My friend, Jo, and I booked the Black Sea cruise with Princess Cruise Lines and worked feverishly on booking our excursions. We were a bit worried when our options for the cruise port in Khios, Greece only returned three choices.
Not being familiar with Khios made it hard to narrow down a tour. Fortunately, we picked a good one. Jo and I chose the Nea Moni Monastery & Avgonima ($64.95) tour offered by the cruise lines. This four-hour trip took us around to see the most picturesque scenery imaginable. What a treat!
Our Adventures in Khios or Chios, Greece
Jo and I, along with our tour group, boarded a motor coach for the 35-minute drive from the port to the semi-fortified Medieval hillside village of Avgonima. We snaked our way up windy hills with roads that were surprisingly in good condition. The most interesting terrain was partially dead from a devastating fire but held hundreds of years of history. White dusted mountain tops were dotted with thick pine trees, olive trees, and jagged rocks.
As we arrived in Avgonima, population one single resident, we exited the bus and climbed the rocky platforms. Our view was the deserted remains of the hillside village, with each house offering one tiny window and a small door. The views of the canyons and roads below seemed miles apart. They were a visual delight amidst a huge pine forest.
The Aegean Sea could be seen from the Western side. A local artist sold paintings to tourists. A small coffee shop was open where we purchased drinks and sweets. Avgonima was so old!
Monasteries and UNESCO Sites
The bus stopped for another photo-op at a second village, Anavatos, built entirely of local stone. Our tour guide encouraged us to eat from the pomegranate and fig trees as it is acceptable here. We did not hesitate.
Back on the bus, we continued to twist and turn around the mountains another 15 minutes to arrive at the Nea Moni Monastery. Nea Moni is a UNESCO World Heritage Site from the 11th century.
This most interesting monastery could be recognized by its examples of Byzantine Renaissance Art, the red and gold mosaics. The church was adorned with scenes from the Bible as well as portraits of saints.
We learned that the earthquake of 1881 damned many. A startling fact was that after siding against the Ottomans, forces were sent into Khios to make an example of them, and nearly all of the population was slaughtered. Thinking they were safe in the monastery, the monks did not prepare for invasion. The Ottomans entered and massacred the majority of its dwellers. A glass front bookcase stood in the church holding the skulls of many of the fallen, a sad reminder and frightful heirloom.
A Little Bit About Khios
Khios is pronounced with a silent “k” and is located only 5 miles off the coast of Turkey. It is a place known for excellence in metalworking, mastic gum, and figs, and is claimed to be the birthplace of the famous poet, Homer.
The process of tending to the mastic trees (Lentisk trees) was described on our tour as well as how expensive an export it is. Mastic is one of the prime ingredients in chewing gum, but also popular in stomach digestion aids as well as face tightening and whitening skin creams. We sampled mastic at an herb store in Athens. I found it to be like chewing wax; flavorless and a bit hard to chew.
An Amazing Cruise Port
Our tour guide, Stevie, was incredibly knowledgeable about Khios. She offered fun facts as well as a valuable history lesson. Stevie did not just fill space talking about worthless information and her voice was clear and concise, which was greatly appreciated by her audience. Princess Cruise Lines did a good job organizing this tour as it provided was much more unique than other tours on this itinerary.
Slightly outside of the cruise port (you must be tendered over to the shore in smaller boats), was 1/2 mile strip of shopping and dining establishments. The water was extremely rough on the tender and many passengers looked ill.
Note: Though the Khios excursion says there are uneven steps to the monastery, the hikes up the hills at both of the villages was far more strenuous than the hill up to the monastery. I recommend wearing tennis shoes. Even though no photography signs were posted, our tour guide permitted us to take pictures inside without a flash.
Khios is a place that I’m glad I visited and can’t wait to tell my friends about. It isn’t often that you get to see something or someplace so special as this historic region. This Black Sea cruise is turning out to be one of my favorites ever.
My Khios, Greece Photo Gallery:
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Anca | Globaloud says
Wow, it looks incredible!
Nelly says
Wow so beautiful and peaceful. Thank you
Monica says
The cupboard full of skulls is a scary reminder of the past!
MelodyPittman says
Was a bit creepy but they like the reminder. 😉
Elaine J. Masters says
The details and pictures make me long to visit and walk those trails, take that tour and eat, eat, eat.
MelodyPittman says
Greece might be one of my favorite eating countries, and Germany. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Anda says
Like I said before Melody, I’d love to go to Greece and I wonder if a cruise would be the better alternative. About how much time do you spend on the ship in between destinations?
MelodyPittman says
We did a week cruise and were only at sea one day. The time in the ports was 12-14 hours each. Next year my friends are doing Greek Isles leaving from Venice and they have the same, one sea day and long days at port. I love cruising for that reason but having been to both Mykonos and Santorini on land trips, I would only recommend those as land trips. Too much that would be missing because the nightlife really made those spots for me.
Fiona @ London-Unattached says
I love mastic – great stuff. And I love greek islands, I can’t imagine being the only inhabitant though!
MelodyPittman says
We were told she has been asked to relocate but refuses. That is determination. Cute little place. 😉
Ana O says
So different from the traditional image of beaches and white houses. This is so interesting! I’m interested in history and would be very happy to take this tour.
MelodyPittman says
Awesome! You and me both. Was glad to see something unique, though I do love the sights of Mykonos and Santorini, too. 😉
Beverly Burmeier says
I’ve been on many cruise lines and find the shore excursions from Princess are among the best.
MelodyPittman says
Woohoo! I’m a huge Princess fan! Glad to know you enjoy them!
Ryazan Tristram says
Wow! Nice little town. That short trip in Khios seems to be a great day out! 🙂
MelodyPittman says
It was perfect and very unexpected. 😉 Thanks for stopping by!
Andrea Leblang says
Incredible post and beautiful pictures! I rarely participate in tours, but would love to check this one out. Looks like you had some unique experiences that would have been tough to discover on your own. I love the idea of visiting Avgonima, and I found the monastery especially fascinating!
MelodyPittman says
Thanks so much! We were pleased with the choice and the unique find. What beautiful scenery!
Bobbi Gould says
You’ve really got a great eye for photography. I adore how off the beaten path it is! THANK YOU!
MelodyPittman says
Thanks so much Bobbi! I appreciate that!
Joe Ankenbauer says
I’ve never been to Khios, but it looks very interesting! I do enjoy visiting monasteries, it’s an interesting look into the lives of a completely different culture.
MelodyPittman says
You got it! My Black Sea cruise and cruise ports was a whole bunch of stepping out into different cultures. I loved it!
Tara says
Seems like a really nice day trip excursion!! I haven’t been to a city in Greece I didn’t like.
MelodyPittman says
Me either. I will say that I was not very familiar with Volos or Khios when we took that cruise, but they certainly delivered a fantastic time. What are your bucket list destinations?
Rob Taylor says
Greece really does look fascinating. The art in the monasteries is incredible, especially for not being at the top of well know places/collections.
Kevin Wagar says
Christina has really been pushing for a Greece trip, and with photo’s like these, it’s hard to say no. I love those ruins!
MelodyPittman says
What Christina wants, Christina should get! 😉
Dmitry Pavlenko says
Thank you for your great post! I’m going to travel to Greece. Now I have known what else to visit in this beautiful country.
MelodyPittman says
Wonderful! It is a magical place! Meteora is another of my faves! 😉 Safe travels.
Elaine J Masters says
I’ve always wanted to visit the historic sites of Greece – on the mainland. You’ve really inspired me to consider a Princess Cruise and make it happen.
MelodyPittman says
Awesome! I would never have even known about these places if it weren’t for that cruise. 😉