All I wanted to do was run errands. There were things to buy, a man to see about some legal paperwork, information about possible travel to Turkey to get from the travel agent, a stop at the plumbing and home fixtures shop…. all kinds of little things. I needed to get the dishwasher under the counter, deal with the yet unassembled IKEA storage rack and figure out what happened to my nice cutting boards. I had to find Christos at Mostra while one of his sons who speak English was there to be able to have a conversation around the storage bin from the side of the house that the gardener, Michaelis allegedly took. Important Patmos things. Things that bring grounding and order to my situation and have the side benefit of socializing with the my friends and neighbors around town.
But Michelle had other ideas – namely getting to Livadi Geranou Beach. She NEEDED it. So we came to a compromise where I got a few essentials done and pushed a few back a day – because if Patmos has taught me anything it's that life here is a marathon (which is Greek after all) or maybe even a long stroll, not a sprint. Luckily, one of the successfully completed errands was buying two beach chairs. So off we went to Livadi Geranou.
Livadi Geranou, tucked away far to the north, has always been a conundrum for me because it is absolutely one of the most beautiful and inviting beaches on Patmos. Shallow, calm and full of dizzyingly exquisite aquamarine water accented by a small, but very good taverna and a little island with a tiny church just a brisk swimming distance away – Livadi Geranou can easily seem like a postcard more than an actual place. It's the Greek island vacation dream.
Only, with all the "organized beaches" on Patmos – those with lounge chairs and umbrellas you rent for the day and my distaste for sitting in the sand – even on a beach towel – I have by and large eschewed the "disorganized beaches". Having become comfortable with my own idiosyncrasies by my 30's, I was comfortable acknowledging openly that I hate the feeling of sand stuck to me and the mess it makes after a day at the beach. I have come to also favor Patmos' many pebble beaches. Livadi Geranou is a "disorganized" mixed beach with intermittent pebbles and sand. For a long time, it was off the menu until last summer when I began using it for quick dips when I didn't have much time between blog writing lunches and the beginning of work in the late afternoons. If I placed my belongings in a pebbled zone, then it all worked out, well, swimmingly.
Until last summer, buying beach chairs didn't make sense. I sadly didn't realize until the end of the summer that given I now have a house, beach chairs are an option that help open up the options at the "disorganized beaches". Lucky for me, Michelle was willing to accommodate my crazy and held one of the beach chairs while sitting on the back of a motorscooter.
After the obligatory photos on the vista of the incredible beach cove, setting up camp and sunscreening, Michelle made it clear that earlier in the day she wasn't just talking about swimming out to the island, but that it would be happening. I remained doubtful because in my experience – particularly enforced by the little island off of Petra Beach – little islands are the opposite of side view mirrors – objects are further than they appear. I was firmly between reluctant and reticent. Whether it was Michelle's enthusiasm or what one does in a new relationship or a tingle of my sense of adventure sparking, I put on my aqua socks, walked across the pebbled beach, into the pebbled water and pushed out to sea, meeting Michelle in the water since she chose a different entry point.
The Aegean is highly salinic and therefore makes people quite buoyant. It's easy to move through the water simply by moonwalking (more in the carnival moon bounce sense than the Michael Jackson one). So, standing in the water I looked at Michelle trying to read what she would do next, assuming that once we were swimming, she would logically size up the situation and decide that some typical recreational beach swimming was really what we should do.
Instead she paddled slowly away from me and eventually said, "Aren't you coming?"
I adjusted my expectations and figured we'd swim out a ways, the island would appear just as far way as it had from shore and Michelle would realize that half way to the island was a solid accomplishment, but perhaps we had gone a little too far. Only once we got there, despite some floating breaks to rest, she persisted. Michelle had been a swimmer in high school and felt confident in her ability to make it. That's when I realized, this was actually going to happen. I also realized that my polar bear paddling I had been doing as if it was just a casual beach swim was not going to cut it for crossing the current and making to the island anytime soon without exhaustion. I moved into a solid crawl and began speeding up.
It turned out that if swimming properly, the island really wasn't that far. Sure, it felt gauche to make a splashing noise in the ever quiet water where even tourists move around silently. But far enough out, I lost my inhibition and with a couple of quick standing float breaks made it across the strait – as did Michelle who looked a lot less fatigued.
We got ourselves up onto the small beach of the little island and eventually sat on a rock, chatting until we saw a couple in the distance heading our way. As they came closer and emerged we saw they were a young, attractive couple in their 30's speaking English – with her sounding British. While I might have kept the chat to a few pleasantries and small talk, Michelle engaged the couple. We quickly learned that Corrado and Nicolina were Italian and British living in London and that while she was of partly Italian ancestry, she didn't speak Italian well and they conduct themselves in English. Further, they both love California, particularly Los Angeles, have considered living there and are both gluten-free – like Michelle. Then the conversation picked up speed and the coincidences started dropping like an entire rack of other shoes. Both Nicolina and Michelle are clinical psychologists who follow the same diet protocols for their health and have experienced auto-immune issues. Talk turned to gluten-free bakeries in Santa Monica, Whole Foods, sweet potato noodles, celery juice and supplements. We also discussed lifestyles, commutes, public transportation, costs of living and advantages and disadvantages of Los Angeles life.
Pretty soon they proposed we meet for drinks or dinner later and we all swam back to shore to make sure we returned before the sun set. Nicolina, while a strong swimmer had some anxiety around the potential for sharks or jellyfish to attack (knowing that neither exist in Patmos waters). Corrado was unconcerned. So it happened that Corrado and I found ourselves swimming along slowly in our estimation, chatting, and turning around to find the two ladies coming along slowly and carefully – also chatting. The current was in our favor returning and so we moved along in my favorite polar bear paddle with ease discussing work, expat living, travel experiences, etc – periodically turning back to check on the distantly trailing psychologists.
To make a long story short, we ended up two couples having a lovely outdoor summer dinner at the Tzivaeri Osteria by the marina in Skala. I had the rare opportunity to wear one of my Greek linen shirts and the pair of very Greek blue suede beach loafers I acquired last year. I figured a predominately seafood restaurant would give the gluten-free crowd maximum opportunity for selection. It was a lovely evening that began at 8:30 pm (an almost early dinner time here) and went until almost 1 am with a change of venue to the Marechiaro Gelateria. While Michelle went home to have telehealth sessions with clients, Andreas – the proprietor – filled in as the fourth in our group. It became a four-way multi-lingual conversation that most of us understood at any given time. Nicolina mostly understands, but struggles to speak Italian. Andreas speaks better French than English so he and I usually speak in French. Corrado speaks excellent English and Italian – but no French. I complemented Andreas on his Italian. We learned how Andreas is familiar with the small village Nicolina's family comes from in Naples and discussed the comparative advantages and disadvantages among healthcare systems among several countries as well as life on Patmos among other varied topics. Somehow, it all worked pretty well. Eventually, Michelle rejoined us and everyone enjoyed gelato and sorbet.
Overall, it was the kind of day one sometimes has in Patmos – meeting people from other countries, forming friendships, having dinners late into the night. Emily and I had more than one occasion on Patmos where we made friends along the way with whom we had dinner or hung out on the beach and learned about their lives. It was fun to do it again and to experience it with Michelle who was a natural at it. Plus, the commonalities between Michelle and Nicolina were striking.
I realized, after having the kind of evening I haven't enjoyed in a very long time, that sometimes going to the beach is important. And when Michelle says we're swimming to the island, believe her the first time – and go with it. I was happy I did.
One Response
What a perfect vacation day!