25-27 October More exploring

The night before while walking up into the higher part of the town we came across a restaurant we had passed before.
It's name is " The Garden" it is truly inside a garden and surrounded by citrus, jasmine, basil and a huge white bougainvillea.

It was so tempting, I took a picture of this part of town bellow, it was looking so sleepy and pristine .
One can see the white wash of the sidewalks that goes on in most Greek Islands religiously.
It almost looks like  a movie set doesn't it?

On the way out I was handed a beautiful bouquet of jasmine and basil by a family member of the owner of the restaurant.

We continued the next morning our exploration to this small world that keeps offering us more surprises each time as we climb it's steep steps.

Here are some memories of that walk.

We fell in love with these porches that have such abundance of color , touches of the old world that was and the basic simplicity of life.

The fall roses are still going strong with the endless vistas beyond. .

I love this door it looks as one is looking at a black and white picture, it was a very old building

obviously with such character.

The caper bush is growing on it's feet so simply with no expectations!

Nothing is wasted, one finds the right use for so many things we would have thrown away, had they ceased to be useful.

The beautiful curtains that adorn most all the doors and windows are hand made by the owners of the homes.

Giving them privacy as well as filtering the strong summer  sun from the homes.

Unlike most outdoor white washing this particular home owner additionally painted with black all the rock formations. Pretty unique.

By the way the corner tile that is placed on the tiled roofs comes from the ancient times it is called: acrokeramo.

Here is some more information on it:

 The concept has been that the symbols of the trade are entangled in a traditional Greek ornamental edge tile. The name of which is ''akrokeramon'' and goes as far back as decorating ancient greek temples, to house roofs in later days through out the coutry's architectual history course. Although unknown to most this ornament does stand for a really deep philosophical message. The uplifting of the spirit and soul or on the other hand it's downfall due to each person's life volitions (symbolized in the form of the double counterfacing spires). That can either bring each one of us nearer to God (the escalating petals on the upper part) and if chosen otherwise to the absolute elimination of virtue or any sence of goodness (the lower part of the ''flower'')

When we saw this beautiful boat, we had to stop in awe of it. It was so well kept, with its impeccable teak wood , freshly polished  brass and gorgeous deep blue color! 

A dream indeed.

A closer look of this vessel when it moved back to the port.

Although all of the house walls are made of stone, not all are covered with concrete and white washed. This house was left just with the stone and it stood out form all the white. 

We walked up to the top of this hill, the older homes were proudly reflecting  the afternoon sun against nature's backdrop.

Less is more. No space is wasted as you can see with this orange tree and its protected curb.

One of our favorite beaches which is quite secluded and covered with pine trees. It is called Agape Bay or Love Bay. We have shown it before but every time we go by,  it it looks better and better somehow!
So here it is once more, with it's small Byzantine church by the beautiful grounds of a spectacular home..

This is another beach that is called Russian Bay. You can see the remnants of the old naval station that was built in 1834 to supply their ships of the Aegean Sea. The Russians kept the station until 1900 and since 1989 it has been preserved as a historic and architectural monument.

This is our favorite Taverna in Poros. It is called Gia Mas which means to our health.
 We discovered it 3 years ago on our first trip to Poros and we have been going back ever since. The food is excellent and consists of everything from Pizza to Greek specialties, grilled meats and all types of fresh fish . The owners are Dena and Demetri and all the fish is provided fresh from Demetri's fishing boat every day.

They have almost become family to us and we do spend quite a bit of time talking with Demetri, Dena, their two handsome sons as well as Dena's Mom. A close up of some of Demetri's fish is below.  

Look at how this tree was saved as the wall and house were built around it.
The local stonework is wonderful.

A view from across the Askeli Beach of the houses where we are staying. The sun is so bright one would think that
tons of silver dust has been spread on the sea reflecting it's glorious light.