Still some local things we want to explore here on the island, so we’re taking the long weekend and crossing them off the list. First up? The abandoned radar station.
(Of course, there’s an abandoned radar station on the island.)
The site sits on top of the highest peak of the island, looking both east and west across the sea. It was built in the 60s and was used for NATO missions. The station bounces radars off the inside of the atmosphere to be able to communicate longer than line-of-sight systems could. It was decommissioned some time in the 90s as satellites became the new method of long-distance communication.
There’s a more modern military installation up around the same area, and an Orthodox church up on an even higher peak along the line, but the cool part is definitely the massive radar dishes.
Enjoyed spending the afternoon out taking video and flying the drone out to get some spectacular shots of the radar station, the tower, and some nearby windmill ruins. Gonna try and put the video together and online before we head to Athens on Friday.
We came down the inland side of the island after checking to see if any place was open in the little villages along the ridge — sadly, nothing was open.
The plan is to get up early tomorrow and head down to the lighthouse on the southwestern tip of the island, early enough to get some more drone footage before the midday sun.