243 nights : 8,200 miles travelled : Countries visited: 14
‘Too much of a good thing is wonderful’ Liberace
It has been surprisingly refreshing living with limited space. It took us too long to remember what is in which cupboard and it can be irritating always moving one thing to get to another. However our innate urge to hoard and live like slobs has been resisted; Brian’s interior can resemble a jumble sale in less than an hour, so we have learned to tidy as we go!
It has also been great buying only enough groceries for a few days at a time, as it doesn’t make sense to carry trolley fulls with us. This fell apart slightly over the past few weeks. With not moving on every couple of days, we were able to justify acquiring extra goodies with the advent of Christmas. However there was not enough space to put them in everyday cupboards so we had wine, crisps and sweets stowed away in every available nook and cranny under the seats. We often had to weigh up the urge to snack with the hassle of disturbing Kipper. Our post-Christmas waistlines betray how often the poor dog was woken up!
Being based in Drepano for five weeks has recharged our batteries. It has been wonderful to use local shops and to catch snatches of village life as we pass through. Women in their best black embracing each other after church. Children precariously balanced on the front of tractors or on the back of mopeds. Old men playing backgammon on the streets outside the bar. Crated oranges piled precariously high on their way to distribution depots. It all feels novel and yet familiar.
Our daughter Hannah visited and she enjoyed a condensed version of our temporary residency in a few short days. From a swim in the sunshine and lunch at the taverna on the beach to wandering ancient ruins under a threatening sky.
The theatre at Epidavros is one of the best preserved in Greece.
The main advantage of sleeping high over the cab is that it the only area out of reach of Kipper…or so we thought. He was delighted that Hannah came to visit and didn’t want to miss out on a second of her being back with the pack!
Hannah’s last night saw the worst storm in Drepano for 20 years. The sea frothed and washed the narrow beach across the road and into campsites and driveways.
We inspected the damage to distract ourselves from the gloom of returning Hannah to the airport. It was impressive how quickly the debris was cleared up and the road was surveyed for repairs within days. While the financial crisis is very real here in Greece, it is very much a country that is still functioning; usually with a warm smile too!
Even the change in the weather did not help us to unstick ourselves from Drepano. Too much of this good thing has indeed been wonderful. We have so loved living simply and slowly; even a coffee with neighbours can take 3 hours! However we are aware that the Peloponnese holds more treasures so we have at last managed to move on; only by promising ourselves that we will return before we leave Greece!
M & G xx
Treat of the week: A tough choice. The homemade tsipouro kindly given to us by the butcher in Drepano or Hannah’s gift of teabags from England? Probably the one that didn’t leave the screaming headache the next morning!
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