Not Winter As You May Know It
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Costas and I, Carol, Christos and Panayiotes in Delfinia
As I was writing my Blog last Sunday, Costas came home from the bank, telling me to take a walk down to the Dapia. High winds, rain and a raging sea … the waves were crashing in over the jetty and seafront road – it was quite a spectacle. However, as I was standing up on steps in front of a building on the seafront road, endeavouring to take snapshots, in came a huge wave. It really frightened me and immediately the water had receded, I hot footed it home. Later that afternoon, Costas suggested that we go take another look and watch from Mayo … at the same time we could have a couple of drinks, which we did. It was unbelievable to think that just two days earlier we had seen people still swimming in the sea. That night we stayed up until 0200 hours, keeping an eye on all the containers we had placed around the house to collect water from our leaking roof. There appears to be no uniformity … each time there is heavy rain, the leaks come in new locations.
Monday evening around 1800 hours, we went down to Destino. Still the waves were coming, however, nothing like the day before. That day we had walked all the way to Vrellos and return … an estimated 8-10 kilometres. It was a pleasant, mild day, with only light winds and we both really enjoyed it. On Tuesday I made Yiachni (potatoes in tomato and onion sauce) for lunch which was delicious. Eaten with crusty bread, olives and feta is also very nice. In the evening we had dinner with Alexandra (a fellow Kiwi), her husband Vagelis and their young son Dimitris. It was great to spend a little time with another New Zealander.
Wednesday it was cold, however, being my last Wednesday night on the island for now, I felt compelled to go down to Delfinia and watch the guys playing Pool. Costas bowed out early to spend time with me and it was while we were sitting at the bar that I learnt Delfinia will close on 6 January with a big party … the guys are opening a new establishment right on the beachfront at Mamas. With a large terrace – what a fantastic location it will be.
There was very little wintry about Thursday here on Spetses. We decided to take a walk around the island, as far as we could get in an hour and 20 minutes or so, then turn around … 2 hours 45 minutes in all. Not a cloud in sight …that day felt more like Springtime. I wore only a T-shirt but there was a chill in the air when we were out of the sun. In the evening, of course, we heard of Nelson Mandela’s passing … a sad day, what a man!
The next day, Costas was not keen to walk and so I went alone, down to the Old Harbour, returning through many of the back streets … yet another beautiful day. It was the 6th of December, the Feast Day of St. Nicholas and the day when many Greeks exchange gifts. We had arranged to meet Panayiotes and Carol that evening in Delfinia. During conversation that night we realized their son Christos and my son Dave share the same birthdate – 12 July 1988 … amazing coincidence.
Yesterday we went out for coffee at Roumani in the Dapia. Sitting in the sun, overlooking the sea … surely it is what dreams are made of. In the evening we had dinner with Penny at Akrogialia Taverna in Kounoupitsa. What a treasure of a place … small, intimate, great atmosphere, greek music, great service and wonderful fresh well prepared food. In the summer months they have tables out across the road on the sand … somewhat like a scene from Shirley Valentine. But it was cold last night and we felt the sleet on our faces as we walked there and back home … of course, to play Scrabble.
Today I have not left the house. The fire has been lit since early in the day and I am quite content … just me and the four cats right now as Costas has gone out to meet with Panayiotes and be out of the house for a while. On Thursday when we were walking, Marinos came by on his motor scooter carrying a plastic bag of eggs he had just collected from his hens. He very kindly gave the eggs to us and today for lunch I made a big omelette and salad.
So Winter it is and Winter it is not but whatever, on Wednesday we leave Spetses on the late morning hydrofoil to spend three nights in Athens. Sadly, Costas will farewell me at the airport on Saturday afternoon before returning to the island and I will begin my long journey back to New Zealand. Hopefully, I will return to Greece in time to spend Easter 2014 with my extended family on Crete, however, much depends on what happens with my family back home during the intervening months. I will return to Costas and this island paradise when I can, however, just when that will be I cannot be sure. With no working computer to take home, sadly this will probably be my last Blog for now.