ANO SYROS
Say you have a cute semi-tourist destination sprawling over two hills accessible by an endless amount of stairs and there is an even cuter famous neighbourhood on top of one of those hills. Make sure you do your research well in advance and climb the correct hill - especially if the weather of the day is forecast to be over 30 degrees of scorching Mediterranean heat. You will know you are climbing the correct hill if you start encountering tourist groups and you hear a lone member of the group saying “Is there a place where you can get a beer around here?”. Another clue you are headed in the correct direction is reaching a road sloping heavily downwards with a giant sign saying “Upper Town This Way” next to it. You just know you will suffer when you see a sign like this, regardless of the location. Also, while the wrong, lower hill may kindly be guiding you with signs “Resurrection This Way”, the correct way offers no consolations of the sort. Did you figure out the place? Ano Syros of course, Ermoupoli’s crown jewel of white washed houses labyrinthing you all the way to the Cathedral of St. George. Not to be confused with the neighbouring hill featuring the Church of the Resurrection, humbly abbreviated in signs often simply as Resurrection.
Once you resign yourself to the climb and the sun starts going down, Ano Syros shows its real charm though. Wander the winding stair-cased streets to find miniature artisan shops, cafés and bars but also to discover unexpected views and churches. As a former medieval stronghold, Ano Syros’s narrow streets can be difficult to navigate as they were specifically made to confuse pirates and make their life difficult. But you be meticulous, peek around corners and explore - who knows, you might even discover the stop of the local bus that takes you up so you don’t have to climb 2 km of stairs.
