Amorgos Island Magazine

7 Comments

1. Bradley February 13, 2011 Log in to reply.

   Visitors to this excellent magazine who are not familiar with the Amorgos of today should be aware that Google Maps has named one village incorrectly. The lovely hill village east of Tholaria labeled “Aeghiali” (Egiali) is actually named Langada, and has been for centuries. First-time visitors will also discover that some of the “roads” on the Google version are actually passable only on foot or by donkey; some of these feature in the excellent hiking articles elsewhere in the magazine.

2. Katsaros February 14, 2011 Log in to reply.

   It is not totally incorrect ; Langada is the seat of the former (before 1999) community of Egiali, and of the actual “local community” of Egiali, one of the 6 which form the municipality of Amorgos. Perhaps it is even the administrative “official” name of the village (but the name Langada is indeed the most used)

3. Bradley February 15, 2011 Log in to reply.

   Katsaros, thank you for motivating me to spend several hours in on-line research. The results are fascinating! As you know, the administrative delineations in Greece have changed more than once during the 20-plus years my wife and I have known and loved Amorgos. From the first day of our arrival, the road signs, tourist information, and local folks identified the village in question as “Langada.” You are absolutely correct that in the past, the official municipality of Aegiali included Langada, Tholaria, Potamos, and the other sparsely-settled villages nearby (like Stroumvos), and Langada was the official seat. Now, since the Kallikratis Plan went into effect (1 January 2011, but elections were held in 2010), all of Amorgos is one municipality, under the peripheral unit of Naxos, in the periphery of the Southern Aegean. Wow! I couldn’t find anywhere an indication as to whether there is a governmental seat named for the local community of Aegiali. Of course there is historical and governmental precedent for calling Langada “Aegiali,” and so it is called on many maps – to the dismay of tourists, who are trying to find out where Langada is before they get to the island! If you tell the taxi in Katpola to take you to Aegiali, he’ll deposit you in Ormos…

4. Katsaros February 16, 2011 Log in to reply.

   Well, it is true that the only name used in “real life” seems to be Langada.

   For informations on the pre-2001 organisaton you can see here: http://www.gtp.gr/LocInfo.asp?infoid=84&code=EGRSKY51&PrimeCode=EGRSKY51&Level=6&PrimeLevel=6&IncludeWide=1&LocId=12019

   I think there is an official buikding serving as the seat of the municipal district in Langada, in the street after the upper place (loza) in the direction of epanochoriani, with the name “egiali” written on it.

   Before 2011 amorgos was already a “municipality” (dimos) covering the whole island, the Kallicratis plan didn’t change much here. The municipality was formed in 1997 or 99, after the Kapodistrias plan. Before there was 6 “communities” (kinotites); in the north there were 2 : Tholaria, and Egiali (including Langada, Ormos egialis, stroumbos and the 2 potamos).

   To make things more confusing, on some maps there is marked some “egiali” near Tholaria, corresponding to the remains of the ancient remains of the original Egiali of the antiquity, whose name disappeared in the middle-age and was revived in the modern times.

5. Katsaros February 16, 2011 Log in to reply.

   (read pre-2011, not pre-2001)

6. Mike Lagkada December 12, 2011 Log in to reply.

   @Katsaros”"I think there is an official buikding serving as the seat of the municipal district in Langada, in the street after the upper place (loza) in the direction of epanochoriani, with the name “egiali” written on it.”"

   Yes there is a building on the north side of the street the building is a subsidiary of The Municipality at Chora. The building is some times open on a Wednesday morning by staff from Chora to collect money Payment for water etc. I have seen the same staff both at Chora and Lagkada.

7. Mike Lagkada December 12, 2011 Log in to reply.

   How about some info for tourist sailing/motor cruisers coming to Amorgos. Beaches, Moorings, Fuel, Chandlers, Yacht porvisioning,

   Yacht charter provisioning
   In an ideal situation, some essentials should already be on board your charter yacht and with the right charter company you should not have to worry about the following provisions.
   Essentials that ideally should be on board
   • Insect repellent
   • Bottles of water – against a first day heatstroke
   • Sun block
   • Rubbish bags – Tea cloths – Swab
   • Soap – All-purpose cleaner – Washing-up liquid
   • Toilet paper – Lavatory freshener
   • Matches
   • Coffee filters – Tea bags
   • Sugar – Salt – Spices
   • Olive oil – Corn oil – Vinegar
   • Ice ! – Ice !! – Ice !!!
   • Perhaps a complementary bowl of fruit, bottle of Greek wine or some flowers. Yet, I would trade these immediatly for any of the essentials above.

   Yacht charter provisioning list
   Letting a charter company deliver groceries to your yacht is often (very) expensive so only order the bare necessities for the first day (or two). Moreover, it is nicer to do your own provisioning in the next – far more romantic – little port, and it is often cheaper to eat out in a taverna or estiatoria (restaurant) the first evening than to prepare your own expensive ingredients.
   During your sailing trip it is prudent to supply the yacht for at least a couple of days , not only for safety but smaller ports might not hold a wide variety of provisions.
   Furthermore, you might change your plans and drop anchor in a secluded bay.

   Canned/dried
   Sardines
   Anchovy
   Tuna
   Soup
   Tomatoes (condensed)
   Corn
   Chilli beans
   Black and green olives
   Pickles
   Capers
   Mustard
   Honey
   Toast
   Rice, pasta
   Dried lentils, beans and chickpeas
   Nuts, almonds and pistachios
   Stock cubes (soups/sauses)
   Flour
   Cocao
   Biscuits – Papadopoulos
   Beverages
   A lot of bottles of water
   Milk (UHT)
   Orange juice
   Beer – Amstel/Heineken/Mythos
   Ouzo
   Fresh
   Courgettes
   Eggplants
   Cucumbers
   Paprika/Peppers
   Lettuce
   Giant beans – Gigantes
   Mushrooms
   Parsley, dill, oregano, thyme
   Dolmas (stuffed wine leaves)
   Greek yoghurt
   Feta, Graviera , Kefalotiri
   Apples, grapes, oranges, melons
   Fresh fish
   Chocolate
   Eggs
   Milk, Butter
   Spinach pies (Spanakopita)
   Cheese pies (Tyropita)
   Fresh – lasting longer
   White cabbages
   Carrots
   Onions
   Garlic
   Potatoes
   Beets
   Lemons

   Whisky, port and good wines should preferably be bought at the airport, more choice and more quality, definitely worth the added weight in your luggage.
   Every week you will need to take in diesel fuel for about 140. The diesel will often be delivered by truck. The water tanks usually need filling up every other day, which costs about 2 – 5 each time depending on the island and season. A very long hose is an essential item in the yacht’s inventory.
   Ice
   Every other day you need a few bags of ice cubes to keep all the provisions fresh in the fridge while saving the batteries: 0 – 4 per bag.
   In the more popular ports it will be delivered at the quay. Otherwise, the local fishermen will know were to get ice. You can also try restaurants, fishmongers, fuel stations and mini-markets. Note that ice cubes with holes are inferior to the solid ice cubes and that not all ice is made from potable water, better ask before use in beverages.

   http://www.sailingissues.com/greekislands/cyclades.html

   http://www.sailingissues.com/yachting-guide/yacht-charter-provisioning.html