We arrived at the Island of Amorgos around midday. The easternmost island of the Cyclades, used in the film ‘The Big Blue’ for its deep blue waters. However this is just about the only attraction the island has. We spent some time wandering around the town, but apart from its beach, the place was pretty dead.

We spent the afternoon along the beach until it was time to meet back at the ship for a wine tasting excursion we had book ourselves on. Taken to a resort overlooking the harbour, we sampled various locally made Greek wines while watching typical Greek snacks being cooked, and later eating the fruits of their labour. It was quite interesting to try such a broad range of local wine and food, while listening and seeing how they’re produced, with an explanation of what should be drunk with what food. Although it was quite scary seeing just how much oil was being used.

Upon being returned to the ship I asked the driver if he could drive Kristi and me to a monastery I had read about. He agreed, and after dropping the mini bus off he returned ten minutes later in his car. We drove along the coast, heading higher and higher in order to reach the other side of the island. The Monastery Of Panagia Of Hozoviotissa had been mentioned in my guide book as a site not to be missed, and was due to close in just over an hours time.

We finally reached the car park for the Monastery. The driver said he’d return in twenty minutes to take us back and left us to it. We stood at the foot of a sheer cliff face, with a steep cobbled path winding its way up. Rounding a corner, we got our first view of the monastery, a stunning pure white building, seemingly part of the rock, just lay embedded in the cliff. Once seeing the climb we had ahead of us, and with about half an hour left before the place closed, I practically dragged Kristi up as I rushed to make it to the top in time. We made the climb with ten minutes to spare and made our way inside.

When I had come across the monastery in my guide book, I had read that in order to enter women must not wear a skirt above the knees or jeans. Unfortunately Kristi had not packed anything that met this criteria, but not to be perturbed, she came up with a cunning plan. Unbuttoning her skirt she pulled it down low, making sure her top was long enough to cover the fact. Well it fooled the monks as we made our way inside, through the exceedingly small front door.

Inside, rocks jutted into the rooms, making you realising just how much the monastery was a part of the cliff. We were given shots of some potent alcohol and some icing sugar coated gelatin substance, which tasted nice even if it did have a weird texture. Upon reaching the very top, we were greeted with fantastic views, which just topped the whole experience, making the climb and rush worth it.

We finished the day off with an evening meal at one of the restaurants back at the harbour. We invited a couple, who we had spoken to briefly at the wine tasting, over to join us. They turned out to be quite fascinating, having toured the world as oboe players. A nice end to another great day.

To be continued …
Previous part of this story: Greece Tour - Day Seven Ios

To view photos of our trip to Amorgos Click Here.