Discovering the island of Samos, the birthplace of mathematician Pythagoras, proves that not every island in the Aegean is a modern Greek tragedy.
Samos is part of Greece's northern Cyclades archipelago, just off the Turkish coast and an hour's flight in a 20-seater aircraft from Athens. The plane ride, with its minimal headroom and noisy propellers, sets the scene for a romantic step back in time.
The island has a rich history. The tyrant Polycrates took power in 538BC and built the famed Eupalinian subterranean aqueduct, now a Unesco World Heritage site. Samos has been at the mercy of the shifting politics of the Mediterranean ever since. For tourists, it's the simplicity of the island that appeals; there are water sports, ancient ruins and sea cliffs - but it's the laid-back ambience that makes it popular.
The island's largest conurbation is Samos Town, also known as Vathi, a beautiful place on the northern side of the island - the sort of seaside town you'd expect to see in a Greek tourism bureau brochure.
A broad esplanade rings the tiny harbour, which is the overnight resting place for a flotilla of inter-island ferries. Uncontrived restaurants and tavernas line the esplanade in a multicoloured flash of tables and chairs. Crass souvenir shops are few and far between and the locals seem more than willing to share their attractive, laid-back world.
Away from the main drag, a series of lanes and smaller streets host more tavernas, shops, bars and cafes. At the register of one tiny grocery shop, a 10-year-old girl says to a customer who has discovered he has no money to pay for his purchases: 'Ah, tomorrow will be fine, no problem.'
As day slides into a burning orange sunset behind the mountains that shadow the harbour, people wake from their siestas and stroll around the foreshore. The men flick their worry beads and speak loudly while impeccably dressed women concentrate on looking fabulous. A warm breeze blows in from the Aegean Sea and the lights that ring the harbour start to glow, reflecting in the deep blue water.
