Day 10, May 12, 2024 – Syros, Greece. Today we explored the Island of Syros walking throughout the city center and taking in the sights. We hiked up over 600 steps and 1.8 miles through neighborhoods to the Catholic Church of St. George. In the afternoon Peter took an e-bike ride.
There are tiles on the sidewalks so blind people can find their way. We found these near the port, Ermoupolis, which is also the island’s capital. We were told that these tiles are common throughout Greece.
Maiouli Square is the city of Ermoupoli, the capital of the Greek Cyclades. The yellow building is the City Hall, built in the early 19th century.
The Greek Orthodox Cathedral that can be seen on one of the hills over Ermoupoli, looking out over the Aegean Sea. It is the Church of the Resurrection of Christ, and was built in 1870. On the top of the next hill over, at the same height, is the Catholic Church of Saint Gorge.
There is also the Greek Orthodox Church of Agio Nikolaos, in downtown Ermoupoli. It is located close to Miaouli Square and is dedicated to St. Nicholas, who is the town’s patron saint. It dates back to 1870.
The Apollo Theater in downtown Ermoupolis. It is a center for civic and social functions for the community and is 160 years old.
We taste tasted one of Greece’s favorite sweets, loukoumi, against a similar candy, Turkish delight. Both are a gelatin candy dusted with powdered sugar. In this photo loukoumi is on the left and the Turkish delight from Istanbul is on the right. Loukoumi won the competition for being a softer candy.