Final Round Up and Leaving Anafi

Where on earth did 6 days go? I know every day was a beach day and one seemed to run into another but hey – what else can you do in the middle of a heatwave?

I would love to have spent more time exploring Chora. I’d like to have visited “Monastiri” – so close and yet so far! I really wanted to take the path from Chora down to the port on foot – I love a downhill walk – not so much one on the way back up. Regardless, my time on Anafi has come to an end. Tomorrow I head back to Santorini for one night before flying home.

It had been my previous visits to Anafiotika in Athens that first piqued my interest in Anafi. I wanted to discover the home island of the master craftsmen who helped build King Otto’s palace and played their part in the building of modern Athens. And now I’ve finally made it!

Anafi Chora is typically Cycladic. Strolling along the pretty alleyways, I was almost blinded by the white and blue which felt even more harsh in the full glare of the sun. However, there is no denying that Chora is pretty. Around every twist and turn of the alleyways, there are pretty little vistas and spectacular views down towards the harbour. At the entrance to the village, there is also the very unusual-looking Church of Agios Spyridon. The architecture of this place of worship is hard to put my finger on. It appears partially Cycladic with a pillar at each corner topped with what I think looks like Arabic-style finials. They also reminded me of the small domes that I’d seen on Russian Orthodox churches in Moscow known as cupolas. Google isn’t much help in trying to find out more.

Although I haven’t taken as many photographs on this trip as I would normally, here is a little gallery that I hope will give a flavour of Chora.

Finally to mention a couple of tavernas in Chora where I had a meal (when I wasn’t eating at Katerina’s at Klisidi!). The nearest taverna to Antonia’s was the fish taverna called Liotrivi which was fabulous – meal details in a previous post. It has a small terrace overlooking the island but you must get there early to get a front-row table. I returned a second time to sample their speciality which is fish, and it was exceptional! Of course, accompanied by a little ouzo!

The other taverna that I really liked was To Steki owned by the family from Sunset Rooms and Apartments. It was at To Steki that I first began to appreciate the uniqueness of the Anafian goat’s cheese. If I remember the name correctly I’d ordered the Steki Salad which included the most incredible goat’s cheese balls – I hadn’t tasted anything like it. The balls were light and fluffy and very mild in flavour. I asked the gentleman who had served me what the secret was. He told me they were made from goat’s cheese mousse and coated in crushed walnuts. He said that Anafi goat’s cheese is known for its mild flavour, the result of the special way that the goats are grazed. To accompany the salad I had the special of the day, the Anafi goat which was superb!

A useful tip is that the footpath that leads down to the port, starts close to To Steki. I’d met a lovely Danish lady who was staying in rooms at the port and she told me that the path is easy to walk both up and down and takes about 20 minutes.

One last thing to mention is that there is a very good bakery called Nikoli Bakery. It is located on the main street close to where you would take the steps to To Steki. It is well documented how I love bougatsa and this bakery does it very well.

So this brings my stay on Anafi to an end. I have loved this little island and would most definitely stay here again. Although early June is outside of peak season, my 6-night stay did unfortunately coincide with a hellish heatwave which practically rendered me immobile. However, I was here to rest and relax so in that respect, mission accomplished!

My final challenge before I leave Anafi is to figure out how to manage my luggage. My boat leaves at silly o’clock in the morning and getting my case up the 2 flights of vertigo-inducing steps will be noisy and difficult. The steps are narrow, my back is in a sorry state and I don’t want to wake the neighbours. The best option was to get my luggage upstairs tonight. I asked Antonia if I could leave my luggage at the top of their stairs ready for my departure. She said I could leave it on the little terrace by her front door and even better, she’d come and get it from me later that evening. Antonia is a Titan! All that’s left to do now is to phone Radamanthas to arrange the taxi journey to the port.

I set my alarm clock for some God forsaken time, allowing just enough time to have a cup of tea in the morning. Sleep came and went in the blink of an eye and just like that, I sailed away on the Blue Star 1 leaving the twinkling lights of Chora behind me. Thank you Anafi.