Tinos Part 2

I think that wherever I go in the world, I will not have enough time there. I never want to leave a place that I am enjoying. There have been very few trips on which I was really ready to say goodbye to the experiences and the landscape and head home. This is not to say that I’m not happy to be going home; I love home. But the actual leaving of the new place, the closing of the door for the last time and the getting in the car or cab or whatever to leave- that’s not my favorite thing. Goodbyes are sad, even when it’s just a place. A place I could come back to, but don’t know if I will. I hope I will. Tinos is magical. 

Our day yesterday was a bit shorter, a bit more relaxed- not that the first two were very busy, but yesterday we only visited one little town, one beautiful restaurant, and our own beach at Agios Romanos. The town of Pyrgos is known for its marble carvers, in particular Yannoulis Chalepas. We visited a small museum that was dedicated to Tinos artists, and part of it was Chalepas’ home, where he lived with his parents before they sent him to an asylum for being an artist. When his father died his mother took him out of the asylum and he was able to sculpt a bit again; when she died, he became incredibly prolific for the last 10+ years of his life. He has some famous works in Athens at the cemetery, which I am hoping to go see. 

(Cement cast) 

He has such a sad story that I immediateky became a big fan of his. I think I will try to find his famous “sleeping girl” sculpture on a tombstone in Athens. 

Pyrgos is also famous for the giant tree in the middle of the town square. After we did some shopping on the little Main Street, we sat in the square and had coffee. The tree is great. 

We think it is a plane tree. 

We have been in Tinos at the very beginning of the high season, and the O’Donnell-Thebuses have witnessed it, in their 16 days here, go from a sleepy island with hardly anyone around and most tavernas and stores shut to a quietly awakening island, opening its doors to the tourists that I’m sure help to keep its economy going. Pyrgos is the largest town on the island, after Chora, the main Tinos Town, and it certainly felt like two weeks from now it would be crawling with tourists. As it was, the square had four or five tables filled, but nothing was rushed or crowded. It is the perfect time to go to this island, if you’re ever thinking about making the trip. I’m sure the same goes for many Greek islands. 

We bought some souvenirs for various people in Pyrgos, all of us suddenly realizing that we were lacking on the souvenir front. Then we visited a marble shop, where an artist was carving in front of us, and the pieces were so beautiful that we couldn’t help buying things. Mine is small but I love it so much: 

The artist was so nice. Worth a stop if you are ever in Tinos. He is on the edge of town near the fancy bus stop: 

Right outside this bus stop is where I tripped on some uneven pavement and fell, twisting my ankle and breaking the polarizing filter on my camera- but luckily not the camera itself. A little jar of jam in my tourist purchase bag also broke, and my ankle is not so happy with me today. But I’m ok and my camera is ok and that’s what matters. 

We drove next to one of their favorite restaurants, Thallasaki, on the island, in a little town at the bottom of a hill right on the water called Ormos Ysternion. The tables right near the water are labeled “SPLASH” because often the waves will crash over the deck and onto the diners- as though we were watching an orca show at Sea World. The water was so clear and serene and the view was so peaceful that I decided to buy a house there someday. Unrealistic, but how cool would it be to own this house? 

That’s my future house. It’s a fixer-upper.

The food was amazing- an actual fancy restaurant the apparently celebrities will go to in their private yachts, docking nearby and not having to drive down the windy road with the unwashed masses. I had gigantic shrimp with some sort of fish egg mousse, and we split some appetizers, including whipped fava beans that I will have to try to make at home. I think Willa Marie is glad that I am here to accompany her in not being a vegan. 

We drove home then, back to our serene villa in Agios Romanos, for our last night in Tinos. We went swimming and sat at the beach for awhile, and then I walked over to the closest dovecote to try to get a decent photo of it. I couldn’t get too close because it’s not on the property where we were staying, but it’s not bad: 

Around 8 went up to the roof and watched the sun set. It was lovely, as all the sunsets here have been. 

This morning we woke up early and packed, walked to the beach one last time so I could take pictures of it, and said goodbye. Creamsicle, the friendliest cat of all the cats who live in Agios Romanos, licked my yogurt container clean. We are all going to miss her, and her friend Gandalf the Grey, and this house. 

I am not at all ready to be gone, yet here we are on the ferry, motoring our way back to Athens. I got to walk up the Main Street in Chora again while David returned the rental car, which was nice. Ultimately I barely spent any time in the main town, but that’s ok. The character of the island is in the villages. 

Tinos, I hope to be back again someday. You have a piece of my heart. 

Cameron