I was sitting on the terrace of the Restaurant Byzantio in Kythnos when the owner’s son, Constantinos, came hurrying through, barefoot and shirtless, a spear in one hand, a meowing kitten in the other.

“You like cats?” he asked and gently handed me three-week old Victor. He continued on his mission to the sea with the spear thingy, I played with Victor.

Some time later, Constantinos emerged from the sea and set up a table on shore with a big honking rock placed on top of it.

That’s when the thwacking started and I picked up my camcorder.  The video quality isn’t the best because I was trying to talk to Constantinos, film, and keep an eye on Victor.

After 4 wonderful days, I’m leaving Kythonos for Sifnos.

Thank you to the kind lady who rented me a room and treated me to homemade cinnamon cookies:

Thanks also to the kind owners of the Restaurant Byzantio (“I wish you nice evening, missus.”); to Bene for cavalierly finding a ride for me when I was stranded on a hilltop on a Sunday afternoon; and to the restauranteur from Apiskopo beach who offered me a ride whenever he saw me walking (“Hey, Washington D.C! You going to the beach?!”)

© 2009 – 2011, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved.

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I started island hopping in Kythnos in the Cyclades chain of Greek Islands.

Kythnos is perfect if you’re looking for a quiet island that still clings to traditional ways.  The locals kept saying “It’s not Mykonos,” but that’s a good thing for people who are looking for something not Mykonos, like quiet nights, deserted beaches, and local islanders who stop and chat.

You should definitely have some sort of personal transportation here, like a rental car or moped.  I didn’t rent either and ended up walking 22 km one day. Of course, I also saw things that would have whizzed right by had I not been walking:

Bus service is very sporadic since the season officially starts in July.  The upside is that you’ll have entire beaches to yourself and most of the people you meet will be Greek.

© 2009 – 2011, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved.

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