Spa Town on Evvia

Yesterday we got away super early for us - around 9 am - and drove down out of the mountains, across some very flat farmland to the coast. When we caught our first glimpse of the Mediterranean up close, the colour surprised us - I had forgotten how blue it was. Hugh told David (who was not paying attention), “it’s the colour of the sky!” We just managed to catch our ferry to Evvia at Arkitsa with 10 minutes to spare. With the sun sparkling on the water, the snow capped mountains and blue skies, it was a beautiful crossing.

We were all very keen to try out the hot springs so as soon as we landed we headed to a likely spot and parked. We found a small beach with little pools of hot water in the mineral deposits. An older man was taking up the prime spot, but an older woman motioned for us to join her in they one she just had her

feet in. It was the perfect temperature and we soon had the chance to use the even better spot when the man retired to his lounge chair.

The beach itself was chilly but Topher braved the cold and took a dip. The boys and I walked over to explore the next point and found another small beach with two little waterfalls of hot water and a large rock with steam and water bubbling out of it. Topher joined us there and we had a great time standing in the cold water with super hot water splashing over us. The boys were thrilled with the big hot rock and found empty cups and a water bottle to fill with boiling hot sand and water. I’m not sure why that was fun but they had to be dragged away to find lunch.

The kids as usual wanted to go to the first place they saw, but I insisted we try to find something without pictures of the food out front. We soon came to a cafe packed with locals with signage only on Greek that also promised fish, which we hadn’t had in a while. Topher and I shared a mixed fish platter

(pictured above) and the boys a mixed meat platter. The tastiest fish was some kind of lightly coated small white fish but it was somewhat off putting to have to pull out the very large backbone.

After lunch we met up with our Airbnb hosts in a very swank new apartment building called Dolphins Apartments. The one bedroom apartment we had rented was no longer available so instead they gave us two studios side by side for the same price. The boys were overjoyed to have their own place and quickly moved right in.

We asked our hosts for recommendations of where else to swim, as there are several hotels that have pools fed by the hot springs, and they suggested the 9 Queens, which is on the edge of town overlooking where we swam earlier. For 10 euros each (half price for the “little one”) we got their full “wellness” treatment. First was 20 minutes in the mineral water jacuzzi, which was the most powerful I’ve ever experienced. For the best bubbles you had to stand

but there was a nice fountain of warm water washing over your head so it was nice. The kids loved it. Next was the hammam, which they lasted about 10 seconds in, and wasn’t half as nice as the one in Athens. This spa has seen better days and I think the last reno was in the early 80s. Finally there was a small outdoor pool to hang out in, with the same warm mineral water. We felt thoroughly pruney by the time we were done around 5 pm.

Topher and I admired the large abandoned hotel across the street, perched right on the Mediterranean (bottom left photo). If anyone is interested in going into the hotel business in Greece, let us know. Topher speculated that maybe the hotel lost the source of its mineral water, or maybe they simply went bankrupt. We’ve seen a lot of abandoned buildings everywhere we’ve been, including newly built ones.

After our swim we hung out in our separate apartments. I had a nap and Topher picked up a few groceries, then we had snacks and wine while the sun set. The boys enjoyed climbing back and forth over the railing between our

two balconies, sometimes without any clothes on! I could have just stayed in bed, but dragged myself out to supper with Topher and Hugh since the restaurant we picked, Kalyva, was only 80m away. David opted to stay in and have eggs. The taverna was great - tasty food, nice atmosphere. It seemed strange to us that such a nice restaurant would be playing the soccer game, but Hugh enjoyed it and is now a Panathenaiko fan. Most tourists in this town seem to be older Greek people, which were the only other people there.

This morning after breakfast we went back to the natural hot pools and mini waterfalls (see photos below and on following pages) and had the place entirely to ourselves since it’s a work and school day. It was heavenly, except for the garbage strewn everywhere and overflowing garbage cans. Surprising in a town that exists for tourism. The school was right across the street - I would think it would be hard to concentrate with such a view! We’re now packing up before heading back to Athens to return the car and catch a ferry to Paros.

Later the same day….on the ferry to Paros. We had a beautiful drive across Evvia to Chalkida (Chalcis), at first along a coast road and then inland along a pretty little river. We passed sheep, a shepherd with a real crook, goats, beehives, many many olive trees of course, and some quiet little towns. I nodded off and woke up as we were climbing into the mountains. The road got very, very windy and I was glad we hadn’t stopped for lunch. The view from the top was impressive but we didn’t dare stop. Google maps was a bit optimistic about the trip to Chalkida, as it didn’t account for how slowly you have to drive on the twisty roads. We started to worry about catching the 5 pm ferry, especially as we hit traffic going over the bridge to the mainland

We dropped off our car in Athens at around 3:30 pm, walked to the metro with our many bags, and headed to Piraeus, about 10 stops away. We had our ferry tickets in hand a little after 4:30, and I rushed to start boarding, but then Topher told me it departed at 5:30, not 5. He had built extra time into his planning but hadn’t told me! The boys wanted to find firecrackers but instead we found a place to wolf down some food, then boarded the huge ferry. The boys couldn’t believe it even had escalators! They are very excited by the fancy charging stations where you can securely leave your devices and currently have three things charging there. We arrive in Paros a 10 pm and our hosts will meet us at the dock to take us to our next Airbnb.