The summertime population of Chios, according to a local source, is almost four times its winter population (can that really be or did I misunderstand?), so making a living there isn't easy if you don't farm. A lot of people live in Athens most of the year and spend their summers on Chios running a business catering to tourists. Happily, there are few tourists on Chios and most of them are Greek. (In fact most Americans haven't even heard of it.) Knowing this in advance, I worried Chios would be lacking in the natural beauty we imagine when we hear the words "Greek island." Happily again, I was wrong. For four days in a row my only concern was getting to the beach (and hoping my camera battery didn't fail me). Here I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Vroulidia water
Vroulidia rocks
Vroulidia sunset
Mavra Volia part 1
Mavra Volia part 2
Mavra Volia cliff
Emporio harbor
Agia Dynami from above
Agia Dynami lagoon
Agia Dynami water
Vroulidia rocks
Vroulidia sunset
Mavra Volia part 1
Mavra Volia part 2
Mavra Volia cliff
Emporio harbor
Agia Dynami from above
Agia Dynami lagoon
Agia Dynami water
Only in trying to do a little retroactive Chios research did I discover that that on Chios there is a UNESCO World Heritage site -- an 11th century monastery called Nea Moni -- which apparently has some of the finest mosaics around. I LOVE mosaics, so to have missed seeing these makes me hurt inside a little. I would have skipped the beach one afternoon in a heartbeat to go to Nea Moni.
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