Dodecanese - Greece - page 968

land and 500m to the south of Emborios, looks out onto achingly clear water. The Ftena-
gia Beach Taverna (mains €9;

8am-8pm) is a cosy waterside eatery (try their mouth-

watering calamari).
Horio , a 30-minute walk (3km) along Tarpon Springs Blvd from Emborios, was once a
thriving community of 3000 people, but it's now almost completely derelict. The church
contains beautiful frescoes but is only unlocked for festivals. On 14 August the entire is-
land climbs up here for a ceremony devoted to the Virgin Mary, the church's icon. A
barely perceptible path leads from Horio's churchyard up to the Knights of St John
Castle . It's a steep 15-minute walk with spectacular views.
Moni Agiou Ioanni is a two-hour, unshaded 8km walk along a broad concrete road
from Horio. You can sometimes stay in the church's simple rooms in exchange for a
donation.

KARPATHOS ΚΑΡΠΑΘΟΣ
POP 6080
This rugged island, celebrated for its wild mountains and gas-blue coves, is one of the
most authentic places in Greece. Legend has it Prometheus and his titans were born here,
and with its cloud-wrapped villages and craggy beauty, there is something primal about
the place.
The south of the island is popular with adrenaline junkies and is in the spotlight each
summer when it hosts an international kitesurfing competition. Meanwhile, the fierce
wind that lifts the spray from the turquoise waves blows its way to the mountainous
north, battering pine trees and howling past sugarcube houses. Karpathian women at this
end of the island still wear traditional garb, especially in the magical village eyrie of
Olymbos, perched on the ridge of a mountain.