DOWN TO THE WATER
Down to the water.
Yesterday we drove over the island through the fertile basin of the island and into a small fishing village. The houses were ancient, large and largely hidden so I think it has been a rather affluent little fishing village.
The square was totally set up to capture tourists. The whole village seemed to be in on it. There were two big sloops moored under the cliffs disgorging many scantily clad sunburnt slow walking island hopping tourists. As they hit terra ferma the village came alive with fresh juices and Greek doughnuts and the usual line up of shells and hats and bags and sunglasses from China.
When the sloops loaded up and pulled back out after taking disinterested pictures and hopefully spending a few dollars – the village folk went back about their usual – their smiles turned off and their backs turned – closing their gates for siesta time, leaving business to the imported seasonal wait-staff.
In the afternoon while the kids were climbing and the older folk were sleeping I decided to walk from the house along the hill then down and around the hill and then across and around this rocky outcrop that would like to be an island.
Do you see that path reaching down to the water. That was my objective.
Once I arrived on the steps at the waters edge I could look back to where we were staying far up that slippery slope.
I got as close to the sea as I could. The rocks are sharp underwater too.
But the water held its azure treasure blue. Even close up it held its secrets close. Ancient.
Then I wandered all the way home to get cleaned up for dinner. I had left no clues or notes as to where I had gone. I figured they could send out the drone if they were worried. No one noticed I was gone anyway.
Much later we watched the sun go down.
And so ended another day on the sun-drenched island of Kalymnos.
Love celi
50 Comments on “DOWN TO THE WATER”
Welcome to the Lounge of Comments
JOIN OUR NEWSLETTER:
DO A LITTLE SHOPPING:
Thank You So Much For Your Kind Help with Maintaining This Blog
thekitchensgarden 
Ah the sea! Your blogs reads like a secret escape, a rendezvous with a lover. Beautiful.
It was is beautiful !
Yes!
Fascinating to look up at the land from the sea, out of which pre-tourism I assume traditionally came most of the local bounty.
They have fish farms on the other side of the island too!
It almost looks like another planet. A beautiful one though. That is quite some walk you took. Funny how we become quite invisible to others.
I am quite happy being invisible too.
A gorgeous story with tourist-English menus even offering a glass of wine . . . . still clapping over that Instagram shot of Sophie . . .
There are more on the way.
I imagine your walk as mainly silent, apart perhaps from the sound of cicadas and the odd bird, and the rustle of the waves on the rocks below. It’s that John Masefield poem “I must go down to the sea again, to the lonely sea and the sky”, although his sea was altogether greyer and colder than this one! (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/54932/sea-fever-56d235e0d871e)
I love your comment. Remember that poem from school days.
It’s one of my favourites, as it perfectly expresses how I feel the pull of the sea. Not that I’ll ever head out on a sailing ship, but I can almost smell and hear it in the words.
I thought of Homer’s description “wine dark sea” when we see it close as so beautifully azure blue, maybe because of those underwater stones. But all is mystery & treasure & secrets as Celi’s wonderful photos show us. Perhaps Homer’s poetic phrase didn’t describe a color of the sea as much as an illusion to its mystery, treasure & secrets as well. Ancient & present.
I love it when you start talking to each other!
Quite a walk! Does this island have a white sand beach as well or is it mostly rock?
We did go to another beach the other day it was sand ..
Such adventures! Amazing. Beautiful.
I love finding new little surprises around the corner 🙂 Laura
So it seems even isolated villages are geared for tourists….it happens. You enjoyed your walk and the water colours are beautiful As for the sunsets..words are not enough ..wonderful. Instead of sun we had a very heavy thunder storm…water everywhere and in places where it should not have been. This morning the sun is back again Have a good day
I a glad you are getting rain – it seems we are in for a dry summer in Illinois
Oh, that water, that color, that jewel that the Italians call MARE NOSTRUM. Our sea. it is heavenly. I am happy for you that you are there with the sharp rocks and the eternal secrets and the steadily breathing land. Oh yes, and the 10-euro all-inclusive menus!
Every time I try to speak Greek my Italian/ kiwi accent gets in the way. It makes me laugh but I think the locals just wish I would give up trying !
I’m sure that’s not quite true. I bet you charm them no end.
Wish i was there!
Have you been here before?
As a child, and by boat. I don’t remember much. Kalymnos was famous for its sponge divers.
Your words really reminded me of where we are in Spain. Sometimes the tour buses pull up outside our grotty but beloved local bar and folk take photos of the houses around our house for half an our whilst we all look on, a little bemused. Then back onto the buses the hop and we all go back to doing whatever it was we were doing before they arrived!
I cannot help but take pictures of the houses but I feel so bad doing it too- Greek women do NOt look happy to see us swanning past .
You should take photos of whatever you want!
It’s more rugged than I imagined, no doubt because it was a volcano. The water looks quite inviting. The price of food is very good and on a par with lunch in Spain – I’d want to try the souvlaki and pork knuckle, but probably not at the same time.
I am going to get that knuckle tomorrow I hope! I want to see how it is cooked
I look forward to hearing about it…
I hope you take a photo, I’m curious to see what it looks like, I can’t imagine there’s much of a feed on a knuckle. I remember being given a pig’s trotter in jelly when I was little, to keep me quiet when my parents were having an afternoon in the pub!
Love the color of the water. I wish I could paint a wall that color, but alas it would never quite match. It is like purple eggplant – I want a dress that color – but it is never quite right when I find one.
A dress the colour of water!
At first glance, the landscape resembles a Mexican village not far south of me. These images are giving me daydreams of sipping my morning’s coffee in that little Greek town. Beautiful pictures!
We have been twice now – i have a feeling this town has secrets
Certainly. Serenity. You’ll know when you start thinking you are “local”. LOL
Such a beautiful place my friend! Enjoy your time. XOXO – Bacon
Am surely enjoying myself and finally beginning to relax
The water, the sunsets, so lovely!!! I’m quite fascinated by the drone, I must say! Wondering who owns it, and why it is needed…….
It belongs to one if the men in our group – it fascinates me
how lovely! the water is amazing with all the colors. and is that a drone ?Seriously?
Yes – that is a serious drone. I tried to get it flying in out of the sunset
Oh, how I am enjoying your posts! I am half Greek, raised in My Big Fat Greek Family, and I am savoring every photo. One day – some day – I will get there. In-the-meantime, thank you for sharing your adventure.
I can only travel through other people’s photos. So thank you its beautiful.
Enjoying the fabulous photos!
I must have missed the Instagram of Sophie. Who is Sophie??
She is my daughter but I do not use her name on here. I did not see where that started – I will go back and delete it. Thank you for pointing it out.
Enjoy Celi!