Feeling much better today thank goodness. It was a beautiful start to the day & I thought I’d do my yoga & then go for a walk….but the heavens opened. So I pottered around for a while before it slackened off & I ventured out for a coffee. The skies cleared & the sun came out for the remainder of the day so I stayed out soaking it up.
First was a coffee & a chat to one of the locals before I sat in the sunshine at the beach have a Kate Bush-athon with the waves lapping in the background. It was delightful soaking up the rays & not having a care in the world.
The owner of the bakery gave me the raisin biscuit on the house & it was delish, a little cinnamonny, perfectly complimented my freddo espresso. Next I stopped in at the pop up clothes shop, I think it pops up every year? It was packed with ladies browsing last years collection, fill a plastic bag for 35 euros & in the other room they were putting out this years pieces. Some good stuff & some questionable stuff, stuff a Greek grandma might love!
I didn’t buy anything but it was fun looking & chatting in broken Grenglish with the ladies in there. As I walked further up the street I passed the Gypsy man who was driving around the village this morning selling pot plants from the back of his van. He has a loud speaker & calls out as he’s driving so everyone knows he’s there. He asked me if I wanted anything but I said no, good of him to ask tho!
After a lunch of super salty anchovies, Greek salad & bread (ordered in Grenglish) I decided that since it was still sunny I would take the chance to do a walk through to the back of the village & along the goat track that runs past the rear of the place I’m staying. I passed a couple of churches on the way & decided today that I would pop in to check them out.
This one was tiny & on the side of the main road. It was dedicated inside, by the looks of the icons, to a dude, identity unknown. What impressed me most about the spot was the tree next to the entrance. It must have been there for eons.
I passed lots of beautiful trees in bloom & different types of flowers from previous walks & everything felt a bit fresher after the rain. As I meandered I took advantage of the fact that I have nothing to do, no where to be & no one to report to, by stopping to take in the views over empty fields & vegetable plots. I feel like Iv’e reached the sweet spot of my life. My kids are grown & gone, Mark doesn’t need me to be by his side constantly & my parents are living life their own way. How fortunate I am to have reached this space in my life & how sensible that I am doing with that space something that holds such meaning for me.
This church I stumbled across in a little square in a part of the village I’ve not come across before. It appears to be dedicated to a female icon although the alter has male icons, they look quite old but might be reproductions. This church is very sweet from the outside but hard to get a pic of because it’s surrounded closely by homes.
Whilst I’m on the subject of religion, I have found out what that room, that I stumbled across in Athens cemetery, with all the boxes in it is. Apparently the dead are buried here & then after four years they are exhumed. The remains, bones & maybe teeth? Are put into a box & stored in one of those rooms for you to visit when you want to be with your dead person.
I was going to go to the cemetery today for a ganders but when I went to walk towards there a big gang of mourners passed me so I decided it might be better to go another day as it’s a fairly small place. I will endeavour to make my way to the cemetery in Molyvos next week when I have a car again. I’m pretty sure that will be an old one, whereas the one in Petra looks a bit newer. I could be completely wrong tho!?
There is a weather alert for tonight of strong winds & heavy rain. I don’t have any plans but it’s only 7pm & by Greek standards the night is very young yet! If anything comes my way I will keep you posted. Nothing to report…night