Skiathos

After a day to unpack a little and get ourselves in the right time zone, we flew to the lovely island of Skiathos in the Sporades islands.  Skiathos, Skopolos and Allonosos are all ‘green islands,’ not as arid as the Cyclades (e.g., Santorini, Mykonos).  Pine trees and dense shrubbery abound, and walking to the beach smells more like Colorado than the ocean.  Our hotel had a beautiful pool area surrounded by huge oleanders that had been tied together with a metal cable so they looked like trees.  We parked ourselves under them each day.  The boys played with other children from England and Serbia.  It seemed that most of the guests at the hotel were from Great Britain and Russia and we were the only Americans.  Skiathos was one of the first islands to have direct flights from London, so it’s been a popular destination for Brits for many years.  Skiathos town was lovely, with an old Venetian fortress in the harbor that has been converted to an amphitheater and a restaurant/bar.  Opposite the fortress is the harbor town with tons of tavernas and grill restaurants and cute little shops.  The gelato, yogurt and ice cream stores are lined up next to each other.  Though we did not go over, Skopolos’ claim to fame is being the film site for “Mamma Mia” and there are boat cruises to Skopolos to see the places in the movie – and the film plays every night somewhere on the islands.  Peter continues to skip.