Itisallgreek2me

Limni - Evia (Euboea)

Dining with Janet and Dimitris for the last time on Saturday night was a real treat.  If you are thinking that fish would be in abundance and cheap here, I can tell you it is neither.  However, a friend of Dimitris’ had given him a bag full of small freshly caught fish which Janet had beheaded and cleaned, then floured and fried – what I call “food to die for” – and what we did not manage to finish, well, the cats were waiting.  Then, not long after we began eating, Dimitris received a telephone call from his friend to say he had more fish to collect, which he did and they smelt like pure sea!  

Before taking the 1215 hours bus yesterday to the port of Linaria, Janet served our last Greek coffee together in the courtyard then walked with me to the bus stop and waited until I was on my way.  The same ferry “Achilleas” which had brought me to Skyros a mere five days’ earlier would take me the one hour 40 minute ride to Kymi, Evia (Euboea) and from there, a bus to Chalkida on the western side and another north to Limni.  When we arrived in Kymi it was raining, two Athens bound coaches were filling up with passengers and I was told by the driver to get on the first one.  There seemed to be much confusion but especially for me when a little way into the journey, I was told I must get off and wait to get on the other bus which would stop for me in Chalkida. 

Evia (Euboea) is the second largest Greek island in population and area after Crete.  During the last decade, they have suffered from the extremes of severe snowstorms and devastating forest fires.  Unlike Northern Evia (Euboea) the Southern region is quite barren, uninteresting and unexciting, at least as much as I saw of it yesterday.  I had been to Chalkida many years’ ago and had remembered how close it is to the mainland.  Since 411 BC there has been a bridge here across the Euripus Strait, where an extraordinary tide can change direction many times a day – a current like river in one direction that then changes to the other and no one really understands why.  Nowadays, there is also a modern suspension bridge further south.  I was in Chalkida for just 15 minutes before catching my fourth bus of the day, to Limni in Northern Evia.  I was told approximately two hours journey and when I could see the sea, I would know we had arrived.  The route there travels inland through forested mountains, interspersed with plateaus where cotton, grapes and vegetables grow.  There are grasslands and freshly cut hay and everywhere you look, you see beehives.  In many places in between villages there are also large roadside tavernas.  

Limni is a beautiful village sitting on a mountain slope overlooking the sea.  From Skyros I had emailed two places regarding a room and heard nothing, however, I had remembered the name “Eviali Apartments” www.eviali.com   In the town I asked for directions and eventually with those “Greek” directions I found my way here, where I have a nice apartment, 200 metres from the sea.  By this time it was 2000 hours and I was hungry so decided to go look for the super market – it was closed – ended up sitting at a seaside taverna for a meal.  Walking back later and my mobile rang – it was Maddi (from Sydney) and Stathis at Eviali Apartments inviting me to join them for dinner, the shame was I had already eaten. 

Somewhere on Evia, the British composer – Sir John Tavener, spends a great deal of his time.  His composition “Song for Athene” was performed at the funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales, in 1997. 

I came here hoping to spend a couple of days relaxing on the beach in sunshine before I head back to Spetses – bad luck kid, today it has been raining!  For now, the rain has stopped, however, there remains an overcast sky and it is the coolest day I have experienced for a very long time.  My fingers are crossed in the hope that it will clear later in the day or at least by tomorrow.

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