“Tinos Island’s Villages in the Hills of Greece”

• June 15, 2020
• By Pen n Daryl
• 0 Comment

The central mountain area villages offer a view into the local villagers lives, with close ties to a their churches. The community homes cling to the edge of the hills, with their places of worship, within walking distance. 

As we drive through the countryside, these small villages come into view as we round corners. It is difficult to find the routes into the villages. The roads are so narrow, it is uncomfortable to meet an oncoming car or truck. On arrival, we drive in and realize the road ends when a stairs descend from the path of the road. Backing up from a staircase is a spiritual act, as we say a prayer for safe arrival. Luckily not many cars compete for the handful spots in a lot. Exiting our vehicle is another difficult chance of safety. Tree limbs, Cliffside’s, rock walls, and closely parked cars, all add an extra dimension of opening our doors and squeezing out, so we can get on with our exploring. 

Climbing down stairs and following a red and white marker, painted on walls and paths, mark a route to follow. The homes are squeezed together in a shared space, linked with tunnels, stairs and pathways. White is the most common color for homes, but many are in disrepair. The shell of the buildings are strong, made of rocks, cemented together, but the thin cement veneer spread on the surface has crumbled away, revealing the complexity of the mason’s art. They give an old-world look and blends in, in a positive way. The past is still there in form, a Phoenix, for someone to turn it into a home. Newly restructured homes are so inviting.

We went into one village, and down a staircase with stone stacked walls narrowing the path. After a short walk, we came upon a lady pressure-washing the walls of a small church. We followed the electrical cord into the door of the church. Wow, such a beautiful sight! Churches are always a joy to see all over the world. Not many churches are open during these Covid19 days. Only some, we can view through a window; a dark room that a human eye can not make out. Our cameras are very sensitive and we see the interior’s splendor.

In one village, we found dozens of small buildings with birds all over them. It turns out they are called Dovecotes, there might even be more of them than churches on this island, and there are a lot of churches on this “Island of Miracles.”

Known as dovecotes, pigeonniers, doocots, or colombiers, these buildings served as apartment blocks for hundreds of pigeons who were waiting to be eaten by members of the community. Some have back doors that can be opened and strings are tied to some of the chick’s legs. The mother would feed the chicks up to adulthood for the owner to come in and remove them for the nights dinner.

The best part for us in these villages, is the many cats at every turn. The locals are very compassionate as water and food containers for the animals are everywhere. Some cats, after showing affection, follow us around like they where proudly showing us their neighborhood.

We stopped at one village and had lunch at a patio restaurant. The food was very good. Bunny’s meatballs were too salty, a problem everywhere. My Greek salad was excellent. I buy some local honey that is purportedly a cure for diabetes. I am not diabetic but a little cure could not hurt. Tired and getting late, we head back to our new home across from the beach. We process our photos and documents the day.