Samos

The first leg of our journey to Turkey was to the Greek island of Samos. It seems the further from the Greek mainland I am the more I like the islands, maybe it’s the farther I am from Athens. Samos immediately had a different feeling than other islands. The architecture is more varied with elements of Venetian and Turkish styles. Although I enjoy white washed buildings with blue shutters, it was a refreshing to see more color variation. Exhausted and hungry from the long ferry rides all we managed to do before collapsing into bed was walking to the waterfront to eat dinner. Our waiter was very enthusiastic about the island and drew all over the tablecloth map, showing us all the best places to visit.

That night the atmosphere spat out a storm with incredible force. Constant flashes of lighting illuminated the streets that were transformed into rushing rivers. The rain fell in sheets, rhythmically pounding on the window as the thunder rattled them.

In the morning the weather seemed to have calmed, so we walked to the Samos archaeological museum and saw among other artifacts, a 20ft kouros. Then, we all hoped in cars and stared up the mountains for a drive around the island to see other villages and historic sites. We only made it as far as Pithagoria before the atmosphere started stirring again. We took shelter in a café as the wind whipped the pouring rain and once again turned the streets into rivers. Then came the hail and stronger wind, snapping the awning off of the café. Once the skies calmed we decided to go back to the port town, Vathi, to wait for the ferry to Turkey rather than risking getting caught in the middle of another raging storm.