Ithaka Bound

The Wind, Dear Lord, the Wind…

The locals will tell you that its the Meltemi, a refreshing wind from the north that blows for ten days in August.  Translation for Americans and other non-Greeks:  its too chilly to swim and it blows for most of the month.  Too chilly to swim in the Cyclades in August?  I couldn’t believe it either.

When I picked up my rental vehicle, the woman at the agency told me to be careful opening my car door when it was windy (which it always is now) because they’ve had vehicles returned with the doors blown off.  That’s a hurricane force gale, my friends.  It doesn’t feel like a hurricane only because it isn’t raining, the sun shines brightly and the  temp is in the mid 80’s.  The Meltemi doesn’t always blow quite so violently and there are days when it actually is refreshing, but c’mon…this is Greece.

I have a beautiful house in Tinos to live in for free.  Its built into a cliffside with a terrace that looks out over the horizon of the Aegean Sea.  At night, I can see the lights of Mykonos twinkling in the distance, and I can see the sunrise over my balcony every morning. (Thank you, friend in Tinos!)  Its all so good but I need the sea; I’m going in search of warmer waters.

I want to be really, really hot; so hot that I can’t stand another moment if its not under water.

I want to be like this dog, enjoying the air conditioning in a Zara store in Piraeus:

I want to be like this kid, jumping into a fountain during a scorcher in Patra:

I want the next person who touches me to get their fingerprints scorched off. ( If you’re running from the law, meet me in Mykonos.)

At least the figs are ripe and dropping like flies:

© 2009, Ithaka Bound. All rights reserved. Photos and text are copyright protected.