it's official - i am totally and irrevocably in love with Greece.
yesterday i went over to my neighbour nikos, a photographer who's lived in santorini for many years. he had an exhibit where i met his lovely spanish girlfriend esther, and many other wonderful characters who've made this island their home. when i asked each one how they found themselves here, faces lit up and each story unfolded like fine poetry. listening to them talk made me realize how much island people all over the world have in common. how we all remember the moment when we left that old life behind and let the heart take complete control. looking back, the decision probably didn't make practical sense to some of us at that time and it surely didn't make any sense to our families who watched in horror as we packed our bags and set sail to the island of our dreams. but when we let the Heart lead, then we are always led to the right place.
so there i was, drinking wine with this vibrant and interesting bunch (an artist a shopkeeper, a writer who owns a bookstore, a lovely couple, a kinesiotherapist to name a few), watching the moonrise and seeing their island in a different light. much has been said and written about santorini, and all this hype is richly deserved. i am so content to just lie in bed with my windows and doors open, looking out into the caldera, into a sea that is magnificently blue. but hearing them talk of their favorite spots and things to do make me want to stay longer. it makes me want to come back already even though i'm still here.
which is why today i traded my afternoon nap for a walk around Oia and further down to Katharos beach with Craig (writer & bookstore keeper). we passed an abandoned church, an old leper colony building that has been turned into a cafe open during the summer and a huge rock where a couple was sitting with a million dollar view. it was a warm and lovely day, the flowers in bloom, the trails narrow, the pebble beach empty. we folded our pants and went straight to the water - totally resisting the urge to take my clothes off and jump in for a swim. we headed back as the sun was beginning to set.
it was only then i remembered that i had left my thick sweater at the bar we went to after the exhibit. that i realized i ran going home at 3 in the morning because i was freezing. blame it on the many glasses of wine and dancing to abba (yes the old man dj played old man songs) to make me sweetly forget.
supper was on the bookshop's roof terrace with home-cooked borscht - a rich vegetable soup topped with a dollop of yoghurt and a specialty of Slava, a funny and gentle Ukrainian guy who has just moved here. dining in a home with the locals on my fourth night on the island isn't bad at all. i'm beginning to imagine how a week, hmm or maybe a month would look like if i stayed.
what did i tell you, this girl is in love.
