Wired Cola

I was amazed.

I've been to Syros two times before. We've gone through the same guidebook to the island quite often, including using it to plan previous excursions (ask TLO and I about our pointless death-march to see Feredikis' Cave! It's a laff riot).

Somehow, our guide book (Syros: today and yesterday; infuriatingly vague about directions, its only virtue is that it has decent photos and is in English; I recommend pairing it with the best map money can buy and a lot of patience) dedicates two and a half short sentences to describing Ayios Stephanos (St. Stephen's), the church shown above.

What that photo shows is that Ayios Stephanos is a very small church built inside of a cave. The ceiling of the cave forms the ceiling of the church, leaving the building itself a slightly dumpy affair from the outside. But in person, you will never ever notice the dumpiness, because the location, and how it reveals itself to you, is astounding.

Here's a sample of the path to Ag. Stephanos, which is about a 30-minute hike from the end of the nearest road:

See the fieldstone walls? The path is the rough collection of rocks just beside the wall. It is steep and loose and fairly sketchy in places.

As you round the final turn in the path, you come in at the top of a large seashore cave, and this is what you see:

And then a few more steps and you see the church.

The interior is austere. The cave itself forms the ceiling:

The cave is quite large; the church is not:

You can also get to the church by boat. Here's the dock:

The hike seems like a pretty good option.

Go see Ayios Stephanos. I'm still trying to figure out what holy fool thought building a church in the most isolated cave on the island of Syros was a good idea, but I thank him for it. The beautiful, secluded location and the aural and visual presence of the sea make this an extraordinary place.

Don't forget to sign the guestbook: