Tsampika Monastery and Beach July 30, 2014

The climb up to Tsampika Monastery is a pilgrimage for women seeking to get pregnant. It is believed that if a woman walks barefoot up the 300 stairs to the monastery that they will conceive a child. We saw two barefoot young women coming down from the monastery as we climbed up. We assumed they were two of the faithful however we wondered when it was time to return to our car due to the slippery condition of some of the well worn marble stairs. Kim slipped and fell in her flip flops so she chose to walk barefoot the rest of the way down for safety reasons rather than fertility goals. The climb uphill before the stairs began seemed steeper than much that I have encountered on this trip. I know the climb for our little car was tough! It barely made it and I never left first gear. It was quite a wild ride on a very steep and rough road.

The monastery itself is very small with only three small prayer rooms and a few pieces of art. There was quite a collection of wax baby dolls on one of the altars. The view however was spectacular. To the right was a great view of Tsampika Beach and down to Lindos. To the left was a view of the coastline towards Rhodes Town and some huge resort that had pools and a waterpark.

Following the monastery we ventured down to Tsampika Beach. It was a larger, more crowded version of Golden Beach. We were able to park our blankets at the northern end for a bit of breathing room. All of the beaches are more crowded in the area where the rental chairs and umbrellas are. I enjoyed a walk down the length of the beach looking for beach glass and people watching. 

We headed back home in the late afternoon and enjoyed the downtime catching up on bill paying, blog writing and laundry. Dinner for the next few nights is whatever odds and ends or  leftover to clean out the fridge.

Carrie, Annelle, Lauri and Gina left at 4 this morning to catch their flights home. It seems so quiet at the house with only half the women we started with, although the neighbors are probably grateful. We were quite a raucous bunch when we were home in the evenings.