This year I had the chance to visit 4 islands in Cyclades, Greece (Sifnos, Folegandros, Antiparos, Amorgos) as well as pass by 3 more (Naxos, Paros, Despotiko). Here are some tips if you are interested to visit them.
Sifnos: Accommodation and bike/car transport is hard to find at high season. Be prepared and book in advance. Nightlife is lively with many bars for most tastes. Watch out for a great sunset at the port.
Folegandros: The camping is nice and quiet even on August 15th. Don't miss the great beaches Katergo and Aghios Nikolas as well as the paths that lead to them (alternatively you can reach them by boat). The main village (chora) is cute and cozy. If you 're lucky as I was, you might run into the festival with live music in the main square.
Antiparos: The cave is very fascinating, 90m deep in the ground. Boat trip to Despotiko island nearby is a must there are some surprises on the boat waiting for you as well as a great sandy beach. The camping is noisy, cool and funky. Having a vehicle of your own (bike is all right) will help to explore the island.
Amorgos: You will enjoy it if you like calmness, . The whole island is about views but the view from the monastery is amazing! The beach of Mouros is probably one the best ones I have ever seen: Great waters and so many caves you can swim from one to another. Distances are quite large and a car might be more preferable than a bike. There are also many paths for walkers: There is a path practically to every place on the island. The main village is also cozy, traditional and not too touristic.

Labels: Experiences

Greek newspaper TA NEA included recently an article titled "Getting to know the world through volunteering" which included experiences from Greek volunteers volunteering abroad including me (pdf)! I talked about my participation in a cultural workcamp in Nijmegen, the Netherlands some years ago through SCI .
Other journalists found the idea interesting and I was given the chance to talk in the National Greek Television NET which made a similar report on this in the central news, interviewing 2 volunteers and the coordinator of SCI Hellas, as well as SKAI (ΣΚΑΙ) Television which invited me, representing SCI Hellas to a morning show to talk about volunteering.

Labels: Experiences