July 6, 2006,
Hi from Tapestry.
Sure enough on the Fourth of July another Meltime arrived with great vehemence.
Winds in the harbor surged to over 25 knots and we hoped our anchor was well
set. We had planned to go ashore and explore further, but by noon the wind was
screaming and we headed back to the boat just in case. People along the
waterfront were doubling their lines and preparing for a big blow. We thought
it wise we stay on board should the anchor drag. Although huge breaking waves
were visible outside the harbor, we were relatively comfortable in our
anchorage; the day went well. Fortunately, there is a heat component to a
Meltime, so when the sun goes down, so does the wind. At eight that evening
Julie and I went ashore for a special screening of The Big Blue, a movie which
was filmed here, to be followed by television coverage of the Soccer game
between Germany and Italy. It was not exactly the Fourth of July we are used
to, but it turned out to be a pleasant evening after all.
Yesterday we had more of the same wild weather so we spent another day on the
hook. This time we sanded and varnished part of the inside of the boat.
Today the forecast was the same so, now that we are confident the anchors are
holding, the four of us rented a car and toured the island. It was a nice day,
but there were two things of special note. The first was a monestary carved
into a rock wall of Amorgos, high on a cliff above the sea. The work was done
over a thousand years ago and it is fascinating. The building, like most
buildings in Aegean Greece, is painted bright white. To go in, Women had to wear
skirts, men long pants. In our group I was the only one who could enter. I
passed through a door barely four feet high, into a small room where a young man
checked me out and pointed to a steep stairway. Smooth steps carved from solid
stone ascend to several small rooms which look out over the sea. There was a
Greek Orthodox Priest and a colorful icon of the Virgin Mary in the first room,
along with some church appropriate furniture. Of the dozen or so people there
conversations were going on in several languages, but I could understand none of
them. After a few minutes I was moved into another room where a priest offered
me candy water and brandy. I had no idea what was being said. and I decided
it might be prudent to take the candy and the water, but not the Brandy.
Eileen, Dick and Julie were waiting for me outside in the hot sun; I felt I had
to get back. Besides the place is a monestary. What if there was
miscommunication and they thought I wanted to be a Monk? I might never get out.
When I got up to leave, the Priest insisted I sit back down as he rattled on in
Greek. Finally, I slipped out and descended the stairs to the bright sun and
roaring wind. It is a beautiful place and it is inspiring to think of the men
who climbed those cliffs above the sea and carved that monastery from the rock
over a thousand years ago. I think the most interesting part was that although
they offered me things in that Monastery, they never asked for anything in
return. There was no offering, no plate, no box with a slot in it, no way to
pay. I've never been in a church like it. It was a moving and pleasant
experience.
From there we continued our exploration of the island. Goats lined the highway
and lingered in the shade, perched on precarious rocks jutting from cliffs. Old
men rode burros from the fields to their homes, laden with fresh vegetables. In
one place burros were lined up waiting to be loaded with sand which they would
carry to a highway project. Roads were narrow, edges precipitous, but after a
while we got hungry and steered our Fiat to the south end of the island for a
bite to eat.
We stopped at a roadside Taverna where a lady told us she had no menu, but
invited us into the kitchen for a look into her pots. The lamb stew was not
ready (after all it was only 1:30, most Greeks don't eat lunch 'til three). We
settled on Greek Salad: tomatoes, peppers, onions and cucumber under a thick
slice of feta cheese and slathered in olive oil seasoned with oregano. That was
followed by sautéed zucchini and eggplant with beefsteak (hamburger) and French
fries. It was all garden fresh and delicious. Of course, there was half a loaf
of home made bread as well.
Our last stop was a Minoan Village built on the hill above Katapola, the
village where Tapestry and Triumph are anchored. In the 8th millennium B.C.,
King Minos of Crete built a summer home here on Amorgos. Much of it has been
excavated, and it was a fascinating end to our tour. We returned the rental car
around 5:30 and, after Julie gave a second coat to our varnish job, are enjoying
the evening.
This Meltime is supposed to end by Saturday and we should have a four day
reprieve until the next one starts. Hopefully, by then we will be much closer
to Turkey, where we must be by the seventeenth of this month..
More later. All the best, Hank and Julie