We had been promised rain, and rain it did, pounding off the pantile roofs, turning the veranda steps into cascades. By lunchtime the shining Gulf that had been our view all morning was sunk in steely gloom while the Taygetos had dissolved completely. (How can mountain ranges disappear like that?)
It was not a good start to the holiday. But the six of us gathered together in one little house, and some of us prepared bruschetta using up the solid Greek bread together with the more delicious tomatoes and garlic from Maria’s garden, which we tucked into to the sound of tumbling rain.
But at last the storm bursts eased, and across the valley the cockerel began to crow, and among the garden olive trees the crickets sang, and the grasses steamed. A consensus of smart phone forecasts also suggested that the rain had passed – well, more or less, and that it might now be timely to set off to Harakopio and discover what its supermarket offered in the way of supper supplies.
We set off under cloudy skies, following directions on Maria’s hand-drawn map, which Bob had snapped with his cell phone. It was a one and half mile walk, we were told, mostly on level paths, and with our backs to the sea. Hopefully we would not lose ourselves on the network of byways between Harakopio and Kombi. We were also told that if we bought too much stuff to carry back to tell the girls at the supermarket and they would keep it until Michael was next passing in his car. Our hosts at the Iconpainter’s Villas left no stone unturned to ensure our every comfort and happiness.
And so here are some of the sights and vistas on our path as it wound through olive groves and vineyards, by ramshackle farmsteads and deluxe villas, our passing marked by proprietorial, but good-natured barking from farmyard dogs. Otherwise, all was quietness. No cars. No distant traffic drone. Only our soft chatter. There were wild cyclamen growing along the verges, fennel and rosemary, shrubby Kermes oaks with their spiny acorn cups and leaves like holly, prickly pears, morning glory. And as I went, I fell in love with olive trees, their stillness, their gnarly boles and contorted branches, the muted tones, the changes in light beneath and between the trees as the sun came out once more.
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And on our return trip, well laden with good Greek produce, we again looked to the sea where the storm clouds were finally clearing, and beneath all was ethereal blue with the Taygetos doing their mirage impression. It would be a fine evening.
copyright 2017 Tish Farrell
Tish Farrell 
Given you some lovely future nostalgias, Tish
Hasn’t it just – and so fitting with nostalgia being a Greek concept as I learned the other day from reading Lawrence Durrell’s Prospero’s Cell.
Well, I didn’t know that….and the only Durrell I have read is The Dark Labyrinth, and don’t remember much ….oh, and did he write the Avignon Quintet? In which case I’ve read more than I thought….
Prospero’s Cell has been a real pleasure to read. A diary-type work – Corfu in the late ’30s, but book-ended by brief allusions to the war (1941) and the loss of Greece. He also wrote the Alexandra Quartet – also written during the war. I read The Dark Labyrinth too – as a teenager. It was rather scary. Avignon Quintet rings a bell, but haven’t read it.
Oh, the Alexandra Quartet – of course!
What caught my eye most in this feast of Greece was those dark green tree-spires. Thank you for taking me so completely on this walk.
Cypress spires – they are captivating aren’t they. You would have taken some very particular and lovely photos if you’d been on this walk with me, Meg. I was snapping on the hoof, trying to keep up with my companions. I wish I’d walked it more than once, and more slowly.
Looking at these old olive trees you don’t have to wonder where Disney got the idea for scary woods in the children shows. I am surprised to see the cacti.
Prickly pears were growing all over the place. I think the fruits are eaten locally.
They are suppose to be good for us.
I know I have no fantasy when commenting on your posts : I can only say “stunning”, both for the great photos and the read.
….adore your way of writing. Though English is not my native language I notice a special flowing rithm in your text , something I can’t find anywhere else …
Love the beautiful olive trees and the opening pic is my fave…..!
Oh you do raise my spirits, Anna. So very happy that you enjoy my photos AND the writing. Grazie mille.
Goodness that castle-looking building is a bit of a surprise! The rest I can appreciate and associate with Greekness, but not that. Any ideas?
We didn’t get the back story, sorry – which is annoying – only told to look out for it as a landmark to know we were on the right path. But that style of stonework, if not the castle-look, seems a very local tradition. Come to think of it, there was all sorts of crazy building around that area. Quite a few expats too.
I can trade expats with you, Tish. Many of them very lovely, though they’re not what I was seeking in coming here. There are many similarities in your wild side, though it is appreciably greener than ours. It’s been a very harsh tinderbox Summer. I do love those Tuscan looking pines! Much gratitude for sharing. 🙂 🙂
My pleasure, Jo. Much appreciate your gracious hosting and also for inspiring and spurring us on :). Wishing you a very lovely time with your daughter.
Thanks darlin! XX
Great way to spend your time waiting for the rain to stop and then, what a walk! Love the horse and you know that nothing runs like a Deere! 🙂
janet
Oh dear! 🙂
Oh I can imagine being on this walk from your writing and photos. It looks and feels lovely, like I’m getting to explore a whole new place by walking in the countryside. It always makes me happy. Your first photo of the olive trees and the path is beautiful, and immediately reminded me of walking the paths between the villages of Cinque Terre.
Alison
Cinque Terre is somewhere I’d love to go. Like the Peloponnese, perhaps both are places where people live the lives they want to live.
I LOVED seeing it all again as a mosaic. The olive trees looked like they belonged on a movie set. That dog definitely came from a different gene pool. This was wonderful. You know I will have to look at it again. You are so lucky!
Many thanks. And you are right about the olive trees – they definitely have PRESENCE. And I was indeed very lucky to go to such a lovely place.
I want to walk along that first path through the gnarled trees!
It would be so good to do that, Gilly. I want to as well.
You took my imagination on a journey with your beautiful description of your walk Tish. Then came the photos that confirmed how lovely this part of the world is.
So pleased you came along too 🙂
It’s like books I read about things that happens 60 or 70 years ago. Very dreamlike.
It felt like a parallel universe somehow.
Thank you for taking me into the stillness of those old olive trees, Tish.
Can’t think of anyone nicer to take there, Helen 🙂 Been thinking of you. Take care.