Arrived in Tinos, which is a short ferry excursion from Syros, at about midday. We were met at the port by Ioannis (John) and transported to Athos Studios, a lovely blue and white apartment building covered in fuchsia bougainvillea. Again, the hospitality extended was wonderful – we were given ice cold drinks on arrival and some of the local nougat. Later that day, we found a plate of chocolate cake in our room.

After we had settled in, we set off for the well known Panagia Evangelistria church, with its reputedly miraculous icon of Virgin Mary. This church is the destination of an annual pilgrimage and the 800 metres from the harbourside to the church (which is uphill) is often made on hands and knees. Rubber inlays have been placed on the side of the road to facilitate the trip for these devotees. We felt a little guilty when we swiftly passed a crawling devotee making the trip in the scorching sun. The roadside on the way to the church was bursting with merchants peddling religious icons, candles, symbols and paintings. Rykersaurus was very fascinated by it all. There were only a few people there on that occasion but when we went again the next day at a different time to get some more photos, the church and the surrounding area was brimming with people. The exterior of the church alone is beautiful – with a pebble and marble mosaic courtyard and magnificent marble arches.

When you return to the ‘Hora’ or port area of Tinos, there is no overt  religious fervour; it is another bustling Greek island teeming with cafes, tavernas and bars. The port area in itself is interesting – there actually seems to be two ports – one for the super fast catamarans (hydrofoils) and the other for the usual ferry passages, which is an enormous space, with freshly painted delineating lanes for pedestrians, buses and cars. It has an almost airport- like precision to the lanes, which I am certain makes things run very smoothly when the feast days hit.

Had some fabulous meals – light and heavy- and both harbourside and closer to our apartments, with Greek salads remaining a firm favourite. Ryker is favouring gyros pittas at the moment, although this changes daily.

Went by bus to the village of Pyrgos, famous for its marble sculpting tradition. The hour-long bus trip afforded us the luxury of seeing the rugged countryside and all the little white-washed villages along the way, which Tinos is well-known for.  The Museum of Marble Craft there was absolutely fantastic – located towards the top of the hillside alongside ancient dovecotes, it not only houses many original works in marble but presents and describes in detail the tools and techniques of extraction, transportation devices and of course, sculpting methods.  Rykersaurus is a huge fan of museums and this one was no exception – he was running from exhibit to exhibit, asking what everything was and why and how.

After four delightful nights in Tinos (and many homemade biscuits and cakes!!), we left on a high-speed catamaran for Naxos, one of our favourite islands.