Emporios

May 23, 2012

We loved Chios! Looking back on it, this may have been our favorite island of the tour. It's a mountainous chunk of land, but a spectacular one for cycling. We'd happily go back again.

Our first day's ride took a very roundabout way of getting from Chios town to nearby Emporios on the south coast. We began by cycling west and steeply up into the center of the island, stopping first to visit its great but curiously named Byzantine monastery. We're still unclear why a monastery built in the 1100's is called Nea Moni (new monastery), but it is a striking place to visit and well worth the tough climb up. Built by architects and artists from Constantinople, Nea Moni is a UNESCO world heritage site with some wonderfully preserved frescos.

From Nea Moni, we continued on inland and upward to Anavatos, an isolated, exposed ruin of a town high on a ridge overlooking the interior and the sea far below. Its name comes originally from the Greek word anaveno, meaning 'I climb' - reflecting its dramatic and precarious location. Anavatos has a tortured and tragic past - in 1822, the Ottomans embarked on a horrendous massacre that devastated Chios; at the fortified stronghold of Anavatos, some 400 of its inhabitants leapt to their deaths from its cliffs rather than surrender.

Tragic though its past is, for us it made a great lunch stop before an even greater coast back down. After that we worked our way south, first taking the western route through the mountains to Agios Georgios; then doubling back almost all the way to Chios town before cutting south again at Chalkis and then finally hitting the south coast at Viri.

All in all it was a spectacular but tough ride, with over 6000 feet of climbing. It didn't leave much time for the beach, which was a shame - the beaches nearby Emporios are strikingly beautiful.

The Grecian Castle hotel, our stay in Chios town

High in central Chios, at the turnoff to Nea Moni

Nea Moni (the new monastery), built in the 11th century, is oddly named.

Nea Moni, a UNESCO world heritage site, is renowned for its fine mosaics.

A description of the 1822 massacre, at Nea Moni

Ossuary at Nea Moni, for victims of the 1822 massacre.

Anavatos, a remote village high in the interior

Anavatos, a medieval village with a tragic history, is all but uninhabited

Cruising back down from Anavatos was way easier than the slog up.

Blending in nicely with our hotel at Emporios

Today's ride: 47 miles (76 km)
Total: 826 miles (1,329 km)

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