A Photo Essay: Following the Path of Apostle Paul – Day 6

We hated to leave Samos. We enjoyed it so much.

Nevertheless, we were up early again to catch the ferry to our next adventure, the island of Patmos. The island hopping via ferry began in earnest.

I took a few photos of Pythagereio as the ferry sped away. We stopped at a few small island villages to pick up and drop off passengers. The island ferries have their routine down pat. Some passengers deboarded while we welcomed others on board and were off at one stop in just over a minute. We arrived in Skala harbor, Patmos, Greece, right on time. The ferry operators clearly run a tight ship.

As soon as Skala came into view, Samos became a pleasant memory, and I focused on new, unknown adventures on Patmos. We walked briefly from the port’s pier to our lovely Blue Bay hotel.

It wasn’t long before we boarded a bus and rode halfway up the mountain to the Cave of the Apocalypse. Here, the Apostle John saw his vision that became the book of Revelation in the Bible. We entered the room leading to the cave with awe and reverence. No photos of the cave itself were permitted.

John had been banished to Patmos from Ephesus by the Romans. Patmos was considered a barren island, where prisoners were often sent. On a clear day, John could just about see his beloved Ephesus from his cave. Ironically, John later returned to Ephesus, where he died naturally, the only disciple to do so.

We retreated to a shaded area in bleachers above the building built around the sacred cave. Our leader, Linford, had a message for us. He couldn’t speak very loud since another group was holding a mass just below us. Rather than summarize the talk, please watch the informative video below. Please turn your sound up all the way to hear the talk.

After Linford finished his fun sea shanty, we went to the mountain’s top via bus and visited the Greek Orthodox Monastery of St. John the Theologian. Both the monastery and the cave are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The town of Chora is built around the monastery.

After a light lunch, we rode back down the mountain and checked in at our hotel. We had the rest of the day to tour Skala, a town as beautiful and quaint as Pythagereio on Samos.

Please click on the photos to enlarge them.

Neva and I found a recommended family-owned seafood restaurant away from the harbor area. We were the only customers at 6:30 p.m., but by 7, every table was filled. The restaurant’s owner doubled as our waiter. I ordered sea bass, which he caught in the morning.

Once the sun went down, the little town came alive. A political rally near the harbor may have contributed to that crowd and excitement. It was a very fulfilling day we’ll remember for a long time.

Tomorrow: On to the island of Kos

© Bruce Stambaugh 2023