Astypalea

Most of the Greek islands are spaced just about right for an easy day-sail between them. And that is what we did when we left the volcanic Island of Nisyros to our next stop, Astypalea Island. It was May 19th at 17:00 when we Med-moored in the small harbour right below the slopes of the sleepy village (N36°32.858' E26°21.265').

Sea Turtle at Astypalea

Eateries, cafes, taverns, and stores lined the U-shaped harbour and small whitewashed homes tightly packed together blanketed the slopes with narrow alleys and stair paths that meandered through them. Perched on the pinnacle above was the remnants of a castle from times long past.

Zoomed in view of Castle of Chora from below

Early the next morning, before the heat set in, we set off to hike up to explore the ruins and take in the view.

View from above

Aaron amidst the ruins

Church and remnants

Next we sailed to a nearby island (Koutsomytis) about 1.5 hours away (N36°32.813' E26°26.746') to check out the snorkelling. We anchored in the lea of the island beneath tall imposing cliffs and Jordan, Aaron, and Dee jumped in - I chickened out as the water was too cold! After about half an hour, the shivering trio returned, reporting that the visibility was fantastic but saw very little marine life and certainly no coral.

We then motored back to Astypalea for the night.