15th August

All of Greece is on holiday.  Except those that aren't.  Supermarket workers, coffee servers, waiters and cooks for a start.

Those in the tourist industry have 2 more weeks to make as much money as they can before the rush back to the cities begins.  Schools re-open in a month

15th August is the biggest festival in Greece.  It is a religious holiday marking the Dormition  of the Virgin Mary.  

 Orthodox Greece closes down for a week, as does Catholic Europe.  Many thousands of Athenians have already sailed for the islands or motored to their family homes and villages, wherever that may be.  Athens is empty except for the tourists and the tourist workers.

The photo above is of Poros harbour.  There are about 80 yachts anchored out there, besides the dozens already tied up to the dock.

One of the boats is a catamaran belonging to Rafael Nadal, the great spanish tennis player.  He was photoed at one of the cafes and family fans took off to find him for a selfie.  He had already retreated back to his yacht.

Poros is over-full on land and sea.

Many of the islands will have huge fiestas, religious cermeonies and parades for the Virgin Mary (Panagia).  Village squares will be filled with tables and chairs, there will be live music from the bouzouki, lute and violin and Greek dancing till the wee hours.  Pigs and goats will be roasted and barrels of wine emptied. 

On Poros though nothing much is happening. We will be going to a name day celebration at night. Souvlaki with the extended family.

I hope it stays cool-ish

Poros roads have become one-way because of the endless parked cars on either side.  All tavernas, cafeterias, beaches and public spaces are choked with visitors, Greek and foreign.  It's a time to hide.

'X' marks the spot.  That narrow little white house with the blue shutters is where we used to live.  Right in the middle of a confusion of houses.  Now daughter Elli lives there with her family.