Just A Few Precious Days
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Kastelli Kissamos – Crete
The long hours and hard work preceding my time away are not forgotten … nor will my precious few days here in Kastelli Kissamos with my Greek family be forgotten. Building on memories we share which go back over 30 years, yesterday morning I made my pilgrimage up the hill to the cemetery, carrying a new Gardenia … sporting four beautiful blooms and an abundance of buds, promising many more flowers to come. The Gardenia was, of course, Costas’ favourite flower … with unprecedented rainfall here this past winter, almost all of our plants at the graveside have rotted and died. Walking back down the hill, in the far distance could be seen the snow capped Lefka Ori (White Mountains).
Following Easter celebrations and the departure of family members to their homes and work in Hania, the week has been mainly a quiet one … time spent here in the house with Anna and Katina, interspersed by the unexpected arrival from time to time of extended family members and friends, generating lively conversation and much laughter. Such gatherings always lead to one thing – coffee, sweets, or more food and wine … what they have, they share – for sure it is an enviable lifestyle. The state of the Nation will not move them from their traditional ways and the need to be hospitable.
Venturing out from the house, immediately one becomes aware of the intensity of the light here in Greece. The sight of a yard full of Calendula Officinalis flowers, bright orange in the late morning sun … if only I could have picked all those flowers – what a wonderful, healing ointment they would have made, like I used to make before my time in Real Estate. Springtime brings forth an abundance of wild flowers, wild herbs and edible plants too. Yesterday for lunch we had a selection of these, including tiny asparagus shoots, as well as broad beans from the garden. Anna and Katina enjoyed snails with their meal … I was quite happy to settle for plant matter, a glass of wine and the delicious crusty bread.
Late afternoon saw the arrival of Kostoula with her two beautiful daughters, Maria and Katerina, followed by Vanna and Roma who invited me for dinner. A quiet affair compared with most Saturday evenings at their home … only family and of course, I am one of them. Roma drove me back to the house early around 2300 hours.
It is late morning here … Johanna, Antoni and Rula have just arrived at the house – a possible lift later in the day back to Hania, otherwise another bus ride. As Antonia cannot guarantee they will be at the house before 1900 hours, I will not be rushing to get back to Hania. Tomorrow will be an early start, however, as my flight to Athens departs at 0825 hours … and I have just realized, it will be exactly two years since I left New Zealand to spend 6 months backpacking all over Greece – little did I know then where I would be now.
The last leg of my journey just hours away … then 6 weeks and two days to spend with Costas on Spetses – what more can I say!
Sunday, April 22nd 2012 at 3:22 pm |
Hi Helen, just found your site today but have heard of you from Costas…give him our love when you get to Spetses and maybe June and I will meet you in Bar Spetsa this summer. Have a great time.