Waiting for the Austrian Steamer to take us to Athens - found little to interest us at the island of Syra - went twice to visit the old fountain back of the old town for Syra consists of two towns the old town and the port - the former built on a cone shaped hill - on the top of which is a church and catholic bishops house - the fountain is known from the most remote antiquity - and now as in the days of ancient Greece do thru nymples resort - with their water jugs - of the same shape and carried in the same manner as represented in Grecian sculpture -

The road or irregular path is on the steep side of a mountain - and there you see hundreds of Grecian females moving and even toiling with their loads - some going and others returning - this is the only good fountain on this part of the island, and they are too poor or the nature of the rock does not admit of an acqueduct - the Syriat females are not strikingly beautifull, but are very active and rather delicately shaped - they appear very modest - or perhaps bashfullness at seeing a stranger - for the old town is seldom visited by those coming to Syra -

In the evenings we walk in another part, that which in the anafes (annals?) of ancient Greece is called Hermopolis - this is a favourite most particularly on Sunday evenings - most of the better classs of Sepriats (separates?) here take their promenade - but what appeared to me singular the ladies are seated together in groups while the men perambulate to themselves - the grecian ladies are said to give a decided preference to the men of their own country - who different from Italy and France! - Syra is about the centre of the archipelago and by mounting the rocks at the point above the promenade had an enchanting sight of the neighbouring Greek isles Mycone (Mykonos) and Tenos (Tinos) studded with villages as many as 8 or 10 in sight - Naxos so famous for being the place where Ariadne was abandoned by her faithless lover, and in the the distance a number of other islands - some of which we passed on the route - the sight is lovely and being connected as all these places are with mythology and Grecian history are highly interesting - still Syra is a tedious place, and time passes heavily on our hands -

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