I may not have the urge to ascend and conquer mountains like some but I do love getting around a place and getting a feel for what it’s all about. While the clear blue waters of our hotel called daily, the excitement of discovering the rest of the island called too…

Somehow in just a couple of days we managed to pack in quite a lot – visiting the Samos capital of Vathy, the temple of Hera built outwith the ancient town walls, the old monastery of Megali Panagia (home to a marble Virgin Mary icon and an ancient cave where mathematician Pythagoras was said to have hidden from persecution and taught his followers), a boat trip pulling into deserted islands and the magical port town of Pythagorios – which is what I wanted to show you first… 

Pythagorios is home to the remains of the C15th castle of Likourgos (headquarters during a revolt against the Turks) and a C6th Christian basilica on what is believed to be one of the oldest acropolis sites on the island. Now beautifully strewn with overgrown wild flowers, it is replete with crumbled Doric columns on the edge of a cliff looking down to crashing waves below. Clambering down the higglety-pigglety steps onto the foundations of the Basilica was like stepping back into time, the evening light flooding through creating an out-of-time bubble within which I floated, taking picture after picture imagining times and people of old… Excuse the sentimentality, I had quite a moment! Something similar to when I visited the Parthenon in Athens and Carthage in Tunisia. I wouldn’t have been surprised if thousand-year-old scenes had arisen before me…

I couldn’t tell you how long I spent there, although I was aware that Arianna had left me be and eventually I dragged myself away to join her higher up on the edge of the Likourgos castle walls looking down at the water below. Totally breathtaking, just all of it. We weren’t the only ones up there, joined by equally awe-struck visitors taking in the immensity and intensity of history laid out so exquisitely before us. 

As we meandered down from the hill we passed through the prettiest streets before diving into an ice-cream parlour for a pre-dinner gelato. Delicious! And then we walked back along Pythagorio Port front all the way to the very last restaurant Elia, where we had delicious tapas and a glass of Samos wine as the sun set. Such a perfect day! As I don’t want to overload you with near-on 100 pictures, check back in soon for our boat trip…