The moon appeared for the first time Saturday night. Emily says she caught a glimpse of it around the time we arrived, but I didn't. What we both know is that it has been missing for most of our time in Patmos. Saturday night, it was a beautiful crescent.
Yesterday at dusk, the moon was out in full force. I took pictures both because the sky looked awesome and because I felt the need to document the occasion. Good thing because when we came back from dinner two hours later, the moon was gone.
During the moon's first missing days, I assumed it was a new moon cycle. By my estimates, it was too soon. But what do I know about astronomy?
Then I thought that perhaps cloud cover was blocking the moon. The only problem is that the skies were so clear that we could see the stars perfectly. We often stop on our walks home to marvel at how close they look.
And then came last night's disappearing act. I have no idea what is happening here. Either the Greek gods with their ever tampering, petty ways are playing with the heavens, or we have a moon on the run.
Whatever the cause of it, one thing is much clearer than the moon – we've been around long enough to notice.
Yesterday was as average a day as could be. We did our weekday routine of work, go to a cafe for lunch and work, errands, dinner, walk around town. It varies a little here and there – but we do some form of this most weekdays.
There were no cruise boats in the harbor yesterday – they always stir the town up for the few hours they're here. There was no festival. There was really nothing at all happening in Patmos. People were just doing their thing – just like us.
As we went to the cafe, walked into town, had dinner, picked up laundry, etc – I realized how many people I wave to, smile at, know by sight. I'm sure my comings and goings have caught more interest as we've been around long enough.
Sometimes when we leave a restaurant or shop and I say, "See you again soon!" they look at me like I'm crazy since most of their customers are highly transient. Now they know that I indeed come back and definitely pass by frequently.
The tourist season is winding down. Some of the seasonal businesses are considering when to close. The weather has changed to warm days with cool breezes most of the time. This is the time of the year that Nicholas' son described as his favorite.
It also seems to be Patmos' lullaby. The last festival has come and gone, the town is quieter. The massage therapist Emily once saw passed me in the street last week and mentioned that now he's on "vacation" because he gets only a few calls for work a week now. Anna, our beloved 25 year old Polish housekeeper is making plans to depart on the 21st. The Farmhouse restaurant is figuring out which date to call its last for this year. The seasonal people are winding up as the breeze gently blows through town.
I have trouble imagining this town being much quieter than it is. It has just about the perfect level of activity much as Ubud did for me in Bali. Enough that there are things to do and places to go – but not so much that there's a mall or a movie theater. They are still small towns where people spend evenings looking at the same beautiful sights they see every night – the water, the lit up church on the hill, the brilliant stars and once in a while, the moon.
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