Saturday 30 May 2020

Virus? What virus?

Saturday morning on the waterfront.   Our first coffee at the  harbour cafe  in 3 months. A double cappuccino (latte) for me, a  double  greek coffee for the traditional person at my side.

 The day goes on, the sun rises higher. Awnings come down as the shade moves around.




It's like living in a movie. I watch the couples walking by in short sleeves, pushing their babes, elderly gents in long sleeves  taking their daily volta (stroll)  beside the sea, in groups,  taxi boats bobbing in the breeze, ouzo on the table, passersby who stop and chat, the blue blue sky, not an aeroplane in sight, short sleeves, long sleeves, bright colours,  so many women in black.  

Our now white haired ex-mayor cafe-hopping on his bicycle, spiced beef and red wine, foreign faces, Athenian Greeks, scooters, and more scooters, white houses, ceramic tiled roofs, climbing up the fast browning hills opposite, blue and white greek flags blowing from the boats,  the cenitaph , the clock tower , alongside a tattered the red and white flag of olympiakos and the green of  pananthiakos.







 Bleached blondes with black roots, the car ferry pulling out on it's short journey to the island, weaving in and out of a water taxi, a fast boat speeding to an anchored yacht, both leaving wakes of blue and white ripples, cats long and lean, still shedding their thick winter fur, slinking between the tables sniffing for a crumb.




 Voices, voices insisting, educating, disagreeing, greek voices, long fishy tales, philosophy,   glasses empty, glasses full, glasses refilled,  long shorts, short longs, an overloaded motorbike carrying a sack of flour and a big box of wine, another motorbike right behind carrying a family of three, none with a helmet.

 A  bouzouki strumming a soulful greek love song, the priest scurrying on his way to a blessing, greek voices, greek smells, greek sights. Cafe tables full of glasses half empty, ashtrays, forks, dried up sauces, paper napkins, fluttering in the road, ends of loaves, corners, crumbs.

 Sun rising over the Modi, a large rock in the sea shaped like a lion, sunset over the 'Sleeping Lady', always the sound of that bouzouki, someone crooning , sounds middle eastern, but it's greek, toe tapping bouzouki, inspired steps, dancing, singing, finger tapping, virus? What virus. This is real life. Every day 

23 comments:

  1. What a fabulous post. I could almost be there with you watching it all unfold in front of me.

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    1. It felt unreal, sitting in the same spot, drinking coffee, so many locals and visitors doing the same, living their old lives. Nothing has changed and yet it was all so new

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  2. Where have you been hiding this amazing ability, to paint mind pictures??????

    OK! Now you have set your Mark! We want nothing less, than 3 paragraphs of such, each and every post.

    Photos welcome, but not necessary, since you are doing it all, with your amazing words!!!!!!!!!!!

    Encore please....!!!!! -smile-

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    1. Thanks for the encore. Just wrote what I saw around me

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  3. Sounds like life has got back to a very surreal normal :)

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    1. That's exactly it. Just as though nothing had happened and yet we had been in 3 months of crisis.

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  4. What a wonderful description. It didn't take long to get back to the new normal.

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    1. Oh no, not long at all. I suppose the virus and the crisis seemed far away on another shore, 3 hours way in Athens

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  5. It all sounds ghastly, no doubt you'll be wishing to move away to Syria or Iraq before too long!

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    1. Yikes, I'm not giving up this place just quite yet, dangerous as it is. Sounds just too perfecto be true doesn't it. spit spit spit

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  6. Sounds like a great way to spend a day, or even a few weeks
    The way you described it. I could hear, smell and feel it.
    A lovely post thank you

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    1. Glad you enjoyed it. We were three hours at a cafe. Boredom took over but thank goodness for phones that write! I just looked around and noticed what was going on. Quite a lot actually. At is was and ever will be

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  7. You have a way with words Linda. Harry and Edith would be proud to read your description of Poros life returning to the new normal. Here in Perth we are ready for winter. Life is just returning to some form of "normal". On 6th June everything reopens and restaurants cafes can host up to 100 people or 300 if areas are segregated. We are off down south on the 12th for a winter break....wineries, cafes, winter fires etc but no Poros summer warmth or ambience. Enjoy your summer, you've earned it.

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    1. OH gosh and darn. I wanna go too!!! A good red, a roaring fire. Sounds even btter than an exotic greek island

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  8. Bleached blondes with black roots. Brilliant observation.

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    1. There were so many!! You could almost believe greek women are born blonde. Yeh, right!

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  9. Thanks for the description Linda. I felt like I was looking too. How I long for a coffee in Morrisons.

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    1. Wonder how you'll feel with your first coffee. The same and yet not

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    2. I am pretty sure Linda that I will slip easily back into my old ways.

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  10. Magnificent. We might take that one away with us - the Greek experience in its essence.

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    1. Just reality. And no thunderstorm at 4pm either!!

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  11. A fabulous description! I have not yet experienced it...our state is moving slowly on opening up. But I do plan to do a bit of shopping today.....

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    1. Enjoy your shopping. Feels a bit strange at first but amazing how fast you can forget three months!

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