Sunday, November 18th, 2007 Heavy storms today caused lost of power…..
Restless night with lightening, thunder and rain off and on; Jim awoke with a scratchy throat and the beginnings of a cold. Took it easy in the morning and started a new book that I’ve found here in the house: “Aegean Summer” by Mimi Lafollette Summerskill; a family odyssey about a summer spent sailing in the Greek Islands in 1965. Very interesting and well written, a true story based on a handwritten journal from the trip.
This afternoon I was reading in my new book about the Greek men and their lack of response to women; it hasn’t changed a bit since 1965. The author was divorced and traveling with her five children ages 24 to 10; a business women who owned and ran one of the largest travel agencies in California at that time. She could not get the captain to listen to her directions and soon realized that she had to give her decisions to her 24 year old son to tell the captain in order to get anything accomplished. They weren’t being rude that was just the way it was then. Today when I was trying to get some information out of the fellow that we’d rented the car though, he looked like he wasn’t hearing me at all. Suddenly Jim walked in to the office and he lit up like a Christmas tree and there was a total change of attitude and demeanor. Me thinks I’d have a difficult time dealing with that attitude on a long term basis!
About noon we had a loud clap of thunder as the lightening struck nearby and all the power went out for the whole area. The storm would stop, sun would come out and then the storm would return. But, we did have a beautiful rainbow in the sky at one time. About 3 pm we got in the car to find a telephone to call Aristo who is our property manager, to see what was happening. First we stopped at the local restaurant on the main road where we’d eaten last Sunday. I walked in to a smoke filled room with all men and told them we were staying up the hill and had lost our electricity. They all pointed to the light bulb that was burning and said that it had just come on that minute! No, I don’t think any of them knew how to speak English but we understood each other. Back in the car and up the hill and sure enough, the power had returned!
Decided to head north to our Internet Café for emails and to check the weather reports; and then continued around the bend to Paraika in hopes that they would actually have the 5 pm Mass that was suppose to happen according to the November issue of the Paros Life, the local newspaper for foreigners.
Arrived and went into the travel agency first and purchased our tickets for Tuesday and Wednesday for our trips to Syros and then on Mykonos on Wednesday. Walked around to the church and found the door locked. Since it wasn’t quite 5 pm yet we walked around town until quarter after five before deciding that they’d canceled the Mass probably due to the bad weather. It wasn’t raining right then but has been most of the day.
Stopped at the car rental office that was open to check on the return times for Tuesday and then headed back towards Drios and home. We were looking for a place to eat dinner and didn’t find an open restaurant until we reached our road and the little Travena that is located nearby. We were the only foreigners but they were very gracious. We enjoyed baked cheese, bread, beer, fries and delicious lamb fresh off the grill. Jim said that it was probably some of the “freshest” meat we’ve ever eaten; whatever, it was great!
We’re home now, the electricity is working and the lightening is far to the north of us.
And so we’ve ended another day in paradise after circling the entire Island this afternoon. It’s not a big place and we really feel like we’ve gotten to know the nooks and crannies.
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