Thanos…the skipper (not the bad guy)
Tuesday, September 20th: Milos, Greece
We drove to the beach on the south side of the island to meet Michael (the owner) and Thanos (our skipper). They stocked up the cooler with refreshments and we were on our way.
We stopped to swim at several beautiful spots on Polyaigos and Milos throughout the day with the sun high, blue skies and minimal clouds. We started with a run over to Polyaigos Island, which is protected by the government and uninhabited. We swam in beautiful water at Blue Bay (we should have packed the G Dome) and then on the other side of the island where a dog ran free along the shore before coming over to say hi. Thanos said this was a perfect time of year to be here with a fraction of the boats and tourists.
After leaving Polyaigos, we ventured back to Milos. We went to Gerakas Beach, which was a long stretch of beach made of soft gravel and sand. The cliffs had two runways where people can climb up, so we made a run for it. We made it halfway while the hot sand burned our the bottoms of our feet.
Then we moved on and passed by the old sulphur mine (bought and abandoned by the French) and took the boat into one of the caves. Supposedly, in the fifth century, pirates used to hide out in the crevices of the rocks and attack boats as they came close to shore.
We passed by Tsigrado and made our way to the other side of the beach for a private swim. And then we went to the famous Kleftiko where there were more boats, including a catamaran full of rowdy passengers testing their dance moves. We swam and used the goggles to explore fish (flounder, etc.) beneath the surface.
The salinity of the ocean was strong, which made it easy to float and tread water the entire day.
Then we stopped in the Sykia cave, which experts predict will collapse entirely in the next 50 years or so.
Lastly, we pulled into a secret spot with bubbling hot springs emerging from the ocean floor. The water was just a few degree below bath water, but danced with cold water swells.
We ended our boat tour and made our way back to Adamas for dinner at Gyros of Milos where our platters and pita came wrapped in paper.
When we hoped the day was over, we had to pack our bags and the car for our overnight ferry to Santorini.
We boarded the ferry, which was the size of a cruise ship, around 11:30 PM. We had a sad cafe cheese pie and lemon soda before tucking ourselves into our individual bunk beds.
Accommodations: AirB&B, Balliu Apartments, Milos, Greece
