We are told breakfast will be served on the boat, but we eat a small breakfast at our hotel just in case. We arrive at a little past 9:00am and are told to wait until they call our names. We can see the boat crew moving about. People line up and start going on board and we follow suit. The Thalassitra will circumnavigate the entire island of Milos and even visit two other islands - Polyeghos and Kimolos. They inform us that as we round the point before Sikia it could get a little rough - he was right - the waves moved the boat a lot. It was important for you not to walk and really hold on until we rounded the corner.
At Sikia, the captain anchored the boat in a cove which was protected from the waves. Everyone jumped in for a swim. The water is azure blue and the cliffs are a mix of different rocks in layers created from a volcano eruption. We even swim into a small cave. They provide masks and snorkels and we try those too. It is no coral reef but there are some fish to look at and the water is crystal clear so you can see all the rocks, the sea bottom and how the sunlight enhances the vibrant blue of the water. They have a small inflatable boat that eight people load into. Rory, our guide, ferries us around the corner through fairly big waves. He maneuvered the boat through another cave opening - Sykia - and dropped us off on a small rocky beach inside. There is a huge hole in the rock above that lets the sun in. The ceiling caved in a long time ago. He tells us it was caused by the roots of a large fig tree that weakened the rock which caused it to collapse. The small boat runs back and forth shuttling people to and from Sykia cave. Eventually everyone is back aboard and we pull up anchor.
The island is beautiful and this is a great way to see it. We see amazing cliffs, caves and mineral deposits along the way. We visit a long list of stops and jump out for a swim here and there. One of the highlights is Kleftiko - which is an impressive spot of rock formations that can be reached only by sea. Photos of Kleftiko are included in most travel guides about the island of Milos. Impressive rocks spring up from the sea, forming natural caves and rare geological phenomena. Rory tells us that in 1675, a local pirate, George Kapsis, came to Milos and was named King by the inhabitants of Milos because he helped free them from the Turks. The people of Milos prospered under his rule, but 3 years later he was tricked - and the Turks hung him in Constantinople. This island has a very rich history and we learn about it in more of his stories.
We are fed traditional Greek food for breakfast, lunch and even a dinner snack including a shot of Raki. It is all hand made in the kitchen on the boat. Some is really, really good and some we are not used to and it tastes odd. The drinks are included so we try their local white wine which is…interesting. Our guide Rory, takes time to teach us all about the island and it's history of pirates. He is also teaching us what it means to be Greek. He provides a lot of laughs and really makes the trip extra special - making sure everyone has a good time. We all converse. There are people from Switzerland, Italy, England, Australia, Greece and more - and everyone is enjoying each other's stories. Later in the day we visit two other islands for a swim - Polyeghos and Kimolos. One is geologically significant for its volcanic rock formations - the rock crystal formations similar to the ones we saw in Iceland on black beach - how cool!
We start our journey back to the port in Adamas, the caption makes one more stop, but no one swims. The sun is starting to set and we are all tired. He gets the message and continues on. We see the wonderful sunset on the way and watch the full moon come up into the sky. What a great way to end the trip. We arrive at about 8:30 pm. Everyone is happy and we all say our goodbyes. We are definitely tired from the full day at sea. It was worth every euro we paid!! We walk back to the room to begin booking our hotel in Athens and then in Dubrovnik, Croatia which will be our next home base. We are done with showers to remove the salt and complete the planning around midnight. It was a full day with great memories. We both agree we will return to this island. Melanie, a woman we met on the boat who we talked to a lot, said it best, "There is a certain magnetism to this place." We both agree.
It is always wonderful to view something from a new perspective - and when you are in a boat, looking back at the land, it really does provide a new perspective. Milos is absolutely fascinating - providing some serious eye candy. I think this may be a geologist's heaven.
Our captain pulls us into a private cove so we can swim in a cave and also access Sykia.
This is the cave we could swim in - it looks kind of like a pomegranate to me.
This cave without a roof (Sykia cave) is really beautiful. The beach is rocky, but it is nice to swim in. We found some sea urchins so navigating without a mask could potentially be quite painful.
Rory deftly navigates the waves to get us in and out of Sykia cave.
Our transportation for the day - the Thalassitra - she is very sea-worthy.
The famous rocks of Kleftiko - made famous by pirates. We swam here through that cave opening - it was so cool!
This is a beach for the hearty. If you look closely, you can see a couple of ladders - that’s the only way to access this beach by land.
Here are a few of the delicious Greek dishes they provided. There were more, but I couldn’t get all of the dishes in one photo. These were all cooked on the boat - something for everyone - yummy! I can’t believe they do this every day!
One of the amazing landscapes of the island. It looks like the rocks are liquid. I guess they were at some point.
This is the unique geological area - there are not many places like this in the world. It’s crystalized rock - crazy!
We pass by the colorful village of Klima as we make our way back to the port of Adamas.
We have been so lucky to see so many amazing sunsets on our journey - here is yet another.