Crawling to a Cure

Tinos was the island we were aiming for when we decided to bypass it and go the extra 10 miles to Mykonos instead.  When we got to the island and saw the state of the port, we decided it was a good idea that we skipped it on the Pipedream.

We took the “slow” ferry to Tinos.  Sloe meaning it takes a whole 30 minutes to get to the island.  It would’ve taken us at least 2 hours to get there.  Mom was excited to see the giant Pi symbol on our ferry.  We knew it would be a good day.

Tinos is home to Panagia Evangelistria also known as Our Lady of Tinos.  It’s a church that was constructed around an icon that was discovered by a nun when she was visited by the Virgin Mary and told where to find it.  The icon is said to have incredible healing powers and there are a few times of the year when great pilgrimages are made to the church.

The road leading from the water to the church has a carpet that leads to the entrance.  The carpet is zoned off with cones because at any time during the year there may be people climbing from the water’s edge to the church on hands and knees.  From what we gathered part of the pilgrimage and worship of this icon is to send a woman from the house hold to start at the water and climb to the sanctuary of the church praying and asking for a cure for a loved one in the family.  Mothers and sisters climb the stairs for family members who have cancer or other ailments. 

There was a woman climbing the marble stairs when we arrived.  She had to climb to the top of both flights of stairs where the archway is.

Mom wanted to try and see what it felt like to climb the stairs and even with her bionic knees could only make it up one stair.  The carpet was so worn it was more like a napkin on a slab of marble.  While the stairs weren’t huge, they were still full stairs and it would’ve been a true act of faith and sacrifice to get to the top.

The Greek Orthodox church lights prayer candles much like the Catholic church.  The longer the candle burns, the longer the prayer will last.  There were vendors along the two streets that lead up to the church selling candles, relics, and small containers to fill with Holy water.  There was a natural spring like fountain inside one of the rooms of the church where people were blessing themselves and filling small containers to take home.  The main room where the relic was stored was covered from floor to ceiling in silver and gold relics that were gifts to the church.  The gifts were either as thanks for a miracle that was credited to the icon or as an offering to ask for a miracle. There was a service going on inside and it was fascinating to take it all in.

There were something like 20 museums in the churches walls.  We got to see two.  Thousand year old manuscripts, lots of older relics, and paintings were showcased in the museums we entered.  It was a really cool experience and was very different than a lot of the Greek Orthodox church experiences we had had so far.

We saw two baptisms take place while visiting the church.  The baptism is a huge event in the Greek Orthodox Church and this was our favorite baby.  I think when I get my child baptized I want him or her to wear a Greek fisherman’s cap. 

We were walking down the street in search of a place for lunch and Dad spotted this sign.  The meltemi has been such a big part of our trip this time around that we couldn’t resist a photo.

After lunch and an ice cream we reread Fodor’s and decided to go in search of an ouzeri that was mentioned.  It’s explained as outside of the town a little bit and at the base of a church.  The book is on the boat so I’m unable to give more specific information than that right now.

On the quest to find the ouzeri we passed some goats.  It’s only natural that Greek goats are friendly so we stopped and had a petting zoo moment. 

We walked for a good 15 minutes down a road and it was by luck or her amazing sense of direction that Mom chose to turn left onto a side road and found the church we were looking for.  This is the church and down where the Pepsi umbrella is located is the ouzeri.  An ouzeri generally serves ouzo, beer, sodas, and an assortment of food.  This one just happened to be located under a church.

We also found the beach popular for locals.  We settled for a couple of cokes and a table in the shade with this view, while other beach goers were getting giant plates of fried sea food and giant beers.  The location is what used to be a harbor and the cement pilings in the water were the breakwater.  It was great to sit and relax.

We took the high speed ferry back so it was only a 15 minute ride and had the great dinner at Restaurant Matthew followed by a weird night of music and awkward swimming entertainment.