“IT NEVER GETS THIS COLD ON SAMOS,” everyone kept telling us. But there it was, a few degrees below freezing with blustery winds from the north. Despite the weather we zipped up our parkas, pulled down our hats and set off on the four-mile walk from Pathagoreio to Heraion where mythology has Hera wedding Zeus.
Frozen puddles The last one left standing
The original 8th Century BC temple was replaced about every 200 years due to earthquakes and swampy ground. Of the 154 columns from the 5th Century BC, only one remains towering 50 feet into the sky, half its original height. We had the entire World Heritage site to ourselves except for two black cats who purred us along. We have had canine escorts before but this was the first time for cats.
Visiting Samos may not have been worth the time and trouble, what with the weather and the winter ferry schedule, but if we hadn’t come we would always have wondered. Come to think of it, we were the only tourists who got off the ferry in Pathagoreio, named for the A2 + B2 = C2 right triangle guy. Only two hotels were open, ours and the one next door where we did laundry and we were the only guests.
