Blog 52, Tuesday October 29, 2024 “Fira and Change”

Today we decided to visit the capital city of Fira on Santorini. Fira is where the airport is located, so we actually flew into Fira and took a taxi from there to Oia the first day but I was so sick I have no memory of the city or the trip.

We realized that we could take a bus for €2 each so we decided to hop on. The ride there was beautiful and we drove by the coast the whole way which meant that we were able to see the sea the entire ride. I love looking out at the Aegean because it’s blueness is just so astonishing.

When we arrived in Fira, we found a city that was much more open than Oia. What I mean is that the streets were not the tiny little narrow passageways that we have to negotiate here in Oia. There was lots of space, but there were also lots of people, as usual. While the season in nearly over, you wouldn’t know it by the number of tourists around, including us, of course!

We ended up heading back to Oia sooner than we thought. I knew tonight was our last ‘famous’ sunset', and I was impatient to be settled in. Plus I needed one more swim, this time in the pool here at the complex. We are still wearing t-shirts and shorts or, in my case, skirts and sandals, and the coast here is rocky, not beachy. The sun is still intense and we left our sunscreen behind in Naxos. Grrrr…... big mistake. Sunscreen here sells for about $20 a bottle. Ridiculous, but necessary, especially for Alistair’s N. Irish skin.
Alistair had one more hike in him, but I didn’t. I haven’t been able to run and the extensive stairs here challenge my lungs right now and cause coughing fits which are embarrassing and uncomfortable, but he headed down to the port just below our complex this afternoon, following the same route the donkeys take with their bells jangling as they bring people up or down from the port. EVERYTHING on Santorini involves long sets of stairs, some of them complicated. So Alistair set off, and I stayed behind to rest and to watch him from the terrace. Some of the pics of the port and the donkey close-ups are his. He said it was like a whole different world down there. While boats appear like toys to us way from up high, there are restaurants and docks and numerous boats that come and go with tourists. The most common tourist boat is the catamaran. I have never wanted to ride on a catamaran, but they looked beautiful. They never put up their sails, however, which I thought was odd. They always used motor power. However, Alistair also said the path to the port is paved in donkey poop the whole way. I wasn’t sorry I missed that part.

He got back in time for the famous sunset and it did not disappoint. But it wasn’t just the sunset that was beautiful, it was the hour afterwards that some call the gloaming or the gloaming hour. The sun was gone, but the colors deepened and changed over time. Venus, the trusty planet we have seen every night, was bright in front of us, and the sky displayed an incredible array of hues from mauve to pink to midnight blue to near black.

After posting a pic of the sign from last week about ‘winter break’, we asked the staff here at our complex if they would close for the winter. “Tomorrow is our last day!” he told us. Looking at the temps, I could see why. They start to fall into the low 60’s next week, and with the wind, it will feel much colder. This is the second hotel where we’ve been among the last guests. They will reopen in April which is also pretty cold, I bet. Alistair and I wondered what the staff will do for this break time. They are attentive and hard-working from all that we have seen, but having 5 months off in a row can’t be sustaining for them. I might ask about that tomorrow when they carry our bags out for us.

Oh yes! The Big Suitcases have to be CARRIED up several flights of stairs to get to the area where cars are allowed to drive. That climb is hard without luggage, but with the Big Suitcases?? We will tip well, no worries. I’ve included a picture of the way they carry suitcases up the steep stairs, by putting it on their shoulder. I watched one young man carry three suitcases at the same time. Their strength is impressive.

I did forget one unexpected story about leaving Naxos. While we were there, I referred to the décor as old European traditional. Heavy armoires that smelled like mothballs (nope, we did not put our clothes in there!) a stiff day bed with decorative pillows and a handmade, lace- trimmed coverlet that was also decorated with colorful needlepoint. I mentioned to Alistair that it was handmade in comparison to much of our contemporary decorating which is ‘fast fashion’ish. Quilts come from China, lace is made by machine, etc. Not being critical, it’s just the way we live. But that daybed coverlet was the real thing and reminding me of my own Aunt Catherine who used to make lace. Our house had doilies, antimacassars, and lace-covered hangers that Aunt Kate had made. Even as a child I was fascinated by the detailed work that my aunt did.

As we were leaving, Despina, the wife of the man who ran the hotel, stopped Alistair and handed him an envelope. “For your wife,” she said, “Because you are the last ones here for the season.” Inside was a handmade lace doily that brought me right back to my childhood. As we left, I thanked her profusely and she said “My aunts made all the lace in here and I like to give it away as gifts.” So unique and generous. And it carries the memory of Despina’s family of dedication and of artistry. And good eyesight! I could never tat or crochet a doily. I don’t even have the attention span! But the unexpected surprise of lace making is that, while it may appear to be fragile, it is actually quite strong, which is why one of my Aunt Kate’s covered hangars is still in my closet today, and why this doily and the daybed coverlet still survive even after years of use. I love the connection that was made between an island in the Aegean Sea and my mother’s siter from Bayridge, Brooklyn.

Fragility that conceals strength. I’m sure there’s a lesson in that.
For now, I’ve packed away my doily and the memories of these islands. I prefer Naxos which is far less popular, but the sunset here is not to be missed, and we didn’t. To be nourished by beauty that we attribute to God, that we see as showing us the glory of God, is obviously not limited to a couple of Greek Islands.

What unexpected gift have you received lately that nourished you? Dinner out with family? Time spent with friends?

May we all find blessings in unexpected gifts,
ML+