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Day Thirteen: Kuşadası to Patmos, via Samos
Day Thirteen: Kuşadası to Patmos, via Samos
Our departure from Kuşadası for Patmos was early and surreptitious! Because there was some kind of strike affecting the port, Alper, our guide, had to organise a clandestine exit: it may well be that palms had to be greased! However it was managed, we made our way quietly onto a ferry, under cover of darkness, and headed back towards Greece.
We arrived in Vathi, on the island of Samos, and proceeded through passport control. There we were met by another agent of Amphitrion Tours and immediately transported by coach to the delightful port of Pythagorion, on the southern side of the island. We had a few hours to fill as we waited for our onward ferry to Patmos.
Some filled the time by strolling around the quaint harbour, while others simply lounged in the comfort and shade offered by the cafés ringing its edges.
Of course Pythagorion is named for its most famous son, Pythagoras. He is memorialised as the vertical of his very own right angle triangle!
Photos: 14 September 2008
It was a very hot afternoon for a brisk walk, but I headed off up through the town and along the hillside behind, in search of the Tunnel of Eupalinos.
Constructed in about 600BC, pipes laid in the tunnel delivered water from a spring on the north side of the mountain to the dryer southern side of the island for a thousand years!
Eupalinos had started two teams digging, one from high on the northern side and the other from lower on the southern side. Although he had taken precautions against the two tunnelling teams missing each other, his geometric calculations were so good that it wasn't really necessary, at least not in the vertical plane: the two met with a vertical error of only 4 cm over a distance of 1036 m!
Left: Tunnel of Eupalinus. Photo: 14 September 2008
Eventually the Nissos Kalymnos arrived to take us on to Patmos.
This was our first introduction to boarding procedures for Greek ferries. The system basically works like this: the ferry backs up and lowers its tailgate onto the wharf; foot passengers and vehicles disembark in a rush of organised chaos; when this is complete, a signal is given to those waiting to board and foot passengers and vehicles jostle for position to embark in another rush of organised chaos; the ferry begins to depart as the tailgate is slowly being raised. The entire process, involving dozens of vehicles and, perhaps, a hundred foot passengers can take less than 10 minutes!
After the frenetic boarding procedure we settled down to a very smooth and relaxing sailing. We arrived in Skala at about 6:00pm and were immediately taken to Romeos Hotel. We were transported in stages as one small van negotiated the narrow streets, alternately with luggage and pilgrims.
Day Fourteen: Patmos and the return...
Day Fourteen: Patmos and the return...
Our final site visits were to the Cave of the Apocalypse and the Monastery of St John.
The cave, where tradition has it that John received the Revelation of Jesus Christ, is down a steep series of steps and has been walled in as a small chapel. To one side a small area is screened off with silver inlays covering the areas where, supposedly, John, an old man, rested his head and where he took a hand hold to help him stand. These, of course, are places of veneration for Eastern Orthodox Christians.
The roof of the cave has a tripartite fissure which, according to tradition, was formed when the "loud voice like a trumpet" (Revelation 1:10) spoke to John.
Mosaic of St John the Theologian above the entrance to the Cave of the Revelation.
John is seen dictating to his assistant, Prochorus. Rather than the Revelation, he appears to be writing the opening words of John's Gospel, EN A[RCHE EN HO LOGOS], "In the beginning was the Word..."
Photo: 15 September 2008
The Monastery of St John the Theologian was established in 1088 and has now been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our guide gave us an explanation of the somewhat faded frescoes adorning the entrance to one of the chapels of the monastery. The frescoes depict incidents from the life of St John, as recorded in the apocryphal "Acts of John", often attributed to Prochorus.
In the scene pictured here, John miraculously rescues a boy from drowning even while he is being transported to Patmos for exile. (Note his chains.)
Photo: 15 September 2008
The visit to the monastery and the view from just below its entrance made for a memorable conclusion to the site visits on our tour.
After the visits we had a bit of time to check out the town of Skala before, all too quickly, saying farewell to Patmos.
Romeos, a family run hotel, was very accommodating, allowing us use of the rooms, and the very refreshing salt water pool, long after a standard check-out time. The sight of its whitewashed villas in stepped formation up the hill behind the reception building will linger long in the memory.
Photo: 15 September 2008
The journey back to Pythagorion involved a high speed hydrofoil. While the speed of the journey may have been some advantage, it hardly made up for the noisy, rattly, ride in very confined seating - a far cry from the leisurely cruise that had brought us to Patmos.
From Pythagorion we were, transported back over the hill to Vathi to await our sailing for Piraeus, which was scheduled for 10:30 pm.
While we had time to enjoy an evening stroll around the waterfront of Vathi, we did have to be mindful of the fact that the ferry would go without us if we weren't back in time for the embarkation scramble. We all made it aboard without a hitch, but then had to do some creative key juggling as the purser tried to assign us to cabins in inappropriate pairings!
We all slept well, aboard the Nissos Mykonos, as we closed the loop on our journey from Athens.
Two happy customers below the Monastery of St John, Patmos, as our first journey in the world of the Apostle Paul came to an end. Photo: 15 September 2008
A facsimile of our itinerary booklet is displayed here.
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