Sea water

This morning we headed off to Kastani beach. I'm not really a beach person but Kastani is exquisite. It's a sandy bay in the lee of a wooded valley, whose crystal sea is bordered by rocks and small caves at either end, trees perched precariously above. I last swam here three years ago, among thousands of tiny fish, after the Mamma Mia film crew had buried the electricity cables that were previously strung across the valley. Perplexingly the cables have been unburied and now stride across the valley as they used to. Less perplexingly many of the trees have been felled to make way for a large bar with inappropriate water-slugging grass and, in season, sun loungers all over the beach. I'd been told what had happened to this corner of Eden but even so I was unprepared for it.

This evening we went to a local meeting about the future of both Glossa, the nearby small town, and the island as a whole. The Greek islands are suffering from the crisis but not yet as badly as the mainland since many island people can still grow food. I was fascinated to hear the range of suggestions (ranging from the wildly fantastic to the small-scale with potential) from both expatriates and locals. The mayor was deeply impressive. Knowledgeable, intelligent, creative and wise. I wonder how long he will last...

2012challenge: metallic