On a Sunday we dicided to visit the small fishermans village Lagada located just 17 km away from the city of Chios.
The City is built at the slope of a hill and originates from the two ancient settlements Koila and Kydianta. Those ancient settlements where built farther up the hill to protect them agaist potential pirate raids.
While looking around we could spot some remnants of Lagadas origins.
Nowadays Lagada holds approximately 2000 citizens, most of which are affiliated with tourism and fishing.
Eventhough much of Lagada is dedicated to accommodate tourists, it does not feel like it, since most visitors are from the local communities, due to covid-19.
We arrived at Lagada in the morning and set of to explore the forest of Karyda with its beautiful pine trees that provided us with the much needed shade. While sitting on big rocks, that were smoothened throughout thousands of years by the Aegean sea and looking at the small fishing boats far up in the distance. We understood why many people travel around the world to gaze upon this breathtaking landscape.
Since most of the restaurants only open later in the day after the fisherman brought their catch in we had much time to spare, so we explored the intricate system of roads and streets which are a true nightmare for any inexperienced driver. As we walked up the hill we could witness the development of architecture that became older the more we walked up. It comes as no surprise that a uphill walk in the melting greek heat can be quite exhausting so we were pretty delighted when we saw handpainted sinks, which are charakteristic for the area, that provided us with an much needed refreshment.
As the time passed we returned to the bay area. We were eager to finally try the local cuisine and sat down at a restaurant just a few meters from the water. Luckily we were some of the first customers that day so we were served quite quickly and got to experience the fresh seafood delicacies, most of which were seasoned mildly with a focus on the taste of fish with just a hint of lemon.
This lunch was accompanied, like most of the time, by a stray cat longing for leftovers.
These uninvited guests can be entertaining but at worst pretty rude.
After our meal and a free desert we went on to go to one of the many cafes. Since there were not many tourists around at the time, the owners were very welcoming.
It was hard to decide which option to choose, since every coffeshop seemed unique and interesting
but one can only tolerate so much coffee.
After a prolonged stay with strong greek coffee and and a gripping view we went back to our retreat in the woods, where by now a lot of the local youth has gathered.
Soon we decided to start our journey back home. Dreaded at first but anticipated at last. The Way back on the curvy roads with its stunning surroundings invited you to dream of the future and reminiscent about the past. Sunken into our thoughts the time just flew by.
And just like this our day at Lagada had passed, for some of us this was the first time but definitely not the last. We are looking forward to be captivated once again by this enchanting little place.
To see all our Pictures visit our Gallery
