To us Greece is paradise. We love the people, the country and the way of living, which is still pretty laid-back compare to our stressful daily life. Many years ago we decided to buy a house in Greece. After a few years searching, we chose Skìathos. And now we are the happy owners of a small house in the old part of the town.
SKIATHOS
Skìathos is one of the Sporades Islands. The other islands are Skopelos, Alonìssos and Skìros. Skìathos is the main island with an international airport. There is about 4800 people living in Skìathos. Most of them live in the small Skìathos Town. It is a rather small island, the area is about 61 km2. The island is very beautiful with its wooded hills and small farms. There is a lot to see if you go on expeditions. Skìathos Town is situated on the sout-east coast. It was founded in 1829 (after the liberation from Turkey), and is build around two hights. The harbour is seperated in two parts by the peninsula Bourtzi which has a large fortress. The mainstreet, Papadiamantis, is named after Skìathos` wellknown author. His house is lying in the mainstreet and is now a museum. The town has a lot of nice shops, both souvenirshops and fashionshops. In the season there is a lot of turists, all the nightclubs and bars are open and there is a lot of hustle and bustle, but in may, september and october it is more laid back.
SUN AND BATH
In Skìathos you can find more than 60 beaches. Some of them can only be reached by boat. The beaches are among the best in Greece.
DOGS AND CATS
Up in the hills there is a kennel. This is a kennel where they take care of abandon dogs. It is ran like ”the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals”. They are very glad to have visitors. You can help to walk the dogs if you like or you can give a little contribution. They are working very hard to rehome the dogs and do a very good work.
In Greece you will always see many cats. Also in Skìathos there is a lot. Most of them have owners and are well- fed. The greeks love cats. The cats are beautiful. They look more oriental than our domestic cats. They often have long slim bodies and big ears. The problem is that it is not very common to neuter cats and therefore it easily gets too many.
WALKING AROUND
Skìathos is perfect for walks. There are small roads all over the island. The nature is astonishing beautiful and green. The island also got several small churches, convents and monasteries which are worth while to visit. The large monastery Evangelistria, is very beautiful. They are very glad to have visitors. They make their own wine, olive oil, collect honey, preserve fruits and make beautiful icons. They have a small shop where it is possible to buy these homemade things. The money is used to restore the old buildings at the monastery.
FOOD AND DRINKS
The greek kitchen is plain and tasty. It is easy to find something that you like. They always use fresh vegetables, fish and meat. If you are a vegetarian, you can visit any taverna you like, and you will find several vegetarian dishes. In the tavernas you can also go into the kitchen to see what they have. They will tell you what the food is made from and how they make it. There is a lot of good food, don`t be afraid to try. We have never got anything that we don`t like. If you prefer to drink something else than water together with the food, we can recommend the greek beer. The wines varies, most of the red wines are ” light and fruity”and suites the food. The white wines are good as well, but we have experienced that it is a good idea to ask which one is suitable to the food you are eating. The red- and the white wines of the house is often an ok choise
