Greek Isles: Amorogos, Film, Monastery, Shipwreck

Have you ever heard of the film The Big Blue? No? Yes? Maybe? It was released in 1988. It's a Luc Besson film (creator of one of my favorite awesomely quirky/crazy films, The Fifth Element) so that should tell you something. A few things, actually. 1. It'll be slightly strange. 2. It'll be very creative. 3. There will be some kind of soulful revelation.

The Big Blue, or Le Grand Bleu is a story about a deep-sea diver. It was shot on several Greek Isles, including Amorogos, one of the amazing islands I visited while recently on a G Adventures sailing tour. Two locations on this beautiful, diverse island are easily recognizable in the film. First, the shipwreck. To this day, an old tanker lies nestled against the cliffs on the remote side of the island. You can drive over there and enjoy a day on the beach (make sure to take loads of sunscreen, water and toilet paper for the pit toilet.) and if the conditions aren't too bad, you can swim right up to the shipwreck. If sea conditions are choppy, don't attempt the swim. There's an undertow and chances of you getting slammed against the cliffs are high. No lifeguard on duty.

Second, the Monastery. Easily one of THE MOST GORGEOUS places I've ever seen, the Monastery on Amorogos is a sight to behold!

The name of this place is Hozoviotissa. I have no idea how to pronouce it. It was built to house 30 monks, but now only three live there. In the film, the facade doubles as a hotel in a composite of matte painting and CG effects. But in real life, this gem is an actual church built into the side of a cliff. The inside is quite interesting.

 I'm a little bit in love with this staircase.

Photos aren't allowed on the top most floor. Once you arrive in the upper compartment, you'll be offered a glass of Raki (Which I passed on, not being a drinker of alcohols) and a sweet. (It's Turkish Delight, except this is Greece, so don't call it that, whatever you do!) You're invited to sit, contemplate and relax in this room. While you do so, feel free to observe the mecca of wealth that has been left by previous visitors: Rolex Watches, Jewels, Money and other such valuables.
 (Perhaps you're supposed to feel inclined to also contribute as you're sitting there contemplating all of that generously donated wealth God.)

The view from the monastery... paradise!

In any case, be sure to check out the film while you're on Amorogos, which, lucky for you, is played EVERY NIGHT at Pub Le Grand Bleu. Enjoy a bite, some drinks and good company while watching this funny, fairly strange gem of a film, and the island's modern claim to fame.

The pub owner, introducing the film (on the left) and one of the skippers of the three G Adventures boats docked in Amorogos that night on the right (He's also some kind of world cup sailing champion). We all had a grand time watching Le Grand Bleu!

Greek Isles: Kalymnos

Though I could have spent the entire week just at sea on the 50-foot sailboat Ekavi, island hopping in Greece, by nature, means that you have to stop sailing at some port and actually visit various islands. Que sera.

The first overnight stop that our skipper picked after leaving Kos was at the island of Kalymnos.

Kalymnos is a small island in the Dodecanese chain of Greek islands with a very small population. Much of the island is desolate. Historically Kalymnos is known for it's sponges. Divers since ancient times have harvested the waters around the island for sponges - and not the green Cello brand you pick up in the store. Natural sponges come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. They're fantastic for bathing, but also highly favored by artists and clay workers. They're brownish in color and super soft and they were for sale EVERYWHERE in the port area.

Image from: http://www.spongeskalymnos.gr/

Sponge and souvenir sellers lined the port area, which was a quaint, quiet, adorably Greek place. Kalymnos is an unassuming port, very restful. All along the waterfront were cute restaurants and shops.

When we went for lunch, a camera crew showed up, accompanied by some teeny-bopper looking girl and two wanna-be ghetto-fabulous rapper-type guys. The camera guys set up, an assistant turned on a boom-box and the girl started singing along to some Greek Pop song. They were totally shooting a music video. It.Was.Hilarious. We couldn't stop giggling about it... it was just so ridiculous!

The singer chick in the center (obviously) - the guy on her right was some kind of Greek Eminem wannabe. The guy on her left - no clue why he was there. He didn't do much.


My boat mates and I chose to pass the afternoon by hiking up a massive hill to an Orthodox Greek Monastery. We walked up, up, up - through the vertiginous town. We passed families in the courtyards just outside of their front doors, sitting together, laughing and eating. We smiled and waved and they returned suit. I don't think I've ever seen people that smiled so wholeheartedly as they did, with their mouths, eyes and souls.

St. Katherine's Monastery

Bedouin Wedding in the Egyptian desert. Check.

Additional day doing a blissful nothing in a grass hut on the Red Sea. Check.

Next stop: St. Katherine's Monastery & Mt. Sinai.

Admittedly, I know very little about Catholicism. I have been to Notre Dame in Paris (even sang in it with a Choir!), Il Duomo in Milano, Vatican City even. But being LDS, I don't really identify with much of the business that goes on in Catholic places.

But.

I appreciate them. I appreciate the beauty of the Cathedrals, the churches and sanctuaries and the artwork and the history that has been preserved. (Yes, no matter whose spin on history it actually was!) I appreciate the good that comes from monasteries and other places that are created with the intent to help humanity.

So while I wandered around St. Katherine's, a monastery set up in the year 600 AD at the base of Mt. Sinai, I had no clue what the symbols and artwork stood for, what the deal with the holy relic system was or why everyone was touching a large shrub and pushing prayers into the rock walls surrounding it, (turns out it's supposed to be THE Burning Bush... I'm skeptical. I will not lie.) I enjoyed the antiquity around me. The culture. The history present in the ancient, cracked and crumbling walls. And I observed the crowds pushing through the place. The people wandered through with various levels of intensity on their faces. Some were devout Catholics, it was plain to see. They reverenced the place in it's entirety, soaking it in. Others were interested in the Crusades, or the region, or nothing at all. Whatever reasons brought us all together there (my reason for being there was that my tour stopped there, quite simply), I reverenced the opportunity to observe.

"The Burning Bush" and Me. Being skeptical.

After an hour or so, we drove to our small, budget hotel to unpack, rest and enjoy a hearty meal of tomato chicken, rice, flatbread, hummus and the ever-present and delicious sliced tomatoes before heading back to the Monastery and begin an evening hike to the top of Mt. Sinai.