Jeremy's Cool Travel Blog: Pothia: where the streets have no name

Tuesday, December 3

On Tuesday the weather was not looking so nice for climbing, so I decided instead to visit the island capital of Pothia (pop. 11,500), which is only a short drive from Kalymnos. My host family, as I call them, were also heading into town and offered to give me a ride.

I was dropped off at the local travel agency so that I could book a flight to Crete for December 12. While the ticket was being processed, I went next door for a gyro (with tzatziki, veg, and french fries packed inside - mmmm) and made my way to the harbour, which is lined with bars and terraces and, surprise, many boats for fishing and leisure.

At the harbour I stopped by the Kalymnos tourism office to get some information on the town. There I spent a good 20 minutes chatting with the two guys there, who gave me some background on the economy and tourism in Kalymnos, and how it's shifted from sponge diving to climbing. They also gave me a map of the town and traced a walking route that would take me through the major local attractions. I noticed that the map did not have any street names. When I asked if they could write the major ones for me they laughed. "The streets don't have any names here!" they said. It turns out that the districts are identified by names of the churches located there. Beyond that, people use more specific landmarks.

The next couple of hours were spent exploring the narrow, winding streets, which are often only lined with one-foot wide sidewalks, so that you're constantly watching out for approaching motorbikes and cars. After a couple beers at a bar by the harbour, I bought some groceries and took the bus home.

The next day, the weather was also looking so-so. Seeing as my friends were also taking the day off from climbing, I opted to rent a bike and take a ride through the villages north of Masouri. I passed through a couple villages, but didn't pass a single person in any of them. I guess most people have moved back to Pothia or the environs for the winter. The only population I encountered was several heards of goats. At one point, I approached about 40 of them walking in the middle of the road and had to make a bunch of noise to scare them off.

I returned home before noon, having done a 20 km and feeling pretty good. The rest of the afternoon was spent inside working on photos, writing and staying warm. Later that evening, I met the Kiwis, Nick and Helen, and a French couple, Nicolas and Domitille (and their two-year old son, Theo), for an aperitif. I had plans to have dinner with Nicolas and Domi, and they invited Nick and Helen as well, so we ended up having a nice potluck together and made plans to climb together the following day.