A Little Tripsy to Lipsi

Until now, it has been a distant outline seen across the water from Skala and Grikos – some hills rising up from the sea with the same light brown color as Patmos itself. Today, we got up "early" and after grabbing some takeaway spinach and cheese pies for breakfast – boarded the Patmos Star, a small independent ferry to Lipsi to turn that distant outline into reality. This was the first Saturday of the summer the Patmos Star ran one of its day excursions to Lipsi and given the captain who runs excursion boats to the difficult-to-access Psili Amos beach on the far end of Patmos, we decided it was a good weekend for a day trip.

Aside from reading a brief mention of Lipsi years ago in the Lonely Planet, the best review we had received about the 8km Long Island was from Nichola, at whose studio apartment hotel we used to stay. "Rodos (Rhodes) and Kos are like England!" – meaning the two largest islands of the Dodecanese are too developed and urban. "They are making sex in the streets there! This is why Patmos is good." But he added a caveat "Lipsi… Lipsi is maybe even better."

Pulling into the harbor of Lipsi Town, it became obvious what Nichola meant – the pretty white town there appeared much like Patmos, only it made Skala look like a bustling metropolis. Lipsi is also a one-town island – so no equivalent of Hora on the hill. Aside from some scattered beaches, what you see when the ferry pulls in is what you get.

The people of Lipsi believe their island is what Homer referred to as Ogygia where the sea nymph Calypso lived and detained Odysseus for eight years, attempting to make him her immortal husband. With its beautiful, sparkling blue-green water and pretty beaches, it's easy to see why Odysseus could remain enchanted.

Ironically, today there are no remnants of the Hellenistic gods, but instead Lipsi Town's largest, most visible structure is a beautiful blue-domed church. In fact, of anywhere I've ever been, Lipsi has the highest-ratio of churches  per capita. Sitting and lunch, we counted five within our view and there were many more we observed walking around. Given Lipsi has a resident population of 700, even five churches seem like a lot – but there have to be more than  ten – mostly with beautiful, vibrantly blue roofs. We visited the largest of them – the one in the center of Lipsi town – and found it richly decorated and the walls beautifully preserved with their original frescoes and murals. 

To be honest, we did very little in Lipsi aside from walking, eating and playing at the town playground. But there wasn't much more to do, except go to the beach, which we didn't need given our current lifestyle. So we walked along the harbor, admiring how several tavernas were drying freshly-caught octopus in the sun – the hallmark of a quality Greek seafood restaurant. In the heart of town, we made our way through narrow, winding, pedestrian-only streets the led up the small hillside town with cute shops and restaurants tucked into unexpected pockets. We saw freshly caught sea sponges drying on a cart by the harbor and fishermen loading upon large, yellow nets to go our trawling for the catch of the day. In the span of 45 minutes, we had come, seen and conquered Lipsi Town. So after some time at the public playground, the only thing to do was get lunch.

The Lonely Planet referenced a few restaurants, of which I didn't expect too much. Lipsi is a small island and not renown for much of anything except its quaintness. But when we passed one of them, I thought perhaps we should try it. It turned out Manolis Tastes was one of our best dining experiences in Greece. Chef Manolis himself greeted us and prepared an incredible lunch with many dishes we have never seen on any menu before such as shrimp in kadaif nests and baked goat cheese encrusted with muesli and honey. His salad was one of the few lettuce-based salads we've encountered and filled with fresh, flavorful ingredients – including fresh fish caught just off Lipsi which the waiter brought to us on a platter to show us before selecting. Manolis seems to be a Greek chef who has brought his own version of fusion – mixing concepts of various Greek dishes together and also bringing in influences from other European and Western cuisines. For example, his salmon tartare is the only dish we've seen in Greece that uses avocado (and good ones).

So, we enjoyed a long, leisurely, lavish lunch in a traditional, historical landmark house with some of the best service we've seen. That alone was worth the trip.

Lipsi seemed to mean different things to different people. Matheus found that it helped confirm his growing attraction to small, pretty towns. Growing up in Salavador – Brazil's third largest city and one-time capitol – he has always considered himself a city person. Until Westlake Village began changing his views. And then Patmos. And somehow when Lipsi seemed even more inviting, it confirmed something important for him.

For me, Lipsi was a recognition that Patmos is as small as I can go for a long stay. Lipsi would be great for a week getaway – but I need enough "stuff" to keep me going and Patmos seems to be paradise that still has a real supermarket and organized beaches.

For Emily, Lipsi seemed to confirm her love of Greek music, octopus and cheese.

For the kids, Lipsi confirmed that a great playground is all you need. The Lipsi playground is a little newer and spiffier than the one here in Patmos. So, they were most thrilled with the playground, of all things.

On the ferry ride home, everyone except me took a nap – exhausted from a day of nothing. But that seems to be the point of Lipsi. Like Odysseus, people in Lipsi enjoy the beauty, quiet, rest, fruits of the sea – and possibly a lot of prayer (???). And just as for its residents, a late afternoon nap seemed to be exactly what the island ordered.