September 19 – 21, 2022
Window Seats
The ferry from Kusadasi, Turkey, to the Greek Island of Samos, was a passenger-only ferry that left port at 9:30 am. We secured coveted window seats, only there were no windows. We were up-top, in the sun and the wind, just where we wanted to be for the hour and half ride.
Customs
The boat arrived in Vathy, Samos. We disembarked and went through customs, which took about 30 minutes.
Moving Along
Customs wasn’t nearly as long as I had read it could be in some horror stories on Tripadvisor from travelers trying to do a quick day-trip from Turkey. Several people had horrible experiences being trapped in Greek customs on the island for 2 hours or more. So we either got lucky or hit a lull. Either way, it was a favorable turn of events.
The Ferry Office
We walked across the street from customs to a ferry office and purchased our tickets for the next leg of our journey. Since we’d only be here on Samos for two nights, we wanted to secure them early.
After we had our tickets all sorted, we took a taxi to the seaside village of Kokkari, where we’d be staying.
The Touristy Scale
So far, every town we’ve visited on this trip has been another notch up from the previous one on the touristy scale, and Kokkari is no exception.
My invented touristy scale isn’t an exact science. It’s roughly measured as follows.
The Key Questions
How many tourists do you see walking the streets?
How expensive are the restaurants?
How dressed-up are the people walking around?
How expensive is a mid-range, budget hotel?
How many souvenir shops do you pass on an average block?
How many tour buses are parked outside?
High or Low
Having a low touristy scale score isn’t always a positive, just as having a high touristy scale score isn’t always a negative.
Steve and I tend to favor locations with a low touristy score. They are often more authentic, cheaper, and can provide an amazing cultural experience.
Often, for obvious reasons, the major league cities and heavy-hitter sites have a high touristy score. They attract hordes of visitors and must have the required infrastructure to accommodate them. They tend to be more expensive and more crowded.
The high scorers are often the “must-see” sites and are famous for a good reason. But those low scorers can be the hidden gems, where you encounter the unexpected and have profound and rewarding travel experiences.
How Do You Rate?
Bergama vs. Selcuk vs. Kokkari
Our first stop on this current trip, Bergama, Turkey, was a two on my 10 point made-up touristy scale. It was a very authentic, non-touristy town (see Bergama, Turkey post for more).
Our second stop, Selcuk, Turkey, home of the famous Ephesus ruins, was a four. Selcuk was a touch more touristy, yet still retained an authentic feel (see Selcuk, Turkey post for more).
Third stop, Kokkari, Samos is a solid six. The biggest difference here in Kokkari is that the vast majority of people you see wandering about are tourists. This place is tailor made to serve tourists, but it’s still a relaxed, easy-going town, at least in late September.
What a big change from the Turkish towns we have visited so far, where the vast majority of people were locals going about their day.
Daily Costs
Kokkari is more expensive by far, but it is, after all, another country (Greece), and a part of the European Union, where the dollar doesn’t go nearly as far as in Turkey.
As an example, a 1.5 liter water bottle in Turkey is the equivalent of 17 cents. The same size water bottle in Samos is the equivalent of 1 dollar. We are averaging $30 to $35 for dinner/lunch here, whereas we averaged $5 to $10 in Turkey for the same meals.
So, to not completely break the budget, we are making our own breakfast in our kitchenette, and occasionally just grabbing a sandwich instead of sitting down at a restaurant. There are options, thankfully.
The Village
Kokkari is a small village tucked in along the coast. It’s a beach town. It’s very hilly in parts, but along the coast it’s mostly flat.
There is a small and quiet main drag in the village, one block off the beach.
Tarsanas
Our first afternoon on the island we had lunch at Tarsanas restaurant, about a three minute walk from our studio apartment. I asked our waiter, who I later found out is named Costas, if there was a bathroom I could use.
He replied, “Yes, inside. Always, it is inside.” Good to know – bathrooms are always inside here in Samos.
Costas
Costas, who appeared to be the owner of Tarsanas, was exactly as I picture a quintessential Greek man to be. He was a middle-aged, stocky man, deeply tanned and lined from the sun, with not much hair up top.
He wore a blue and white short-sleeve striped shirt and long pants, and worked very hard taking and delivering orders to the seaside tables, as well as the loungers on the beach, all day long and into the night.
Sun Loungers
Many restaurants along the seaside offer sun loungers, including Tarsanas. We were able to reserve the last set of loungers for the following day. For six euros we had all-day rights to two loungers with pads, a shade umbrella, and two waters.
The Beach
The beach was glorious. It was uncrowded and relaxing. The turquoise water was clear and clean, a bit cold, but still swimmable.
The beach was covered in small rocks, ranging in size from a bottle cap to a large marble. All the rocks were smoothly rounded and polished from the pounding surf.
When wet, the assorted rocks glistened, and their colors deepened.
We knew we’d encounter rocky beaches, and we had our water shoes with us. I thought the rocks on the beach would be a disadvantage, but I loved walking the beach, carefully looking at all the shapes and colors. It was as beautiful as walking along a shoreline covered in shells.
Monty Python
We walked ten feet from our sun loungers and sat at a table for lunch. After ordering, Steve mentions a woman he couldn’t help but notice, who was sunbathing topless a few loungers to our left. I, myself, hadn’t noticed.
Steve continued. He said the woman was very well-endowed, not using that exact terminology. Instead he used a Monty Python reference that I wasn’t actually familiar with, from the movie, Monty Python and the Holy Grail: “She has huge tracts of land.”
After hearing this, I wanted to get a look for myself, but Steve said she had gone.
Location, location, location
Our lunch table was on the beach level. There was a walkway just above us with more tables. When seated, our heads were about the same level as our upstairs neighbors feet. The upper tables were not far, not far at all.
I jokingly said, “That lady is probably sitting right above us and listening to your description of her upper regions.” That would be crazy, right?
We leisurely finished our delicious lunch of fried feta in filo, drizzled with honey and sesame seeds (to die for) and Caesar salad, and returned to our loungers.
The Punch Line
As we moved back to our loungers, Steve turned and looked at the table above where we had just been eating our lunch. He cringed, and sheepishly acknowledged that yes indeed, the woman with large tracts was sitting directly above us with her companion.
Our best hope was that she was European (this was very likely) and didn’t understand English. If not, hopefully she was flattered.
Those uncouth Americans. Can’t take us anywhere.
The Sea
The highlight of Samos is the sea. The beautiful sea. We had a stunning view from our studio apartment balcony. If we weren’t on our balcony we were lying in sun loungers or bobbing in the beautiful turquoise waters.
Wins & Losses
The Full Quote
The full quote from Monty Python is: “She’s beautiful. She’s rich. She’s got huge… tracts o’ land!”
We will never know if that woman was rich. Steve didn’t mention if she was beautiful, and I didn’t ask. I purposely didn’t look over at her, just in case she had overheard us. I just couldn’t chance even a peek.
The Sunrise
This sunrise, as seen from our balcony, that Steve woke me up to witness. Unbelievable.
Cigarette Smoke
All over Turkey and Greece people smoke cigarettes. Everywhere and always, we are subjected to cigarette smoke. I can’t stand cigarette smoke.
So, it’s not surprising that our neighboring studio occupants were heavy smokers and also liked to sit out on their balcony, so we didn’t have as much balcony-time as we would have liked.
Thankfully the same stunning view was around just about every corner here in Kokkari, so we didn’t miss out at all.
Loved the post. That picture of the sunrise is beautiful. Next time, include a picture of the topless sunbather.
Yeah, you wish.