under another sun

Monday morning and Glen off to do some teaching in a nearby costal town. We drove along with him and Eleni, plus Eleni's young nephew and niece. Glen dropped off, we proceeded to a good beach, where we occupied some beach beds and swam. I played with the kids for some time, the boy clambering on me and kicking out loads, which was fun of a slightly exhausting kind. Then back into the car, to collect Glen and head off for a leisurely spot of lunch, and a splash of ouzo. We then went for dessert and coffee with Eleni's sister Anna, and Rita her mother before they drove us back to Kavala, in time to catch the ferry at 4:30. Fond farewells with Glen and Eleni in the harbour. It had been great to hang out with Glen, bouncing a few ideas about music around too, as well as just getting to know him better. Eleni is an impressive person, with a keen intelligence and a heartbreakingly beautiful voice. I jokingly called her The Soul of Greece, but she is extraordinary. Great to see Gl...

Sunday morning and up early and off to the local Greek Orthodox church. A devout earthiness. People, from the elderly to little babies, kissing the icons fervently. The church potent with incense and rather warm. Glen had been there several times and says that he can take it for half an hour or so. Eleni's father there again with grandchildren, who he lifted up to kiss the icons on the way in. I liked looking at the amazing pictures upon the walls, as well as hearing the singing of the ministers in the orthodox ceremony.  Rather arrested by the paintings of six winged seraphim. Then home to a large breakfast of scrambled eggs made with green peppers and tomatoes from Eleni's father's garden. I stood on the balcony taking in their magnificent view and noticed Giannis outside waiting for us down on the street.  Glen drove us all to Phillipi , not far from Kavala but out onto the vast flat alluvial plain. Lorraine and I, like mad dogs and English, then walked around the larg...

Texted Glen a couple of times and arranged to go off to see him and Eleni in Kavala. Kavala is on the mainland, and we taxied from Skala Potamia to the sheltered west coast of Thassos and another port called Skala Prinos. Our taxi driver a cheery man called Christos who spoke good English. We had a light lunch in Skala Prinos, waiting for the ferry. Lots of tourists from Romania and Bulgaria on Thassos, and one Bulgarian behaving abominably in the harbour taverna, in an a harassing and sexist manner to the waitress. The ferry to Kavala, which took an hour and a quarter, one of those archetypical Greek experiences, looking back at the broad wake left by the ferry leading back to the diminishing island. These kind of trips always fill me with a tranquil happiness. Kavala is a gorgeous hillside city. Glen and Eleni met us from the boat and drove us home to their apartment with a beautiful view south down the town, and harbour and across the water to the mountainous Thassos, where we w...

Having been working till late the night before, then packing, Lorraine and I sprang up at 4:15. Rather an appalling time. We dragged our cases, thunderously, down the roads to London Road station and got a train to Gatwick. Slightly delayed flight, but all good on the journey, apart from being charged an outrageous 8 euros on the plane for two cups of tea. That familiar wall of heat as we stepped from the plane in Kavala airport. A transfer to a minibus, then to a ferry boat where we sat in the air-conditioned cabin and there I enjoyed a can of cold lager, followed by another can of cold lager. Off in Thassos Town back into the minibus and off to Skala Potamia. It had been many years since I'd been to Thassos, and apart from its greenness, I recognised little. Our hotel, was opposite the sea. Not a particularly warm welcome there, but it was clean and functional. A quick swim too to cool down made us feel much better. The sea feeling bathtub warm almost, and a beer in the bar the...