6/15: Catacombing the Milos Countryside

On the morning of our departure from Milos, I went for a run/expedition to Klíma. I was seeking the catacombs in the hillsides that were allegedly vast and, in some places, unexcavated. The Milos Catacombs were the second most well-known tourist attraction on the island, after the site of the famous Venus de Milo(which is no longer on Milos at all).

Above: What SHOULD be called the Aphrodite of Mílos

My run took me uphill both ways! I had good views of the harbor mouth leading back to Adamas, as well as skyline views of the Kentro or "Center," the island's Plaka.

As I descended the road on one side of what I'd call a mountain holler leading to Klíma, I saw a long, narrow, white staircase on the opposite side of the holler leading to what looked like a tiny chapel...could this be the entranceway to the Catacombs?

After reaching the staircase(no identifying signage) and ascending to the closed chapel/ticket booth, I saw nothing that looked helpful or indicative of a tourist attraction. I thus decided to explore the trails myself. I scrambled around scrappy hillside pathways, through brambles and thickets, and over shepherds' fences looking for the catacombs, but to little avail. I found a couple small cave mouths, but if they were entranceways to somewhere larger, I would have needed a shovel to get there.

ABOVE: Catacomb? Hobbit window?

I was momentarily startled at one false cave, because I encountered some bones exposed to the open air. They were only from a goat, though.

Baaaaaaaad news.

The only other sight of interest I discovered while hiking blindly like an idiot was a randomly placed marble casket. It was at the base of a cliff on the steep hillside, so I had no clue whether that was an honor for the previous occupant or not. The side was broken in and the tomb raided already, so I have no further Indiana Jones experiences to share.

I didn't even get to fight a single Nazi.

As I began the uphill slog back to Annie, whom I imagined waiting anxiously at the room for my heroic return like a steadfast Penelope, I saw several cavernous, enticing holes in the opposing cliff face that I'd previously scoured so recklessly. I could only have reached them by scaling the cliffs like an arachnid and risking death by goat attack, so I paused only to photograph them, sigh with frustration, and turn uphill toward Adamas.

ABOVE: Gaping disappointment.

Annie was exhilarated by my exploits [read: She skimmed through the photos I took then went back to her James Patterson book], but we had to begin the pack-up for our 1pm ferry departure. Beatrix & George kindly extended our checkout until noon, at which point we left our bags with them to grab a cheese pita from the local bakery and take in the Adamas waterfront one last time.

When we returned to say our goodbyes, Beatrix was very kind and wished us a happy future. We had a great stay at Studios Helios, but we were off for new adventures. The ferry pulled in right before 1pm, and it was a relief to see that our boat WAS literally sailing despite the protests in Athens.

We snagged some comfy window seats near the bow of the ship, and watched Milos fade from sight. The TVs alternated between Greek Idol competitor spotlights, and news reports of the escalating angst and violence in Athens. Syntagma Square, just across the street from Athens' Parliament Building, was at the center of the protests. We had no need to go near there to get to our hotel, but Syntagma is usually a popular tourist attraction and major hub on the Metro line, so a protest-turned-riot there would be in everyone's worst interests.

We got to the Divani Hotel and checked in just fine, then shortly left out again on foot to grab dinner. We walked around the Acropolis, and entered the Plaka past the famous monument to Lysicrates, with engraved homage to Lord Byron as well.

Making our way through Plaka, we stumbled upon Monastiraki Square. Vendors and street peddlers were closing up shop there, so we made a loop back toward Plaka to eat at a small plaza restaurant across from a roof-garden theater. There was some fun people-watching to be had there while we dined on olives, bread, pastitsio and moussaka.

After another good Greek meal, we returned home to watch what news coverage of the protests we could find in English, then passed out. I had a big day planned for us on the morrow, and we had no problem crashing for the night.

Milos Departure Day (June 15) Album:

Milos to Athens: June 15, 2011

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Location:Milos, Cyclades, Greece