The Tunnel of Eupalinos is ‘often compared to the Wonders of the World’ as it is one of only two tunnels in history that was excavated from both ends and met in the middle with success (and this was in 6thCenturyBC – before any kind of mapping or surveying)! The aqueduct, was to connect the town of Samos to the north of Mount Kastro. from where the town would get its supply of water. From a spring on this mountain, water was conducted into a covered basin / reservoir, which is today under the old chapel of a deserted village by the name of Agiades. This aqueduct was completely subterranean, and it has been recorded that the water, from its source, traveled to the town of Samos over a total distance of over 2.5 km (1.5 mi). 1036 m (3398 ft.) of this distance involved a bored tunnel, which is perhaps the highlight of this monumental project.
Using only picks, hammers and chisels, Eupalinos’ workers, many of whom are said to have been prisoners from Lesbos, dug their way through solid limestone. Clay / terracotta pipes were also put into place to facilitate the flow of the water. It has been estimated the whole system took about a decade to build and carried 400 cubic litres of water per day.
The existence of the tunnel was lost in history and it was not until 1853 that a French archaeologist by the name of Victor Guerin discovered the first 400 m of the aqueduct from the spring at Agiades. We were able to enter via the southern entrance and walk down and along 250 m of the tunnel which is open to the public. You could look down through the grates in the floor and see the trench which carried the water 10 metres below. The temperature in the tunnel was a very pleasant 25 degrees compared to the 30+ outside and everyone had to wear hard hats to prevent you from hitting your head on the roof of the tunnel. Not a problem I had!
While we had the hire car we did some touring around the island’s beautiful beaches and mountains. One day we thought we were going around the island only to find the road just ended in a walking trail – missing about 10 km required to circumnavigate. A wrong turn led us past some wild fig trees, both green and purple which were all sweet and ready to eat.
Mt Kerki 
Foraging – that’s a stretch! 
Bountiful beauty
The town dock we were on was free. Another example of EU money given to Greece for infrastructure which was built to the stage of having the electricity and water connected, but then everything stopped. We were told that if the marina is finished then the money would have to be paid back so instead it was just left. It serves quite a large local fishing fleet with a long history in the area. We were tied here in perfect safety with access to electricity and water for 2 weeks without any charge at all. The small town front had two bakeries, a supermarket and several tavernas. One owner had an especially good sense of humour with different signboards each day.
And some more interesting street art appearing in unexpected places
1 comment