Thor and I visit a quiet coastal village as the tourist season winds down, then crawl into a Mycenaean domed tomb. Stay with us!
NOTE: Since our recent trip to Greece to research more settings for my novel-in-progress, THE ARIADNE DISCONNECT, Thor and I knew we had to return to this magical region. My first entry in this new blog series posted here on Saturday, 10/20/2018. It gives an overview of our rambles from Athens to seven islands in the Dodecanese and Cyclades groups, ending our ferry-hopping pilgrimage on the anciently sacred island of Delos.
If you were with us last week on our drive around the rugged north coast of Naxos, you’ll recall that we were paying homage to the giant unfinished statue of Dionysos. Sometimes called a kouros, although it doesn’t adhere to the style of the naked-youth statues, it lies in an Archaic open-air mine overlooking the sea and the village of Apollon. (Here we might reopen the raging controversy over which god the bearded statue was intended to represent — Apollo or the island’s patron Dionysos. We have firmly sided with the locals: He’s Dionysos. There.)
Staying just ahead of dark rain clouds on this cool and blustery day, we dropped down the road’s switchbacks to explore the fishing village of Apollon. With a cluster of outdoor taverna and cafe seating along the quay, it’s following the pattern of most of the islands in now encouraging tourists to augment the difficult fishing livelihoods. In early October, we had the place mostly to ourselves.
We picked a spot built around this twisty old tree, a common sight in Greece.
As usual, we quickly attracted a feline companion waiting for scraps. This time we also had an unusual visitor — a cormorant checking us out, as the cat checked it out.
A couple of shops were open, including this lovely jewelry store that also offered quality replicas of marble statues and ceramics. Unfortunately, I’ve forgotten the name of the gracious owner.
I didn’t forget to purchase a marble replica of one of the enigmatic Cycladic statuettes. Now she oversees my writing on THE ARIADNE DISCONNECT. Behind her is a cozy wrap I was glad I’d purchased earlier in windy Athens, with the classic Greek key-wave design.
Farther along the harbor is one of the ubiquitous vapas providing springwater, this one depicting an ancient trireme.
And, of course, the village Orthodox church in white-and-blue presides over the harbor.
This embellished doorway features a modern image of what might be the ancient god of the sea Poseidon, but instead of his usual trident, he’s holding a caduceus with intertwined serpents. Usually it’s the messenger god Hermes or the healing god Aesculapios holding a caduceus, so maybe he’s someone entirely different…. Thor just wonders why serpents are so revered everywhere we go.
Moving on to more mysteries, we head up the winding road into the steep interior hills, in search of a Mycenaean domed tomb. On the way, the hillsides are terraced, some for olive trees. They’re dotted with the usual tiny chapels that can crop up anywhere someone feels like building one to honor a special saint or memorialize a loved one.
Our destination is the highest village on the island, Komiaki, literally in the clouds this day.
We didn’t see a soul stirring in the village, but found the sign for the tomb, complete with more of the key-wave design:
Cobbled pathways accented with the usual whitewash led us there.
The small rock tomb may have been haunted only by spiders, or perhaps some of those mysterious serpents, but it wasn’t a place where we wanted to linger!
Next week: We wander around the village, looking for signs of life.
*****
You will find The Rambling Writer’s blog posts here every Saturday. Sara’s latest novel from Book View Cafe is available in print and ebook: The Ariadne Connection. It’s a near-future thriller set in the Greek islands. “Technology triggers a deadly new plague. Can a healer find the cure?” The novel has received the Chanticleer Global Thriller Grand Prize and the Cygnus Award for Speculative Fiction. Sara has recently returned from another research trip in Greece and is back at work on the sequel, The Ariadne Disconnect. Sign up for her quarterly email newsletter at www.sarastamey.com
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