Astypalea – the “Butterfly” Island
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Dimitris, Rod, Helen - Taverna Maistrali, Astypalea
I will begin with a little story about an old Greek woman I saw on Sunday evening as I made my way up to the castle. She was sitting opposite her house spinning wool and I approached to ask if she would mind me taking a photograph of her. Only if you come to see the things I have made she replied. Okay, no problem I thought and so we went to view. She had bags full of socks, hats and goodness knows what else and wanted me to buy something. I explained I was buying nothing as I have another 4 months of travel with a back pack and apologised. Then began the begging and the story of how her husband had died, her son wasn’t quite right and could I give her something to help. All this was going on in the doorway of her small, very basic dwelling which was filthy dirty, smelt terrible and what is more, the flies were annoying me to hell. All of this and coupled with her persistent begging, I was driven away without the photograph I initially sort.
It is Tuesday morning and for the second day I have really enjoyed breakfast at the outdoor Cafe Ilios (Sun Cafe) located downstairs at Hotel Paradissos. Fresh orange juice, boiled egg, fresh crusty bread with a choice of marmalade or honey, cake and a large cup of coffee – cost 5 Euro. Yesterday, the Internet connection was incredibly slow and I laboured for some 5 hours to publish my blog and upload photographs. By the time I had completed my work, it was too late in the day to contemplate doing much else and so it was that I decided to walk again up the hill to Chora. Because I tend to do things at irregular hours as the mood takes me, I often find most everything closed, like during the afternoons when it is time for siesta. Of course, businesses open again in the late afternoon and remain open until late in the evening.
Around 2000 hours I went looking for somewhere to have dinner and decided upon Taverna Maistrali. From all appearances a very traditional restaurant and with a number of cats thereabouts. A lone diner was conversing with the owner Dimitris who joined him for a few wines. We got talking and after I had finished my meal, Rod asked if I would like to join him to finish my wine. He is from Florida in the States and first visited Greece in 1962 back in his working days. Rod had fare-welled his wife in the morning as she prefers not to stay so long in Greece and was flying home from the airport on the island of Kos. Dimitris continued to bring yet more wine and more wine to our table, we all enjoyed a very pleasant evening in each others company and I eventually made it to bed around 0100 hours. During the course of the evening, a group of ten people from Italy arrived to dine which gladdened our hearts as we do feel for the Greek people in what are very quiet times for business – life at the moment is very difficult for them.
Dimitris and his wife Efroeyni both work in the restaurant helped by their children. Dimitris is a lover of cats, to a degree which is rarely found in this country. In particular, one black and white boy named Aluce whose name was Lucia for the first 3 months of his life when he was thought to be female! Aluce actually comes to Dimitris when called – there is obvious respect for each other. Apparently Aluce does fight with one of his sons over their mutual interest in a particular female – that son we were told is a great hunter.
Astypalea – the “Butterfly Island” – no, not because there are loads of butterflies about – because of the island’s shape.