place I have returned to several times. A must experience, located near the central fruit and vegetable market. Back in the 70s, it was run by a father and son. You can read more about the history of Diporto here. It is still a very popular place today. Pretty much the same menu every year. Fasolakia (broad beans in tomato sauce), some kind of soup, grilled sardines and maybe something more, but always simple, very tasty and cheap.

Ios, Halkidiki, Yugoslavia

After city life in Athens, the desire for swimming and sun was strong. It was time to go island hopping again. I spent 5 – 6 days on Ios, where it was crazy partying, just like the year before. Although it was fun, I had a longing for smaller places, not as intense.

Soon it was time to head home. In order for the trip not to be identical as the year before, I chose to stay a few days in Thessaloniki. From there, I also hitchhiked a couple of days in Halkidiki (Kassandra Peninsula), before heading back north with the train through Yugoslavia.

After this second trip to Greece, I decided that from now on I wouldn’t get sucked into the current, but start discovering new places on my own. I thought I would return to Corfu and Ios but that has not yet happened. There have been so many attractions in Greece, but mainly I fell for the favorite, Amorgos. More about this amazing island in the next installment of the wanderings on the blog.

International megahit

Misirlou is a song that doesn’t have a known creator but millions of people have listened and danced to it over the years. And many have heard it without knowing its history. It exists in a large number of different (and sometimes very different) versions.

In “modern times”, many people became familiar with the song for the first time
while watching the movie Pulp Fiction (Quentin Tarantino, 1994), in which Dick Dale’s surf version of Misirlou plays a very prominent role in the movie’s soundtrack. Dale had grown up with the song (he had a Lebanese background) and his energetic version in 1962 became a big hit. Dale influenced bands such as the Beach Boys and The Trashmen with his guitar playing. Dale’s version, and therefore Dick Dale himself, gained renewed popularity with the success after the movie.

Widespread from the 1920s onwards

Misirlou became very popular in the 1920s in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, among Greek, Jewish, Turkish and Arab communities. Misirlou became a well-known folk song in this area, which was still part of the Ottoman Empire. The song is about an
Egyptian girl. Wikipedia provides the following information on the background of the title:

“Misirlou (Μισιρλού), … is formed by combining Mısır (“Egypt”
in Turkish, borrowed from Arabic مِصر‎ Miṣr) with the Turkish li-suffix,
literally meaning “Egyptian”. Therefore, the song is about an Egyptian
woman. The original Turkish word Mısırlı is, however, genderless”.

The first recordings of Misirlou

1927
But let’s back up a bit, to 1927 to be precise, when the first known recording was made by Theodoros “Tetos” Demetriades. Tetos was born in the Ottoman city of Constantinople in 1897, but decided in 1921 to emigrate to the United States. This was a very troubled period
just before the “great catastrophe” when more than a million Greeks were forced to leave Asia Minor and half a million Turks had to leave Greece.
Misirlou was a song that Tetos brought with him to the United States but which
was probably already known there among Greek/Jewish/Armenian communities when
Demetriades came to the country. This first recording can be said to be in the style of
rebetiko and intended for tsifteteli, a popular dance in Anatolia and in the
Balkan region.

1930

The origin of the song is thus unknown according to many. But sometimes Michalis Patrinos can be seen as the author of Misirlou. Patrinos made a famous recording in 1930.
But he did not write the song. Patrinos sings here in his Smyrni dialect so that Misirlu sounds like Musurlu.

Unprecedented popularity until today

Misirlou became immensely popular, first in the Mediterranean countries but then on several continents. The song has been performed in a variety of styles and genres. Here are some famous versions:

• Jazzy instrumental recording by Nick Roubanis (1941), who is sometimes also incorrectly credited as the songwriter
• Big band leader Harry James who reached #22 with the song on the US charts.
• English lyrics were given to Misirlou by Chaim Tauber/Fred Wise/Milton Leeds.
• Pianist Jan August scored a rather unexpected Billboard placement with his equilibrist version of Misirlou in 1946.
• Turkish-Jewish Dario Moreno gave the song French lyrics (1951). He has also done a Spanish version of the song.

Spotify

Here is also a Spotify list with many mixed versions of Misirlou:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4bFuXxWgQwkwbgfuHb6g1K?si=7b96fb5b13ee42f8

Immortal song

A good song never dies, which is true of Misirlou. In addition to Dick Dale’s success with the song in the 60s and 90s, for example, the hip-hop band Black Eyed Peas had a hit with Misirlou under the name Pump It.

On the occasion of the 2004 Athens Olympics, Misirlou was named one of Greece’s most influential songs of all time. The song was played during games in all stadiums and during the closing ceremony of the Olympics when Anna Vissi sang the song.

Text in Greek and English

(*Cover image based on fbartondavis from Pixabay)

Related post (in Swedish): Domna Samiou – galjonsfigur inom grekisk folkmusik>>

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Poetry and literature

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Photos: Ulf Björkman, Vaggelis Vlahos, CC BY 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Pascal Sebah – available under the digital ID btv1b52513866w, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=115392132. Zapotocny, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Image: https://pixabay.com/users/sebagee-154213