May 12, 2014
Left Turkey today on the 9am ferry from Kusadaci. Small ferry boat. My favorite way to arrive on a Greek island. Turkey was a fabulous host for these first time visitors. But arriving in Greece, no matter what port, always feels like coming home.
This is our first time to visit Samos which is just off the coast of Turkey. We came into the port of Vathy on North coast. Instead of taking a taxi I decided we needed a little more of a Weisnicht – taking the local bus to village of Pythagorea on the Southern coast.
Video of the port from the ferry boat
The bus stop was on the opposite side of crescent shaped port. No big deal except all the roads and sidewalks are under construction. With luggage it was a hike. Found a lovely restaurant to get our first fix of moussaka and gyro and horiatiko salata.
Bus dropped us off in our village and I had no idea where our hotel was… a bit of a hike around the port and up…
Our hotel is perfect – Zorba’s Studios – a family owned hotel with million dollar views. It is clean and simple and perfect for us. We can’t wait to explore this island.
Love that in Greece everything slows down in the afternoon for naptime.
And that the church bells toll the time every 15 minutes. In Turkey you hear the call to prayer five times a day over loudspeakers all over each city. The one in Sirince actually had a beautiful voice.
Town of Pythagoras is a delightful village in a fabulous setting. The houses are well restored. Even though the place is geared up for tourists it hasn’t lost its character.
Our hotel Zorbas Studios has a lovely veranda overlooking the village and the sea. Our balcony is small but has the same views. We had dinner in the garden of Aphrodite. The better restaurants are not on the quay but on the back streets of Pythagoras. The fish platter and shrimp saganaki were okay, salads good and fried zucchini great.