Wednesday 11th July 2012 Skala, Patmos Is

It is always nice to have a couple of days in the same port as it gives you time to get the feel of the area visited. Patmos Island had been recommended to us by several people and as the Eastern Aegean appeared to experience less wind at the time, we thought this would be a good destination for us. On arrival the previous day here we were relieved to find that this was actually the case. The port of Skala, where we moored for the two days was a quite delightful little port. There were a few boats tied along the quay in the town however it appeared that it was no where as busy as some of the other small ports we have visited. Sarah and Anthony decided to hire a quad bike to explore the beaches on the island and we hired a small car to do our own sightseeing.  We were keen to to visit the monastery and also  keen to drive around the island. Our rental car agent suggested we go to the Cave of Apokalypsis on the  way up the hill to the The Monastery of St John, which he informed us closed at 1.30pm. As we had only just hired the car at 12.45pm it was a rushed  visit to both places. Unfortunately photos were prohibited in the cave however as Ric stated we made up quite a bit of time to spend at the monastery!! Once we parked the car and ascended the path to our destination we found the views overlooking the harbour quite amazing. A quick tour of the monastery and a few photos, we stopped in the nearby cafe for a cool drink and bite to eat.  Recognising a familiar accent we overheard our State being mentioned and indeed we had some fellow Tasmanians at the next table. After exchanging travel plans we continued on our journey around Patmos Island. Firstly we continued south east to where we had a swim prior to entering Skala port the day before. Petra Bay and the surrounding area there is quite beautiful, with lovely beaches and small hotels and  the odd taverna in the small hamlet. Continuing on back past Skala we went north and recognised the quad bike Sarah and Anthony hired for the day at the lovely beachin Kampos Bay. Later we found our assumption correct and surprisingly the photos I took of the beach, actually had them both in it. Anthony was in the water almost ready to have a waterski!  In the evening we enjoyed another delicious dinner in popular taverna where we enjoyed some nice seafood dishes. After dinner Sarah, Anthony and I went shopping and later called into the Fish-Doctor to have our feet nibbled by little fish. We have found that in Greece this is very popular. It was an interesting experience which we really enjoyed!!