Samos

 

This is the airport in the small island of Samos.  It is a Greek Island west of Turkey in the Aegean sea.  It is the smallest airport I have been to and we had turbulence.  I was very grateful when we landed.  We were blessed with a wonderful friend from Athens  picking us up and taking us to see many places on the island.  The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed two days of meeting people that are working hard to help the refugees and enjoying the island.  

We drove to the refugee camp near a small village of Karlovasi.  

Refugee camp with pods, air conditioning, heat, and water 

We weren't able to go inside but we had a good view from above.  There was a lot of security and little movement that we could see.  

It isn't the best picture but this is the former refugee camp when the migration began.  It was built on the hillside with pallets, tarps and anything that the refugees could find to build a shelter.  

Former Refugee camp

It is hard to imagine all the refugees living here, trying to stay warm in the winter and shielded from the sun in the hot summers.  The camp spread out over the mountain side.  The new camp is enclosed and has the look of a prison but the conditions are much better.  It is a complicated issue of what is best to do.  

Guest House

Those lovely lady opened her guest house to us.  She did not speak English and unfortunately, we do not speak Greek ....yet.   When the island was experiencing the influx of immigrants, she opened her house to them and took care of them.  She is delightful and very talented.  She has created many works of art with her crochet and sewing needles. 

If you look closely you can see the beautiful balls that she crocheted. 

Earthquake of 2020

Samos experienced an earthquake that triggered a tsunami.  There was evidence of churches and buildings that had shifted and cracked and were still not being used.  Look closely and you will see some cracks. 

6th Century Ancient Greek Sculpture in the Archaeological Museum of Samos

A Center for Learning Skills

They had sewing, woodworking, bike repair classes and more. 

Beautiful Samos

We learned a lot about Samos, it's history and people.  We were able to meet NGOs
and see projects to help the displaced.  We enjoyed hiking, eating, visiting and connecting on the beautiful island of Samos.