2011 – A Dream Return
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Wanganui from the air
My journey this year began on 25 March, again from Wanganui, New Zealand, arriving 43 hours later on the small Greek Island of Spetses at 1930 hours local time – Saturday 26 March. Tired and exhausted, Costas was waiting for me as I embarked from the hydrofoil … it is fantastic to be back! No.1 priority – catch up on some sleep, however, the following night I was back in Bar Spetsa … bright eyed and bushy tailed!
It is Springtime here and the weather in the main has been glorious – sunny days but still a little chilly in the evenings. The locals are busy right now painting and sprucing up their homes and establishments, making ready for Easter celebrations and the coming Summer season. Few visitors have arrived yet – the island mainly quiet and peaceful. When walking during the day, one must be on constant lookout for scooters and motorbikes, the island’s main mode of transport.
Most nights I venture out to spend time with Costas in Bar Spetsa where it is not unusual to find oneself chatting with A-listers as I enjoy a Metaxa 5 Star or two with ginger ale – life can be tough at the top! Happy to be indulging once again in the Greek cuisine, both at home and out in the local restaurants. Today we enjoyed Bakaliaros (cod) with Skordalia (garlic sauce), Patates Tiganetes (fries), Patzarosalata (warm beetroot salad), Psomi (delicious crusty bread) and a shared Mythos beer … then back home for a lengthy much needed siesta.
In a couple of weeks’ time, I will travel to Crete (a journey of some 14 plus hours) to spend a few days over Easter with friends and my extended Greek family there. With the luxury of only 6 weeks in Greece this time as apposed to 6 months last year, I will have just 10 more days to spend with Costas before leaving to return to New Zealand on Saturday 7 May.
As of today, Costas now has WiFi Internet connected here at the house which is going to be so convenient for me. Tomorrow I must also try to get back into taking photographs to add interest to my blogs. To date we have not ventured far from the town, however, I’m thinking about walking the 26 kilometres around the island … the landscape at this time of year takes my breath away – with herbaceous plants and wild flowers in abundance. One day I would love to transform Costas’ yard into a beautiful garden … he thinks it is too shaded by the trees, including lemon and orange, however, I believe otherwise. Currently stinging nettle is growing en masse – the soil will be good and with the right plantings, we would be living within our own little paradise.
I am extremely happy to be here … no disappointments, only time is limited.