I spent most of Saturday wandering around Paros alone, utilizing my old 'navigating by general directions' method of exploration. I find that I generally have much better clarity of mind, focus, and even patience when I'm alone, and I have also realized that there is something sacred about walking that I can't fully explain. The most reliable way for me to recenter and think deeply is to take a long, solitary, quiet walk in a place of beauty. I certainly got what I was looking for Saturday.
I certainly left prepared - I brought along my camera, a couple of liters of water, and my swim trunks just in case. What I ended up seeing, again, didn't photograph well - but I snapped a few worthy shots. I managed to find much more wildlife than I expected. First I encountered about a half dozen medium sized lizards, perhaps 4-5" long, sunning themselves on some construction debris near the road. A little farther down the road I was surprised to see a small owl, who greeted me by turning his head almost completely around and watching me as I walked. Not far from the owl, I walked past a very distrusting donkey's pasture. There wasn't a moment I was in sight that the donkey wasn't watching me closely, trying to decide just how much of a threat I might be. When I took two steps up the wall on his side of the road, still perhaps 150 meters away, he began loudly grunting and tossing his head, as if to say 'I know you don't belong here.'
When I set off, I didn't have a concrete idea of where I was heading. All I knew was that I wanted a high vantage point with a view of both Paros harbor and the Aegean sea. After encountering three dead ends in the form of high priced gated neighborhoods, I finally discovered the right path. A small dirt road led me past a spectacular house, to the top of a cliff that dropped straight into the foamy cobalt of the Aegean. I perched myself on a nook in the white marble and spent the next 2 hours writing, photographing, admiring, and even (briefly) sleeping.
Paros, unsurprisingly, is a windy place - after all, it's a tiny bastion of land in the midst of Poseidon's lair. I never would have guessed how much wind Paroikia is shielded from had I not chosen a quiet place overlooking the ocean. The cliff I was sitting on seems to provide a buffer to Paroikia from the strongest of the sea breezes. I realized very quickly that steady footing in such situations is extremely important, as the wind can be severe enough to seriously knock me off my balance if I stop paying attention.
Unfortunately, even remote islands support both human and insect life in abundance, and I was awakened from a very pleasant nap by a swarm of tiny ants chowing down on my shoulder.
I must let my photos do the rest of my talking. As much as solitude and beauty can assist in deep thinking, being able to walk or sit with only the random thoughts that occur to me is also something I enjoy.
Photo notes:
Any visible town is Paroikia, where I am living.
Please excuse my temporary fixation on fuzzy plants in the foreground. It seemed like a cool idea at the time.
I still can't take a picture with the horizon where it should be.
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