Since I was 15, I have watched the movie Mamma Mia with my mom on almost a monthly basis. So, of course, I spent most of the time my mom was visiting Skopelos exploring beaches, eating good food, and living out our Mamma Mia dreams.
We took the local bus to Agnontas, a small port and beach. All I wanted to do in Greece was snorkel, and the very first time that I did, I had a pleasant surprise. I noticed several fish poking around something. Then a flash of blue. My eyes adjusted to the bottom of the seafloor, only a few feet below me, and then I saw it. An octopus! I dove down to get a closer look, and it froze completely. From above, it blended into the seafloor so well that you might miss it completely. But I caught it in motion, its legs an almost artificially bright blue and purple with white “suction cups”. It was small, about the size of a football. This was honestly a dream come true to see an octopus in person. I tried to tell the snorkeler beside me about it, but he missed out because when I asked if he spoke English, he responded, “my name is Greece”. I also got to see a jellyfish (apparently it was not the dangerous kind), and plenty of species of fish.
If you are a fan of Mamma Mia, you’ll know what I mean when I say that we visited the beach where they shot the “lay all your love on me” and “does your mother know” scenes: Kastani Beach. It was one of the most beautiful beaches on the island, with large white rocks and cliffs, sparkling blue water, and bright green pine trees. The water was incredibly clear with lots of large rocks, forming small passageways underwater for fish to swim through. The white cliffs fold in on themselves, exposing small coves with narrow strips of sand.
Keeping with the Mamma Mia theme, we couldn’t go to Skopelos Island without visiting the famous Mamma Mia Church – Agios Ioannis, the church of St. John. This chapel is perched at the top of a cliff, 106 steps above the sea. When it comes to the Greeks, where there is a will, there is a church! We met a taxi driver who agreed to take us at 6:30am so we could see it while the sun was rising. He was not happy about it, and neither was my mom at first. It was our earliest wake-up yet, but it was so worth it to have the entire church to ourselves. The sun was rising behind the church, lighting up the cliffs behind us as we climbed the stairs. We did our best to impersonate Meryl Streep, singing ‘The Winner Takes it All’ while we climbed- (good thing no one else was around to hear). I’m so proud of my mom for facing her fear of these extremely steep, uneven steps that took us about 100m above sea level, where we could see waves crashing onto rocks below us. When we got to the top, we ate pastries we had bought from the bakery the night before, and signed the guest book inside the tiny church. In case you’re curious, the church was not the same as the church they used for the movie because this church was way too small inside. Our taxi driver returned about an hour later, and by 8am, we were back in bed like it never even happened- only pictures and sore legs to remind us of our experience.
Honey, honey, let’s talk food: a local delicacy we had during this week was loukamades, which are like fried dough with honey. Honey is produced locally on the island and is a big export for Greece. We also had waffles at a cafe, and instead of maple syrup, it came with fruit and honey and was really good! We had one treat that you can only get on Skopelos Island, and it’s (unsurprisingly) called Skopelos cheesepie. It’s a fried pastry that curls around in a circle in the shape of a snail, baked with feta cheese. There is a sweet version that I discovered later in my journey here, when the staff at Rouga accidentally made an extra and brought it over to our table. I think it might be my favourite thing I’ve ever eaten. It tasted like being at a festival.
One of the first ‘friends’ my mom and I made on Skopelos was the owner of one of the restaurants, Dimitris. We stopped in for a coffee most mornings, or waved to him while walking to the bus stop. “English-speaking tourists are so happy,” he said. “The Greeks? They just complain. Where is my food?” One morning, I ordered a greek coffee, which is a very strong, bitter coffee. It’s made from a fine grind of coffee and boiled in a briki; the grounds settle to the bottom, so you are not supposed to drink the end of it. Without asking, Dimitris brought us dried plums his family had harvested from his grandma’s garden. They were very sweet and paired incredibly with the coffee.
Something I really enjoy about life on Skopelos (coming from a city) is that people are always greeting each other, and you start to see the same people every day. One morning, we walked out of our Airbnb and saw an older couple sitting outside their house across the cobblestone street. We offered a kalimera (good morning), one of the few Greek words we had in our repertoire. “Kalimera,” they beamed at us. They began speaking to us in Greek, and I had to explain that we only spoke English. So there the four of us were on the cobblestone street, they would say something in Greek, knowing we wouldn’t understand, and we would say something back in English, knowing they wouldn’t understand, but for some reason we all kept trying. There was one word that was capable of reaching us all, one word that crossed cultures: coffee. We all laughed as we imitated drinking coffee. It was late morning, and we were headed to a cafe. They invited us to stay and drink coffee with them. We said thank you but explained we were going to go out on a walk afterwards, by acting out walking on the spot, and they shuddered and fanned themselves, indicating it was too hot. English is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world. So many people in Europe are equipped with multiple languages, and English is typically one of them. It was honestly incredible to experience a true language barrier, and regardless, to still experience so much kindness.
Speaking of barriers…Wondering how we got around this little Greek island? While you do need a vehicle to explore the northern/eastern (more wild) part of the island, we lucked out because this was the first year the bus system on Skopelos was frequent enough to conveniently get from Glossa to Skopelos Town and the beaches on the south side of the island throughout the day. My friend Chloe introduced this idea of “friction” to me. In the modern world we live in, we experience fewer and fewer barriers to going about our daily lives. Many of us live in cities with trains or busses that come every few minutes, or in households with multiple vehicles available to use at any given time, we can order food from our cellphones, and have access to in-person or online shopping at almost any time of day. Living in Glossa, with the busses that come every few hours, the shops that close in the middle of the day, the mailman whose house you have to visit in order to send or receieve mail, was like powerwashing my brain from the luxuries I’ve become accustomed to. One evening, my mom and I missed the bus and waited on the beach in the dark, with the bugs biting us for 1.5 hours. When we finally got back to Glossa at 11pm, we were luckily still able to grab a chicken souvlaki and beer for dinner. There are definitely worse places to be stuck, and I’m grateful we’ve had many authentic experiences filled with friction.
When my mom’s trip came to an end, we took a ferry to the next island over, which has an airport: Skiathos. We walked from our hotel to the beach and ate a traditional Greek dish, Moussaka, which looks a bit like lasagna but is made with eggplant, mashed potatoes, ground beef, and spices, and was served in a ceramic dish. We searched for seaglass as the sun set and were thrilled to each have found a small blue piece (this is the most difficult colour to find)! I think it would have been a sin if we did not watch the Mamma Mia movie at least once on this trip, so this was the last thing we did together while excitedly pointing out all the places we recognized. The monthly re-watches will be even more special now!
After my mom left, the chaos began: 4 pharmacy visits, 2 hospital trips, 1 missed ferry, tons of new friends, and much more….!
Last Updated on November 13, 2025 by Megan Duchesne