Sarah Waterworth — An afternoon stroll
A university friend in Australia had noticed my photos on Instagram and was so excited to know that I was visiting Kalymnos, as her family is from here. She will be here in June when her sister Savvina, (named after Saint Savvas) is getting married, and her parents live here for four months of the year. Her great-grandfather was a sponge diver.
She sent me some pictures so I could find my way to her parents’ house — up the steps next to the Saint Nicholas Church. I climbed those steep, white steps, thinking of the steps up to Chora Citadel, and found the house at the top. A photo duly taken to report back.
I then proceded to wind my way through the streets and lanes along the side of the hill, knowing I would need to turn right at some stage so I could head back to the water. I saw four builders talking, I walked through three teenage girls discussing something obviously important, I passed locals, it seemed like they were heading home after work. One lady had on the dark blue top and trousers that medical staff wear. I passed an old man on a step, we exchanged ‘Yia sas’, and then he was offering me a piece of his bread. I felt rude in not accepting it.
I passed many old, abandoned stone villas — I suppose they are too difficult to restore and maintain. Easier to build something new with smooth, concrete render that’s easy to paint. I passed large rectangular yards that had many olive trees planted but they did not look cared for. I passed a yaya, bent over in her small vegie patch with a tortoise shell cat walking around above her on the trellis.
I thought back to my time living in a small coastal village in Egypt with views of the Red Sea, which looks very similar to the calm blue of the sea here today. I reflected on the idea of living in a place like this seems very romantic, a slow pace, easy going, time to think, but that slowness and lethargy can be stifling — it infects you and you become lazy. The Egyptians have a saying like ‘Why do something today when you can do it tomorrow?’ I wonder if that happens here?
