EXPLORING SKIATHOS – the medieval village of Kastro

EXPLORING SKIATHOS – the medieval village of Kastro

Ready? How many How many cameras are you bringing? Just one. Okay. How much money? 50. 50. So, I’ve waited all day for this. It’s one of my favorite restaurants and it’s right here on Skatos and I’ve saved my appetite for a single outstanding meal. Fresh clothes, fresh energy, and I’m walking straight toward it. This is the moment I look forward to. You know, I would like to be able to pronounce what I proclaim to be my favorite restaurant. I always say bakaliko. It’s not bakaliko. Byo. It’s 4:14. All right. Perfecto. Thanks. I don’t know how to get tomatoes that cold. All right, this is exactly what I wait all year for. It’s the cold that gives it away, but these tomatoes taste like they were just picked from the vine. Crisp, fresh, salty, sweet, savory. Everything is in this one plate. Golden, crispy, lighter than it looks. This is fried food. How fried food is supposed to be. This chicken, smoky, juicy, fresh off the grill. It doesn’t get better than this. House red wine, generous core. This is one outstanding meal and worth saving the whole day for. It’s 507. You want some behind the scenes of the vlog? I will leave here. I will go to Scathles Town, find the best gelato, enjoy that, go back home and work on today’s vlog. get up at three and then give myself until sunrise to possibly get it posted and to start fresh. It’s a lot. It’s a working vacation. [Music] Very good. Look how good that looks. Thank you very much. You know, every trip I run a little campaign of buy me a coffee. Mornings like this, you guys have uh made it even a little sweeter. So, this morning I say cheers and thank you for being part of the adventure. [Music] want to go behind the scenes where you want to sit. I film a lot of things all day and then I’m up all night trying to weave a story, right? But editing is not watching and it’s also hyper critical. What time is it? It’s 5:35. Okay. So then in the morning I sit down and I objectively watch it and see can I can I upload it? And are the editing mistakes forgivable? Because if they are, we’re birthing the baby. I’m going to sit here and watch yesterday’s vlog. One moment, please. One moment, please. Here, enjoy the sunrise. [Music] All right, let’s go. Let’s get ready for the day. Let’s get out the door. No matter No matter how bad you want to leave, we’re blocked by a bus. Today, I’m taking a direct path to the north to the caves and the ancient remains that I’ve chased on past trips, but I never made it. I get distracted. Yeah, I’m always sidetracked by the beauty that kept me lingering, but let’s go. Well, no, let’s not go. We have to wait for the bus. [Music] But it’s just the wind in my hand, the sun in my face. Stay in the place, leaving no trace. And when I look into your eyes, and I will make it there with you, I could go anywhere. I got this big baby. [Music] [Music] Okay, we are definitely at the fork in the road. I believe that’s where we’re going. All right, so this is where I want to be. This is where we’re not supposed to be. We are absolutely going there. The monastery of Evangelistria sits just north of Skiathos town. Built in the late 1700s on the slopes of the mountain. It’s the only active monastery on the island and one of the oldest in Greece. I wasn’t dressed to enter, so today I only took in the beauty of the grounds and exterior. [Music] Let’s take a moment. Let’s take a moment. Let me show you where we are. All right. Are you ready? So, this direct path up here has me high overlooking the port. Heat. [Music] Heat. All [Music] right. So, why are we here? This down there, it’s one of my screen savers. And every time I see it, I always wonder, why didn’t you go over there? Right. Well, today we’re here to find out what if I went over there. It’s the church of Castro in the the castle of Castro. Yeah. So, that’s where I was. I was down there. Are you a follower of the vlog? That’s when I lost the drone. And yeah, lost my mind. Castro sits on a rock and getting up here is no small thing. The climb is steep, the path narrow, and you feel exactly why this was the safest place to be. Once you cross the restored drawbridge, the defenses make sense. This was the medieval capital of Scathos, built in the mid300s to escape constant pirate raids. From here, the people could see every ship on the horizon through Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman rule. This clifftop fortress was home until the 1830s when the islanders finally returned to the coast. What remains are ruins of houses, churches, sistns, even the old turret where defenders once stood guard. The stones carry centuries of struggle and survival. And you can still feel it when you walk these paths. [Applause] [Music] So, all of the tourist Oh my god. All the tourist boats are coming. This place is going to be filled very soon. But for right now, the top of the mountain is ours. And then there’s the view. From up here, the AGN unfolds in every direction. Blue water, blue sky, horizon without end. The cliffs feel untouchable. The wind carries the sea. And for the moment, you can see exactly what they saw centuries ago. Castro isn’t just ruins on a hilltop. It’s a reminder of why people chose this place and why it still pulls you in today. Did anybody like the tech talk? Tech talk. After the drone flight, had to take the handles off. Bad design. I thought I lost one yesterday. And they snap on the back. Drone needs to be folded in. And then I’m going to put a gimbal guard. Pack it away for the next shot. Are you ready? Let’s go.

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My first full day on Skiathos begins the way I always dream about: with a meal at my favorite island restaurant. The next morning, I trade alarm clocks for sunshine — waking a little later than normal, but perfectly on vacation time. A skateboard ride through the quiet port takes me to sunrise, a warm croissant, and a double espresso.

Along the way, I remind myself (and you) that this journey is powered by more than just caffeine — if you’d like to support the adventure, the Buy Me a Coffee link is in the description below.

From there, the day unfolds in true island style:
• Sunrise skateboard ride through Skiathos port
• First Greek island breakfast: croissant + double espresso
• Exploring the beach just behind the airport runway
• Visiting the Monastery of Evangelistria, the only active monastery on Skiathos
• Hiking up to the medieval fortress of Kastro — once the capital of Skiathos and home to centuries of Byzantine, Venetian, and Ottoman history

The alternative forest route north, the quiet beaches, the history, and the views from Kastro all add up to a day that reminds me why Skiathos is more than a stepping stone. It’s alive, layered, and full of stories worth pausing for.

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🎵 MUSIC USED:

Tavern on Main – Nathan Welch
Quiet as a Butterfly -Sight of Wonders
Vacay Vibe – House Of Say
Unbound Spirit – Duke Herrington
In the Periphery Alec Slayne

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