BS: Postcard from Syros 2026

Subject: BS: Postcard from Syros 2026
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 27 Sep 26 - 07:35 AM

POSTCARD FROM SYROS 2026

So, Syros. We flew into Mykonos and as usual this year, there were queues at passport control for non-Schengen travellers. For some reason, (“Poor old man, 2 hearing aids, limp, much younger carer”) an official pulled us out of the queue and waved us though an empty lane to the front! No-one else was sent after us. It meant we were able to sit in the baggage area and were ready when our bags arrived. Our taxi was waiting and our rep gave us detailed instructions to make sure we got on the right ferry. Time for a snack at the port then fast Seajet to Syros, second stop after Tinos. Hotel minibus wating for us and we were in hotel in 30 mins. We were in the village of Galissas and the hotel was literally over the road from the beach which was a Blue Flag sandy beach, complete with lifeguard, rescue boat and wheelchair access to the sea. Most of the bay was cordoned off by buoys, to protect swimmers from boats which only had a narrow corridor to the small jetty. Only a few local fishing boats and the odd yacht anchored offshore. The beach obviously had a lot of capacity and we wouldn’t want to be there high season but, it wasn’t busy except at weekends and by no means crowded.

Two things struck me as I lay back on my sunlounger. I’ve never seen so many obese Greek people in my 40+ years as a visitor. The BMI average must have been off the scale! Most of the visitors were Greeks, a lot from the main town, Ermoloulos. I was also surprised by the number of tattooed Greek women (not just a discreet butterfly on ankle or lily on shoulder) as up till a few years ago it was regarded as a sign of a prostitute. In contrast, there were very few men in the same age range with tattoos.

There were half a dozen restaurants in the village, a couple of cafes, two sports bars, a couple of minimarkets and a couple of upmarket gift shops. Other businesses had already closed for the year. I suspect by the end of October it would be a ghost village with just a couple of farmers left. One hillside was dominated by a large apartment complex which seemed largely unoccupied. We rotated our meals between 4 very different restaurants, 3 by the sea, all very different, from traditional taverna to slightly pretentious nouvelle Greek. All were excellent. The only menu blooper I spotted was ”Geek fava been”. A couple had menus and one printed menu on the ‘papers’ place setting m but another, and the beach café service, relied on QR codes. We have so far avoided engaging with these (I don’t have a smart phone anyway), but Sheila had to take the plunge and download the app.

Each year I try not to have the same main course twice and have at least one dish I hadn’t had before. No problem here, I had something new most nights, including the local sausage flavoured with fennel seeds (fennel is very big in Syros, they have a fennel festival in August) and fava dip served with smoked mackerel.

Normally we alternate beach days with walking or other activity. We had planned to do two recommended walks from the village. One involved walking up steps to a headland church of Ay Pakou, down to some ancient ruins (a cistern and some walls of the original settlement) and then on to the next beach, allegedly nudist. The first set of steps from the harbour were modern, probably dating from the new development. After that they were ancient, boulders, uneven and steep. It was in the 30s Centigrade. I had to rest half-way up and was wiped out by the time we got to the church. Luckily it was windy up there which cleared my head and the church, unusually, had benches inside to I could sit down and get my breath back. We could look down on the ruins and the state of the rough track to come and decided it wasn’t worth continuing so we made a slow descent. It is the first time I’ve really felt my age and had to remember I’m 82, not 28. On the way down was the even smaller chape of Ay Nektarios, about 3 metres wide and a couple deep. We had also planned a 3-mile walk around the opposite headland towards an abandoned watchtower, but we could see from the beach that people taking the route were struggling to negotiate it or find the right track. However, we did do part of it, following faint paint splodges. The ‘path’ was loose scree, the temperatures mid 30s and we didn’t feel up to scrambling over drystone walls, so just enjoyed the views over the village, and came back after about half a mile.

The third walk we did was to a church with campanile they we could see from our balcony on a hillside on the edge of the village. Each night at 7.35 the bells rang as we were having our pre-dinner drink. There wasn’t a direct road and after much zig-zagging we found it. It turned out it was a Roman Catholic church of the Sacred Heart (a naff representation about 6’ high outside). There was a service going on so we didn’t go inside. The forecourt had a memorial to a cleric and a war memorial to the island’s dead in WW1 and the subsequent War of Independence, WW2 and the subsequent Civil War. Our route there involved a flight of steps but we saw an alternative all road route which we took back. It was 2-3 miles altogether on a cloudy, windy day, good for walking.

On another day we took the local bus (cheap, comfy and reliable timekeeping) to the capital, Ermopoulos, the largest city in the islands and the administrative capital of the Cyclades. It contains many impressive mansions built by the rich in its 19C heyday when manufacturing and mining were At its peak. There was also a statue to its favourite son, the bouzouki maestro and rebetika composer Vamvakaris. There was still a large working shipyard and ferries docked right on the main street. After a false start we finally found the Archaeological Museum, located at the back of the Town hall.

It was closed (we’d checked opening hours in several sources!) as the whole back of the building was being renovated. The RC and Orthodox cathedrals were clearly visible on separate hills at opposite ends of the town. We decided we didn’t have time to visit them so looked in at the Ay Nikolas (called the Rich for the wealthy including King otto, who paid for it). Full of the usual Orthodox bling, Sir Elton would love. No surface unpainted or ungilded. Outside in a little park was a memorial to the unburied of wars. Of more interest was the Church of the Dormition of the Virgin. It was the local parish church, complete with parish centre and hostel buildings. It contained even more bling, but, more Importantly, an icon painted by El Greco around 1562 in Crete. It arrived in Syros with refugees from Psaras in the 1920s and was unrecognised until 1983 when archaeologist Geogeos Mastoropolous recognised the signature, sent it for a 2-year clean and restoration and installed it in a specially made stone mount. It is very different from his usual attenuated style and is not covered in silver like so many icons.

On our walks around the village we saw lots of small snails on upright posts and trunks. On Sundays locals were out with plastic bags collecting them for a traditional dish.

Our hotel was decorated with many pebble mosaics. The largest were just below our balcony and one Sunday they were a base for a yoga group, We later saw them having a coffee klatch in the hotel and even later when we came off the beach they were being led blindfold round the hotel pool to the puzzlement of those guests who never seemed to move from their poolside loungers. A whole day ‘wellness’ experience, we speculated.

Our journey home was fine, there were two ferries from the same company 5 minutes apart. One was fast to Piraeus vis Paros, the other was ours, to Tinos, Mykonos and other islands. We kept double checking we were getting on the right one as our agent had given us strict instructions on time and boat name but both were different. No problem as it was the right company but it meant our tickets were valid but seat numbers different, easily changed on board. Unusual, as often we’ve been told “Sit anywhere”. No delays at Mykonos or Heathrow with passport control and we were home in time for a pizza and drink. Now to try to find somewhere for next year.

RtS

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Extra paragraph breaks added for readability ---mudelf

Subject: RE: BS: Postcard from Syros 2026
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Sep 26 - 12:09 PM

Sounds like a lot of good eating, Roger!

Subject: RE: BS: Postcard from Syros 2026
From: Roger the Skiffler
Date: 28 Sep 26 - 05:24 AM

Yes,SRS, that's the best thing about places that are not yet experiencing mass tourism. Locals more interested in regional food varieties etc. The large retired Greek people on the beach made me feel quite slim! I doubt the nurse will agree with me when I have my annual check-up next month!
RtS