We rented a car from the cousin of the hotelier. Another European deal- cash only, price is always 30 euros per day, empty gas tank, no receipt, drop off car at airport parking lot. Does anyone pay taxes in this country?
While waiting on our car we explored a nearby castle and fortress. Perched up on a hill overlooking the sea was the Orthodox church of Metamorphasis which was closed, Roman ruins, a fortress and an 18th century castle which had been converted into an excellent museum. The town of Pythagoras was built on the ruins of an ancient settlement – as old as 5000 years. The harbor was built in ancient times and is called tigani which means frying pan (it’s shape).
The castle was built in the 1820’s by Lykourgos Logothetis after a revolution against the Ottomans as a home for his family. It’s a fortress with solid rock walls and the museum gives an excellent history of Samos and includes some antiquities found during archelogical excavations – though most have been carted off to the big museums in Greece and elsewhere.
Got our little car and drove 100 km around the island, focusing on sights on the Northern shore. All we had was a basic tourist map and a guide to the island and some key spots I had read about. It was a scenic ride the whole way. Samos is very lush and the spring flowers were in bloom – red poppies and a yellow stick bush. A few of the beach villages recommended by the guidebooks and our car rental place were not impressive – they had been turned into tourist strips. A sweet stop was at the beach of Avlakia – rocky beach with a few tavernas facing the sea.
Next stop was a road up the mountain towards Vourliotes village. Turned off at about 3km at a sign for Praka water source. OMG – a glen where the water is running down from the mountain and is safe to drink right out of the fountains. Shaded by huge plane trees with a little taverna serving meze (small plates). This island has many hiking trails connecting the mountain and seaside villages. We took a short walk in the woods above the taverna through olive groves. So peaceful.
We had another memorable meal – meatballs, drunken meats, local red wine, “unemployed” greek salad, fried pumpkin and fried zuchini (which was too bready). All for 20e!
We continued up the mountain to a traditional village, Vourliotes, 300m above sea level. It is one of the oldest villages on the island, dating back to the 16th century. It is well kept and smartly renovated with many winding small roads, some big houses, colorful doorways, views to the sea – a quintessential Greek village. One of the guidebooks said theses were called “balcony” villages because you can see Turkey from the balconies on a clear day. I imagine this is what Sirince Turkey used to look like before its Greek inhabitants were forced to leave in the population exchange. We strolled as I hunted for the perfect picture for my Greek Festival poster this year.
Back to the coastal road to look for a beach – kept going through Agios Constandinos (all big rocks for a sea wall), and Kartovuassi. Our destination was Potami Beach so we could hike to the waterfalls. We parked the car on the street side and started our hike following signs to the waterfalls. It was an easy path following a stream with little bridges made out of tree limbs crossing back and forth. We passed an old church, also called Metamorphisis and ruins of Agios Nikolas.
We never found the waterfalls but at the end of the path we came to a sign for a restaurant and for the waterfalls and some very steep crooked stairs – like something out of a children’s fairy tale. One step at a time, up four stories until we reached a “tree house” restaurant with sweeping views down the valley.
The place is owned by a Greek family and has been decorated with garage sale finds. This was the best soda water I had the entire trip. After I chatted with the family for a while in Greek, they sent over their leftover fried fish for us to eat and brought some local raki. This place was magical and an unexpected surprise in our day.
Back to the road to find the famous Potami Beach. It faces west so is a popular sunset viewing spot. However the beach was deserted and had beautiful rock formations and a pebble/rock beach. One side of the beach had small pebbles and the other side large rocks. The surf makes this neat sound when it rolls across the rocks.
We collected stones to take home and then started the drive home along the Southern coast before dark. It was a windy road through undeveloped countryside with a few old villages and spectacular views to the sea – similar to the southern coast of Crete.