It’s a nice walk into town, but the 1st day we got the bus.
The walk in start (and bus stop)
It does have a more Asian feel than some of the other islands presumably due to its closeness and shared history with Turkey.
The illustrious ancient history of Khios has been overwhelmed by the tragedy of contemporary history. The name of the island was possibly derived from Phoenician meaning mastic, which is a chewy substance from the mastic tree cultivated here. It’s found in lots of products and sold by itself as confectionary. Along with Samos and Smyrna (Izmir) Khios became part of the Ionic Confederacy and enjoyed a considerable amount of affluence. After the Romans, Saracens and Genoese the Turks took it in 1566 and occupied it until 1912. The Greek war of independence began in 1821 and in 1822 the Khians joined the revolt. The Turks took a terrible revenge, the towns on Khios were razed 25,000 were massacred and 47,000 enslaved. The Greek Admiral Kanaris archived a small revenge when he destroyed the Turkish flagship and its commander but the real effect of the massacre was to awaken the world to the Greek struggle.
Near the main square
The inevitable Cafe stop (at the harbour front)
The harbourside and old town
The castle and walkback past the windmills
Nicolas discovered some unwanted holes in his polo today …………. (more later !!!)
Did I mention we had no electricity – have lamp will travel for aperitif time
