Patmos

Patmos is an island in the Dodecanese group. It was our first island stop, and I was a bit unsure what to think of it at first. Looking back, I see that it is pretty laid back tourist-wise. Like every island we saw, it is beautiful.

Patmos's biggest claim to fame is that St. John wrote the Apocalypse there. The island is called the Jerusalem of the Aegean, and is heavy with Christian mythology. In this mosaic, St. John is shown in a cave dictating the story of the end of the world.

The actual cave where the Apocalypse was written is part of the white building in the middle of this picture. The monastery atop the hill was built around 1100 AD to honor St. John. It is said to be so fort-like to thwart pirates.

We visited the cave, but picture taking was forbidden. The monastery had some amazing Byzantine art on the walls and ceilings.

The monastery is surrounded by a sprawling, twisting maze of streets with narrow alleys and stairs everywhere. The town is called Hora, but the name is a generic one for a main town. Here, I chill with a donkey. I think this was an actual working, non-tourist-carrying donkey, as we saw hardly any tourists in Hora.

We also saw some drying octopuses. I ate my share of these guys during the trip. Greek seafood is very tasty.