Sitting It Out

From 6 to 8pm, Skala was a sea of people. A few locals, some island visitors and a LOT of cruise passengers. Just trying to get through town to do a couple of simple errands felt like navigating Disneyland on a summer day. 

"It's too many people. It's too crazy," Alessandro said as I passed his shop. "It's like this all day. This morning was worse." 

I guess our getting out early was a good thing.

"But tomorrow, it's going to be even more people," he said. "There are supposed to be five boats. And tomorrow the Blue Star (ferry) comes in the morning."

Eirini said, "We don't even know what that means. Five boats. What kind? How many? It sounds like a lot, but who knows what it means?"

Generally, Patmos doesn't allow more than three boats in a day – and on some days no boats. Cruise boats generally have to be small and anchor offshore. However, two things may be at play: it turns out the tourist population coming to stay is less this year than last – not the throngs of Italians from 2023; and the Assumption of Mary or the Dormition of the Mother of God is on the 15th making the Holy Island of Patmos a popular destination in some circles. 

This highlights one of the strange issues of the day. Many businesses are open, thriving and perhaps as busy as ever. Others are closed because it is not only Sunday, but the Sunday leading up to the holiday. Patmians are faced with the unenviable choice of deciding whether or not to forgo revenue on a possibly peak day of the year or to be less religious than at least some of them might like. 

I was surprised to see the very kind and devout Australian-Patmian lady who owns the Proton Supermarket working today – but I had also never seen the store so busy. Alessandro 's guess was that the morning Blue Star ferry would have a lot of vacationers coming to stay. Looking around the store, that may have been the case but there were also a lot of locals likely shopping for Sunday night dinners at which Patmian families usually get together. 

Tassos the butcher, on the other hand, was closed altogether. Perhaps being less tourist-driven, Tassos and his crew didn't mind taking the day off? Meanwhile cafes and tourist-oriented boutiques were open and busy. 

I imagine for the people on most Greek islands, Assumption is probably inconveniently timed – right in the thick of their money-making season. However – without questioning the belief of any Greek, anywhere – I imagine the choices are more challenging for the people of a holy island, who are in a sense examples of how religiosity is done and who, in many cases may have chosen to move to, return to or remain on Patmos because of their beliefs.

To make whatever impulses there may be on Patmos a little more confusing, today in front of the Monastery of St John in Hora is an event inviting the community to come and meet the two Skyrian horses now being housed on Patmos. A native Greek breed originating and still primarily residing on the island of Skyros in the Sporades – there remain only 220 Skyrian horses in the world. These small, spindly horses were literally the work horses of Greece until the modernization of agriculture. In the 20th Century, numbers began to decline for lack of demand but the breed's decline was furthered by feral donkeys on Skyros – where the majority of the horse's population remained – interbreeding with the remaining horses, leading to more Skyrian mules and fewer horses. 

Patmos recently became home to Apollonius and Icarus who are part of a conservation and education program sponsored by the Charis Charitable Foundation of Patmos allowing for people to interact with, but never ride them.

Our plan for the morning was to sleep in, go up to Hora after church time to meet the Skyrian horses and then head to Pleiades to eat lunch and swim in their amazing non-chlorinated swimming pool overlooking Sapsilla Bay. Only last night Ailyn began feeling stuffy and by bedtime, declared she was sick. A good night's sleep didn't completely solve the problem. She seems to have a cold – no fever, no aches – just some stuffiness, fatigue and mild headache. Neither a swimming pool nor a beach seem like a good idea today.

Instead, we're having a big, fat Greek movie day and taking it easy. I did a little shopping for the necessities of the day – including some groceries in case we dine-in rather than go to Ktima Petra as we originally planned. 

While it would be best if Ailyn was well, staying home today didn't feel like too much of a loss. The kids were ready for a break after several beach days and the excursion to Leros. Pleiades seemed like a good choice because it seems more popular with locals and island visitors in-the-know like us than with tourists – and certainly not at all with cruise passengers. Not a bad place to hide-out on a busy day. 

That's the great part about a long stay in our own home – we can roll with the punches and one day that doesn't go our way isn't a waste or the end of the world. We all seemed to easily embrace the change of plan. In fact, it gives me the opportunity to do a little tidying – getting the house in order for our first Airbnb guests who come two days after we leave. 

Now we just need to Ailyn who seems to respond well to nasal spray, herbal iced teas, yogurt with honey and grapes. And the sofa.

We'll let the crowds pour down our street without us and Apollonius and Icarus will just have to wait for another day. I hope they can manage to stay away from any feral donkeys until then – no one wants to end up having kids with a jackass.