island mojo

seeing that it's 58 degrees and foggy in san francisco right now, it seems appropriate to think back to a time mere weeks ago, a real summertime, where i was lying in my birthday suit on the sunsplashed beaches of the greek islands.

the colors on the islands were mindblowing!!! the sun was BRIGHT and blinding reflecting off the whitewashed stucco; turquoise doorways and handrails; the fuchsia bougainvillea fireworks; the grey greens and brushy browns of hidden lizards; crystal cerulean and cyan waves; silvery flickering olive branches; electric green palms and bushes and climbing vines; muted apricots and rouges of chipping house paint jobs; and the vibrant rainbow sherbet sunsets....








i left athens via ferry to syros, the capital of the cyclade islands, reading tropic of cancer and watching the sunset from the deck. arriving around 10, found a small, cheap room from an old granny that didn't speak english. i spent the next few days exploring the town, the enormous square in front of the capital building; the shops; the windy cobbled streets up to sweeping vistas; the blue-roofed/star-ceilinged churches (syros is one of the only islands with both catholic and orthodox populations living together!); and the folky tin charms and jewelry left by worshipers at the altars of their saints. in the afternoons i would bus to different towns and nap on the (naturalist!) beach, catch rides back into town, snack, wander around, chit chat, take photos.....







after a few hot days on syros eating pistachios and feta, i took an overnight ferry to samos, closer to the turkish border. my small hotel had an unforgettable view of the ocean and an invasion of starving mosquitoes that devoured my goldening skin! dammit! again i explored the little towns along the coast, walking walking walking in the heat, dipping in and out of the water, snacking on baklava and living life slow. thinking a lot. skipping rocks. sharing the sunsets with my self.

the boat i was supposed to take to chios was canceled (this apparently happens a lot in greece, shit gets canceled and no one gets the memo.) so i decided to trek to turkey a few days early...............