Karpathos, the island of the clouds... Trip to the Aegean Sea, Greece

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July 2009
Philip and Anna Mariella

Karpathos, the island of the clouds

Also this year we return to Greece, yet the Dodecanese, Karpathos is the chosen destination.
Karpathos is almost 75 km long and up to 12 wide and is traversed throughout its length by a complex and high mountain range with peaks up to 1200 meters. Just these mountains determine the climate, geography and roads. Karpathos is often swept by the Meltemi wind that sometimes overwhelms you with its gusts enough to keep you from being on the beach but, more often turns into a cool breeze that tempers the summer heat. The same winds bring the clouds from the west and push against the high mountains. Hence the nickname that I have given, because there were clouds all day, because lying in the sun was amazing to watch them, piled on each other, groped to reach the top of the mountains to pass away and then magically dissolve in the warm sun of the Aegean.
But the wonder of Karpathos is the sea, each beach is different, each special, each beautiful but with one thing in common, a sea of color with a unique and unparalleled transparency. Often need to be addressed to reach the beaches and steep winding roads, almost always without protection from the cliff but luckily all paved recently, but then pays the nature of the discomfort.
I can not tell what is the best beach ever, Apella, Amoopi, Achata, Kira, Panagia, Lefkos ... .. They are all beautiful I leave up to you looking at the photos.
Besides the sea in Karpathos there is not much more, from the archaeological point of view than the tiny Christian basilica of Agia Fotini and the few remains of the acropolis there is another Arkasa. Ah yes, Olymbos (or Olympos you want). This remote village in the north of the island in the mountains is the attraction of the island as isolated has remained unchanged over the years and countless trips to this destination by sea organized by tour operators and charterers boon for off-road since the last 18 kilometers of the only road that connects to civilization is dirt. Once Olymbos was certainly impressive, is now only a tourist place where women dress in traditional costumes and is suitable for photo shoots then just to let you enter their shops to buy what you find in any other part of the island. Olymbos is certainly fascinating, but I do not know if it really worth the trouble to do so far to visit.
What is worth rather enjoy the food you eat in the many taverns scattered throughout the island. Given that we eat and spend a little more or less everywhere I want to tell two places worth mentioning:
Glaros to Arkasa, just steps from the beach of Agios Nicholaos. Traditional cuisine, reasonable prices, friendly absolute. In my opinion the best.
Dramontana to Lefkosia, the small harbor. It eats fish but not in the traditional way Karpathiano, you see the hand of the international chef who has traveled halfway around the world taking a cue here and there for his dishes. It spends a little more than average, but say that you eat so divine is an understatement.
Finally I was very pleased with this holiday, gratified by the beauty of this quiet that prevails there, its simplicity.
Unfortunately, they are enlarging the airport, a sign that mass tourism will soon arrive: go there now, before it's too late!
All photos and video of our trip you can see on the http://www.maidireviaggi.com