The first circle dance event was at the end of May - a dance day with Brenda Kelly in Oxford. A great day and some wonderful new dances, all to music by Pink Martini. Brenda and I spent a few days in Oxford at an airbnb and returned to Sussex just in time for me to pack a bag and head to sunny Greece. (The English had been saying how good the English weather had been, but I couldn't see it myself. Cool winds and showers interspered with a dab of sunshine is not enough warmth for my liking)
I did a bit of island hopping before Stefan and Bethan's Greek circle dance holiday.
My first stop was MYKONOS Blue skies, if rather windy.
The first practical difference I came across in Greece was putting toilet paper in a bin and NOT in the toilet. Took a bit of getting used to...
The windmills of Mykonos no longer have sails and are merely a tourist attraction these days |
| Lots of lovely little waterfront cafes |
Mykonos harbour with traditional white houses dotted on the hillside
There were plenty of steps and hills to be negotiated
Pretty white churches
There were many family-owned private churches around the island. These are tombs for family members. After being buried for around 5 years in consecrated ground, the bones are relocated to the family church, as there is not enough land for permanent burial places.
A blue roof signifies a family who are fishermen. A brown roof means they are farmers. Churches with a white roof belong to families who are originally from a different island.
Once a year the families go to their church to have a meal and remember their loved ones.
The streets of the old town were like a labrynth. They were designed like this to confuse the pirates. It works on tourists too!!
The balconies going from one house to another served as a way of escaping attackers. They were also useful for getting out if the pathway below was flooded.
The houses and streets were all treated a limestone wash, to repel germs and insects. These days any people use modern plastic paints. The houses must remain white, but the home owner can choose what colour to paint doors and windows.
NEXT STOP NAXOS. JUST A SHORT FERRY RIDE FROM MYKONOS.
This was an ancient hillside quarry where this marble statue of Dionysos was abandoned. A rough image would be made at the quarry, before the task of moving the huge statue to where it would be completed. This one was abandoned at the quarry, so it was either damaged, or perhaps the purchaser didn't pay his bill.
The inland village of Apeiranthos is made of marble. The streets, the steps, everything. The marble would have come from a nearby quarry so was plentiful.
Very pretty, but rather slippery underfoot.
The archeological museum in Naxos was so interesting.
This ram's head vessel was used for ritual libations, dated 13th centure BC. That is seriously old!!!
They had literally hundreds of old pots, all centuries old.
The mosaic work was excellent of course.
The Temple of Apollo, god of light and music, near Naxos harbour, is set on a small peninsular and a wonderful place to watch the sunet.
The marble Temple of Demeter, goddess of fertility of the earth, constructed around 530BC. There's a tiny Christian church to the right, built on the same site.
Naxos is a very productive island (as opposed to tiny Mykonos which, a Naxiot told me, contains nothing but tourists). Naxos has lots of springs, so is able to grow plenty of fruit and veg, as well as grazing cows, sheep and goats. The inland roads are extremely narrow and winding. I am glad I wasn't driving.
AND SO TO PAROS TO DANCE WITH STEFAN & BETHAN
I just had to get myself out of bed early one morning to watch 'Sunrise Over Naxos' which is also the title of one of Stefan's dances.
Like these two.
As well as the dancing, we went out most days, and had lunch twice at this lovely shady restaurant by the sea
It was quite hot in Paros and the sea was perfect for swimming. Lovely walks along the beach too. Hotel in the background, with rooms staggered up the hillside, each with their own little terrace or balcony.
A pretty little corner we discovered when we got lost in some village laneways. Bouganvillea abounds.
A centre I created from shells etc from the local beach, for our night of labrynth dances.
And another for sun mediation dances. The rock formations along the beach had some interesting shapes.
One day we walked from one village to the next along part of the old Byzantine Way. Much of it was still paved with marble
We went to a local town to see a display of dances from around Greece. It was great, and the men were very impressive with their leaps and twirls.
And so, happily tired, I headed back to England, which was having wonderful sunshine and temperatures as hot as it was in Greece. Hurray.
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