Ode to a Grecian Autumn 37.2626° N, 23.1322° E
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
37.5773° N, 25.1652° E 37.2626° N, 23.1322° E GREECE GREECE There’s no better way to enjoy the languid rhythm of Greek island life than to visit once the summer season is coming to a close. The weather is still balmy, the scenery still epic and, best of all, you have the place to yourself, says Rachel Howard Photography by Manos Chatzikonstantis Ode to a Grecian autumn 37.2626° N, 23.1322° E 48 ATLAS BY ETIHAD / SEPTEMBER 2018 SEPTEMBER 2018 / ATLAS BY ETIHAD 49 37.2626° N, 23.1322° E GREECE There’s something thrilling about arriving on an island after dark. Especially if you’re travelling in a Twooden boat barely big enough for a dozen passen- gers, with two small children clinging to the hand- rails, whooping into the waves. From Kosta, on the Greek mainland, it’s only a 10-minute ride to the island of Spetses, but it feels like centuries: horse- drawn carriages line up on the waterfront, kids on bicycles slalom between a row of cannons, scattering life without huge numbers of visitors to attend to. Previous page, left pigeons in their wake, and the silver-domed turrets This, for me, is a beguiling time to visit. and right Aegina’s coastline; Tinos is a of the Poseidonion hotel glimmer in the moonlight. There’s no doubt that Greece is again in vogue. popular destination Stepping onto the jetty, my son and his friend race In fact, it’s almost too hot to handle: around 32 mil- for pilgrimages straight for Kardasis kafenion (café) anticipating lion tourists are expected to visit the country this Opposite page, their traditional welcome treat: mounds of hot lou- year, up from 15 million visitors in 2010. That’s clockwise from top left An ancient olive koumades – deep-fried doughnuts like miniature three times the native population of 11 million. In grove on Aegina; the cannonballs, drenched in honey and cinnamon. high season, this popularity comes with a price: island’s fish market; Once an exclusive club for ships’ captains, peak rates, crowded beaches and long queues for boats can be found in during the summer Kardasis swells with affluent the hottest tables and must-see attractions. There Aegina’s waters all is, in effect, no chance to slow down and take stock. year round; Nontas Athenians every weekend who come to sit at the fish restaurant in marble tables, drink coffee and watch the world go You literally have to slow down on Spetses: cars Perdika, Aegina by. But, for me, the best time to visit is once they’ve are banned, so the best way to explore this low- Above Hydra’s stopped arriving in such numbers. Indeed, it’s from slung, wooded island is by bicycle. Every October, romantic harbour late September onwards that I like to visit Spetses my family and local friends join the Tweed Run, a when the heat of the sun has tempered slightly, vintage-themed cycle race for all ages. Riders in when the hotel prices have dropped significantly bow ties, plus fours and flat caps hit the streets on but ferries are still frequent from the mainland, and two wheels, pausing for a picnic under the pine when there’s no need to plan ahead. trees. From the saddle, we peek over the walls of Athens provides easy access to dozens of stately mansions to admire the pebble mosaics that islands and they all offer something unique once decorate their hidden courtyards. After the prizes the season slows down. The breeze is cool, but the for best-dressed rider and most impressive mous- sea is still deliciously warm well into November. tache are handed out, we have a recovery ritual: The autumn sunshine is gentle enough for cycling watching a movie at Ciné Titania, an open-air cin- or hiking, and the locals have time to stop and gos- ema that’s been a summer fixture on Spetses since sip, as they settle back into the languid rhythm of the 1960s. Titania was recently revamped with 50 ATLAS BY ETIHAD / SEPTEMBER 2018 SEPTEMBER 2018 / ATLAS BY ETIHAD 51 37.2626° N, 23.1322° E 37.5773° N, 25.1652° E GREECE GREECE surround sound and a snack bar that serves top- Turkish delight and ice-cold water, an offering from notch gin and tonics. Best of all, there’s a retracta- the monastery’s reclusive monks. ble roof in case of sudden showers. On Andros, one of the closest islands in the The change of weather also offers new ways to Cyclades to Athens (the group also includes bucket- “It’s like walking from the experience the islands. With the first scarce autumn list favourites Mykonos and Santorini), the welcome rains, the landscapes become less harsh, more acces- is even warmer at the Monastery of Panachrantos. rippling hills of Tuscany to sible. The sunburnt hills adopt a modest smatter- On one occasion, the ebullient Father Evdokimos ing of green. Sticky figs burst from their skins, their sat me down in his kitchen and cooked spaghetti the fog-swirled peaks of heady scent leaving foragers light-headed. Grapes with tomato and garlic sauce, a dish so deliciously hang low and plump from vines, purple oregano simple it’s proved impossible to recreate. One of the the Scottish Highlands” buds push valiantly through dry stone walls. This is joys of visiting Greece outside peak season is experi- when I prefer to visit neighbouring Hydra, another encing these close-knit island communities where car-free island but one that’s more untamed than kindness to strangers is sacrosanct. genteel Spetses. In high summer, Hydra’s horse- Lush, mountainous Andros is mysteriously over- shoe harbour is lined with shiny yachts and flamboy- looked by most tourists anyway. Those who do make ant art collectors. In September, it’s quiet and cool the two-hour ferry journey come for the Museum enough to amble over the coastal footpaths to empty of Contemporary Art, founded by local tycoon Basil pebble bays, to loll on slabs of rock without breaking Goulandris to show off his outstanding art collection, a sweat, or admire the edgy art installed in the old or to hike the Andros Routes, a 170km network of high school with only a few stray cats for company. footpaths cleared and waymarked by volunteers. Over The two-hour trek to Profitis Ilias, a monastery the years, I have drunk from the island’s mineral clinging to Hydra’s highest peak, is less intimidat- springs and braved bone-jarring dirt roads to swim Opposite The mountainous terrain ing than navigating the rocky terrain on the sway- in gloriously deserted bays. When I ventured inland of Andros is best ing back of a donkey, which is how some pilgrims on foot, I never expected to find waterfalls tum- explored in autumn make the trip. The pay-off for the steep ascent: bling through the woods, ice-cold rock pools, and Above, left and right wide-angle views of Hydra’s red-roofed town, rambling 19th-century estates, their orchards glow- Pyrgos is one of islands shimmering on the blue horizon, and the ing with fallen lemons. The scenery is so diverse it’s 50-odd villages on Tinos; one of Tinos’s hazy hills of the Peloponnese ebbing into a cloudless like walking from the rippling hills of Tuscany to the furrier inhabitants sky. At the summit, there’s a reward of rose-tinted fog-swirled peaks of the Scottish Highlands and 52 ATLAS BY ETIHAD / SEPTEMBER 2018 SEPTEMBER 2018 / ATLAS BY ETIHAD 53 37.5773° N, 25.1652° E GREECE From left Aegina is full of terrific tavernas; try Nontas in the village of Perdika, where you can find delicious fresh fish through Alpine valleys (indeed, one area is known as “Little Switzerland”), all in a matter of days. Autumn is especially lovely, when the maple, chestnut and oak forests turn every shade of auburn and gold, and villagers will press seasonal bounty, such as chest- nuts and quince, into your hands. It’s easy to lose touch with the changing seasons when you live in a crowded city like Athens, so I make a point of heading to nearby islands at har- vest time. September marks the annual celebration of Aegina’s most famous crop, the pistachio (fistiki in Greek). Pistachio groves line Aegina’s undulating hills; when the nuts are ripe, the shells turn blush- ing pink. The whole snoozy island cranks into party mode for September’s Fistiki Fest, with classical recitals at the 2,500-year-old Temple of Aphaia and local choirs serenading diners in the fishing village of Perdika, a favourite Sunday lunch spot for the Athenian yacht set. “On a whim, I’ll sometimes Less than an hour’s ferry ride from Athens, Aegina is close enough for residents to commute bunk off work and jump to the capital; while other islands go into hiber- nation from December to March, Aegina remains on a boat just to eat grilled lively. On a whim, I’ll sometimes bunk off work and jump on a boat just to eat grilled octopus and cured octopus and cured anchovies” anchovies with lemon pearls at Skotadis, my favour- ite seaside ouzeri (tavern) wedged around the fish market. After too many ouzos, there might be an impromptu outbreak of Greek dancing. SEPTEMBER 2018 / ATLAS BY ETIHAD 55 The mood is more sedate at Moiras, a cheerily painted kafenion where fishermen nurse sludgy shots of Greek coffee. Moiras feels like a delicious anachro- nism on Aegina, but most of the 50-odd villages on Tinos still have an old-school kafenion.