Syros revisited
There are some places which bear a certain aura that haunts the traveller in every step. When you loiter around the streets of Ermoupolis, in Syros island in Greece there is something more than the architectural jewels, the Renaissance touch, the Mediterranean openness that runs through the air. If you let yourself surrender to the island, you will see the traders, the architects, the artists, the aristocrats and the workers, the travellers that have walked this city and brought their cultures and have granted it a unique legacy, cinematically parade in front of your eyes. Whatever image you might have in mind, Ermoupolis will surely surpass it. This effect it did have on me -and I had already been there.
It overwhelmed me this summer when I went there with my family. And this specific quality is evident even in the way locals treat you, with refinement and respect. Don’t get it wrong: the island is not short of crystal clear beaches, or iconic Aegean landscapes, but its city is one of a kind.
On our way back we had the feeling that the whole city, -this blend of Catholic and Orthodox bell-towers and mansions along with its people- followed us home, like a lingering ghost of subtle grace. And I am more than certain and more than happy to recommend this place for a destination wedding in Greece or or an Orthodox baptism or for whatever occasion one might want to celebrate, since, among its other merits, it does possess some of the finest venues for such destination events.
xoxo,
Iokasti
Photos: From my iPhone )