Another quiet week of writing the book.
Last weekend my friend Elena came over from Molyvos on the train & we spent the days talking, eating & enjoying the sunshine. She read my first chapter for me & gave me some good feedback, so I’m inspired to keep going!
It was Mother’s Day and we shared a picnic she’d brought for me, in the sunshine outside one of the churches in the village. The wind was howling down on the seafront but the old village is protected & it was lovely getting out of the wind. She is great company & it was the first time she’d been on the train so was feeling like a tourist in her own town 😀
Sitting in the courtyard of one of the gyros places in the sunshine gave me a real appreciation for this beautiful place I have been calling home for over a month now. The small spaces are utilised so beautifully, the tables & chairs are simple & functional, the paper tablecloths smoothed over he table top upon arrival are environmentally pleasing & the food is quick, fresh & delicious. I think all the chips, bread & sugary coffee are catching up with me though & I’ve had to step up the walks this week 😆
Maria needed to go to Mitilene first thing Monday morning so on Sunday evening we all headed to the other house for the night. Making a detour into town we walked the new (ish) road that runs underneath the castle. Under the walls at the bottom end of the compound Maria took me down into a church dedicated to a saint of breastfeeding mothers or something. It was under the ground, hewn into the rocks, like a cave and tiny. Maria wanted to light some candles & if you look at the icon behind her you can see the image is breastfeeding. This is a church where women come to pray for babies, fertility, milk production etc….it seems there’s a saint for everything in Greece!
Continuing along the path we stood above an Ottoman tower that has fallen into he sea & chatted with a bloke they knew, until the sun started to set. Here are my cool dude friends enjoying a well earned break from the grind of hotel life. I really couldn’t have wished for better hosts & I will miss their company when I leave.
Believe it or not we walked past the Statue of Liberty, cast in Germany in 1922 & dedicated to the fallen patriots of the Balkan & First World Wars. Somewhat of a surprise for me & not a piece I would have come across had I not been with my friends.
After the walk we headed into the alleyways of the town in search of a feed. We went to an old favourite for dinner where the owner is a real character, performing lots of tricks with cards, salt & coins. Not from the island originally he came here years ago for a holiday & never left. Lesvos has that effect on people & the longer I’m here the more I’m realising why. It has a charm all of it’s own that soothes the soul with reminders of a quieter, less complicated & kinder time, one where people made time for each other, felt at peace with what they had & lived in the moment.
After dinner we went for a drink at a place that is run by friends & has been open for years. It was great fun & they are awesome people, we laughed heaps, drank too many shots & it was lovely to see Maria & Aris relaxed, smiling & happy. Mitilene is gorgeous at night & I had no idea so much went on after dark. The Mural on the wall behind us is of a local artist & is absolutely beautiful. From what I can remember it depicts an olive tree, a boat & grapes, the only three things you need to start life anew on this beautiful island.
Next morning bright & early, without a hangover, we went back to town where Aris & I cruised the girly clothes shops together whilst Maria did her admin jobs. Aris is a funny guy & we had a right laugh looking at all sorts of inappropriate garments together!! The sun was shining, I had someone to hold my coffee whilst I browsed & not a care in the world. Life is so simple, why do we insist on complicating it so much??
Jobs done we came home via the Ekklisia Agios Taxiarches, a 10th century monastery. Attacked by Saracen pirates who destroyed facilities & slaughtered the monks the only survivor was a novice called Gabriel. He made the icon of Taxiarchis using the blood of the slaughtered monks & clay. At this time of the year many people make a pilgrimage to the monastery to pay their respects to the Archangel Michael & whilst we were there I witnessed a woman crawling up the nave to rest her head on the stone beneath the icon. Dedication plus!
Outside in the courtyard is the building dedicated to preparation of the feast, held at this time of the year for those who are staying in the cells of the monastery & anyone else who visits. In days gone by an animal (usually a bullock) was decorated with flowers & paraded through the village where a band played & people threw flowers at the animal before it was slaughtered in the courtyard of the monastery. That doesn’t happen any more, but a feast of meat is cooked in massive pots, mixed with grain & served up after the service. By all accounts it’s boiled for days & you can see the soot marks on the walls of the building where the fires are lit.
The remainder of the week has been a combination of writing, sunbathing, going out for dinner with the girls & walks. Next week I anticipate much of the same & I’m cracking out 3000 words a day where possible. My writing spot of choice is the poolside in the shade. The pool is half full, housemartin’s, seagulls, frogs & cats visit regularly, I have a sun bed, a table & when the noisy Roma visitors leave I have the place to myself again. It feels like Summer has begun & there are more people around, so who knows what might happen, who I might meet & the conversations I might have?! Tune in next week for another exciting instalment…or not 😆
