Syros-Ermoupoli

I’m in Syros now. Last island before I hit the mainland and Athens. That means that I am almost finished my vacation.

I arrived at my place in Syros but as always, it was an adventure. Returning the car and having one last lunch on Tinos was no problem. The ferry over to Syros was only 35 minutes, no not much time do write or anything. I didn’t rent a car for Syros and a good thing since parking would have been a nightmare! My host gave me directions to go to a street corner basically, then look for an alley way and then a house with green shutters. Clear as mud. The street corner that my trusting Google Maps brought me to, didn’t quite look like the one in the picture he sent me. So, I called him and he said that the picture was several years old and they re-painted since then. This is the problem I have with absentee landlords. He lives in Athens and has not updated his information. When your landlord is in the area, it is much easier to get help when you need to. The walk to the place was up about 25 stairs (carrying luggage) and through an alley way (up more stairs). I’m bushed when I get to the door.

The place faces a courtyard and the place seems to be swarming with mosquitos. I finally get inside (with about 5 hungry mosquitos). The place has been locked up tight for a while (owner said 3 days) and had a strong musty smell. It is an older house and the kitchen is very old. He should have had someone air the place out this morning. Also, it is hot as outside. There is a bottle of water in the frig, thank goodness. So, I strip down, take a drink, and rest for a minute. The listing said air-conditioning but I can’t find it. There are two windows but no screens, if I open those more mosquitos will come in. There is a fan in the living room so I turn that on to at least move the air around.

This place has 2 floors and a rooftop balcony. I head upstairs and find an air conditioner on the second floor. I turn that on but it is old and has minimum air flow. I do open the windows on the second floor and turn on the fans up there as well. The place starts to air out a bit. Now for the oddities, there are 2 bedrooms and a main bathroom on the first floor (2nd floor for us Canucks). However, the wardrobe to hang all your clothes in is on the ground floor. The bathroom has no shelf space for toiletries and the sink has no vanity. The washer is on the ground floor, where you hang your clothes to dry is the rooftop balcony. (Two sets of stairs up). The kitchen is very old and I have my suspicions that is where the musty smell is coming from. The final insult to injury is: there are only two mirrors in the house; one in the bathroom (5’ off the ground) and one in the second bedroom. Both mirrors are 6” X 8”. Can’t see anything other than you face.
The good part is that the bed is comfy and there is decent water pressure. I head out for my grocery run and find a lovely pedestrian area where there are several food vendors. Yeah, all is not lost, I have found food. I make my purchases and head back for a well deserved shower and bed.

There is a church right beside me (surprise). The bells from this one start at 7:00 AM. This should be fun!

The views outside are good from the second floor and the rooftop. I have a 10-minute rain shower (first time since I have been in Greece) and it does cool things off a bit. I get some neat pictures of the cruise ship leaving and the ferry.Read more