THE TIME OF MY LIFE !

Another busy day at the office !

Taking a "gap-year" or two in mid-career can be both a relaxing as well as a wonderful learning experience.

After quite a number of years of teaching I felt it was time to take an extended break, and started giving thought to taking the gap-year that I hadn't taken after leaving school all those years ago. You know that feeling……when you want to take that time out you always promised yourself to "write that book", "complete that project", "travel the world"…..
So it was with me. I wanted to do just that. Complete a book I was writing and pursue my fascinating hobby and interest in iconography.

For years I had been travelling to Greece in my summer holidays. There's something about the country; its culture, peoples and way of life. It is especially so in the islands. It works its magic on you. I couldn't get enough of it.
There's an advertisement for the Greek National Tourist Organisation that goes….

Magnetism MagnhtismoV: Originally a Greek word. The phenomenon was first noted and studied here. Magnetic beaches. Magnetic coastline Magnetic landscapes. Magnetic beauty…..you may be feeling the attraction from where you're sitting…

I was constantly feeling the attraction, and when I decided to have that gap experience, it was to Greece that I was attracted. And so it was that eventually, I packed my bags and headed to Greece.

The company I had travelled with to Greece every year offered me a position as a guide and representative, and I was 'posted' to the remote islands of the northern Dodecanese. I though I had died and gone to heaven. It was sheer bliss!
The company I was working for catered for the 'upper end' of the market. The clientele was mainly from the professions, as well as many academics and teachers. I was able to plan my own programme of guided excursions, and used to organise events such as sailing, olive and wine tastings, guided walks to places of historical and cultural interest, and, of course, guided visits to monasteries and churches to give talks on the Byzantine art and architecture. The highlight of the week was organising a boat trip to a deserted island for a barbecue of grilled fish and souvlaki. The guests were always attentive and appreciative. It was like being a teacher all over again, but the dress was more informal…T-shirts, shorts, flip-flops. No tea in the common room at break. Instead thereof, a glass of retsina at a waterside taverna!

My working day was as long or short as I decided. Certain times of the day were set aside for administrative duties and to pop in to visit the guests in their villas. The rest of the time was mine to write, paint, walk, explore, snorkel. I even found time to do a bit of teaching…giving English lessons to local school children. Most young people wanted to learn another language, particularly English. They felt it would give them greater opportunities. They saw it as their passport to the wider world….coming to the UK…going to the US or Australia. Silly them, I thought! Who would want to leave such an island paradise. I couldn't think of any finer place to be than on a remote Greek island!

Zooter Scooter. Island Transport.

During the school holidays many of our guests were teachers. It was good to 'touch base' and learn what was going on in the world of education back home. They all said that they envied me for what I was doing, would often discreetly ask the sorts of questions that suggested they were thinking of doing something similar. They would ask me what the 'qualifications' were for doing the sort of job that I did. Well, come to think of it, having been a teacher is the perfect training….the need to be a 'people person', the ability to be able to organise, manage, herd people onto boats, get them into queues and so on. Yes, just like old times!

As much as we enjoy the pupils, colleagues, and, of course, our teaching, a break away from it all is, I feel, a good thing. I had spent time working in a boarding environment and was very involved with school matters for long hours for seven days of the week. In such circumstances we suffer the danger of becoming too "inward looking" in our little cosy and secure teaching environments. It is easy to become detached from other things that are going on around oneself. "Time-out" doing what I was doing, totally away from a school environment, was refreshing. It gave me the opportunity to connect with a totally different set of people. I was able to be away from the inevitable 'shop-talk' and to be able to associate with a vast range of people from all walks of life with many and varied views, opinions and interests. I found this not only extremely exhilarating, but arguably one of the most intellectually engaging periods of my working career. I felt that all of this was of tremendous benefit to me.

I shall never forget those halcyon years living and working in the islands. It was the very best job I have ever had.

I had the time of my life!

"GAP EXPERIENCE" PHOTO GALLERY

Easter Sunday lunch with guests

Picnic on a deserted island

Wine-tasting at sundowner time

Time for painting. In my icon studio

Whilst living and working on the northern Dodecanese islands of Leros, Kalymnos, Patmos and Lipsi, I wrote a number of articles for the Hellasworld Magazine and Newsletter. Two of those articles are re-printed here.

LEROS:

SURPRISING LEROS!

The Crusader castle above Platanos

At first sight, Leros looks like a smaller version of Kalymnos, its near neighbour - arid and rocky. Not quite! Once you've set foot on it, you'll find that the inksplodge-shaped Leros is a verdant island of low sweeping hills, fertile valleys and scattered villages. I loved it immediately. It has an indefinable charm. Putting aside some typically scruffy aspects, it has a lovely countryside and a coastline indented with delightful coves and beaches.

Leros - despite having been occupied over the centuries by the Turks and the Italians, fought over by the Germans and the British - remains a "very Greek" island. It has a thriving local community involved in all sorts of varied occupations and trades; and together with remittances from Greek families abroad, it is one of the more "self-sufficient" islands. This is good news for visitors as the island needs to make few concessions to tourism in order to survive, and so retains a quintessentially Greek island feel.

The various styles of buildings are a feast for the eyes; especially for those with an interest in architecture. There are at least three distinctive styles. Besides the Lerian vernacular style, there is also an Italian influence, which can be observed in the grand neo-classical villas that punctuate the landscape. The greatest delight and surprise, though, is the extraordinary Art Deco architecture of the town of Lakki. This, again, can be traced back to time of the Italian occupation of the island. Mussolini's vision of a new Roman Empire took shape here in 1923 when Italian architects and town planners turned their energies to building a new town. A quite remarkable example of Art Deco architecture, Lakki was built around wide boulevards by the engineers Sardeli, and Caesar Lois, an Austrian. The model town was all curves and featured a saucer-shaped market building with clock-tower, completed in 1936; a cylindrical Town Hall and Fascist Centre, dating to 1933-4; and the impressive Hotel Roma, later the Leros Palace hotel. The hotel and cinema complex were completed in 1937 for visiting Italian performers. Today, sadly, the majority of the buildings are crumbling and neglected.

The magnificient Art Deco architecture of Lakki

The main town on the island is Aghia Marina, a picturesque port dominated by a huge crusader castle on the hill overlooking it. One of the great pleasures in life is staking a good position at the Glaros café-bar on the jettyside at Aghia Marina and watching the drama of the fishing boats coming and going; witnessing the "street theatre" as the fisherman haggle over the prices…and enjoying the sight of the army of cats nicking the catch whilst no-one is looking! Relatively sleepy during the day, Aghia Marina comes alive at night with its lovely tavernas and café-bars.
Spreading up from Aghia Marina is the area known as Platanos. This is officially the "capital" of the island, and where the town hall is situated. It has a tiny, manic town square with cars, bikes, mopeds and pedestrians all vying for about two square inches of space. Leading off the square are picturesque higgledy-piggledy streets and alleyways; a treat to explore!

Surprisingly for such a small island, there is a substantial cultural element. There's a folk museum as well as a very interesting archaeological museum. The top sight, though - both literally and figuratively - is the fabulous crusader castle, which dominates the hill above Platanos. Within its walls is a tiny chapel containing what are, arguably, some of the finest post-Byzantine Cretan-style icons to be found anywhere in the Dodecanese - with the possible exception of Patmos. The view from the castle over the island is magnificent.

Another little surprise for the visitor is the presence of a small Allied war cemetery. A haven of tranquillity, it is tucked away on the road to Alinda. Immaculately maintained by the War Graves Commission, a visit there is a moving experience. It contains the resting place of approximately 180 servicemen who lost their lives in the Leros Campaign during World War II

The plus for any visitor to Leros, though, is the prospect of undertaking a number of walks. Its gentle gradients make it a perfect destination for walking holidays. I did a number of walks, but my favourite was one above Xerocampos ( a delightfully sleepy harbour village in the south of the island), to a hidden-away WWII Italian command post. The grand Art Deco architecture is largely in ruins and is now the home to the goats belonging to a local goatherd, but the treat of treats is the magnificent artwork graffiti on the walls. Without a doubt, back in the UK the building would be listed and the artworks protected behind perspex. Antipathy towards the Italians and the time of their occupation has left the locals indifferent to the Italian legacy. The building is crumbling away and the artworks will soon be lost. Tragic, actually.

Beside coves, culture and cantering through the gentle landscape….what else is there? Actually, it's the cuisine. A well-known "foodie" for a Sunday broadsheet listed the Greek eating experience as one of his top 10 international favourites. He particularly cited Leros has having great cuisine. He's right! With the scenically sited tavernas at the harboursides, as well as along lovely tree-lined streets, I can vouch for that claim and say that some of the best meals I have ever enjoyed have been on Leros. For one..…repair to Frango's in Vromolithos. I have spent many a lunchtime there watching the fishing boats bobbing up and down alongside the jetty adjacent to the taverna…..and what a place to watch the moonrise in the evenings! Not far from Vromolithos is the picturesque fishing village of Pandeli with its plethora of wonderful tavernas right on the beach. Magic!

In fact, on the last evening of my latest stay on Leros I sauntered down to Pandeli for a pre-prandial. I headed for the extremely picturesque Savannah Café-bar at the far end of the jetty. Sitting myself down; with a sweeping panorama of the harbour, the tavernas before me, and the floodlit crusader castle staring down on us from above, I sank into a comfy easy-chair and ordered a glass of my beloved retsina. Almost simultaneously with my first sip, some music quietly started piping through the sound system. Not the ubiquitous bouzouki, but a lilting operatic aria! Surreal.

But, then didn't I say that Leros was full of surprises!

PS There is one thing that is NO surprise: the friendliness and generosity of the islanders. Hush!……Leros is one of Greece's best kept secrets. Visit it, but don't tell too many of your chums about it. Keep it to yourself.

LEROS PHOTO GALLERY

Frango's

Picturesque Streets....

.... and alleyways

KALYMNOS:

The Second Best Sunset in Greece

The second best sunset in Greece !

If anything is designed to get Kalymnians into a froth, it's the suggestion that their island is the poor relation to Kos and that people only visit it when Kos is "full". Nonsense, of course! But, long may this silly notion continue. Let Kos become over-crowded, I say, and leave Kalymnos to the Grecophiles who know a good thing when they see it.

Kalymnos, a mere 13 miles long and 8 miles wide, and clearly visible from Kos, has much to offer. An island with a large resident population of 16000 inhabitants, its claim to fame is that of being the "Sponge-diver's Island". Although the industry has declined dramatically in recent years, signs of its illustrious past are to be seen everywhere, from sponge-diving museums and factories, to the ubiquitous souvenir shops selling an endless range of sponge-related tat. Each year when the sponge diving season starts and the last few remaining divers set out from Pothia for their many months at sea, there is still a quaint and moving religious ceremony to mark the occasion.

Like most other Dodecanese islands, Kalymnos is fairly arid. The island is characterised by rugged mountains, some of them rising sheer from the sea, and pock-marked with intriguing looking caves. On their other side, these mountains often sweep gently down into valleys or plains where olive trees abound, and where the landscape is covered by a shaggy, tangled growth. It's ideal walking country, and a really splendid walk is one from Aginondas over the hills and down to Vathi on the east coast. During the walk one brushes up against bushes that release an intoxicating fragrance of thyme and oregano. The perfume can be so thick it's almost tangible.
Vathi is a rather strange sight to behold. A settlement set in a valley at the end of a fjord-like inlet; it is the verdant centre of the citrus-growing and market-garden industry of the island. If you have the time to spare, you can easily pass an hour of solitude and quiet contemplation strolling along the peaceful roads there.

Pothia is the main town on Kalymnos, and the arrival and departure point for the inter-island ferries, excursion boats, and yachting flotillas. Its Italianesque waterfront is divided into two parts by the presence of the Island's cathedral and municipal offices, as well as by an interesting nautical museum which relates the history of the island's sponge industry. The waterfront is also a great social gathering place, with many restaurants and café-bars patronised in equal measure by locals as well as tourists. No "British-pub" culture here! Mercifully. It's worth taking a stroll in the backstreets just behind the promenade area. You will get the feeling of a bustling, vibrant, Greek Island harbour town with all the accompanying sounds and smells. Shambling narrow streets with cluttered emporia, bakeries, fish-mongers, and simple tavernas where you pop into the kitchen and look into the pots to find out what's on the menu!

The main resort areas are to be found to the north of the island. En route to these places you will pass through Chorio, the old island capital gazed down upon by the Pera Kastro, a formerly abandoned fortress-village, which is currently being restored complete with nine whitewashed chapels.
A worthwhile diversion is to take a seat at one of the kafeneion in the Chorio square. It's a "white-knuckle" experience watching the locals scurrying around dodging the buses, cars, and mopeds that scream through the square! This said, it's a memorable experience to sit at the roadside, take a drink and meze, people watch and experience what is without doubt a taste of the "real Greece" It is best experienced in the evening when everybody comes out to play and to pass the time in a haze of ouzo and retsina.

On leaving Chorio to continue one's trip northwards, the resort areas of Linaria, Kantouni, and Massouri beckon. They don't rate much of a mention, suffice it to say, they are your usual holiday resort destinations although, in honesty, they are much more low-key and less touristed than is typically the case. They have decent sandy beaches, and to their credit, no high-rise hotels.

Hugging the coastline between the last-mentioned resorts, and opposite the tiny island of Telendos, is Myrties, with its small satellite resort of Melizaches. Myrties, once a picturesque fishing hamlet, still retains a certain scruffy charm even though it is more developed nowadays. The focal point of the village is Myrties Square where there is always a human thicket of locals and tourists loitering benignly waiting for buses and taxis. It is also the most sociable corner of the place. There are always "returnee" visitors popping into Premier Travel to chat to the affable Debbie, a Shirley Valentine-type character, who eventually married her Greek man over ten years ago, and now runs a very successful travel and shipping business on the island. Then there is the famous Babis Snack Bar; ever popular and buzzing with the chatter of its multi-lingualed clientele. It is presided over by Babis, an intelligent, softly-spoken fellow, and his brother, the smoothly charming, more outgoing, Yianni!
Myrties is the jumping off point to Telendos, a tiny, unspoilt volcanic island with a few houses, a few rooms to rent, stunning waterfront tavernas, charming coves, and a lovely sandy beach. A "must" to visit.

Moving further up the island, one passes through the attractive hamlets of Aginondas and Skalia eventually arriving in Emborios, where the road runs out. Emborios exists in blissful isolation. A captivating little village with a long sandy and pebble beach backed by tamarisk trees, it has remained practically unspoilt over the years. It is certainly one of the most engaging places I have ever visited. Sparsely populated with the friendliest of people, there are a few rooms to rent, just five lovely, traditional, beachfront tavernas, and a mini-market. Being served with a much-truncated bus service, it's the ideal place to get away to where you can simply chill out and do nothing... slowly!

And, what's with the second best sunset, then? I had read in a brochure that Kalymnos had the second best sunset in Greece. When I asked the fellow who had written the brochure which one was the best, I half expected him to say, "Kalymnos as well, stupid!" But, no. He conceded this honour to Santorini.

One evening, armed with a bottle of retsina and a plastic cup, I repaired to a spot at the end of the gravel road that leads out of Emborios, to a bay just over a nearby hill. There, ensconced atop a rock, with the warmth of the summer evening embracing me, I sipped my retsina and watched the sun go down. Finally dipping below the orangy-turquoise horizon, twilight fell.

The sky, the sea, the arid landscape, and the bare, forbidding mountains around me first darkened and then changed from pink and mauve to purple, and then to blue. Stunning!

I don't think I have ever been more content to settle for second best!

KALYMNOS PHOTO GALLERY

Pothia

Kefala... No place to hide !

Vathi

. . . . . PATMOS

The village of Vagia... with the Monastery of St John on the hill in the distance.

. . . . . LIPSI

Lipsi main town at rush hour !!