A mountain village

Near Ano Syros

Papa rented a car one day when the wind was blowing hard.    He drove too fast on the mountain roads.  

Near entry to Ano Syros 

Tutu thought we got lost but we were on the right road all the time.  We almost ran out of gas 

"street" in Ano Syros

because the rent company gave us a car with almost no gas in it.  It was on empty but it was still running so it must have had some gas in it.  We found the gas station just in time.  It was a long way away.  Then we drove through the big town and up another mountain.

St. Georges Catholic church

Then we walked through a little village trying to find an archway.  This village was built in the mountains a long, long time ago when pirates were attacking the big town by the sea.  They built a thick wall around the village on the mountain that had 7 big doors in it.  Now there are only 2 left, but we couldn't find them.  Later, Tutu found one of the doorways next to a little store where she stopped to buy some water.  (This village was called Ano Syros.)

St. George's Cathedral, Ano Syros

There were no streets in this village, so there were no cars or motorcycles.  There was an ice cream shop but we could not find it again so we didn't buy any ice cream. 














 We walked through the narrow alleys until we found a church at the top of the mountain.  It was way up above the big town by the sea.


It was a big church.  It was the only Catholic church we have seen in Greece.  Papa is Catholic and he lit a candle in this church.  He said that lighting a candle is like saying a prayer and it lasts as long as the candle burns.   This was an old church and it was fancy inside.  

Overlooking dome of St. Nickalis Greek Orthodox Church

Tutu explained the kneelers between the pews are used a lot during the Catholic church service, which is called Mass.  Zachary and I each knelt like we were praying.

Pretend confession

Papa explained how Catholics confess to the priest in a little closet with doors and little window. I knelt on the outside looking through a little screen and said, "Bless me Father for I have sinned......blah, blah, blah, blah.  I couldn't think of any sins.


Then we went out and Papa and Zachary walked off the way we had come, but they didn't even look for us.  So we went the other way and explored.  There were pretty flowers and vines hanging down on some of the houses.  When we reached the edge of the village we found trees growing.  There were no trees inside the village because it was all stone.   We walked down a bunch of steps; then we walked up a bunch of steps.  My legs got very tired.


We found some workmen and we followed them, thinking they knew the way out because we didn't know where we were.  Tutu said we were not lost; we just didn't know where we were.  We were still inside the village, so we weren't lost.  The workmen walked inside the monastery.  They didn't show us the way out.  Earlier we were looking for the monastery and couldn't find it.  Now we found it.


Then we walked up even more steps and found an alley that looked familiar.   We turned right and followed that alley.  It brought us to the place where the car was parked.  Papa and Zachary were not there yet.  We waited for awhile and they finally came.

Grape Arbor at restaurant at San Michalis

Then we drove through more mountains and went to San Michalis and had lunch.  I tasted a sour grape growing in the grape arbor of the restaurant.  Tutu said this kind of grape is used to make wine and maybe it wasn't the right kind to eat plain.  At San Michalis we also walked through some very old stone buildings and walkways and found a tiny church on the top of the mountain.   I wanted to light a candle but Papa didn't have any more small money. 

Walking up to San Michalis Church

We saw a bunch of figs but none of them were ready to eat.  I have never tasted a fig.  Papa said figs taste terrible.  Tutu said figs are pretty good.  I don't believe either of them, but I haven't tasted one yet.

San Michalis tiny church

I wanted to go to a cave.  We had seen a sign for a cave on our way to San Michalis.  But Papa drove past the road and we did not see a sign on the way back.  Then we went shopping at a few stores.  Then we went back to the boat.