{"id":451,"date":"2020-10-01T20:21:08","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T17:21:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/?p=451"},"modified":"2024-09-13T09:30:42","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T06:30:42","slug":"kseximonio-volakoi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/kseximonio-volakoi\/","title":{"rendered":"Wintering in the monk&#8217;s cave"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><div data-vc-full-width=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-temp=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-init=\"false\" class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1641766912088 vc_row-has-fill vc_row-o-full-height vc_row-o-columns-middle vc_row-flex shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile scheme_dark\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 7.7em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 30em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 12em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Forty-three years later, Stavrini goes back to Volaki to relate the untold story surrounding hermit Harais<\/h4>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row-full-width vc_clearfix\"><\/div><div data-vc-full-width=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-temp=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-init=\"false\" class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1641766928771 vc_row-has-fill vc_row-o-full-height vc_row-o-columns-middle vc_row-flex shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile scheme_dark\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 7.7em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 18em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 12em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Forty-three years later, Stavrini goes back to Volaki to relate the untold story surrounding hermit Harais<\/h4>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row-full-width vc_clearfix\"><\/div><div data-vc-full-width=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-temp=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-init=\"false\" class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1641766726779 vc_row-has-fill vc_row-o-full-height vc_row-o-columns-middle vc_row-flex shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile scheme_dark\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 7.7em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 18em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 12em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Forty-three years later, Stavrini goes back to Volaki to relate the untold story surrounding hermit Harais<\/h4>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row-full-width vc_clearfix\"><\/div><div data-vc-full-width=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-temp=\"true\" data-vc-full-width-init=\"false\" class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid vc_custom_1641766354837 vc_row-has-fill vc_row-o-full-height vc_row-o-columns-middle vc_row-flex shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet scheme_dark\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 7.7em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 18em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 15em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div>\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<h4 style=\"text-align: center;\">Forty-three years later, Stavrini goes back to Volaki to relate the untold story surrounding hermit Harais<\/h4>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row-full-width vc_clearfix\"><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"trx_addons_dropcap trx_addons_dropcap_style_2\">S<\/span>tavrini was ten years old in 1972, when her family took her and their cattle to winter in Volaki, a rough, isolated area <strong>to the east of Dotia, a few yards away from the sea<\/strong>. It was there, inside and outside a small cave, where I got to hear the most grotesque of all the stories she has occasionally shared with me.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One night, while hanging out outside the cave, Merpa, my sister, noticed a star on a boulder<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d says Stavrini. \u201c<\/span><b><i>It looked like an ordinary star on the sky<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. The next morning, Merpa mentioned this bizzare light to her father. Seemingly unwilling to talk about it, the man told his children: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, that\u2019s okay. It was probably\u00a0Antonas, pulling off a little prank on you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span class=\"trx_addons_dropcap trx_addons_dropcap_style_2\">S<\/span>tavrini was ten years old in 1972, when her family took her and their cattle to winter in Volaki, a rough, isolated area <strong>to the east of Dotia, a few yards away from the sea<\/strong>. It was there, inside and outside a small cave, where I got to hear the most grotesque of all the stories she has occasionally shared with me.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One night, while hanging out outside the cave, Merpa, my sister, noticed a star on a boulder<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d says Stavrini. \u201c<\/span><b><i>It looked like an ordinary star on the sky<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. The next morning, Merpa mentioned this bizzare light to her father. Seemingly unwilling to talk about it, the man told his children: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Oh, that\u2019s okay. It was probably\u00a0Antonas, pulling off a little prank on you<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6.jpg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-16x12.jpg 16w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-370x278.jpg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-850x638.jpg 850w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-390x293.jpg 390w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/2-6-780x585.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><small>\ud83d\udcf7 The area in Volaki, in the background, the Venetiko islet.<\/small><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few nights later, while she was cooking in the cave, Merpa once again spotted a small glow, \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about the size of a match tip<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dad, there\u2019s a faint glint over there<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, yet<\/span><b>\u00a0the man once again assuaged her worries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s just the sun light creeping in through a fissure<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. But darkness fell, and that twinkle was still visible. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But dad, the sun has set, yet the light is still there.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few years passed and Stavrini went to Volaki for one last time. January the seventeenth, Saint Antonios\u2019 Day, and she was under the weather. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was feeling dizzy, probably coming down with a cold. My father said: \u2018All right, let\u2019s get the baby goats to feed from their mothers and then you can rest out here. But you\u2019re not going into the cave, you\u2019re staying right here\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><b>Stavrini thought that was rather odd, but she conceded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was a rock outside, a kind of a slab, so I grabbed my overcoat and lay on it. But it was tilting and I was sliding on it, yet without slipping into the cave. I didn\u2019t get suspicious, though. I was fifteen. When I grew up and got married, I asked him and he replied that he didn\u2019t want me to be alone in the cave<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day, while picking up necessary supplies in Pirgi, Stavrini\u2019s father ran into Yiannis Siorakis, the then vice president of the community. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say, Yiannis, my children insist there\u2019s a light coming out of the cave, and a smaller one inside<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen, Markos,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><b><i>I\u2019ll let you in on it, but make sure your kids don\u2019t find out or they\u2019re going to be terrified<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d he replied.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few nights later, while she was cooking in the cave, Merpa once again spotted a small glow, \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">about the size of a match tip<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dad, there\u2019s a faint glint over there<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, yet<\/span><b>\u00a0the man once again assuaged her worries<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It\u2019s just the sun light creeping in through a fissure<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. But darkness fell, and that twinkle was still visible. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But dad, the sun has set, yet the light is still there.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A few years passed and Stavrini went to Volaki for one last time. January the seventeenth, Saint Antonios\u2019 Day, and she was under the weather. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I was feeling dizzy, probably coming down with a cold. My father said: \u2018All right, let\u2019s get the baby goats to feed from their mothers and then you can rest out here. But you\u2019re not going into the cave, you\u2019re staying right here\u2019<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><b>Stavrini thought that was rather odd, but she conceded<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There was a rock outside, a kind of a slab, so I grabbed my overcoat and lay on it. But it was tilting and I was sliding on it, yet without slipping into the cave. I didn\u2019t get suspicious, though. I was fifteen. When I grew up and got married, I asked him and he replied that he didn\u2019t want me to be alone in the cave<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One day, while picking up necessary supplies in Pirgi, Stavrini\u2019s father ran into Yiannis Siorakis, the then vice president of the community. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Say, Yiannis, my children insist there\u2019s a light coming out of the cave, and a smaller one inside<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen, Markos,\u00a0<\/span><\/i><b><i>I\u2019ll let you in on it, but make sure your kids don\u2019t find out or they\u2019re going to be terrified<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d he replied.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3-5.jpg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3-5.jpg 680w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3-5-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3-5-8x12.jpg 8w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3-5-370x557.jpg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/3-5-390x587.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><small>\ud83d\udcf7 The monk&#8217;s cave. Part of the rubble wall has collapsed.<\/small><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><b><i>That cave you sleep in used to be a monk\u2019s dwelling. It\u2019s the place he practiced asceticism, it\u2019s the place he died<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He would rest on the doorway, pluck oaks and make sporks and rosaries. The villagers heading for Ano Kambos would get him food, so he would give them something made out of wood in return. On Easter Day, they offered him some fried eggs but he chose not to eat them and give them back. He only fed on olive oil, bread and legumes. One day, some men stepped by his cave. Once they realized he wasn\u2019t sitting on the doorway, they climbed down his cave. They found him face down; he was probably giving off a nasty smell and his eyes had been eaten by mice. When they flipped him over, they found a book under his belly. On the cover it read: \u2018<\/span><\/i><b><i>God curse the throat of whoever reads that book<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019. So, the man who found him went back to the village and alerted the priest and the other villagers, who walked up to the cave to bury him. Upon seeing the book, the priest told them to bury it with the corpse so as to prevent people from reading it. So, the monk was entombed outside his cave, under that little pine, along with his book<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly that was the norm back then; narrow-minded people, bound to prejudice and superstition.\u00a0<\/span><b>Today, few people are even remotely aware of Harais, the monk who practiced asceticism in Volaki in the late eighteen hundreds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Asking around in Pirgi and Mavra Volia, we found Mihalis Koutouvos, the only person who could recall a few things his grandfather, Stefanos Bris, had told him about the monk. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hermit Harais used to dwell in a cave in Volaki when my grandfather was a little boy. He would strike fear to the hearts of children<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><b><i>That cave you sleep in used to be a monk\u2019s dwelling. It\u2019s the place he practiced asceticism, it\u2019s the place he died<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. He would rest on the doorway, pluck oaks and make sporks and rosaries. The villagers heading for Ano Kambos would get him food, so he would give them something made out of wood in return. On Easter Day, they offered him some fried eggs but he chose not to eat them and give them back. He only fed on olive oil, bread and legumes. One day, some men stepped by his cave. Once they realized he wasn\u2019t sitting on the doorway, they climbed down his cave. They found him face down; he was probably giving off a nasty smell and his eyes had been eaten by mice. When they flipped him over, they found a book under his belly. On the cover it read: \u2018<\/span><\/i><b><i>God curse the throat of whoever reads that book<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u2019. So, the man who found him went back to the village and alerted the priest and the other villagers, who walked up to the cave to bury him. Upon seeing the book, the priest told them to bury it with the corpse so as to prevent people from reading it. So, the monk was entombed outside his cave, under that little pine, along with his book<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Clearly that was the norm back then; narrow-minded people, bound to prejudice and superstition.\u00a0<\/span><b>Today, few people are even remotely aware of Harais, the monk who practiced asceticism in Volaki in the late eighteen hundreds<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Asking around in Pirgi and Mavra Volia, we found Mihalis Koutouvos, the only person who could recall a few things his grandfather, Stefanos Bris, had told him about the monk. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hermit Harais used to dwell in a cave in Volaki when my grandfather was a little boy. He would strike fear to the hearts of children<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099.jpg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-370x246.jpg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-850x564.jpg 850w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-390x259.jpg 390w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0099-780x518.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet\"   style=\"height: 1em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1.jpg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-370x246.jpg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-850x564.jpg 850w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-390x259.jpg 390w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0160-1024x680-1-780x518.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was early September; Stavrini and I went to Volaki and were chattering our way up to Ano Kambos: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We used to spend three months up here. We would get there in December and leave on the 31st of March. Last time I was in Volaki was in 1977. My brother and my father wintered there in 1978 too. And that was it<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. Stavrini looks eager to climb up to the place where she spent so many winters as a small girl. \u201c<\/span><b><i>I haven\u2019t been up there for forty-three and a half years. I was a young girl and now I\u2019m returning as grandma<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m curious to see what you remember<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d I replied. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I remember everything. Where we lay, where we slept, the way we climbed up the donkey\u2019s back. Childhood memories that simply can\u2019t fade away<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We made it to\u00a0Koutroulopirgos, and a few minutes later, we found ourselves crossing the cave\u2019s threshold.\u00a0<\/span><b>Stavrini shows me around<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Up here you can see a stockyard belonging to Mathioudis, there you have the water puddle the goats drank from, down there you can see the cave where the monk kept the icons. He had plastered it using sea sand. You see that white patch over there? A thunderbolt struck and killed sixteen of our goats. A little further down the path, close to Oura, there is a water source.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We begin climbing down to the cave they used to winter in. The path leading there is jammed with mastic and oak shrubs. Stavrini strides confidently, but her hair gets tangled in the branches, and so does my backpack. We duck, we almost crawl on the ground trying to make it through. After a while,\u00a0<\/span><b>we get to the cave her family used to stay: it\u2019s Harais\u2019 hermitage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It was early September; Stavrini and I went to Volaki and were chattering our way up to Ano Kambos: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We used to spend three months up here. We would get there in December and leave on the 31st of March. Last time I was in Volaki was in 1977. My brother and my father wintered there in 1978 too. And that was it<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. Stavrini looks eager to climb up to the place where she spent so many winters as a small girl. \u201c<\/span><b><i>I haven\u2019t been up there for forty-three and a half years. I was a young girl and now I\u2019m returning as grandma<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019m curious to see what you remember<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d I replied. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I remember everything. Where we lay, where we slept, the way we climbed up the donkey\u2019s back. Childhood memories that simply can\u2019t fade away<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We made it to\u00a0Koutroulopirgos, and a few minutes later, we found ourselves crossing the cave\u2019s threshold.\u00a0<\/span><b>Stavrini shows me around<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Up here you can see a stockyard belonging to Mathioudis, there you have the water puddle the goats drank from, down there you can see the cave where the monk kept the icons. He had plastered it using sea sand. You see that white patch over there? A thunderbolt struck and killed sixteen of our goats. A little further down the path, close to Oura, there is a water source.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We begin climbing down to the cave they used to winter in. The path leading there is jammed with mastic and oak shrubs. Stavrini strides confidently, but her hair gets tangled in the branches, and so does my backpack. We duck, we almost crawl on the ground trying to make it through. After a while,\u00a0<\/span><b>we get to the cave her family used to stay: it\u2019s Harais\u2019 hermitage<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1.jpg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-370x246.jpg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-850x564.jpg 850w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-390x259.jpg 390w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0058-1024x680-1-780x518.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><small>\ud83d\udcf7 The cave where the monk kept his icons<\/small><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet\"   style=\"height: 1em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-6 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070.jpg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-300x199.jpg 300w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-768x510.jpg 768w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-18x12.jpg 18w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-370x246.jpg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-850x564.jpg 850w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-390x259.jpg 390w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0070-780x518.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><small>\ud83d\udcf7 An area in one of Mathioudi&#8217;s stockyard, where smaller animals were kept<\/small><em><br \/>\n<\/em><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We would carry water from the village and take our bath over there. Taking a shower outdoors in January, well that was something!<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d She approaches the shed\u2019s front door, pauses and gets silent for a while. She walks in: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where we cooked, on these two slabs, and over there we laid a small kitchenware basket.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><b><i>Four people, four dishes, four forks, four spoons, a pot, a deep ladle, a shallow ladle, that was it<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Deeper inside was our sleeping area, we had a makeshift mattress made of broomshrubs. I would always take the right side<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. I bump into a boxy piece of car tire. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We were poor, we had to cut those tires to make shoe soles<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d she says. She is moved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We come lower and make it to their stockyard. She walks me through the fold where their herd used to winter. Lodged in a rubble wall, a small vial reading \u201cCollogne Casse\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How long you think this has been sitting in here?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d she wonders. \u201c<\/span><b><i>I\u2019ll just pick it up as a souvenir<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It was probably me who left it here<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We would carry water from the village and take our bath over there. Taking a shower outdoors in January, well that was something!<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d She approaches the shed\u2019s front door, pauses and gets silent for a while. She walks in: \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where we cooked, on these two slabs, and over there we laid a small kitchenware basket.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><b><i>Four people, four dishes, four forks, four spoons, a pot, a deep ladle, a shallow ladle, that was it<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Deeper inside was our sleeping area, we had a makeshift mattress made of broomshrubs. I would always take the right side<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d. I bump into a boxy piece of car tire. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We were poor, we had to cut those tires to make shoe soles<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d she says. She is moved.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We come lower and make it to their stockyard. She walks me through the fold where their herd used to winter. Lodged in a rubble wall, a small vial reading \u201cCollogne Casse\u201d. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How long you think this has been sitting in here?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d she wonders. \u201c<\/span><b><i>I\u2019ll just pick it up as a souvenir<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. It was probably me who left it here<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div  class=\"wpb_single_image wpb_content_element vc_align_center wpb_content_element\">\n\t\t\n\t\t<figure class=\"wpb_wrapper vc_figure\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"vc_single_image-wrapper   vc_box_border_grey\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1.jpeg\" class=\"vc_single_image-img attachment-full\" alt=\"\" title=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-300x199.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-768x510.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-18x12.jpeg 18w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-370x246.jpeg 370w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-850x564.jpeg 850w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-390x259.jpeg 390w, https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/DSC_0109-1-780x518.jpeg 780w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/div>\n\t\t<\/figure>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We make our way back to the cave.\u00a0<\/span><b>Stavrini once again walks in it, her eyes misting up<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just imagine what people had to put up with back then: going through the winter with no door, nothing. We would just heap some branches in the opening, but they never did a great job stopping the cold. Who can sleep in there now? Can a human being lie down in here like it is?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d she says to herself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen, Yiorgos, every time we left Epos behind, I would get sad. You see, we were so lonely down there; no one would stop by to say hello.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><b><i>The only thing that kept us company was the lighthouse in Venetiko<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I was always overjoyed to leave this place. This is the first time I get emotional on leaving.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t<div class=\"wpb_text_column wpb_content_element\" >\n\t\t<div class=\"wpb_wrapper\">\n\t\t\t<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We make our way back to the cave.\u00a0<\/span><b>Stavrini once again walks in it, her eyes misting up<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. \u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just imagine what people had to put up with back then: going through the winter with no door, nothing. We would just heap some branches in the opening, but they never did a great job stopping the cold. Who can sleep in there now? Can a human being lie down in here like it is?<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d she says to herself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201c<\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Listen, Yiorgos, every time we left Epos behind, I would get sad. You see, we were so lonely down there; no one would stop by to say hello.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><b><i>The only thing that kept us company was the lighthouse in Venetiko<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. I was always overjoyed to leave this place. This is the first time I get emotional on leaving.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 5em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_tablet sc_layouts_hide_on_mobile\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-8 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_message_box vc_message_box-standard vc_message_box-rounded vc_color-alert-info vc_do_message\" ><div class=\"vc_message_box-icon\"><i class=\"fa fa-solid fa-circle-info\"><\/i><\/div><p style=\"text-align: justify; margin-right: 30px;\"><strong>VOLAKI<\/strong><br \/>\nVolaki is approximately two kilometers away from the southernmost tip of Chios, named Oura or Mastiho. Despite it being a coastal area, the contour is fairly rough, abounding in rocks and cavities. Legend has it, a treasure was hidden there by some pirates.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 2em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-2 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vc_row wpb_row vc_row-fluid shape_divider_top-none shape_divider_bottom-none sc_layouts_hide_on_desktop sc_layouts_hide_on_notebook\"><div class=\"wpb_column vc_column_container vc_col-sm-12 sc_layouts_column_icons_position_left\"><div class=\"vc_column-inner\"><div class=\"wpb_wrapper\"><div class=\"vc_message_box vc_message_box-standard vc_message_box-rounded vc_color-alert-info vc_do_message\" ><div class=\"vc_message_box-icon\"><i class=\"none\"><\/i><\/div><p style=\"text-align: justify; margin-right: 30px;\"><strong>VOLAKI<\/strong><br \/>\nVolaki is approximately two kilometers away from the southernmost tip of Chios, named Oura or Mastiho. Despite it being a coastal area, the contour is fairly rough, abounding in rocks and cavities. Legend has it, a treasure was hidden there by some pirates.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_notebook hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 4em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_tablet hide_on_mobile\"   style=\"height: 3em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><div class=\"vc_empty_space  hide_on_desktop hide_on_notebook\"   style=\"height: 2em\"><span class=\"vc_empty_space_inner\"><\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Forty-three years later, Stavrini goes back to Volaki to relate the untold story surrounding hermit Harais<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":201,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[10,9],"class_list":["post-451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-outdoor-stories","tag-pirgi","tag-thotia"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=451"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1259,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/451\/revisions\/1259"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=451"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=451"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chioshiking.gr\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=451"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}