WAR AND PEACE

A few weeks before Henry and I left for our 2016 sailing adventure, we received a very disturbing email from a new friend we had met while sailing last year. M works for the city of Paris, but because of her Greek connections has been seconded to the European Union, advising on the Greek economic crisis and, more latterly, the refugee crisis. She contacted us in a state of shock – she had just narrowly missed being caught in the bomb blasts in Brussels, which followed her horrifying experience last year when she was in the street outside the nightclub in Paris where the shootings took place after having just said goodbye to her friends who went inside. When she heard that Pegasus had spent the winter on the island of Chios and this was where we would soon be, she was appalled and cautioned us to immediately get the boat away from Chios and the islands adjacent to Turkey and sail away to the west. We are, she said “AT WAR……”

We had been following the refugee crisis avidly since encountering many people last year who had survived the crossing from Turkey to Greece and were on their way to start a new life in Europe somewhere. We sympathised with their plight, but as more and more refugees arrived, we also sympathised with the Greek islanders who were taking them in. We followed the news closely and decided that we would not over-react but get to Chios and see for ourselves what the situation was.

So, for the first time, we did not do a draft itinerary, but left SA with some trepidation two weeks ago for Greece and our first stop, Chios. We stepped off the overnight ferry at 04h45 in the morning and Costas was waiting for us with our rental car. While the sun rose, we sat with Costas drinking Greek coffee and eating spinach and feta pies and he was the first of many to tell us about the crisis and how the island is coping.

Chios has a bloody and embattled history, including the Turkish / Greek population swap in 1922 when the Turks on Chios were moved to Izmir in Turkey and Greeks in Izmir were moved to Chios. So, the people on Chios were also refugees once and they know what it is like to be displaced – even the young people remember the stories of their parents and grandparents and they empathise with the refugees. Over the last 18 months, they have welcomed the refugees, fed them and sheltered them. But now there are ripples of discontent. The Syrians, we are told, are quiet, well-mannered people who are grateful to be here. But there are groups from other countries, who are more demanding and aggressive and are, I quote, “causing trouble”.  Yesterday we visited the maritime museum in Chios Town and retired ship captain, Adonis, whose views were almost identical to those of Costas, told us about an attempt on Monday to burn down one of the camps. We sense frustration and anger building which is very worrying.

Retired ship-captain Adonis

Chios and its neighbour Lesvos, are very close to the coast of Turkey, about 8 miles away, and so these islands have received more refugees than anywhere else in Greece, making them so-called hotspots. There are 2500 refugees at the moment in Chios, staying in 3 camps, waiting, according to the recent agreement with Turkey, to be processed and either be given asylum or be sent back to Turkey. The largest camp is fenced off with barbed wire and people are not allowed to leave, but we understand that people move freely from the other 2 camps. We have not seen the closed camp or the second large camp outside town, and can only imagine what it must be like – people waiting to be “processed” – what an awful word!

The smallest camp is next to the main square in the centre of Chios town, and it seems peaceful. Each afternoon we have been in town, we have seen groups of children walking back from the school that has been set up for them. We have seen rows and rows of solitary men waiting outside the registration hall. We have seen families walking around town. We have seen British, Belgian, Italian and Greek military ships moored in harbour and patrolling the coast. We have seen many NGO staff – religious, medical, educational. But what we have not seen are tourists. Absolutely no holiday makers are here – delightful for us, but devastating for the people on Chios.

Pegasus alone in the harbour at Vasillos

Sharing the harbour with a naval ship

But the Greeks are a resilient bunch, and the stories we hear always include something encouraging and upbeat. They are pleased that the NGO’s are spending money on their island; they are proud of their unspoilt, verdant island, one of the most beautiful we have visited; they seem unfazed by the military presence - who are visible but recessive and, to us at least, at times quite friendly; they continue to greet us warmly and engage us in conversation; they are as generous as so many of the Greeks we have met on other islands and we are getting fat on the free desserts we are served after every meal. 

Delicious hot Loukamades dripping in honey - kind of like donuts but much better

So, Pegasus might be the only boat in the harbour, but we are glad we are here and we look forward to a wonderfully happy few months supporting the islanders in our small way by just being here – and by telling them how much we love their country. And maybe a few people who read our blog will decide to come and enjoy Greece and the Greeks as well.

Alone in the harbour at Lithi