Ai Stratis, a village at the end of the line

Before 1968 the village stood on the hill above the harbour, about 500 stone houses of two and three storeys with wooden porches and a few neoclassical houses. On the night of 19 to 20 February 1968 an earthquake of about magnitude 7.1 struck under the sea nearby. It lasted 22 seconds, killed some twenty people on the island, raised a local tsunami and left 175 houses in ruins and nearly 400 more beyond repair.

The dictatorship then in power declared the old village unfit to live in, expropriated the land and built a new one in the valley below: concrete prefabricated houses laid out in rows, a plan that the English Wikipedia describes as 'a military-like camp formation'. The few old houses that were not demolished still stand on the hill above the quay. Paths through the ruins were cleared around 2009, and owners have long asked to be allowed to rebuild.

The village beach starts right at the harbour and runs on to Arkari, so the evening here is simple: a swim, a walk along the quay as the sun drops behind the breakwater, and a table at one of the tavernas. When a winter gale stops the boats, the island simply waits.