The usual suspect

When in Australia one should always expect a python to look through your living room window.

A confession

I have come to the conclusion that some of my more quick-witted readers ( you know who you are) may have observed that my blog is a few weeks behind real time and hence you may be wondering if I have actually managed to slow time down. In which case, of course, you are probably already demanding my immediate appointment to CERN so I can assist in the other great mysteries of the universe like why there is no cast for a broken heart like there is for a broken leg. Anyway I feel that I must come clean and report that  Yes - I am still less science savvy than a tree - ( I mean they even know how to make chlorophyll) - and it is rather just a lack of time and a hint of laziness that has resulted in this time lapse. Fear not though my one dear reader for I shall continue my Greek Island odyssey through the art of backdating while giving a real time update as well. Hooray for me.

So in real time I can tell you I am actually in Australia. Regard the lovely picture above of two tawny-frog mouths. It is good to be home and out of the choke and grind of Istanbul for a few weeks. It is funny but people's response when they hear I live in Istanbul is "How wonderful! What's it like to live there." And every time I answer them the first thing that comes out of my mouth is "It's an interesting city but it is very big." I am not in love with her I have realized. Florence yes! My bloody and bruised Damascus - O Yes - but Istanbul has not beguiled me in the same way. I miss my street and I miss my cats and the dazzling blue of the Bosphorous, the great hulking tankers, the silhouettes of mosques, but I do not love her as such.
I think am enjoying my stay in Australia too because I have done very little.  I have inspected bird life such as the above and visited the kangaroos that live down the road.

I have told Bad Cat of his brothers and sisters in Istanbul.

I have visited a local dam with my parents which I never knew existed and caused many huffs of astonishment from them both.

I also went on a lovely walk in a wildlife reserve just down the road where a very friendly fellow in a big slouch hat warned me that he had just seen three nasty browns (a kind of very horrible deadly snake)  near the path I was walking.

I liked the trees there though.

Not so much the snakes!

Feeding the fishies

Now when one has decided to offer up ones feet for Greek fish to snack on ( which is only fair really  since they are often a snack themselves) it is important that you offer them a clean and reasonably palatable pair of heels and toes.









You should also try not to squeal when they begin their feasting!

But rather try and look like two laydees who lunch ( or are lunched on in this case!)

Old Port

The last time I was in Santorini was on a day trip from Crete with my mama. I remember us going on a tour of the island with a bus load of Israelis and then getting a little tipsy on a glass of lunchtime wine while overlooking the Caldera.
I feel Santorini has changed a little since then ( or maybe that's just early morning sobriety speaking.)
Not the views of course but there seems to be more shops and restaurants and places to stay. I think it is doing better than its poor big sister Athens.
Yes, it is still very touristy but there is still something magical about the cascading white villages and the impossibly blue sea.
Here are some requisite ' Santorini Sista' cheese shots.

Because my sister is a fitness queen and I am not opposed exercise in the direction of 'downhill', we decided to walk down to the old port of Santorini to inspect the boats.  The walk down is a windy, cobble-stoned and at times stinky path which involves frequent encounters with donkeys bottoms.  I will be the first to admit that I am not so good when surrounded by hoofed creatures at street level ( I am much happier on a horse than around them) so  it was a little bit nerve-wracking for me whereas Dena seemed to wade between the sea of bottoms with confident aplomb.

I am pleased to report that all the donkeys looked very well fed and in excellent condition. I remember them to be in quite a grim state when I saw them years before so it was nice to see them looking so sleek and round. The lady running our little pension even suggested that perhaps the men take better care of their donkeys than their wives. She did not make this observation with a smile.

Once at the bottom we inspected the boats and drank cappuccinos

before deciding to do our bit to support the donkey industry. Not that I think many of the beasts were donkeys anyway - they were definitely more horse-like in stature. 

  

Donkey cam

Made it!!

Third Port: Santorini

So even though I have now left Skyros it was for a good reason as I am now in Santorini with my sister. We met at Athens airport where I joyfully devoured all manner of greasy food ( to quell a queasy stomach) and then it was up, up and away on a plane to Fira. The flight was wonderful because it did a spectacular sweeping pass over the island just around sunset which made all the passengers sigh and think cocktail thoughts.
As we arrived in the evening there was not much to be done but admire the pretty streets, eat and drink wine.

Only 3 days

Well, three days on Skyros was never really going to be enough but I did get to bathe my feet in her perfect waters and watch the sun set across her beautiful curves.
I am grateful for this.
I had hoped to see Hara on my trip here but an awful tragedy befell her lovely family on the day before I arrived on the island so it simply wasn't the right time to see her. My heart goes out to her family at this time, especially little Julietta.

a recent picture of Hara

I don't need to see Hara to love her anyway. And I can still contribute from afar to her upkeep so I know I have a part in her little doggy life.

***

Heh, in the car on the way to Skyros airport a bee flew through the car window, stung me on the arm and then flew out the other side. As I watched the welt on my arm get bigger and redder I wondered if I had an allergy to bees or not. No allergy it turns out but a nice parting gift. Hopefully the bee took his sting with him too since I couldn't find it in my arm.

Greek Binchey

The main church bell in Skyros town
which watches over us all night

I have decided that Skyros is a bit like a Maeve Binchey novel. Full of odd little characters who return each summer to laze in the sun and drink too much ouzo. OK maybe Maeve's characters function on pints of beer instead but the idea is same.  There is the Swedish Psychotherapist who wears only white; the Dutch party gal who has been coming here since she was a child; the Greek family with an endless supply of daughters ( another one has been added to the mix since I saw them last year); the old fisherman with diamond blue eyes whose face lights whenever I say 'kalimera'; the Athenian woman who sees angels everywhere; the staff at Ferogia of course and Alecko's mother-in-law who always compliments me on my dresses. In a way our relationships are all very superficial since we don't have anything to do with each other for the rest of the year. But in another way they are very honest too. We talk about our past year and how we are feeling now. We ask and give advice and we drink far too much wine and eat too much shrimp and dance to cheezy music until  well into the night. I find with each year that passes I am invited a little more deeply into this world as the people who have been coming longer than me start accepting me as part of their family. They can see I am not a one-off visitor. That I love their island as much as they do. I commented to one person how I felt like an outsider slowly inching my way in a little further each year. He seemed surprised. " But you are already iconic!" he said. " You are the stone painter." I almost felt obligated to start painting there and then but I resisted and ate a plate of seafood instead -  which I regretted most heartily a few hours later.

Second Port: Skyros

I feel much better now I am in Skyros. I wasn't sure if I would but the minute I stepped into Ferogia Cafe and got beautiful heartfelt monster hugs from Vikki, Dimitri and Alecko I felt infinitely more alive. And this year I got a rather nice room with a little balcony gazing out to the sea. 

Now, it seems, I am gazing towards Turkey instead of from!

Of course the first thing I did was have a banana smoothie. Then, with a happy belly,  I waded into the crystal still waters and did my best to avoid collecting too many stones. This year I am NOT stone painting. To be honest I am only on the island for a couple of days so I doubt the paint would even dry but I also wanted to spend my days just gazing at the olive green, white and blue which make up this gentle island.

I spent my first night having Skyrian cheese and salad at Theo's restaurant just down from Ferogia. Not a bad view to do a bit of a digesting and vino degustation. Theo says the past year has been even harder than the years before. I believe him too. Athens, in particular, seemed very depressed and though the Greeks on the island still smile and laugh their faces seem a little pinched as well.