ISLAND HOP TO SYROS

I should buy stock in some company that manufactures electrical adaptors, because I think I'm keeping the industry afloat.  I haven't been counting how many adaptors I've purchased, but I'm sure most have been for European style plugs.  And, as usual, by the time I found a store on the Greek island of Syros that sold them, they were closed until evening hours.

The weather isn't quite warm enough for the beach, so there aren't very many tourists yet.  While the ferry I took from Athens to Syros was packed, very few people got off at Syros.  I don't know where everyone was going.  Syros isn't a popular tourist destination.  It's one of the quiet islands in the Cyclades, with a population of just 22,000 on just 32 square miles.

I met a couple from New York who spend 2/3 of the year here and they wondered why I picked this island to visit.  It was because it was quiet and not so touristy, which I thought would be a good idea after Athens.  This is the City Hall, a lovely neo-classical building.

I spent only one day here wandering about the streets of the port town, most of which looked like this.

This is the port town of the island, Ermoupoli.  I stumbled onto the market area of town where there were butchers and vegetable vendors.

And fresh fish....don't those guys in front look like they're trying to flip off the table?

There were lots of stray cats on the streets.  This one found an interesting spot to relax.

This one was a little shy and wouldn't come out to see me.

There are still some really old stone houses here and there.

I found this boat in a yard of daisies near my hotel, which was 100 or so steps above the town.  I wonder how they got it up here.

A quiet day on a quiet isle.