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Yes, I’ve been M.IA. It takes a lot to create something new…absurdly long gestation, relatively quick labor and birth, and now the craziness of a newborn (you can read the details about the birth of my new business at my other blog…when I’ve finished that post!)

This seemed the perfect time to talk about metamorphosis and transformation—in other words, the island of Skyros.

Each island has its own unique personality. None is like any other. Add to this, each unique soul’s experience there, and you’ve got limitless possibilities. You may disagree with me about my discomfort onMykonos or my mystical experiences at Delphi (like the American guy who laughingly shouted to his group, while in my most sacred place, “We came all this way to see a pile of rocks?!”) or being transfixed by the ancient statue of Artemis (I know, some say it is dedicated to one of her priestesses…regardless, her energy is there)in the National Archaeological Museum, but I think many of you would relate to my experience of Skyros.

Many years ago, I met intuitive spiritual mystic extraordinaire Caroline Myss at a conference, and, in the middle of her birthday celebration dinner, she “read” me at the table. She went straight to, “What is this, your connection to Greece?” Before reading me, she asked my permission, and my mind immediately wandered to the possibility she might enlighten the table about my experiences with Greek men. She quickly reassured me, “No, I’m not going to talk about that.” (Now, the rest of you at our table know what that exchange was about.) She talked about my Greece-connection, weaving a rich tapestry, like the three beautiful-ugly women-witches in The Castle of Llyr (Have you read my beloved Lloyd Alexander books?).  She ended the reading with, “I see you living on the island of Skyros.” I quickly corrected her, “No, you mean Skopelos.” She answered, “No, Rebecca. Skyros.”

That was when I first heard about Skyros…I mean, really heard about Skyros. I was aware that it was at the edge of the Sporades…sharing this group with my favorite island Skopelos. I had yet to make it to Skyros. Honestly, I didn’t quite know what to make of it—this Sporades/Cycladic half-breed. I loved the dense green of the Sporades with its short, fat pine trees; the bareness, however, of the Cyclades sort of scared me. And Skyros had both.

Caroline’s reading fueled my curiosity, and, a couple of years later, a group of dolphins accompanied me there (another story). One of my dear friends, who I had met while taking Greek classes at The Athens Centre, was working at the Skyros Centre. Skyros was her favorite island. She met her future husband there, married there, and returned every year until cancer stole her from us.

I’ll never forget her extraordinary experiences on this mystical-mythical island. The great Minotaur paid her frequent visits, usually in the dark still night (I didn’t sleep too well after learning this.). One clear day, we climbed up the trail that led to a lone tree and looked back at the town; her future husband described what lay before us: “See how the town looks like a sleeping serpent/dragon? Do you see, there? Its eye is the site of the ancient temple of Athena. And look in the serpent’s mouth, what do you see? Its muzzle is the monastery.” One sacred night, we trekked up a different hill to participate in a celebration that was a bizarre but strangely comforting mix of Modern Greek Orthodoxy and ancient ritual. We drank from the blessed stream the most glorious water, rivaled only by its Delphic cousin’s spring. We experienced the radiant icon of Christ in a tiny chapel. And we ate goat meat--the only occasion on which my friend broke her vegetarian diet. I’ll never forget their beautiful wedding on the hillside, preceded by our winding procession through white-washed buildings and marble-stoned streets. And I’ll never forget Skyros’ strange paradox of profound deep calm and instantaneous, brazen transformation.

 
 
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This list is longer than the previous two, perhaps because everything makes noise in Greece—even the silence…

1.       “Δέκα-οκτώ- δέκα-οκτώ- δέκα-οκτώ (theka-octo-theka-octo-theka-octo)”:  For those of you who don’t know Greek, this is, literally, “eighteen-eighteen-eighteen.” There is a bird that makes exactly this sound. They even call it the “theka-octoura,” or something like that.  When I first heard it, I thought I was having auditory hallucinations (not an infrequent occurrence in Greece).

2.       The cacophony of church chimes: Some are beautiful. Some make you want to toss yourself over that Grecian cliff…yes, the one right outside your door. The first time they wake you up, you swear to yourself, never again, I will find every church within a five-kilometer radius and stay outside that radius. But even if you do manage to find every church (which is unlikely) there are, for example, over 100 churches in the town of Skopelos alone…so, good luck with that! By the way, they go off every half hour, the deep dark night included—so you may want to request noise-cancelling headphones on your birthday list.

3.       Crashing dramatic thunder and rainstorms: Did I mention this kind? The kind that have grown adults cowering under the table? Or that Grecians island roofs suggest protection rather than actually provide it? I spent one such extremely long night mopping up the floor with the only towel I had. The rain was dripping down the inside of the walls—a situation that made buckets useless.

4.       Low-pitched drumming of the ferry boats: Yes, the ones that arrive at 5:00 am.

5.       Irritating voices on loudspeakers, often early in the am:  What is that extremely annoying noise—a cross between a sick animal and—dare I say it—a human voice? Are they actually saying something? Yes, they’re usually selling something…anything from onions to dirt to political candidates.

6.       Cats in heat: I’ve come to the conclusion that one of the joys of American city life is never having to deal with these bizarre screams in the middle of the night (unless, of course, you live in poorly insulated apartments, and what you’re hearing aren’t cats…).

7.       Horns

8.       Raised dramatic voices: Number 7 or a football game is often a prerequisite, but certainly not necessary, not in the least.

9.       Confused  roosters: If you somehow manage to escape the church chimes, and you’ve forgotten your alarm clock, no problem. Greek roosters consistently crow at 2am, 3am, 4am and finally 5am. You’ll have plenty of opportunities to avoid sleeping in.

10.   Three am garbage collection: You’re in the middle of Athens and there aren’t any nearby roosters? Don’t worry, there’s the 3am garbage collection. Be sure to stay on the ground floor to experience the full affect. The first time this booming shaking noise awakened me, I thought Athens was having another of its frequent earthquakes…or we were under attack. Nope. Just the friendly sanitary engineers. (Thank God, they were engaging in Number 8 so I could tell the difference.)

11.   Waves: One of the loveliest sounds on earth, it almost makes up for the previous ten…almost.

12.   The whining and rumbling of motorbikes: Again, if you have the unbelievable experience of no churches and no roosters and no 3am garbage collections, there’s always the motorbike. Remember, Greeks stay up all night—so you’re only gonna escape this one if you’re on a motor-free island, like Hydra (but it wasn’t quiet , even there…another story).

13.   European sirens: You know these from the movies. They’re real, and they sound exactly like they do through your surround-sound home speakers.

14.   The Da-daaa da-daaa da-daaa da-daaa of the Greek ring-tone

15.   The chattering din of an extended family of birds at 6:30pm: The animal (and people) wildlife in Greece provide you with so many time-telling opportunities. You really can get by without a watch.

16.   Blessings and Greetings: This is definitely one of my favs and includes such lovely expressions as: “Kalimera,” “Kalispera,” “Kalinixta,” “Ti kaneis?”  “Yeia sou,” “Na eisai kala,”  “Filakia,”  “Kalo Xeimona.”

Would you like to share some of your sounds of Greece?


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One of my fave rings from Thallo in Kolonaki, Athens

It’s the moment you’ve all been waiting for…What precious or nonexpendable non-liquid items are in my Greek carry-on? You’ll find some treasures and some necessities. Just to be thorough, I’ll include purse and on-body items in this grouping, as well. Also, I assume you’re interested in the contents of my return trip home, rather than my outbound trip there. It’s probably of less interest to you to hear about the items I take to Greece, although how to pack for Greece could fill up several blog posts. Let me know if you’re interested. Otherwise, though geared towards treks, you can gain some extremely useful information and tips on packing from my friend and author Cara at her website Girls Trek Too!

1.  One-pint ziplock bag with small portions of liquids, crèmes and toothpaste consistent with security requirements on U.S.-bound flights. I will take this opportunity to mention one indispensible item that you should take to Greece: ziplock bags. The Greek variety is grossly inferior and will thoroughly disappoint. Beside the pint size for U.S. security, I also take several sandwich and quart-sized bags. They come in handy for packing all that olive oil, ouzo, and Greek honey.  They also serve as an easy organizer for clothes, toiletries and other various items, liquid and solid.

 2.  My travel-sized tempurpedic pillow, which is neck-saving, back-saving and life-saving. I not only use it on the plane but in the Frankfurt airport, pretending to nap in the smoke-infested air during my six hour layover to Athens. I have also used it in Greece. Have I mentioned their atrocious rock-hard beds and pillows? Another post.

 3.  Money belt, worn right across my private parts. It seems to be very safe there, since there aren’t usually many available Greek or Italian men on the flight out of Athens. I may be the only person on the plane who still wears a money belt, but I don’t care. If nothing else, it makes me feel secure and powerful. Inside are all the travelers’ checks that I brought with me “just in case” but never used, because my ATM card actually worked. (BTW-ATM cards are the way to go now. Cashing travelers’ checks will run you an extra 20-25 Euros plus commission per transaction. Just another way to screw tourists.) Also inside are a couple credit cards, my passport and any cash that I managed not to spend. I always bring back Euros so that I’ll have them for the next trip.

 I tend to carry a lot more in my money belt since that fated airplane restroom episode…I had finally made it into my seat for my flight to Athens (by way of some European city that I don’t remember—all the trips blur together after awhile). I decide that this would be a good time to go to the restroom. I grabbed my wallet, quickly did my thing, and returned to my seat. I buckled up my seat belt and prepared myself for the seventeen or eighteen or twenty-hour journey. I was feeling rather pleased; everything was going so well. Then I heard, “Will Rebecca Elia please press her call button.” OMG, what’s happened? Are they going to kick me off the plane? Did they break the lock on my packed-to-the-brim suitcase? Was my fancy string underwear now strewn across the tarmac for every airport baggage handler to see? After taking a deep breath I pushed my call button and tried not to look guilty (of what, I don’t know). The flight attendant suddenly appeared next to my seat (did she glide? Where did she come from?) “We found something of yours in the restroom.” In her hand was my wallet. I just about had a heart attack on the spot. I couldn’t imagine arriving in Greece without my credit cards or ID. Just the hassle, alone, to cancel the cards from overseas was enough to kill my entire vacation. And we hadn’t even left the ground yet. Jeez, I was still in San Francisco!

 4.   Okay, are you still with me? We get to the fun stuff now…Greek jewelry. Oh, but not just any Greek jewelry. Not the Greek key in every possible variation. Not thick gold chains.

Here are my faves: 
          Thallo—Yes, the ring in the picture is from Thallo. I have one just like it. My mother has an entire dresser drawer filled with their jewelry. I am addicted to the stuff. Here’s the catch. See that daisy (margarita, the Greeks say)? It is a real daisy! The actual flower is inside. Now, others have done this with leaves and more solid plant parts, but flowers? It’s remarkable. I usually bring back one or two items for me and several for the women in my family. Christmas is really boring for them, because they already know what their gift will be. They are located in Kolonaki in Athens. For more beautiful examples, see their website: http://www.thallousa.com

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No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you. It is 007 with Peggy, one of my mothers away from home, in the entrance to her family's amazing jewelry shop on Skopelos
          Giannakopoulos—If you happen to travel to Skopelos, you must take a look at this jewelry. Lefteris is one of the finest jewelers I have ever seen. He makes beautiful pieces in ancient designs and patterns that are unmatched. His daughter is also a jeweler and creates more modern pieces. I’m not the only one who returns there year after year. Lefteris’ wife Peggy is one of my mothers away from home. Her incredible energy and generosity attract people from all over the world. Even Pierce Brosnan and his family couldn’t stay away. When he was filming Mamma Mia on Skopelos, he’d drop by daily to give Peggy a kiss. They are located on the main street at the port behind the yellow chairs. 

5.       Breakables that I’m too scared to place in checked luggage. There is a lot of crap-pottery in Greece, but there are also some really beautiful pieces. Each location has its own unique type. On Skopelos, Rodios creates amazing black pottery in ancient forms. They’ve recently branched out and have created some with a silvery tint and others with a khaki army look.  They are located in the main town at the end of the harbor (on the road that heads out of town) between Hotel Eleni and Skopelorama Holidays agency. Watch him in action, and listen to some Greek at this site. Warning: this youtube video will make you want to take up ceramics! The pottery on Skyros is also quite beautiful and unique. Their museum shop has a lovely selection.

 6.     Mamma Mia poster ads, all rolled up

 And last, but not least, probably the most essential items:

 7.      Cell phones—yes, plural—and appropriate phone cards.  I have my American, unlocked phone and my Greek phone (in case my American phone goes on the fritz or has inconsistent service). Words of caution: just because it says “world phone” doesn’t mean it will work everywhere. One of my phones only worked in towns and cities, not on the water—which was a problem since so much travel in Greece is on the water. Phone cards includes: a sim card for Greece (remember, your phone must be unlocked to use a different sim card), sim card for the U.S., prepaid phone card for cell phone service in Greece (there are many; I use Vodafone ala carte), and a phone card for public Greek phones. I always bring back one of each so that I won’t be caught without on my return trip. The type of prepaid card I have for the cell phone requires purchasing one card minimum each year—so (if hell freezes over) I don’t make it back to Greece within a year, I will still be able to keep my cell phone coverage.

 Let me know what you bring back from Greece in your carry-on!

 Future post: My fave Greek gifts.


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It is not only unusual foods that make Greek meals interesting. Here are ten things that can assist you in staying on that diet:

1.  Carnivorous wasps:   Most people think that bees and wasps just go for lemonada, the sweet carbonated lemonade drink, but Greek wasps prefer meat or fish. Their persistence is quite entertaining. The Greeks have come up will all kinds of solutions, such as burning ground coffee. Basically, you can’t win. If your food is not already smoked from the cigarettes it will be from the burning coffee. The carnivorous wasp story winner goes to an unlucky worker on the set of Mamma Mia at Agios Ioannis. The wasps were determined to take down as many of our plastic-boxed lunches as possible. As we were driving along the serpentine sea-cliff road back to town a screaming ambulance sped by in the opposite direction. We later learned that one poor soul had battled a wasp for his lunch and lost. Actually both he and the wasp lost when he swallowed it whole. Even worse, he was allergic. So, if they say that no living thing was injured during the making of Mamma Mia, they’re lying. (See Pic*)

2.  Location, location, location:  The Greeks are not too particular about where they place those outside tables and chairs. Some tavernas are set up in the middle of the street, literally. One of my favorite Mamma Mia behind-the-scenes stories is about the unusual way in which the camp trailers crossed over mainland Greece to the harbor at Volos. Suffice it to say that they took a wrong turn somewhere in the mountains near Delphi and found themselves on a road less traveled, so less traveled that the taverna workers had to remove every table, chair and customer from the road.

3.  Weather:  For a typical weather story see Red Poppies, Greek Easter. About once every other year, we get September thunderstorms on Skopelos. We’re talking bad enough that grandmothers get washed into the sea and motorbikes have to be tied to the sides of buildings. The Greeks, however, are prepared. They encase entire tavernas in plastic wrap. It almost works. The only problem they haven’t yet solved is the river under the tables. As long as you remember to keep your feet on the chair stretcher next to you, you’ll do fine. Otherwise, you might end up in the sea with Yiayia.

4.  The Eccentric Locals:  Beside the obvious impossibility of anonymity (I swear they’d all come join your table if one could make it big enough!) you may have to contend with some rather unusual sites. One of my favorites was the guy walking down the street carrying a white toilet.

5.  Cats:  The wasps are not the only native carnivores. You’ve never seen cats dine like this. They don’t touch anything that isn’t fish or meat, even if they’re starving. The situation is, however, greatly improved from its cat-Zambian past. Some brave Great Britain vets snuck their way in and spayed a bunch of cats, despite local protests. This helped solve the cat overgrowth problem, but back-fired with the rat and mice populations.
When will we learn that it's not nice to fool Mother Nature?

6.  Cigarette Smoke:  The Greek #1 form of birth control also acts as an appetite suppressant—both for smokers and non-smokers. Two, two, two benefits in one. I can’t believe that they actually passed a law that divides inside restaurant space between smokers and non-smokers. You can imagine how effective that one is.

7.  Neighbor Proximity:  As hinted before, the Greeks would all sit at one table if given the chance. If you treasure peace, quiet, alone time, then how the heck did you end up in Greece? I mean, what were you thinking?

8.  Natural Demolitions:  You have entered the land of natural decay. Everything, previously-living and not, degrades in this country. You can’t walk down a Greek street without running into a carcass of some sort. Even the buildings decompose. The Greeks are really great about allowing whatever they don’t possess to rot. My favorite was in the small picturesque harbor of Agnondas, known for its fresh fish. I was enjoying a beautiful sunset with a Dutch friend, had just finished a perfect saganaki midia and RUMBLE…BANG! CRASH!! Were we having another earthquake? No, the small dilapidated single-room abandoned house across the street finally took its last breath, shuddered and collapsed. No one blinked an eye--no one, that is, other than the two of us.

9.  Unwanted Stares:  This goes along with #4, #6, and #7. Put them all together and you get eccentric Greeks walking down the street carrying white toilets while smoking cigarettes, staring at you, and looking for empty seats at your table…an everyday occurrence. Welcome to Greece!

10.  Uncomfortable Chairs:  My back, butt and arms ache already… I ran across my Greek chair fantasy one day, in a back abandoned lot on Skopelos…

Happy Dieting!



*Wasp picture courtesy of my friend Loes

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