CHIC PLACES: HORA, KYTHNOS GREECE

An afternoon in Hora… Greece is a magical place, known mainly for tourism on the very popular islands of Mykonos and Santorini, which are beautiful but extremely over crowded with Americans. Even though I made a full effort to visit both, I am so glad we had the opportunity to spend the majority of our honeymoon on smaller, less populated islands. And although the cyclidic island of Kythnos was not in our original spreadsheet itinerary, thus was not privy to my extensive pre-trip research, it ended being one of the best little surprises yet.

While sailing into the port of Kythnos I eagerly searched some of the best spots for our brief afternoon and evening there. When I found a little blurb about Hora, the capitol town of Kythnos island, sitting at the top of the hill, I immediately added it to my t0 my must see list. I also learned that Chora, Hora and Plaka often are general terms for the capitol or main city, explaining why so many islands have small cities at the top of the hill that are often more historic looking, inaccessible by roads, as they were most likely the first town on the island. Typically these towns were located high up on a hill, making them harder to invade by pirates and outsiders.

Unfortunately our captain, who was less familiar outside the ports of each island, was fairly certain there was no magical little historic town on the top of the hill and put some doubt in our mind about the trek up to Hora.

However, Arthur is familiar with my drive to explore and was up for the adventure. Also, we were both reassured when the cab driver knew exactly what I was talking about.

And the mini journey (about 5-10 minute drive) up did not disappoint.

The views were amazing, the streets narrow and winding, the people mostly other Greeks on holiday. All the classic Cycladic architecture you would expect to find like stone washed square homes, cascading bougainvillea, pastel accented doors, tiny churches and many little quint cafés to sit at and relax all afternoon.

This sky blue, colorful floral painted setup appeared straight from my island café dreams and was the perfect spot to sit for an undefined amount of time post lunch. This is perhaps one of my absolute favorite things about traveling in Europe. The café culture perfectly validates my desire to hang out, drink, chat and nibble without the formality of restaurant service.

SHOP THE POST

Come for a drink or two and they bring complimentary snacks. If you’re hungrier you can order food or just lounge and chat for awhile without being rushed. In fact they bring your bill with your order which is great because then you aren’t waiting on someone to show back up before you leave.

Arthur and I got into a very familiar routine on this trip; sailing in the morning, lunch upon arrival, afternoons spent wandering around into cafés, drinking cocktails, coffees and snacking until dinner. It’s definitely not a sustainable diet, but it’s the most fun of them all!

And this trip I somehow managed to end every night with gelato, except this time when I decided it would perfectly compliment my little espresso fix.

Turns out it’s a miracle combination.