Kastelorizo - Greek Spirit at the Easternmost Point

In these travelogues across different and diverse Greece, we have often taken you to the extreme points of this wonderful country, from Gavdos in the Libyan Sea to Easter customs in Corfu. This time, within the borders of Greece, we turn our attention to the far-eastern Kastellorizo, an island whose significance and fame far surpass the local reality, the (in)comfort of the few residents, and the rugged natural beauty of the deep Aegean, where this island and its associated cliffs are nestled, and where, during the winter solstice, the sun rises half an hour earlier than on the other side of the country, on the west coast of Corfu.

Kastellorizo is a tiny island of barely 12 square kilometers, located just two kilometers from the Turkish town of Kaş. This position, the great distance from Rhodes as the regional center and Athens as the contemporary central authority, makes Kastellorizo a "floating joker" in international negotiations, military and war strategies, and even in terms of infrastructure benefits that are yet to arrive. Throughout the centuries, Kastellorizo (or Megisti, as it was called during the Middle Ages, reminding us that it is the largest of the archipelago in which it is located) changed hands between Hellenistic inhabitants, Byzantines, Crusaders, and Templars over time, until it reached the modern era under Ottoman occupation, from which, after numerous battles, shifts in power dynamics and flags, passing through Italian and briefly French hands, it finally returned to its Greek homeland in 1948 through the Paris Peace Treaties. Such a geopolitical situation did not prevent the population from fully recognizing and acknowledging its Greek origins and the desire for reunification with the political harbor in Athens and the spiritual one in Constantinople, where the Ecumenical Patriarch resides. You will encounter this in every corner of this military landscape, as the locals remind journalists who are in search of sensational stories: Kastellorizo is a piece of Greek land, and let everyone else forget about it.

However, as the "others" never forget about it, the island has a strong presence of the Greek Navy, which rightfully patrols the waters between Kastellorizo and the smaller uninhabited islets of Ro and Strogilo. In fact, Strogilo, the latter being the easternmost point of Greece, is where the barracks are located, housing numerous soldiers who, proud to be assigned to serve their mandatory military service there, spend their days patrolling the bare rocks, their eyes fixed on the Aegean blue, ready to report any movement to headquarters. Apart from advanced technical equipment, nothing has really changed in terms of the essence of these islets—they have always been extremely suitable for far-reaching observation of the eastern Mediterranean, whether with the naked eye through a slit in linen fabric in ancient times or with modern optics in the 21st century. The islet of Ro is deeply embedded in the Greek national identity because it is where Despina Ahladioti proudly and defiantly raised the Greek flag every day since 1927, reminding the conquerors, first the Italians and then the Germans during World War II, of the natural inseparable ties between Kastellorizo and Athens. Despina Ahladioti, better known as the lady from Ro Island, lived on the island herself for the last few decades of her life, personally raising the flag until 1982 when she passed away at the age of 92. Today, Ro Island is home to a special guard of the Greek army, preserving her memory and raising the flag every day.

Kastellorizo is also an island of gloomy human destinies, written in black ink in the book of 20th-century contemporary history. First and foremost, in 1943, Nazi Germany responded to the liberation of the island with a powerful bombing campaign, destroying most of the houses on the island. Economically weakened by the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, prolonged Italian occupation, and ultimately, criminal bombing, the people of Kastellorizo moved away in large numbers, mainly to Australia, leaving the Aegean behind forever. From 16,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the last century, there are now only a couple of hundred. These numbers are strongly influenced by new waves of migration, this time in the opposite direction, where unfortunate people caught in the turmoil of the Middle East, creating an eastern route, attempt to reach Europe. At certain times, there were multiple times more migrants than locals, which led to an even stronger presence of the army and police on the island. However, these geopolitical movements and resulting migrations do not allow the islanders to have a life fully connected to Athens—the island often lacks a permanent doctor, so simpler diagnoses are done over the phone or via Viber, and for more serious medical visits, one must go all the way to Rhodes, which can be very tiring and time-consuming in bad weather conditions.

Ovako strong presence of national spirit, military equipment and personnel don't prevent Kastellorizo from being a truly sleepy island, distant from the hustle and bustle of larger islands in the Dodecanese, primarily Rhodes. Primarily because there is no traffic on the island, most activities take place in the port town, whose colorful facades seem to conceal the nature of the place.

Rare are the places where you can dive into the sea directly from the table in a tavern, like you can in Kastellorizo at the Paragadi and Lazarakis establishments. It's best to do it before the cold uzo, colored milky white with the addition of ice, along with octopus meze in homemade olive oil. The continuation of the gastronomic journey definitely includes a stop at the tavern of Platania, situated on the hill above the port, on the small square of Megisti, which has retained the decor in which the famous movie Mediterraneo was filmed in 1991. All the charm of Mediterranean life and the senselessness of war were captured in the two-hour fragments of this film. It is paradoxical that the tavern retains the decor of the movie, which in turn adopted the decor of a traditional Dodecanese tavern, which Platania certainly is. But don't ask what came first, the chicken or the egg, just order octopus stifado or tender lamb from the oven with rosemary.

Interestingly, the entire island doesn't have a single sandy beach, but most places where you can enter (or jump) into the sea are rocky or concrete. It is reminiscent of the Adriatic, but the color of the sea and the scents of the deep Mediterranean South immediately dispel any comparison. Swimming is magical (as Lawrence Durrell said about the Kastellorizo waters, "the sea is confusingly clear"), because there are usually no people around, only a few Italian tourists, who are the majority on the island, especially in August. The small island of Saint George (Agios Giorgos) is particularly interesting, with its tiny beach, church, and a bar with refreshing drinks run by a Greek man, Kikos, and his Turkish wife, Hurigul, whose main concern is where to send their child to school—Kastellorizo or Kaş. The beach is bleached with lime, just like the church next to it, the umbrellas are blue, and the water is turquoise. The drinks are cold, there is a generator for the freezer under a specially constructed thatched roof, providing deep shade for the ice machine.

Kastellorizo offers opportunities to explore various cultural and natural attractions, from the medieval castle on the hilltop, monumental tombs, mountain monasteries, the Church of Agios Stefanos, the easternmost church of the Greek state, the famous Blue Grotto locally known as Parasta, the second port of the island - Mandraki, and much more.

For most daily grocery shopping, locals go by boat to Turkey, to Kaş. Some even get married there or find spouses, but they all emphasize that they couldn't live without each other, despite the disputes that arise from Ankara and/or the responses from Athens. The boats that transport tourists, as well as spare parts for faucets, hoses used for transferring wine in the cellars around the port, and knife sharpeners for the island's chefs and cooks, among many other things without which life on the island would be impossible, come "from across the way," as the locals say. Therefore, from Turkey. However, for them, Kaş is not the entirety of Turkey, burdened with history and modernity, but rather a reflection of everyday life and the permeability of political borders in the desire to live peacefully and neighborly.

Dedicate a few days to this island, immerse yourself in its quiet rhythm and boiling surroundings.

Suggested movie: Mediterraneo (1991)

Suggested reading: Stories of Megisti Kastellorizo

Suggested listening: Mikro mou Kastellorizo

Author: Miloš Ničić