Koufonissi – A Coastal Walk to the Devil’s Eye!

NB This is a part of a trip that I started writing up in 2015 – how about that for procrastination!

Today the only plan we have in mind is to visit the well known landmark called the Devil’s Eye.  We head out from our lodgings at Hippocampus looking for somewhere to eat breakfast.  Close by there are some newly built properties built in typical Cycladic style.  Koufonissi is as I’ve said before, quite ’boutiquified’ but I can’t help myself exclaiming “ooh that’s gorgeous!”

 

After breakfast we take a slow amble along the coastal path in an anticlockwise direction.  We pass Finikia Beach that we had caught the bus to the previous day – so ridiculous when you think it has only taken us 10 minutes to walk here!  The coastline is heavily indented with lots of small coves, several with caves that can be seen as you approach from a bend.  It is perfectly possible to find somewhere quite secluded if that is what you want.  The water is just the perfect shade of turquoise.

 

After about 30 minutes of slow walking we arrive at the Devil’s Eye.  It is a deep plunge pool formed out of the cliff erosion – almost a perfect heart shape if you approach it from the right direction!  There are various small groups of people here already – observers and observee’s – the latter, ‘dare-devilishly’ hurling themselves into the depths of the Devil’s Eye.  The former are either egging them on or trying to capture a mid-leap shot on camera.  I certainly won’t be launching myself across jagged rocks so settle into the role of observer quite comfortably!

It never fails to amaze me how fearless youth are.  The naïve confidence that you have when you are young but become increasingly aware of the lack of it as age creeps up on you. Oh how I’d swap a bit of that for my now increasing and ever present ‘geriatric fear’ of almost everything!

 

Peter and I continue along the coastal path and before we know it we are once again at Pori but have approached it from a different direction from yesterday.

The rock erosion that is so apparent along this coastline shows how vulnerable and fragile this landscape is.

 

Well after all that walking and philosophising we’ve built up an appetite – very unusual to feel so hungry so early in the day and it isn’t yet midday.  The only option is to get the bus back and grab something to eat.

We decide to eat at the Aigaion restaurant which is attached to the Aigaion Hotel and delve into Greek salad and a Jack Daniels burger for Peter and pork fillet for me!

 

Well that lunchtime meal all but wiped us out so we are left with no choice but to go lay on the beach for the rest of the afternoon.  Life can be so hard!

Later that evening, although not overly hungry due to our lunchtime indulgence, we force ourselves up and out.  A stroll around the village will hopefully build up a bit of an appetite.  As we leave the main central village hub and are back on the coastal path (clockwise) we can see that there is going to be a gorgeous sunset this evening.  The road takes us up past the boat yard, the windmill and kafenio.  These 3 little landmarks together will be the first images that spring to mind when I think of Koufonissi I think – almost iconic.

We find ourselves walking back over the hill to Aneplora which is a perfect place to have our last evening meal.  We relish our meal of red snapper and lamb souvlaki washed down with a glass of white wine or two!

 

Tomorrow afternoon we catch the ferry to Amorgos – my first time back in many many years but it’s too soon to think of that. I just want to absorb every last drop of the Koufonissi evening before thinking about packing and moving on.