Güle Güle Turkey

It was finally time for us to leave Turkey, we have had a great time visiting some lovely bays and many historical sites. ZigZag was waiting for us in Çeşme on return from our long road trip and we prepared to leave the marina. We motored around the peninsula to the main port where we had arranged to check out.

We had already booked an agent to take care of our documents and deal with the port authority and customs. As part of the service, we were allowed to tie up to the agents dock and stay for four hours at no additional cost. All we had to do was present ourselves to the immigration police for our passports to be stamped, the whole procedure was very straightforward and completed within half an hour. This gave us plenty of time to have a look around Çeşme town, visit a cute little cafe for our final Turkish breakfast and spend our last liras. After breakfast we still had a few more liras left, just enough to spend on ‘Gordon’!

Following a walk back around the harbour, which was very busy with lots of sailing boats all preparing to leave for a race, we untied our lines and headed towards the Greek Island of Chios. There was hardly any wind so we motored all the way, luckily it was only 9 nm. We weaved our way through the sailing boats out racing but with little wind, they weren’t going very fast.

Once we arrived in Chios we moored in an abandoned marina. The concrete docks are all in place but it is not managed by anyone and there are no facilities. However, at zero cost and offering good protection, it was a perfect place to tie Ziggy up and walk the short distance to the main port and check in to Schengen.

It was nice to be back in Greece, Chios has a very friendly atmosphere, the old town is situated within the fortified walls of the castle and has a unique fortress like architecture, which is quite different to the white cube buildings found on some of the other Aegean islands. The great earthquake of 1881 had devastating effects and caused great damage to the whole island. With a slow decline in its economy throughout the 20th Century it is now undergoing a regeneration program, assisted by some EU grants.

I have previously written about our experiences checking into Greece, the first time it took three days! We were pleasantly surprised at how straight forward it was in Chios. This time it was all done in one and a half hours, definitely a record time for us. With a need to celebrate this achievement we decided to stop at a nice bar in the town square for a cold drink…or two, and the late afternoon heat soon turned to evening.

Chios is not one of the most popular Aegean islands, it doesn’t have mass tourism, but it is actually the fifth largest of all of the Greek islands. It is best known for its mastic production, the island is the world renowned producer of this natural resin which has multiple uses and it is now the basis of the local economy.

One of the most famous landmarks of Chios are four traditional windmills, located on the waterfront close to the marina. They were constructed during the late 19th century and were once a part of the island’s industrial past. More recently the stone built windmills have been restored and look very smart, they also look quite spectacular lit up in the evening.

The Castle of Chios is a medieval citadel, situated adjacent to the main port, with its east side bordering the sea. It consists of an inhabited area surrounded by a large stone wall with various fortifications built to defend the enclosed population and properties against attack.

Construction of the castle commenced in the 10th century during the medieval period by the Byzantines. Later the citidel was expanded in the 14th to the 16th century when the Genoese ruled the island. Most of the structures surviving today are from this later period.

While we were there, the town was hosting an artistic program in cooperation with the Ephorate of Antiquities of Chios. The program involved twelve artists from Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, and Cyprus who drew inspiration from the venues’ history along with the history of the island, the cultures and collective traumas. The meaning behind some of the exhibits were very subtle and difficult to interpret, fortunately there was a good guide book available.

The exhibition was presented between two monuments within Chios Castle, the Turkish baths and the Temenos Hamidye (Mbairakli Mosque), both of which have recently undergone renovation work.

The Ottoman Baths served as a site of cultural and social exchange and a place of cleansing in the lives of Chios Castle’s inhabitants during the Ottoman Empire. This classic early 18th century Hamam had typical vaulted ceilings pierced to let in gentle shafts of light. The courtyard had a sphinx which is a symbol of Chios.

Inside the entrance was the welcoming area (cold room), it had a display of clogs as a tribute to the influx of refugees fleeing conflict in Syria and Lebanon.

The grand hall (or hot room) with a central dome decorated with cornices and other elements demonstrates the glory of the Ottoman era. The fabric displays represent the constant flow of people throughout history and the overflow of soap pieces and slippery ground refer to purification of the body along with trauma in history as a result of power and politics.

After the Turks were expelled in 1922, the building fell into disrepair, but was restored in 2011 during which 800 coloured and decorated tiles were discovered. Sadly, the baths no longer perform their original function and are now open to the public as a monument.

The renovated Temenos Hamidiye was founded in 1892 to honor the victims of the Chios earthquake of 1881. It is located in the center of the Chios Castle and was built in the place of a Christian church.

The current monument is a single hall building, with a dome ceiling and balcony. Here there were various red paintings displaying a sense of fragility and intimacy, together with emotional upheaval. The red velvet weaved along the balcony and the huge braid coming in through the window gradually changing into tree roots are dedicated to all women, life and freedom.

Chios has a small Archaeological Museum so we had to pop in and have a look as we were passing. It has exhibits from everyday life and art on the island dating from the Neolithic period to the Roman era. Finds from the Prehistoric settlements including significant sculptures, jewellery, coins and vases are displayed here.

I thought that these two 1st century comic statues look fun.

Close to the marina was a small family run Ouzeri, we had walked past it everyday and so on our last night we decided to visit for an ‘Ouzo night’ which included local Ouzo with eight plates of tapas. We were expecting a couple of glasses of Ouzo with some small plates of nibbles. However, when it arrived there was plenty of Ouzo and eight very substantial plates of food including fresh fish dishes of octopus, sardines, gavros, large prawns, mackerel and some vegetable dishes, all made with local produce. Unfortunately I was too busy tucking in to take a picture until we had eaten half of it. We enjoyed a lovely evening and left feeling very full and slightly tipsy.

Having spent a few days in town we left the following morning to head 16nm to Komi on the south coast of the island. There was a force 3-4 northerly wind so we had a great sail doing 6kts all the way. We arrived at the large sandy bay with a small beach resort and just two other boats anchored, so we had plenty of space to put down lots of chain as there was a thunder storm approaching in the distance.

Thankfully the storm missed us but did push some swell into the bay causing a little rock and roll through the night and not much sleep. We lifted the anchor at sunrise and headed out of the bay towards the birthplace of the twin gods of the sun and the moon, Apollo and Artemis.