Today stated out cooler & more overcast so I decided it was the perfect day to walk up the hill to the neighbouring village of Πετρί (Petri). It’s not far & the road winds up the hillside, so it’s a gentle uphill climb. To get to the bottom of the hill I passed through the old village of Petra which was coming alive by 11am this beautiful Sunday morning. The church of Ευστράτιου Ματζουρανη had speakers blaring sung prayer into the village & there were lots of cars parked in the narrow alleyway outside. Parishioners were standing around outside the closed doors, perhaps the church was full?
I passed by & was overwhelmed by the abundance of wisteria growing up walls, along trellises, in trees & over doorways. The smell is incredible, it really is a very picturesque village, so lovely & flat! There are more people around & there were other tourists heading down towards the seafront for a morning coffee & brunch.
It’s Ramadan or Ramzan now in Turkey, from 10th March until 9th April. This is a time when Muslims fast, pray, reflect & gather, hence it’s Turks who are coming to celebrate the end of this period on Lesvos. The season hasn’t kicked off proper here yet but this week will be a bit busier because of this influx of post Ramadan visitors. This has made hiring a car next week more tricky than I had anticipated as the ferry from Turkey only holds a few cars. This being said though, Maria has found me one from a neighbouring community which will be dropped off here tomorrow morning. It’s manual & I’m not feeling very confident about driving a manual (think changing gears with left hand!) on the wrong side of the road 🤯 However, I’m a big girl & will just have to get on with it!
Anyway, back to today. I made my way slowly up towards the tiny, hillside village of Petri, thinking I would be able to have a coffee at the cafe in the square & have a look around before heading back down the hill again. The best laid plans!! I made it up there alright & had a little wander around, however, the cafe was closed & there was a dog in the square that was none too friendly. I decided to head back the way I came, along a very overgrown & steep pathway towards the main road. The views are to die for!
Imagine waking up to that view in the mornings! If you overwinter here you are one of about 11 people that enjoy the view! It’s a tiny village & many of the houses are owned by French, Dutch & German residents who only come for summer. The houses are, by necessity, built with two or three stories & multiple steps abound. Getting a car up to some of the residences is impossible & it must be extremely difficult for elderly people to get around.
Walking past a woman on her terrace we exchanged hello’s & it turned into a long visit, coffee, lunch & a lovely chat. Life is a series of chances & choices. I took a chance by saying hi & my afternoon turned into a beautiful connection with two talented & interesting women who run a ceramics business from the premises.
From this small space they create some of the most beautifully painted ceramic ware I’ve ever seen. Georgia, the owner of the space, is an older lady who has been creating since 1988 when she attended a workshop with an Italian ceramicist in Turkey. Canakkale, on the Turkish coast & the town where Georgia trained, is the home of a style of ceramics dating back to the 17th century. Based on Iznik 14 & 15 century ceramics, pieces are sculpted using earthenware & decorated using blue & white brushstrokes, creamy clear glazes & cross hatching. Nikki, the friend who is helping Georgia, told me that it is common to incorporate animal heads into the design of Canakkale pottery & showed me the first piece Georgia ever made in 1989.
We sat in the sunshine swapping stories, drinking coffee & I ate sweet pistachios. What a revelation they were. Picked soft, boiled to slough the skins off & then quick boiled in a sugar syrup they are stored in jars & served as a sweet treat. They were absolutely delicious & the sugar perked me up no end after the walk up the hill!
Nikki is studying painting restoration at university in Mitilini, where they both live & we talked about colour, art & history. I can’t get over how welcoming the Greek people are, so warm & friendly, genuinely happy to be sharing their beautiful country & culture. They have a turbulent political history & many are struggling economically, jobs are hard to find on Lesvos & the hangover from the economic crisis is evident here, but one gets the sense that the locals would give you the shirt off their back if they saw you were in need.
After an hour chatting in the sunshine & a belly full of fresh hard boiled egg I made my way, rather more quickly, down the hill into Petra again. I passed a group of sheep having a rest in the shade, it was hot once the sun came out & I stopped to have a chat. They look similar to the breed of sheep I used to work with in the UK & it felt good to be connecting with some familiar faces!! I couldn’t resist a pic of them with the lovely sounding bells around their necks.
Lesvos, like Adelaide, clearly has some water pipe issues & this morning as I walked through town one of the main paths was flooded with clear water. On the way back there were a number of men standing around trying to sort it out. There was a big truck in situ with pipes & what-not coming from the back & a bloke holding a large hose looked askance at me in my white sneakers as I skirted around the muddy water. Stopping in at the mini-mart I bought a big apple & took the long back path home.
The remainder of the afternoon was spent in repose with my book…bliss. Maria cooked a delicious meal tonight & we sat together eating, talking & enjoying the relaxed environment. I am going to bed shortly, it’s early but the wind has picked up & it’s chilly tonight. I have a full tummy, my conscience is clear & I have MAFS to catch up on 🤣
