Beginning from late August, the summer visitors start to leave, giving way to the lovers of Autumn Patmos. With the beginning of autumn the picture on the island changes: it returns to a quieter and slower pace. In recent years more and more visitors prefer to come to Patmos during this period. Guests are luckier now because they enjoy plenty of fish, and most of the products that are made on the island suffice to serve everybody’s needs. Also access to the adjacent islands, for those who want to get to know them better, gets easier, since the August winds have ceased and the sea is calm. The beach bars and cafes are all still open. September together with October, the “little summer “, as they call this season on Patmos, are among the best months of the year. The sea remains warm, the weather is good and we can continue enjoying swimming, as if it were August.

The nature of Patmos this time of the year is unique: the colors that dress the island have inspired and continue to inspire poets and painters, artists seeking their own way to express the beauty of life. During the months of October and September we can enjoy the most beautiful sunsets, succeeded by nights decorated with constellations rising in the sky: the Altair that shines once it gets dark, Aries, Pegasus, Andromeda and the Virgin with her 100 stars. You will always return from the walks in the countryside with hands full of grapes, pomegranates and quinces, which Patmians offer you from their small fields, cultivated for the folk at home. In September the harvest begins. The vines of Patmos may not be as many as before, but many Patmians keep their personal small grape vines. The new wine will be presented in November, on November 5th, celebrating St. John “Methystis”. The visitors of the manors, if they so wish, can participate in the process of harvesting and crushing the grapes.

During our walks we find small chapels which, like little stars, illuminate ridges, valleys, peaks and capes, all over Patmos. Patmians, because of the Byzantine tradition and the sanctity of the island, are very religious people. Many families have a church under their care and supervision, and the Holy One, in honor of whom the church was built, is their patron saint. On holidays the Saints are honored with solemnity and reverence, while after Vespers the traditional coffee with cookies, pies and cakes is offered to the people. These are the “kafedismata” as they are called on the island. October and November are full of celebrations, Vespers and “kafedismata” that bring us together and make us partakers of the religious and folk traditions of the island, while we get to know the hospitality of its inhabitants and its unique nature.

During the month of September cultural events are organized, with the most important of them being the Patmos Sacred Music Festival, organized by the Cultural Centre of the Municipality of Patmos, and the Festival of traditional songs and dances from all over Greece, organized by the Music and Dance Association of the Island. At the Eirini houses we light the fireplace as the first colds come, mostly at the end of November. Each manor has its own fireplace and its own barbecue. In the evenings, guests gather around, talk, bake chestnuts, enjoy its warmth and coziness and prepare to welcome December, the first month of winter.