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This book describes the loveliest old walking trails. With precise descriptions, detailed maps, exact times, GPS points and photos of outstanding places for better orientation. And lots of useful knowledge about the "Islands of Light." It is made for island hoppers who want to drift through the island world by ship and who would also like to hike and swim in this ancient cultural landscape.
For the update of this new edition all the tracks and paths have been newly walked along and rechecked. All extensions, some of them also changed routes, are recorded. And 12 new hikes have been added.
White, cubical houses in front of infinitely blue sea - that is how we know Greece from the travel brochures. The Cyclades fit this picture perfectly. The name of the archipelago is derived from Antiquity and implies that they are arranged like a circle, a kyklos, around the holy island of Délos. Out of 56 islands in total, 24 are inhabited and they are all described in this series of books. They are linked together by numerous and frequent boat services, which makes "island-hopping" such a special experience. Besides serving the more well-known islands such as Páros and Náxos, the boats also ferry you to the "Small Cyclades", which occasionally make you feel as if you had been taken back to the beginnings of tourism.
Given the variedness of the Cycladic islands, it takes quite a while to find your favourite island. It is best to discover the diversity of the islands on foot. Old paved mule tracks wind their way across the extensive landscape and, bordered by walls, lead to fortified monasteries, lonely strands and clustered villages. Surrounded by the sea, the countryside, which hardly has any fences, lends itself particularly to hiking. You reach places where sometimes nobody has set foot for days or even weeks. Far removed from tourist facilities, the hiker finds the old Greece and what is more, in the tranquillity of the nature, peace of mind. In the mountain villages the hiker encounters open-minded people who let him, the "stranger", be "guest" - in Greek both concepts are expressed in one word, "xénos".
Of the twelve islands presented here Amorgós and Náxos as well as Andros and Tínos can be especially recommended for walking. Yet the others also have many attractions which are worth discovering. Have a good trip! Kaló taxídi!
