The Skiathos Bulletin Board

Elle · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 3:56 pm Post subject: Elle - Home - LONG trip musings!

Well, I've been home now for a week and my body has finally caught up with my head - jet lag sure gets harder to deal with as we age! It's great to be home, to Paul, the animals and my life here, but I am waxing a bit wistful just now, missing the beautiful Aegean sea, right there for me to slip into when ever I need a cooling and a soul cleansing.... .... I miss lively chats with friends over coffee on the paralia as the harbor awakens in the morning.... I miss staring out over the indescribably blue, calm sea at dawn to that place where one connects with spirit... And with this dry, dry, dry air here at home I feel like my brown, brown skin is now the hardened husk of an insect! It sucks any of the moisture gained in the last month right out!

The island was as lovely as ever.... Though there is a lot of ugly building going on - EVERYWHERE - and in the most unlikely places... And the construction debris really is an eyesore. Where is all of this new sewage going to go? What is WITH the island MAYOR??? Why is he as ineffectual as the old Mayor? Is he in the developers pockets, too?
Beach tavernas were just getting up and running when I arrived on 24 May, but the beaches were clean (thanks to captain Giorgios of the Thimios, his 20 or so family and friends and some school children, who went around to ALL of the beaches to clear them of plastics and debris. It does amaze me however that other islanders don't take it upon themselves to keep their beaches clear of flotsam.... And the tourists still seem to think that they can just throw their refuse down wherever and the garbage fairies will come along and clean it up for them...) - and I didn't see even ONE jellyfish!

The water was heavenly... PERFECT!!! I came home a bit waterlogged I think, from floating around in it so much. And though I don't have the size ... Ahem..... 'floaties', like most women do, I was so bouyant, nipples and toes to the sky anyway - I could barely get down under the water, it kept wanting to bob me back up to the top. Luscious, beautiful water. I spent my days, at first, on Banana, until it became overrun... I would get there early, before the masses and could have a very quiet few hours with just those others who wanted the same peace as I did... And would leave around 2 PM. In the shade mostly, reading, writing, sleeping, dreaming... Then, my days were spent either aboard a caique on the sea, going here or there, or exploring the island via a car (one day with my friend Donna) and moped... Many, many days on the other beach at Tsougria... And that new taverna really is very sweet - great good jazz, old Miles Davis, great rembetika, spacey, moody music... And he seems to keep his business (mostly yachts) down at his end and the rest of the beach really still is unscathed.
The weather was 99% perfect, hot but not too hot, cooling evenings, not too much wind and mostly from the south. We had about 3 rainy days - which I welcomed as a break from the sun, and read a whole book, and wrote like a fiend. SO lucky to have missd this big heat wave! It came the day I left.

Then came the BIG wind! The south wind that has wreaked havoc on the old harbor in the past - this time, all of the caiques, even the large boats and most of the fishing boats, were evacuated to the new harbor where they were all tied up together in rows, 4x4... Waves splashed and crashed up and over the sea wall, over the quay and onto the tavernas themselves!!! I've NEVER seen anything like it there and while the waves are NOTHING compared to our Pacific Ocean waves, there, they were breathtaking and very formidable. It was pretty tense... I also watched Giorgios (one of countless... There's Giorgios the Captain of Thimios, Little Loud George, Big George, young Giorgios... On and on.... I want a picture of a grouping of ALL of the Ioannis on one side, ALL of the Giiorgios on another, ALL of the Nikos and ALL of the Costas and.... Smile

help save Theodore's beautiful white fishing caique from being crashed to bits onto the quay. He helped everyone.. I would trust my life to that kind, gentle, very capable man.

My friend, Donna, went home a week early! I think, at 60 and not having traveled outside of her comfort zone for a long time except for to Mexico yearly - Mexico really just being an extension of California anymore - she was a bit overwhelmed by the newness of it all. We had 2 full days in Athens (Paul and I usually will try to get out of there in record time, but Donna never having been there, really needed to see the sights and feel the city) - then we flew to Skiathos, which as we all know, is another world. The intimacy of the village, the people I know, not knowing the language and being a type A personality, the stillness and quiet that can come upon you there all made her uncomfortable... Then she got heat stroke... Didn't trust help she got at the medical center.... And changed all of her plans and went home!

So, there I was with an extra week on my own - my original plan was indeed to be on Skiathos for a month alone until a friend wanted to go along for part of the time with me... I quickly found out how brave I could be. Well - that took about a minute. Local friends scooped me up and made me a part of their families... I wasn't ever allowed to pay for a dinner, or for any of the excursions on the boats, to Tsougria, Lalaria, nowhere.... Drank tsipouro with the guys on the harbor... I felt so much more a part of the island than ever before - I felt Paul with me everywhere I went.... He was all that was missing from Paradise. Tha pame mazi tou hronou!

BUT - it took awhile to convince SOME of the local Greek men that though I was a woman alone that they had always seen with husband at her side, and though I am familiar friends with some of the men on the harbor, I AM not there 'alone', I am an honorable woman, I am NOT there to make hay while the sun shines - and these friends are 'ikoyenia', family, that my husband respects - and he will be back with me next year, so LOOK OUT guys!! That took just a few days to sort out.

The island seemed very quiet, to me... Except of course for the big bank and religious holiday at the end of May, when the island was swarming, mostly Greeks. Fun! I ended up dancing with a bunch of Greek women at Athos taverna and watched some of the boat men (and some of the younger fishermen, punkie hairdos, tattoos, and smokes hanging out of the sides of their mouths...) get up and dance together as trios, or alone doing the haunting, lonely rebekiko... Even when I left, 17 June, the harbor was pretty quiet.... I fear that the smaller caiques are losing what business there is, to the big boats that take the island excursions or the trips to the other Sporades... They fear the same.

I saw lots of delfines, the lovely dolphin.... Several seem to like to play with the boats just outside of the harbor, others are in larger pods around the perimeter and of course, over between Alonissos and Skopelos....

The dog shelter, thanks to Helen and her angels, is cranking along in good shape... There were Danish vets there when I visited, doing sterilizations. There weren't too many dogs there, thankfully. Most were already homed. The cat problem, however, is still sad... I bought big bags of food and made my rounds every day, through the village. Right where I live, in the Plakes area, there is quite a colony. The very first night on our way out for dinner, I stopped to kneel down to check out one of the cats and my silver bracelets jangled, as they will.... Out of the corner of my eye came an orange and white blur, and then some fast and furious purring and rubbing 'round my legs. There was MY kitty, from last year!!!! Ligo ghataki mou had remembered the sounds of my bracelets!!!!! "The food woman cometh!!" She survived the winter, alas was pregnant, but she was healthy and I cried.... She was alive, and she remembered me. She then waited for me every morning, on the trellis above our front door... Yelling for her breakfast, chastising me if I was late... She and 2 pals.... One, Meow Meow, is another I remembered from last year. Koula, my landlady, admitted that she feeds the cats Smile

- so I left her with a huge bag of kibble when I left the island. Ligo ghataki mou was nowhere to be seen my last few days, so all I could hope for was that she was somewhere safe, probably having her kitties. PLEASE, if any of you venture up to the neighborhood and go to the Plaka there that overlooks the harbor, and you see a sweet orange and white female cat, LET ME KNOW!! Thanks! (and Meow Meow is a very elegant, quiet tabby that is less stripes and more brown, with great dark lines blue green eyes... He purr/chirps at you, quietly, politely....)

I ate everywhere, but of course, NEVER seem to remember the names of the tavernas!!! Mesogia is one... Alessandros.... Amfiliki.... Anatoli...The fish market taverna.... Tsipouro and medzes at the various ouzeries along the old harbor... Can't remember the names of the others. Being vegetarian, there came a few times when I tired of the typical Greek dinner fare, so I would buy a LOVELY spanikopita at Elinas, on Evangelistria, (thanks to Yvonne for that discovery! Great tiropitas and florentines too!) and then get a roasted corn with butter and salt on the harbor, and sit on the benches there by Bourtzi and eat my little dinner and watch the nightly 'show'. My landlady often invited me in for coffee and cake, or an ouzo and several times for her amazing psarosoupa, made with rock fish that her husband had just caught on the other side of Tsougria. MMMMMM. I ate LOTS of gavros throughout my month. The very best being barbequed at Mesogia... Wet looking, with Donna, for Avgolemono, a soup hard to find on Skiathos, but the beautiful proprietor of Athos MADE it for us as we sat!

I met Yvonne Ayoub, John Jackman's amazing daughter, found an instant 'sister' in her and was so sad that our time was so short! I look forward to seeing her there in her lovely villa, next year. Might have to partake of one of her workshops in her new olive orchard! I also, very briefly met Kriandos and Mrs. Kriandos... Met 'Al Okle' and his wife.... Smile

Spent a lot of time talking to Ian-from-Ireland who does not post on this board, but who lords it over Banana for 2 months, and many of you probably know him. Great guy. We've seen him on Skiathos for many years now. I also met some of Jennyblu's (I think!!!!) wedding party... Some lovely ladies who had stayed on to have fun on the island for an extra week.

It was a heavenly month. I miss Skiathos. Already, Paul and I are planning our month there, next year. We are working on manifesting the ability to spend half the year there... With a trip or two home within that time.... Somehow that we can give back to this island home, somehow it can benefit from our being there so we don't end up being like parasites... It will come.
Right now, I try to hang onto that cooling, peaceful calmness that always is the great gift of Skiathos, as long as I can... Dreamy, patient, satisfied, happy...
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Julie · Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 39 Location: Stoke on Trent UK

Thanks for such a great story I really enjoyed reading about your time in Skiathos

suejet · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 5:48 pm Post subject:

Hi Elle

That made such absolutely wonderful reading, I wish your dreams to come true for you!

I promise to look for your kitty in Sept. Were you any where near the windmill?

Roll on next year!
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you heard it here first - BOJAN!

Ian · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:11 pm Post subject:

Elle

That post is simply wonderfull - Thank you ...
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Counting down the months to the next visit - Click here to see why ...

Graham & Caroline · Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2007 6:33 pm Post subject:

Elle, that makes wonderful reading on an extremely wet day in the UK. Thank you.
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skiathos lad · Joined: 08 Jan 2006 Posts: 295 Location: skiathos

thanks

orley · Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 200 Location: Hopeman

Beautiful

KAZ · Joined: 02 Apr 2007 Posts: 302 Location: Staffordshire

Elle I have just come into my room to take a last look at the Forum before bedtime, and what better bed time story could I have wished for. For a few minutes I was in Skiathos. My dreams tonight will be happy ones.
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Make time to travel as time waits for no man...

buggalugs · Joined: 23 May 2007 Posts: 69 Location: Bolton lancs

Elle I just read your beautiful post. We shall be goign to Skiathos for the first time in July and there is always a little trepidation about first time visits to anywhere, your post has me craving to get there. Your love of the island is so evident, and the peace you gain from there too.
Thank you so much for writing that Smile

JAcqui

AForrest · Joined: 07 May 2006 Posts: 501 Location: Bolton Lancs

Elle,
Glad you had such a great time, your post just makes the Wait a little more bearable . We will all have to be a bit more imaginative with our posts in future , instead of writing "Had a great time ,wish i was still their" Confused

suejet · Posted: Tue Jun 26, 2007 9:08 pm Post subject:

orley · Joined: 20 Jan 2007 Posts: 200 Location: Hopeman

Why thank you Wink