Hey everyone... it's been a minute, I know. The truth is, I haven't been able to bring myself to write. There's been too much to process, in my life, in the world, at work, at home. At times it has been totally overwhelming but I'm okay - I hope you are too, but drop me a message if not.
So here we are enjoying lockdown 3.0, and by now the cabin fever is giving me dreams of booking flights and getting much needed sun. I've had a lot of time to think over some of my favourite trips, and the one that never fails to bring a smile to my face is my four glorious days in Thasos.
If you haven't yet read about my adventures in Thessaloniki, Halkidiki or Kavala then I'd encourage you to catch up on them as this is only one small section of my favourite ever Greece trip!
It all started with my Greek friend, George, from Australia who I first met in Laos. Having moved to England for a short while and just before his relocation back to Australia, George invited me to join him for a trip to his homeland. We started in Thessaloniki, drove over to Halkidiki, got the bus to Kavala and from this colourful harbour we waited for 'the dolphin' which was a speed ferry to take us over to Thasos.
Day 1 - Golden Beach & Limenas
George had booked everything, so I followed him off the ferry as he lead the way to our accommodation. Only, it became apparent after a while that we were completely lost! This was not ideal because in true me style, I really had to pee and on top of that we had been walking for a good 20 minutes in the heat with our luggage. We circled back to the ferry and found shelter in a nice café that was actually supposed to be closed for the afternoon. George chattered away in Greek to the owner as if they were long lost best friends, and I sat in the cool shade glad to give my feet a rest. Eventually, with the directions of the shop owner, we found the Dolphins holiday apartments.
Losing no (additional) time, we hired a silver Nissan Micra and drove straight to Golden Beach in time for the sunset. Mojitos were ordered at the beachfront bar, and beach blankets were laid on the fine white sand. George dove straight into the clear waters and I nestled down with a book; Bad Blood by John Carreyrou, a book I never finished and had to return to George by the end of the trip! Still unsure whether it's worth buying, anyone??
After the sun set and evening came in, we took ourselves back to our local town, Limenas. It was quiet, June not being high season and Thasos not yet being one of the tourist hot spots, but the lights of the restaurants and bars that were open provided a cosy atmosphere. I ordered wine (of course) and Beef Stifado - not a common choice for this time of year, George was fast to pick up on, as it's more of a winter meal. However, I couldn't resist as the last time I'd had it was over 6 years ago in Crete, and it was delicious!
We chased that with some cocktails at Vertigo Bar, being near enough the only two people there, before heading back to our apartments.
Day 2 - Kinira View Point & Beaches, Aliki Beach & a Tavern in the Mountain
Another day another beach, after all, I live for my tanlines and good times! We took the Micra for a spin which allowed us to stop off at the Kinira View Point, and we couldn't resist exploring the secluded beaches below. Now, I couldn't tell you the names of the two beaches I checked out but both had an unobstructed view of the island of Kinira, or the “Kiniriotiko”. It's a small offshore island covered in pine trees with its own small, rocky beaches. I would have been tempted to swim out to it, or maybe even walk out to it since the water was completely clear and shallow, but I was having too much fun jumping around on the shore in a rare photo op... What?!
Aliki Beach was a small hidden cove at the bottom of a cliff. The Aliki restaurant and bar had sunbeds lined up which you could use for free providing you order from them. They deliver your order straight to your sun bed while you relax and work on your tan.
When we were fully beached out, we took a drive up the mountains which was literally #views! Also, like, I'm not a geologist or anything but the grey slanted rocks looked cool asf, kind of like we were on another planet.
We found a tavern just as the wind was picking up and treated ourselves to more wine, more Mythos beer and a fantastic selection of Greek food. The restaurant then turned into a live musical as we witnessed quite the show of traditional Greek music, dancing and singing! Definitely recommend a visit to a mountain Tavern!
Day 3 - Giola Lagoon
In the region of Astris, the Giola is one of those definitely worth visiting but you have to work for it! All I'm going to say is, take plenty of water with you and take a huge sun hat. Because once you've made the life-threatening trek to the natural pool carved out of the rocks, there is literally all sun and no shade. On top of this, because of the way the pool is formed - that is, by the overflow of seawater building up in the rock carving - it had a very high concentration of salt! You don't want to get any of it in your nose or mouth, however if you're brave enough to jump from the highest point on the rock (as I did), this may be unavoidable.
It's really stunning to look at, with a deep green colour and it can be up to 8m deep. The sides are jagged and slimy with seaweed, so be careful climbing out. And when you're out, the sun beats down harshly on the exposed rock leaving you no shade to hide in. That's where your hat will come in handy, and your water will rehydrate you/wash the extreme saltiness from your hands! Also take sunscreen...
Day 4 - More of Limenas & Golden Beach
It may be a small island, but there was so much to explore! Limenas was transformed night to day and a street market provided us with plenty to browse after our breakfast of spanakopita and fresh juice.
Harbourside was the perfect place to sit and take in the views before heading back to Golden Beach where I enjoyed a little slice of paradise at La Boheme Beach Bar & Restaurant.
When the sun began to set, we found a perfectly placed table beside the beach which allowed us stunning views across the water and the freshest calamari and Greek salad I've ever had. The waiter provided me with endless top-ups of ouzo until I had to start denying more; it's really strong stuff!
Returning to Limenas, we spent our final night salsa dancing under the stars at the Drift Beach Bar. It was the perfect ending to our little adventure, but one thing is for sure - I'll be back to Thasos one day!
Hope you enjoyed a trip to the beautiful Island with me, and perhaps when borders open again, you might add this to your list of places to visit.
Stay safe and Yassas (or γειά σας)!
Mary-Daisy x