Syros
The day started bright and calm. The sails went up at 8:00am, as per program, and we smoothly sailed along the island of Andros. The sea was calm and the wind was so low that the captain decided to take the sails down. And as we went around the southern tip of Andros heading for Tinos, which was our destination for today, Aelos, the god of winds, changed his mind, opened his bag and let the northern wind free. The result was that there was no way we could approach Tinos. Temperamental Aegean had shown its real face –unpredictable. So we changed our plans and after lunch we docked at the port of Syros Island, one of the safest ports in the Cyclades. What a surprise!
Syros is a very small arid island. The city of Ermoupolis is the capital of the Cyclades. Syros flourished in the Bronze Age along with the rest of the Cycladic Islands, but its modern history is the real exciting part. The ancient city was by the water, in the place of the current one. In the Middle Ages the inhabitants, in fear of the pirates, withdrew to a hill inland where they built their city. During the War of Greek Independence the island remained a neutral zone and received refuges from other islands that were sacked by the Ottomans. These refuges founded Ermoupolis in the 14th century. The port became, thanks to the strategic position the island occupies in the Aegean, the coal-bunkering station for the packet ships of the Eastern Mediterranean and the chief port of Greece. Syros developed industries that processed cotton, manufactured textiles, tanneries, etc. Its industrial decline came with the alteration of trade routes around the turn of the 19th century.
Ermopoulis is a clean town with well-built 19th century mansions adorned with marble. The quay is lively and animated with cafes, tavernas and shops selling loukoumi (Turkish delights). The main square is the town centre, and is delightful, paved with marble, shaded with trees and dominated by the Town Hall. Behind this is the Apollo Theatre which reminds us of la scala de Milano, an indication of the intellectual and artistic level of the people. We continued on, visiting the neighborhood of the wealthy ship owners with large mansions and the church of St. Nicholas of the rich.
We returned to the port and had a wonderful Greek buffet dinner on the lido deck, with the beautifully lit town of Ermoupolis in the background.
