I came back from holidays in Greece earlier this week and I have been meaning to write something deep and snappy and emotional about them: the lessons I learned, the feelings I felt, the new friends and the old friends I got to see and who made me feel a rich man in a most profound way.
I have been meaning to write about my enjoying beach life (for a change); about hidden beaches and landscapes in southern Peloponnese; about discovering springs and forests in the stereotypically barren Aegean Archipelago, in Kythira; about the splendid magnificence of Corfu (Holy Lord!) and the sweet urban landscapes of Corfu Town; about the 2 degrees centigrade waters of river Acheron running through a forest from which docile campers emerge. I have dearly wanted to tell you about bars and people and castles and odd Greek stories (like most things Greek). I have even planned posts in my head which now sound trite and turgid and pointless.
What I am giving you instead is 77 pictures from my Greek holiday, almost all placed on a map, some with comments and descriptions.
Before I go: Kythira — also known as Cythera, birthplace of Venus / Aphrodite Cythere(i)a, hence the eponymous porn star – is odd indeed. It lies south of Lacedaemon, to which it is connected for almost all intents and purposes. However, it is administratively part of the prefecture of Piraeus City, hundreds of miles to the north. Finally, it historically belongs to the Ionian islands (a possession of the Serenissima), and even used to be part of the Septinsular Republic, together with Lefkas, Zante, Corfu, Paxi, Cephalonia and Ithaca. Fittingly but whimsically, lush green landscapes and astonishing beaches can be found in Kythira (characteristic of the more prototypical Ionian islands) as well as plenty of barren rock, too, befitting its actual geographic location… Talking about multiple identities.
Note to Michael Manske: Check this out. Shot with you (and that other guy who beat me at the Satin Boxer Awards thing) in mind…
Note to Archangel in charge of taking souls to wherever: When I die, if unfit for heaven, take me to Corfu instead. Not needing a car anymore will make it as good as heaven.
