A bit more on Paros

I haven't taken any new photos for a few days - sorry to disappoint!  But I have had some noteworthy experiences, the most interesting of which I will start with.

Tonight I got the distinct pleasure of watching a thunderstorm roll in over Parikia Bay and the mountains along its far side.  I was walking with a group of students after dinner toward a gelateria when we started to notice lightning.  By the time we arrived at the ice cream parlor, it had become a full on fireworks show.

The bolts of lightning we witnessed sometimes streaked across the entire visible horizon, often lasting for nearly a full second before disappearing, leaving only the purple and white trails in our eyes.  The thunder coming from the storm was mostly deflected by the mountains opposite our position, but what could be heard was low and rumbling, lasting much longer than I'm used to hearing.  More distant strikes lit up entire patches of clouds in an eerie bluish glow that lingered a moment before pausing, only to appear a few moments later somewhere else in the sky. 

I can begin to understand why the ancients believed there was a mischievous god behind the clouds, throwing thunderbolts and wreaking havoc. Such a fireworks show could never be matched by men!  Such a storm is a reminder that as despite our progress, we still must humble ourselves in the face of nature's (and therefor God's) power.  We may be able to harness the atom, but we will never tame the lightning.

We watched the lightning for perhaps 45 minutes from the boulders on the shoreline, and as we headed back to the ice cream parlor, Sophie noticed something odd - her hair was standing on end.  The static from the impending storm had actually accumulated in her hair enough to make it stand on end - the effect was quite a sight to behold.  As we stood marveling at her new power, I heard a rushing sound coming from the sea, much like the sound of a strong wind through a forest.  I looked out to sea, and noticed a distinct wall of rain rushing in our direction.  I managed to warn the group just in time to get everyone inside just as it descended upon us.  I've never seen such a well defined wall of rain before, and I am almost certain everyone else in our small group witnessed it as well.

Unfortunately I didn't have my camera, and taking photos of such an event would have been nearly impossible.  I also failed to bring my camera to one of the most spectacular sunsets I've ever had the privilege of viewing.  The sky was half cloudy, half clear, and the margins of the scattered clouds glowed with a fierceness and color that only appears in the waning moments of daylight.  The reflection of the sun in the calm water, the small ripple like waves, the sailboat anchored just off shore, and the Parian windmill in the background made the entire scene somewhat too ideal to be reality.  If it is even possible to put what I saw into a digital image, it would shame any postcard I've ever seen.  Unfortunately, again I didn't have my camera handy. 

Other than our weather excitement, I have been spending too much of my time at the beach, enjoying the perfect weather and extremely calm, warm water.  I'm still blown away by the clarity of the water here - unless my memory deceives me, it is clearer than both the Bahamas and Hawaii, and it actually seems to be nearly as warm as Nassau.  It has, however, been a long time since I was there, so that might be fault recall.

I still love Parikia and Paros in general, but I have a lot of exploring left to do!