Greek Island Hopping - Part 3: Kalymnos & Telendos

When we left to catch the catamaran from Leros to our next destination our host, Dimitri's parting words were, I think Kalymnos is a great place for you, the people there are very rough. We weren't sure if he was alluding to us being from Walsall or whether something had got lost in translation but we spent most of the journey giggling about it.

We soon came to the conclusion that Dimitri meant down to earth rather than rough when our next host, Leani insisted on taking us to a bar and buying us a carafe of wine to welcome us to the coastal village of Kantouni, our home for the next four nights. 

Kalymnos is 21 miles long and with a population of just over 17,700, it is the third most populous island in the Dodecenese and one of the most affluent islands in Greece. The island is mostly mountainous and is a huge draw for rock climbers with more than 3,000 climbing routes (my Dad, who was an avid mountaineer, would have loved it), it's like the Lake District on steriods! 

You'll know that I love a bit of literary tourism. Last year in a charity shop I came across a copy of Mermaids Singing, a memoir written by the Australian author, Charmain Clift who, in 1951 relocated her family from post-war London to Kalymnos where they found themselves grappling with culture shock and a new way of life. Although we visited Pothia, the island's principal town, on a boat trip from Kos last July, I was keen to explore more.

Kantouni has one of the few sandy beaches on the island. It's a popular swimming spot for locals who come down after work and stay for the spectacular sunsets.

There was a massive cat colony living in the grounds of our studio apartment, happily well-fed and cared for. 

And the village bakery had freshly baked bougatsa every morning (how I always manage to lose weight when I'm on holiday I'll never know!)

By night, Kantouni is very laid-back with just two beach bars (one of which closes after sunset) and five tavernas, our favourite being Nikolas, where the boss would finish up and sit and chat to us over a beer. There were so many cheeky cats at Alati, the waiting staff would hand out a spray bottles of water to deter them from nicking your tea.

Catering to a mainly Greek clientele, there weren't many vegetarian options but there was always something I could eat and, with Kalymnos's Italian history, the pasta was particularly delicious. 

We wanted to visit Telendos so we took the bus to Myrties, the biggest "resort" on the island and hopped on a water taxi. 

1km off the coast of Kalymnos, Telendos is a tiny car-free island with a population of just sixty-six. At its centre there's a steep, flat-topped mountain whose sides plunge straight into the sea and therefore popular with rock climbers, with whom we shared the boat.

The harbour has a cluster of tavernas & a handful of rooms to rent, the beach is sandy and the sea is calm and wonderful. It's possible to swim across from Kalymnos, I'm tempted to buy one of those dry packs and have a go next time we visit (and I'm pretty sure that there WILL be a next time!)  

The Kalymnian salad we shared for lunch was mind-blowingly good with rusks, olives, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, oregano, pickled caper leaves, Kopanisti (a freshly made local goat's cheese) and lashings of olive oil. We had asked for pitta bread by the waiter told us it would be too much - and she was right! 

And the best thing about it was local celebrity, Old Man, who popped over to introduce himself and took turns sitting on our laps! 

After a blissful day spent swimming and basking in the sunshine, we caught the boat back to Kalymnos. We'd just missed the hourly bus so we flagged down a taxi. The taxi driver was very excited by my plaits, explaining that they were a traditional Kalymnian hairstyle rarely seen in this day and age & taught us the word,  πλέγμα (pronounced pleg-ma) meaning braided hair.  

Last year's visit to Pothia was fleeting and the glimpses we had of the grand merchants' houses and the intriguing alleyways made me desperate to explore the island's principal town and maybe even walk in the footsteps of the Clift family. 

Known as the Sponge-divers' Island, sponges were the main source of income of Kalymnians for centuries, bringing wealth to the island and making it famous throughout the Mediterranean. The Kalymnians harvested sponges from the sea-bed as far as North Africa, spending six months a year away from home, living aboard tiny boats the whole time. Early diving was done naked and without equipment (free diving) and even today, sponges are still fished individually, by hand. 

Pothia was built in 1850 when pirate raids on the island decreased and it was deemed safe enough to live near the sea. The architectural style is Venetian as, like the rest of the Dodecanese, Kalymnos was ruled by the Italians.

If you're at all interested in the island's sponge diving tradition, history and diving methods the Maritime Museum of Kalymnos is a must. As well as all manner of artifacts from shipwrecks and the sponge diving industry, you'll get to see a fascinating short film, Matadors of the Deep (1974) explaining the hardships faced by both the sponge divers and their families. 

The guide, Skyros, was absolutely hilarious. Insisting we modeled the exhibits and christening us the King and Queen of Kalymnos.

The museum also has a folklore section, be still my beating heart! 

There is no fixed admission fee, you pay what you like. 

If, like us, you adore Corfu Town with its dilapidated grandeur and labyrinthine alleyways, you'll love Pothia. 

There's some perfectly lovely taverns by the harbour but, if you want an authentically Greek experience, follow the locals and head for one of the tiny oyzepis in the back streets. We only ordered a salad to share and ended up with a table filled with veggie-friendly food (and only 8 euros!)

Away from the hustle and bustle of the harbour, Pothia is wonderfully tranquil. 

As usual we played, what house would you buy if bloody Bre*it had never happened...my choice is the one below.

The Archaeological Museum of Kalymnos is sleek and modern, in marked contrast to its neighbours.

With no admission cost, splendidly curated artefacts and excellent signage, it's the perfect place to escape the heat. 

This larger than life-sized bronze statue was definitely the highlight. 

Retrieved from the Kalymnian waters twenty-three years ago, she's believed to be part of a shipwrecked cargo from the 4th or 3rd century BC. Representing a mature woman in a state of emotional turmoil, historians say that she's likely Demeter searching for her daughter, Persephone. She displays an extraordinary degree of bronze-casting skill in showing different textures between her skin, her hair, her overcoat and and her undergarment. Experts say that the fringe of her woollen coat is one of the best things ever seen in ancient sculpture and that way that her body and its tenseness show through her clothing is exceptional.

Throughout our time on Kalymnos we kept comparing it to being on the set of Jason and the Argonauts, casting an eye out for Cyclops emerging from one of the surrounding caves, half expecting a furious Zeus to hurl a thunderbolt down from the top of a mountain or for Poseidon to rear up from depths of the Aegean, trident in hand. Demeter looks like she belongs in my favourite childhood film, perhaps in charge of the mechanical owl or raising the skeleton army! 

 

After far too soon, it was time to board the ferry back to Kos. 

And with no wind (unlike our voyage to Leros), we sat on the top deck and gazed out on Pothia until it became a speck on the horizon. 

Kalymnos's rugged beauty and the islanders' friendliness won our hearts, it won't be the last time we visit this incredible island. 

See you soon for the final instalment.