My Patmos Home

As I stood there with the constant warning alarm going off watching the giant ferry pull backward toward the cement dock, I could only think that ferry captains should be paid handsomely. How a boat roughly the size of a small cruise ship could back up to a port, reach within 10 feet of the dock and extend its ramp in a secure way without anything going wrong – time and time again throughout the night – is beyond me. That seems like a skill up there with heart surgery and the consequences of a mistake could be almost as grave. But there was no mistake last night and a small crowd of us marched off the ferry onto a quiet, cold and windy Patmos – ending what had at times been a bumpy ride through a couple of storms.

A quick taxi ride later from one of the two taxi drivers on duty that night – both of which had by alerted by the leasing agent that I was coming – and I was at my new temporary home. It wasn't where I thought it was – Google had made a mistake. In fact, it was exactly across the bay from what I was expecting – but about the same distance from town nonetheless and with the sea view all the same. I dragged my bags into a large, beautifully lit compound with gardens and followed the property manager's instructions to find my unit (there appear to be five in total throughout the large property). The key was in the door and someone had left a light and the living room heater on for me. It looks exactly as the photos online made it out to be. After figuring out the bedroom heater and making a quick call to the kids its was 3:20 am and time for some sleep in what turned out to be a very comfortable, warm bed. 

I awoke to light and a much clearer view of the sea just outside my bedroom and "bathroom" windows. I put bathroom in quotes because the ensuite sort-of-half-bath has a sink and shower – but no toilet. Not that it's a problem since the full bath is just outside the bedroom. But an unusual choice.

Despite the fatigue, I knew getting up around 8:00 was a good idea both for time adjustment and to be able to take care of business before work time. What business would I have to do on Patmos? The settling-in stuff which I generally take very seriously. Compound that withy uncertainty about what would and wouldn't be open at this time of year (many shops and restaurants close off-season) and  I figured getting out earlier than later would ensure things got done. After unpacking, attempting to install my Brita faucet and taking one of the coldest showers of my life (I couldn't get the hot water heater to work and have since been told how to activate it), I walked down to town to meet Dimitris, my car rental guy.

I have always wondered what Patmos would feel like off-season and of course imagined it when deciding to come here. I was spot-on except for one thing, it's much greener than I would have guessed. It turns out Patmos has more in common with the Conejo Valley than I would have thoughts – brown hills with some stand-out trees in the summer, but amazingly green following wet weather. Patmos looked more like Ireland than the Greek island I know. The walk from Koumana – the hill I'm on – down to town was beautiful. Chickens ran up to greet me, goats bleated and a friendly down-the-road neighbor who was tending his crop introduced himself and told me about his travels in America. I was surrounded by different sea coves as I came down the hill to the area where Emily and I stayed on our first two trips here. I remembered staying at our now friend Nicola's studio hotel, his cousin Stefano next door bringing us a motor scooter to rent anytime we asked and Sennen throwing his beloved Blue Bear on the road in a fit of rage when we brought him here at age 15 months (we gave him Blue Bear to trick him into falling asleep in the stroller on the way to dinner and he wasn't having it). 

It was cold, windy and intermittently gray as I passed the road construction blocking the road to the northern parts of the island and then around the curve of the marina to Dimitris' storefront. Dimitris and his wife Christina are wonderful people and he was both welcoming and happy to rent to me again. He even readied the Fiat Panda for me knowing I preferred it to a Hyundai. Of course, before business, one must catch up and I heard about his lingering flu-like sickness despite him never testing positive for COVID and not knowing what to do about it since it's been going on since November. And there's his wife's cancer which is in remission and his son graduating from a prestigious university. I should be careful because a few children at the school tested positive for COVID last week. Every road in Patmos is being torn up to lay new water lines, so be careful of the rough spots in the road and the road work. When it rains, sometimes the area in front of the port (which to be clear is about 100 square feet) floods with water from clogged storm drains, so drive through the port parking lot rather than roll through the disgusting water. Make sure to park sideways to the hill by my place, not pointed downhill because the pavement there is slippery – and really pull the parking brake. Sign these forms. Can I pay him cash for the second month? And call him if I need anything for any reason – he and his wife are always happy to help. Then he sent me on my way.

I know that it's unlikely I'll ever need to reach out to Dimitris who during our last visit in 2019 seemed to know where I was at all times and even called to tell me it was a bad idea to park in a particular place. There is nowhere on their island safe from a Patmosian's gaze.

From there it was a quick drive to the aforementioned Port Parking Lot – which is quite handy for running errands around the town square. Quick stops at the bakery, butcher shop (where Tassos and his wife remembered me and said every nice thing available in their broken English), the electronics store for soft white light bulbs to replace the bright whites in the bedroom lamps,  the bougatsa bakery to cover lunch, the supermarket to stock up, the appliance shop on the way home to grab a cheap blender for making my own decaf frappucinos and the fruit stand by the curve of the marina for the ice for those frappucinos ("very clean water to make this ice"). 

It took me about 20 minutes from returning to have my place in order and fully functioning replete with paper goods, spices, olive oil, a variety of cheeses not all of which I can identify, soaps and even batteries for the dying remote control to the living room AC/heater. Anyone who knows me knows that having a stocked and well-functioning house is high priority for me. Not only am I prepared to make dinner, but if a guest walked in my door, I would feel prepared – which is somehow important even though that seems like a pretty slim possibility.

That left me time to setup up my bluetooth speaker for music and a quick cheese bougatsa for lunch before getting to work.

What's important is that I feel properly setup – it's a critical component of my being happy in general. Between this light, beautiful apartment with the incredible view, a stocked kitchen, a set of wheels, some music and soon-to-be entertainment from my Amazon Firestick, I'm in good shape. It also felt very grounding to go through town to not only find it familiar but to find that I am still familiar to many of the people (Dimitris, Tassos the butcher, the bougatsa bakery owner and Michaelis, the God of Laundry on Patmos). And that was all on day one in a two hour span.

Now I feel ready to take that BIG exhale I've been waiting for. I'm here, I'm set and it's beautiful everywhere I turn.