[The Countryside] [Main Index] []

Friday, April 25, 2003

Nothing like the sun

There are a lot of shops that open and close at strange times (they're open six mornings and three evenings a week)- a mixture of modern-looking, cool, annoying, mostly imported shops and cheapish, messy, small shops that pile the things they sell on the pavement and make me think that we are only pretending to want to be a part of modern Europe. I might sound like I'm complaining but I actually find it fun. They're all only a sort walk away and so is the sea.

There are a lot of ugly buildings, too: badly-built-in-a-hurry during the seventies, tatty blocks of flats, originally painted in different colours but now all inevitably looking a shade of grey or other. There are hardly any parks or trees and only a few patches of grass but that, too, is often tatty-looking. If you get lucky, there are some flowers in the spring, too (but only in the east, chic side of the centre). This years it's bright yellow and red tulips. You can go late at night -like, very late at night, after 2 am- and still meet people. I have a friend who phones people up at that time and asks them what they're doing. You can get drunk and walk back because you weren't all that far away. As for transport, there are only buses that transport you to places fairly well with a bit of luck, but hey, that's Greece for you.

And above all - literally and metaphorically above all - there's the sun. Pale blue skies that don't draw your attention and silly white clouds that never hide the sun for long; sunshine on your face and light everywhere and warm air on your skin. I might dream of moving most of the time but one thing is for sure: I'll miss the sunshine.

Posted by Dimitra Daisy

Replies: 3! Woo!