Day 7 – Chios: Komi Beach & Chios Town
Our alarm went off at 7am as we packed up, checked out and headed to the port to catch our morning ferry back to Chios. Originally we had planned to windsurf in the morning before check out, but since our instructor told us the conditions would be worse today we decided to change our ferry tickets and catch the 9am back to Chios for a full day in Greece. The Cesme port was a lot more crowded compared to Chios and we were glad we arrived an hour early. Stelios waited on the long line with our bags while Leo and I crossed the street to get coffees and morning breakfast pastries for the ride back. We boarded the ferry at 8:45 and it departed before its ticket time of 9am (their first time any ferry we’ve taken has left earlier than scheduled). The sea was incredibly choppy with large waves but the ferry cut right through them and we arrived back in Chios within 20 minutes. We dropped off our luggage at the house, changed into bathing suits, hopped in the car, and arrived at Komi Beach by 12pm.
I like Komi Beach because it’s sandy whereas most of the other Chios beaches are rocky, and they have plenty of lounge chairs and beach bars to choose from for food and drink service. We grabbed the last front row cabana available at Yucca beach bar. Even though it was really windy today it was a warm breeze, not a cool one coming off the ocean, so diving into the sea was refreshing and much needed. For lunch stelios and I were craving salad, we needed something light after all of the heavy meats and food we were eating the past 2 days, and Leo ordered a sandwich. The boys snorkeled while I walked the shoreline and eventually laid out and read my book. By 4pm we packed up and walked back to the car but not before stopping for a scoop of gelato.
Back at the house we showered, did some laundry and organized our bags. Around dinner time we left the house to head to Chora but saw the family out front – Thea Maria, Tasso, Virginia, Markello, and baby Kostandinos. We chatted for a bit and then realized we were running late for our dinner reservation so we said our goodbyes and started walking to Chora. Stelios tried calling Bourtzi to let them know we were running late but the man said there must have been a mistake with our reservation because they had an event tonight and weren’t accepting any reservations. We were already halfway to Chora to we pivoted and I looked up some options on my phone. The first place we walked to was closed, and we ended up grabbing a table at a small plates Greek restaurant. I looked up and saw Markello waving at us, ironically he and Virginia were seated a few tables over from us with another couple. At least we know we picked a good restaurant! For dinner we ordered a mix of appetizers and pork belly. My favorite was the tirokefteri (spicy feta dip) and Sarikopitakia (a Cretan pastry with cheese and honey). When we asked for the check they gave us a complimentary lemon cake dessert which is always a nice surprise.
After dinner we walked towards the port where there were now 3 hugs yachts docked. We grabbed a table at a rooftop cafe by the window to enjoy the evening breeze and watch the ships go in and out of the port and sipped on Mastiha and a Mastiha water for Leo. We hung out until midnight and then started walking back to the house. On the way back we stopped at the benches to admire the Chios windmills glowing under the moonlight. It was great to be back in Greece, but the realization that we only had a few days left was also starting to sink in. We’ll have to make the most of the time we have left!
