Sunday 30 May 2010

Postcards from Greece (1) - Meeting the Greek Gods

I rather missed blogging last week. Well, perhaps not when I was swimming in an azure sea, or twinkling my toes in the sparkling sand, or exploring winding alleys, or tucking into local delicacies... But I did miss it sufficiently that when the small boy was asleep I was lured to pick up my notebook and prepare a few words to share on my return...


A close encounter with Zeus

When on holiday I like to immerse myself in a spot of culture, soak up the atmosphere and imbibe a few local flavours and delicacies. Indeed, on arriving in Skiathos (on a somewhat disappointingly cloudy early evening), I managed immediately to take in a bit of local geography (courtesy of holiday rep on transfer bus), pick up a bit of the lingo (old lady in shop) and fill my belly with clefitiko (Marcos the chef).
What I wasn't expecting however was a close encounter with the ancient Greek Gods - notably those of flood and thunder, Posiedon and Zeus respectively. Who, after all, needs a thunderclap for a wake up call on their first morning in a supposedly sunny holiday destination (especially when the weather back in the UK was apparently glorious)?
Apparently the charming isle of Skiathos (part of the Sporades Group) enjoys a storm like this only once every five years or so. It was natural therefore that the arrival of a Lisa would prompt the long-awaited event. What a spectacle nature, Zeus and Poseidon put on for us on our first morning. Thunderbolt and lightening were very very frightening for about 5 hours. Rain fell not in drips or drops, it flowed like a mighty river from the heavens. Streets became torrents of mud and swathes of the beach were swept out to a churning brown sea that was far in colour from the promised turquoise.
And then... it stopped... and the sun came out! Tourists and locals paddled through the mud to survey the damage and begin the clear up. Diggers put the beach back to its former glory and re-opened the road. We hit the beach.. The Holiday began!

9 comments:

  1. Lisa, this kind of rain is rare!...hope you'll come back and visit again!! Skiathos is such a beautiful island!
    xoxoo

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  2. Isn't that the way it goes. At least you got a bit of sun while you were there.


    The next time you go back to Greece, be sure to visit Meteora. It is on the mainland. If there is a thunderstorm there, it would be heavenly to watch the play of lightning in and around those awe-inspiring boulders.

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  3. Well at least it did'nt rain the whole time you were there. Sounds like it was alittle exciting(the storm). It storms like that everyday here in the summer.Only for about an hour,then it clears up. I guess I'm just used to it.

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  4. oh no! hopefully you lost only a day to this kind of weather. You don't see this too often in Greece in the summer. I can't say I've gone through a storm like this one, last year I was there and the thunder and lightning were pretty bad (could see the lightning on the other side of the mountain) but the rain when it came was pretty wimpy by my Canadian standards, lol!
    I've been to Skiathos years ago, and remember how quaint it was, with cobblestone streats, and the lovely beaches.
    hope you had a great time there...
    xoxo

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  5. well, from your painting on wordless wednesday .. to the beautiful blues on the door in your last post...

    to all the Muddy situations in this post here...
    i'm glad I came by to have a peek into your world! i wish I could see greece...or even Italy, since that is where my heratige stems from! hehe....

    ciao bella!
    thanks for coming by!

    creative carmelina

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  6. A beach vacation in Greece sounds fabulous! It sounds like Mother Nature was giving you a thunderous welcome. It reminds me of Mexico, when the summer skies open up, and sheets of rain fall and obliterate everything. It's all part of the fun.

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  7. Well it helps us really appreciate the sun when it does arrive.

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  8. I am living vicariously through you, Thank you for the pictures...I found the whole 'storm' extraordinary and terrific!

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  9. The rain in these destinations seem to go as quickly as they arrive! It is all part of the holiday experience! Ha ha!! Even though it was lovely here last weekend it was totally the opposite this weekend, well it was normal for a bank holiday!! So I still think you were in the best place!! Cant wait to see more of your greek island holiday! 80))

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Thank you for your comments - I always love to hear what you think :)

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