I am laying in bed at 7am on Sunday morning, and our stay with Peter and Barbara is coming to an end. I am listing to two priests from the church across the road chanting away in their Greek orthodox style. I haven't a clue what they are saying, glory to god and all his works is what I am imagining. Periodically they ring bells, which sets Jumbo and other dogs in the village off in a frenzy of barking. Little chance of a Sunday lie in in Chrysokelaria
I am reflecting on the past four days, where we haven't done a tremendous amount, but the visit has been an oasis of relaxation, filled with talk and laughter. The village has moments of deep silence,
especially at night, punctuated by barking dogs, howling jackals, and hooting owls. What is missing is the constant background hum of traffic, the soundtrack of modern life.
On Thursday I walked down to the beach at Memi with Barbara. This was a 6km stroll, in the heat, through the olive groves
A snake soaking up the spring sunshine
Looking back towards the village
We saw no one on our walk, and judging by the ubiquitous spider webs across our path not many people use these tracks.
The landscape is drying out, wild carrots and thistles are in flower, and the grasses are swaying gently in the breeze
As we reach the village at the end of the walk, the local goats watch us curiously
Peter drives down with Vera and we meet up in a beachside cafe
Peter and I go for a swim in the sea. The water is crystal clear and calm, the top 1cm layer has been warmed to a bath-like temperature.
On Friday morning we go to the nearby town of Koroni
Looking in the local shops. We buy an olive wood salad bowl from this one, and Vera finds a very nice red dress in another
After strolling through the streets
we enjoy ice cream in a harbour-side cafe. Peter sees a turtle, its head poking out of the water. Barbara also manages to locate the swimming creature, but Vera and I both miss it
On Friday evening Tina and Paul, from Denmark, are joining us. This gives us the opportunity to contribute to the cooking effort. Barbara has been providing a constant supply of delicious food, so I am very happy to be able to contribute Arabic rice to the evening meal, and Vera a fruit salad
It's a wonderful evening. Paul and Tina are witty and entertaining, all the more remarkable for English not being their first language
On Saturday we take the long and winding road to Tsapi beach. The sea is not quite so warm here, but still very pleasant. After swimming we have lunch at Maria's cafe. Simple food well done, and all shared between us
Saturday night.
All dressed up and ready to go. For an evening at the local bar. As well as us four we have Paul and Tina from last night, Jane from London, and Pieter and Anneka from the Netherlands. A very international evening sat outside with beer wine and food
Heading back through the quiet streets
So it has been a most enjoyable visit, we wish we were staying longer. We have booked a bus from Kalamata to Isthmia and are getting a lift to Kalamata for some final P&B time
No comments:
Post a Comment