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SPORADIC ISLANDS AND EVIA All the books featured on this page can be ordered securely on-line by clicking on the title or picture where one exists. Our inventory of books, replete with currency converter can be found by clicking on the little orange thingy below:
Compiled by Markos Stephanou and Stelios Jackson for the Hellenic Bookservice, 91, Fortess Road, London. If you have any queries or suggestions or wish to add your link, please contact Stelios Click on the map to go the island: Excuse me, but is there a complete dirth of museums in the Sporadic Islands? If you know of one please let me know. S.J. Stelios
Columbus' Alternative to The Sporades Accommodation:Andrew was recently in contact with Mike Constantinou at Greece Accomodation Direct (well last year in fact) who was more than helpful in finding accomodation for him on the isle of Spetsei. Have a look at his site: Mike's site. An advantage of this is being able to plan your own island hopping agenda knowing that accomodation waits for you when you get there. BOOKSRecommended Book: Gates of the Wind by Michael Carrol . The author's experiences of trying to set-up home on the Sporadic Island of Skopelos is one of the classic Greek travel books. All the other three Sporadic Islands feature in a tremendous book, full of high jinx and spirited adventure. The title refers to the name given by the Greeks to the Northern Sporades. "Click the pic" to order through or secure on line service
Greek Island Hopping by Frewin Poffley . I used this book for the first time last March, having always believed in the past that its uses would be limited. What a pleasant surprise I was in for. This is a terrific book, not only for the ways and means of getting between islands and mainland ports but as a guide book in its own right. Particularly good for freelance travellers, hopping the Cyclades or Dodecanese. "Click the pic" to order through or secure on line service
The Greek Islands: Guide to the Byzantine and medieval buildings and their art, by Paul Hetherington. This will appear on all the island pages as it a) covers every group and b) it is excellent. There are omissions but that is to be expected and this is an essential read for anybody interested in the Byzantine period and the Orthodox church. Detailed descriptions of over 300 locations of medieval buildings, especially monasteries, found on 47 Greek islands. A wonderful book. SJ "Click the pic" to order through or secure on line service
Flora and Fauna
books can be found by clicking on the triffid
A very pretty island, Alonissos suffered a devastating earthquake in 1965, which all but destroyed the old Alonissos town. Thankfully the old town has now been brought back to life and renovation is pretty much completed after years of neglect. The waters around Alonissos are supposed to be the cleanest in the Aegean thanks to the establishment of the National Marine Park, primarily to protect the endangered monk seal. There are some good beaches and great walks, boat trips to neighbouring small islands can be taken in Summer and if you're interested in nature there is plenty of scope here for ornithologists and botanists. If you wish to learn more about the monk seal go to Patitiri where the offices of 'The Hellenic Society for the Study and protection of the Monk Seal' are situated, though I'm afraid you probably wont get to see the real animal as they hang out around the eastern islets which have been declared prohibited anchorage to yachts and excursion boats to protect the solitude loving creatures - and quite right too!
Links Laskarina holidays come here www.laskarina.co.uk as do Sunvil holidays www.sunvil.co.uk via Skiathos from Gatwick.
A very useful site to Skiathos is that of United-Hellas, with information
on the hotels as well as practical information on Skiathos
Considerably further South than the other Sporadic islands, Skyros has a lot going for it. From the port of Lanaria, most people make their way to the lovely capital town called Skyros (of course) with its Venetian castle-cum-monastery up top. Many of the houses have quite extraordinary galleries and interiors, and the folkloric ethic lives on in the costumes of the older men and the outrageous February carnival (which admittedly few outsiders are likely to see). Most of the best of the island lies within easy walking distance of the Hora. The north of the island is very green with pine forests and is ideal for walking, though at close to 3,000 feet, mount Olympus takes some climbing. The south is far more rugged with its own tiny ponies similar to Shetland. On the south coast at Tris Boukes there is a corner of a foreign field that is forever England - namely Rupert Brooke's grave. A friend who came here on a yachting flotilla holiday overheard a member of one of the other crew's claiming that Skyros was '...that place where Robert Graves' brook is...' So close and yet...one g and t too many? Special thanks to Rolf Clayton for pointing out my previous geographical error. SJ
Museum:
Site:
(Ebeoia among other various spellings) Columbus' Alternative to Evia; Though the second-largest Greek island after Crete, Evia feels more like an extension to the mainland to which it was once, in fact, joined and you can now easily nip over there from the mainland, thanks to a bridge. Thus, there is little stereotypical island character. It is easily reached by car and Thessalians use it as their summer resort. There are some attractive, forested, pockets, good beaches on the east coast and some intriguing ancient remains and castles here and there. Karystos has a strangely un-Greek grid plan, a castle just inland and a marked Arvanitic (medieval Albanian) flavour in the villages around Mt. Okhi. Working your way up the spine of Evia, the main road junction provides access to Kymi, the main ferry port for Skyros or Halkidha the gritty capital, by way of ancient Eritrea. North from here matters improve: chestnut groves and hill walking above Steni, beaches at Krya Vryssi and Angali, and the most scenic coastal base at Limni, all red-tiled roofs with a nearby frescoed convent to visit. Continuing north you pass the scenic beach of Ellinika en-route to a string of resorts, mostly frequented by Greek mainlanders, some of which double up as ferry crossing points to the mainland.
Museums: Karystos Archaeological Museum
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