Léros (Part 2)

Áy Marina   

BV was safely anchored in the Áy Marina bay and so on 24 April we took the dinghy ashore to explore the town.

The Italians ruled many of the Greek islands at the beginning of the 20^th century and during the 1930s they built a naval base on Léros. The buildings around the base are all in an Art Deco style but the more ornate Italian approach influenced the house construction over the rest of the island as well. Almost as soon as we were ashore we spotted buildings from this era, some rather faded now but others still very well kept.

Most of the shops were closed because it was Sunday but the town had a nice feel to it. We climbed up through the streets to find the pathway to the castle. This took a few attempts but eventually we found the main route up.

At the entrance the sign told us that the castle only opened in the afternoon; a potential disappointment after the morning’s climb. However, the gate was open so we went inside. Tidying up the grounds we found the curator. He was very happy for us to visit and we arranged to meet him, once we’d explored the castle, for a guided tour of the museum.

Views down to Pandeli (L) and Áy Marina (R)   

As you would expect, the castle’s vantage point gave excellent views down towards Pandeli and Áy Marina. We’d had a brief potted history of the castle from the curator. It had originally built in the 14^th century by the Hospitaliers, the Knights of St John. In subsequent conflicts it was damaged, notably in the 1600s, the 1770s and, most recently, by German Stuka bombers in 1943.

The Knights of St John chapel   

Immediately inside the oldest part of the castle is the Knights of St John’s chapel.

Oldest, 14^th century, part of the castle   

The area around is more recent and evidently restored after the bombings.

We worked our way around the walls looking out along the ridgeline with the six windmills.

On the eastern side of the castle the view was out towards Turkey; the colour of the sea with just fabulous. We also found another small chapel dating from the Knights’ era.

When we had completed our circuit of the castle the curator took us into the museum and gave us a really informed insight into the exhibits. He explained the evidence which suggests that there was originally a temple of Artemis on the site. Indeed, the island was associated with the cult of Artemis in antiquity and even today some of the carnival activities can be linked to that. More interesting still were the icons in the museum. The curator talked at length about the stories the icons tell and how their images were influenced by church politics over the ages. Some of his views are quite controversial in the eyes of the Orthodox church but it was a fascinating perspective and an unexpected bonus for us; we both learned a great deal. The museum was laid out like a grand library with ornate wooden bookshelves and cases. I would have dearly loved to have taken some photographs but the signs expressly forbade it. As we were the only visitors, and we were accompanied by the curator, there was no dodging the rules.

With the tour of the castle complete we walked out along the ridgeline to look at a prominent chapel high above the bay. Terracotta is the roof colour for the chapels here rather than the bright blue we tend to normally associate with the Greek islands.

After such a busy morning our tummies were rumbling and so we walked back down through the town and out to the restaurant beside the windmill close to where BV was anchored. It readily became apparent that we had made a good choice. The food was excellent and the restaurant rapidly filled up with well-dressed locals coming in for a family Sunday lunch. We felt distinctly underdressed in our shorts and T-shirts, both slightly dishevelled having climbed the hill to the castle. Fortunately the Greeks eat their Sunday lunch late and so we were finished before they really needed the large table for 8 that we were hogging.

We’d enjoyed visiting the town and would have happily explored further afield on Léros but we were both keeping an eye on the weather and wanted to make our way to Pátmos for the Greek Orthodox Easter. Apparently the Easter celebrations there are quite special. With that in mind, and some forecast windy weather to dodge, we made our plans to move on.

Léros, Greece