|
|
 |
More about Glossa-Loutraki on Skopelos | 
| | Clinging to the hillside
|
The Rough Guide to the Greek Islands calls Glossa `a quite beautiful, totally Greek town`. Quite correct. (Although with a thousand houses it is really a village) But it is out of date in one important detail. Glossa now has excellent water pressure year-round since the drilling of new boreholes. It also has two high quality tavernas - the Agnanti and the Maistrali and a more everyday taverna `To Steki Tou Mastoras`, where great spits of meat rotate over charcoal.
There is a café/pizzeria by the school and the cafeneion by the top church is where you can join the locals for a coffee, beer and a game of tavli (backgammon).
Kira Leni’s bakers next to the school on the main road also sells dangerously delicious Greek snacks, pastries and preserves to eat in or take away. She also bakes bread - including wholemeal - on the premises.
In Loutraki there are two excellent fish restaurants (they also do other food) the Armirali and Flisvos. They are side by side at the western end of the village (left end as you see it from the sea), in fact you have to walk through Flisvos to get to Armirali – it is well worth the effort.
In the centre of Loutraki there is a group of cafés where the road reaches the harbour and a splendid souvlaki bar opposite the supermarket. A taverna “Beautiful Greece” sits by the children’s playground and further along by the yacht pontoon is Petrino’s café which is famous for pizza and icecream. In common with many places they now have a wireless hotspot.
Don`t be fooled by the well marked street names, nobody ever uses them. Nor by the fact that many houses are numbered - sometimes with different numbers issued under different authorities at various times. Everybody in Glossa-Loutraki has the same address - Glossa, Skopelos, 37004, Greece. Leave the post office to sort it out.
Part of the great charm of Glossa-Loutraki is that it doesn`t try to be charming or traditional. It just is. It is large enough to have a life of its own and to absorb the visitors in the summer. As almost all of these are Greeks from the mainland, there is nowhere offering an English breakfast or even a foreign newspaper - you must go to Skopelos for that. Local people are welcoming and very happy to exchange a polite `kali mera` in the morning or `kali spera` in the evening as you pass in the street.
| 
| | Suitable for people and donkeys
|
Luckily the narrow cobbled or paved streets were made for donkey traffic; they are bordered on both sides by traditional buildings, and so there is no prospect of the village ever becoming a standard tourist haven as cars in most of the village simply cannot be accommodated.
In the Agnanti and the Maistrali the proprietors and staff speak good English and in some other places a little. But a few words of Greek will go a long way to supplement smiling and pointing. Dasoula’s tiny general store at the top of the village is one exception as she and her daughters speak fluent English with a charming Melbourne accent. | 
| | Evening View
|
Everything in Glossa is within walking distance – a walk which will probably involve going up or down at some point. Even if you have a car, you will probably have to park it some short distance from your house, although you may be able to drop things off at the door. Most of the time you can do very well without a car. The bus leaves from the school (of course) for Skopelos in one direction and Loutraki in the other. The trip from one end of the island to the other takes about an hour - a bit more in the busy season. The scenery is stunning (sit on the right hand side of the bus going towards Skopelos for the wonderful coastal views) and the bus stops close to all the beaches on the way.
Loutraki is where your ferry will arrive, but don’t expect to see “Loutraki” on the ticket. As far as the ferry companies are concerned, the port is called Glossa, just like the village above. In Loutraki you can buy ferry tickets, hire a car or try one of several tavernas and cafés. Here is also the nearest beach stretching along behind the harbour wall. You can walk down from Glossa to Loutraki in about twenty-five minutes, but not advisable in the heat of the day until you’re acclimatised. There is a steep path which will leave your legs feeling like jelly until you get used to it.
Where to stay, where to eat? Glossa-Loutraki in a nutshell
If you want to explore beyond the bus routes, hiring a car is easy and there are many lovely uncrowded beaches you can find, or a journey through the pine woods to Mount Delphi, the highest point on the island which, though 681m high, is still covered in fragrant pine and herbs (and welcome shade).
There are many great walks to be had on the island, several starting from Glossa, and we provide a pack of picture-maps so you can take one exploring with you. Also check out www.skopelos-walks.com | 
| | Autumn flowers
|
The island of Skopelos also has many fascinating birds, animals and plants, which attract specialist visitors. Spring and autumn are the time for the wild flowers. Poppies, anemones, irises, lilies and orchids are among the dozens of species to be seen. Wild fennel and several other important caterpillar food plants are abundant. As a result, there is a good population of butterflies including both the Swallowtail and the Scarce Swallowtail, Cleopatras, Painted Ladies, Red and White Admirals and Two-Tailed Pashas.
Eleanora’s Falcons are a common sight in Glossa, particularly soaring over the cliffs at the western end of the village. Buzzards, Short-Toed Eagles, Kites and Kestrels are among the other birds of prey present in summer. The beautiful Bee Eater is another summer visitor alongside the Little Egret and the Hoopoe. In the evenings you can hear the steady “bloop, bloop” of the Skops Owl.
Overall, Greece’s greenest island of Skopelos is a delight, and Glossa its jewel. We hope you will come and see for yourself what makes it so special.
See our facebook page for lots of pictures of flowers and wildlife
|
|
