Photo: Neo Moni Convent, Chios
Apr 9, 1979 I picked up my money transfer at Chase Manhattan, what a relief. I then rode to the port city of Pireous, 10 miles away. I had intended to go to the island of Paros, but the ferry trip was cancelled, so I decided to go to Chios, a north island near Turkey. The ferry left at 6 PM. There were not many tourists on board, mostly Greek soldiers reading comic books.
Apr 10, 1979 The ferry arrived at the port city of Chios at 5 AM. I found a $3 room at the Hotel Acropolis. I washed clothes, biked around the island and took a walk around the town. Chios island was a favorite vacation spot for French and Germans. I think because of that, I was frequently mistaken for a German. For dinner I had a very good, but cold, meal of stuffed tomatoes and huge beans.
Photo: Refectory at Neo Moni Convent, Chios
Apr 11, 1979 I rode 10 miles uphill to the Nea Moni convent. It was built in 1045 AD high in the mountains. The convent used to have as many as 200 nuns, but now only a few occupied the grounds. Two Swiss and an Austrian had also hiked up from the city. A nun showed us around. There were many good mosaics and interesting buildings, especially the refectory. The latter had a long stone table and stone benches.
Photo: Postcard of Neo Moni Convent, Chios
Apr 12, 1979 Bought my return ticket to Piraeus in the morning. Ate octopus for lunch. It was good if you did not look too closely. In the afternoon I rode the bike and ran into the Austrian. The previous day he had gotten lost hiking alone, and did not find his way back to Chios town until 9 PM. My ferry left at 9 PM.
Map of Greece & Yugoslavia
