Ios Island

We tied up in Ormos, the port of Ios, to hide from some coming Meltemi winds, which gave us the chance to explore the island a little bit. On the hill above the port sits Chora, the capital and only village of the island. We climbed up through the cobblestones and whitewashed buildings of the town, through a maze of enchanting laneways, all the while with locals calling out of their windows and directing us towards the top of the hill.

Here, perched high above the hillside (and only accessible by foot), a large blue-domed church and three small chapels stand overlooking the town and port below. And beyond an early Bronze Age settlement, Skarkos, we spied Long Summer down in the port. It was the perfect place to take in the amazing views of the harbour and islands beyond. We truly felt we were in the heart of the Aegean.

What a pleasant way to spend the morning!