JUNE 2013
"Perhaps the logical question to ask at this point is: why go?....he can't help himself. Once he has been under the spell of the vast, luminous, silent country, no other place is quite strong enough for him, no other surroundings can provide the supremely satisfying sensation of existing in the midst of something that is absoulte. He will go back....."
Paul Bowles, Baptism of Solitude
SALLY
Island Lake is part of the Wilderness Lakes system stretching from Wilderness to Sedgefield on the Garden Route. Fringed by the Outeniquas on one side and vegetated sand dunes on the other, this is where Henry sails his Lazer during summer in our new(ish) lives on the Garden Route. The most beautiful lake he has ever sailed on, he says. He sailed in the Closing Cruise on 21 April, and exactly one month later we set sail on Pegasus 11, in what we believe are the most beautiful cruising waters of the world, the Aegean. I know they are the only waters we have cruised in, but we don’t know how it can get better!
We arrived in Poros to yet another warm and friendly welcome, with wine and coffee on the house offered to us all down the quay. We slipped back into the Greek island way of life, and with Poros being as seductive as ever; we were not in a rush to leave. But Hydra was beckoning, and so after getting the boat ready we set off for our still most favourite island – with it’s still most impossible harbour, nicknamed “The Washing Machine”! We are suckers for punishment, but our hedonism wins, and we go back time and again to enjoy the charms of Hydra. The weather was balmy, the water crisp and refreshing, the food excellent and the views sublime. No cars or bikes, just donkeys or walking. And, most importantly, we arrived and departed twice with no fouled anchors. I like to think this is because of Henry’s brilliant skippering, but there is probably a bit of luck!
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| Eating gavros in Poros - Chris, this is for you! |
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| Our favourite in Poros - phyllo stuffed with feta and peppers, coated with honey and sesame seeds |
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| Hydra after first swim of the summer |
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| Hydra is a working harbour - view from our boat to the west |
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| View from the back of the boat |
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| This motor yacht pulled in between us and the fishing boats - the paintwork a rendition of Roy Liechtenstein we assume. We could not decide if the paint work was fabulous or monstrous but it disguised the outlandish angular design of the boat |
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| "Guilty of what?" We would love to know..... |
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| ....and I watched! |
We started our travels in France this year – first with 8 days near Limoges where we did a house swap with a Chateau owned by a British couple. Suffice to say it was wonderful, but Ballots no 23 must not feel overshadowed by the grand, middle-ages castle in Richard the Lionheart country. A little shabby around the edges but delightful. Then we had 4 nights in Paris, Henry’s first visit and marvellous to see this magnificent city through his eyes.
Highlights so far…..
Meeting up with my oldest school friend, Sue Sparks, who flew out from New York to share the Chateau experience with us. She pointed out that next year we will have been friends for 50 years! We laughed and had fun as we do every time we meet up – which is not often enough.
One of our best moments with Sue was when we were exploring a beautiful ancient bridge and it’s surroundings on the Route to Santiago de Compostelle. A couple were working in their garden along the banks of the river. We stopped to admire it and the 1600’s house. We got chatting and they invited us in for some wine. They were very funny and irreverent and we enjoyed their company and hospitability enormously – so much so that we realised we had missed the supermarket. They asked us what we needed to buy and I said the only urgent thing was toilet paper. Needless to say, we left clutching a roll to see us through to the next day.
Next highlight was having Fran and George Alagiah catch the Eurostar from London to have lunch with us in Paris. A crazy, happy day! We had time to eat a delicious “Plat du jour” in a non-touristy restaurant in Saint Germaine and then whizz around the Rodin museum before they caught the train back to London. Thanks Fran and George – we loved our day, long may we do these mad but delightful things!
And highlight no 3, the Rodin museum itself – one of the best museums we have ever been to. We stayed for hours after Fran and George left to enjoy the gardens where Rodin spent his last years, and of course marvel at the sculptures. We have recently taken up sculpture classes with Chris Smart in Wilderness and I am not sure if this was inspiring or demoralising! Henry was mesmerized by the incredible vitality of the sculptures, bordering on the abstract, many overtly sexual but somehow accepted by society in 1910.
Lowlights - Leaving Hydra in what we thought would be perfect conditions for the 10 hour sail to the Cyclades, only to round the island and find the Aegean bumpy, rolly and unpleasant which made the crossing difficult. The last 10 days the weather has not been great. Last night a wild, unpredicted 40 knot wind swept though the harbour and we spent from about 3am till 5am in the rain, wind and crashing waves trying to stop the boat from smashing into the quay. Not fun!
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| Mooring havoc - again! |
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| We saw many stone hinges like this on Sifnos |
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| Mediaeval wall - Kastro |
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| The medieaval town is still inhabited and we were fascinated to see ancient artifacts being used in everyday life |
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| Sifnos is famous for it's potterry - this potter was showing Henry his trick cups |
HENRY:
I have been busy with office work so have not had time for making a proper contribution to our blog. But, just a few impressions and thoughts:
Our trip has been overshadowed for the past few weeks by my friend Paul Whitehead being shot in an attempted robbery. He has been in a very serious condition in ICU but is now making progress. It has upset me more than I can describe and reinforced just how much our friends mean to us.
I always marvel at the way the Greeks make so much of life. I cannot imagine any other country where the kitchen could be on one side of the road and the restaurant on the other! It requires everyone's co-operation and understanding of the non-system! Cars drive slowly, children ride their bikes in circles in the road in between the passing of the cars, waiters carry the food across as though there was no road! Would our over regulated society tolerate the little kitchens (scrupulously clean!) with charcoal fires to grill fish and octopus? We cannot even have a wooden spoon in a commercial kitchen anymore! I think it is the anarchic nature of Greek society, in ways that mostly work to the benefit of the citizens, that I find appealing. On several occasions we have, by chance, become involved to a greater or lesser extent, in Greek celebrations; saints days, a christening, a re-union... People round a supper table, all ages from 9 to 90, know and sing the songs about Greek history, romance and love and even protest songs from earlier days. There is always someone to play a guitar or accordion and the sense of togetherness is palpable.
I think what has happened to Paul has pressed home to me both the importance of the Greek way of making the most of life and their perceptibly greater emphasis on friends and family, and the importance of not devoting one's life to being a cog in a machine and not paying enough attention to our humanity and the needs that nurture it.
