Going to Patmos, a good 60 or so miles off the Turkish coast, depending on where you catch the ferry, is not a journey for those who get easily seasick. The ferries going bouncing along, and depending on how heavy the chop is, you may really be slamming up and down the waves. But is it worth the trip? Well yes…. and no? If you are wanting to see some ancient archaeological site, then Patmos is not for you. You can go and see the island, the topography, the village, where a monastery was built centuries after John, a cave, which may or may not be the cave John of Patmos hung out in. I was informed there are other caves on the island. As the guide would say— ‘if not here, then near’. The point however is there has always been a Christian presence here since the late first century A.D. when John was here. I was also told something that contradicted previous info– namely that there was not a Roman mine on the island. Really? And no, John did not write on the walls of the cave what God was revealing. Now the village below is quite nice, and the Greek food excellent (yes it is a Greek, not a Turkish island, so bring your passports wherever you are coming from).
The island is shaped like a seahorse…..
Actually the fastest way to get to Patmos is to fly from Athens to Samos, and then take the fast boat (vaporetto) from Samos. Total travel time, 1.5 hours. From Turkey, it’s a slow ferry, 3.5 hours going, and maybe 4 coming back or vice versa. And there are dozens of little islands to navigate, only some inhabited.
And oh yes, it’s chilly on the boat due to the wind, hence I needed by nice thin leather coat, courtesy Kircilar, the great purveyor of leather goods near Ephesus.
What all this means is you have about 3 hours on the island if you are coming from Turkey. Nevertheless, there are actually tour companies on the island…. and I liked this one….. as apropos…..
So here we are coming into the port. We lost 45 minutes due to a giant car ferry boat not moving on time….. so now, we are running.
More in the next post.
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