Saturday, June 10, 2006
Hi from Tapestry,
On the Island of Levkas we stayed in a pool at the end of a long bay. The
bottom was mud and excellent holding. There was only a small settlement on
shore, but the mountains around us gave us fine protection from all
directions.
The next morning we took the dinghy a mile or so up the inlet to Nidri.
Julie and I rented a motor scooter for a day and explored the island. We
decided the reasonable thing to do was to ride around the island and explore.
The agent who rented us the bike was sure we could do it in a couple of hours.
It was one in the afternoon when we left, and we were invited to Triumph for a
glass of wine at five.
As it turned out, there wasn't exactly a road around the island. The road (s)
tended to go over the hills and into valleys and up and down. The main road was
unnamed, only side roads had names. At one point we found ourselves climbing a
very steep hill. Our 50cc scooter went slower and slower until it finally
stopped completely. Julie had to get off and I turned around. We stopped at a
house and an old man and his wife came out to greet us. We showed them the map,
but even after he got his glasses, it didn't mean much to them. They couldn't
put their finger on where we were. Finally, he said in English, "Go down
the road and turn left." We went down the road and, because we didn't want
to go back where we came from, we turned right. The views from the hilltops
were spectacular. We stopped at Lefkas town for lunch and got the bike back to
Nedri by 4:45, seventy odd kilometers later. The rental shop was closed for
siesta. (Yes, they have siesta in Greece, too.) We slid the key under the door
and strapped our helmets to the knob. It had been a long day.
Early the next morning, we set out for Ithaca. Ithaca and Levkas have argued
for years over which island was the original Ithaca, but scholars think the
island named Ithaca is the original home of Odysseus mentioned in the Odyssey.
We anchored in the town of Vahti, a lovely small town. There is no large hotel
here and cruise ships don't visit, so it has a more genuine Greek flavor. Vhati
was destroyed in the earthquake of 1953 and has been rebuilt. Beige buildings
with red tile rofs line the waterfront road and reach back up the hills. Along
the waterfront are tables covered by awnings. Waiters serve customers from
restaurants across the road.
There is even a movie theater here in Vahti. Last night they were showing The
Da Vinci Code. The four of us went to dinner and then to the movie. We had a
nice meal of lamb and chicken and then headed for the theater. The theater
itself was brightly lit when we walked in, and the last few rows were filled
with what seemed to us must have been the entire teenage population of Ithaca.
They were noisy and silly and about the same as teenagers anywhere else in the
world.
The screen was about half the size of what we are used to in the States,
and there were two regular stereo speakers, one on either side. There was a
hole in the upper left corner of the screen. Everyone quieted down when the
movie started and some of the dozen or so adults in the audience would shush the
kids in back if they got too loud. Three times the lights came on when the
projectionist had to change reels, much to the delight of the young audience.
The movie was in English with Greek subtitles. It began at nine and ended after
midnight. Actually, we had a good time. It was a cultural experience beyond
what Dan Brown might have intended.
This morning we are still anchored in the bay off of Vahti. Heavy black clouds
roll over the mountains and streaks of lightning and crashes of thunder are
about. Rain roars down on the pilothouse roof, punches into the water around us
and obscures the hills. There is still lightning and thunder, but blue sky is
visible in the northwest. We will stay put until the weather clears.
All the best, Hank and Julie