A Small Island Man

My Dearest beloved Sifnos, It's  the anniversary of my moving in with you. We have loved and lived together so blissfully for so long! This morning I walked the outstretched arms of your golden shores. The seas, the mountains, the sky such familiar sights and yet they grow more precious to me with every passing day. The colours, the scents, the sounds are anew every day with an unmatched intensity and vibrancy. I never knew it was possible for a landscape to fill a heart so full that I might fear it would burst. A ferry docked and spilled its cargo of excited and expectant holidaymakers on your port; I watched them disembark and wheel their cases behind them in search of two weeks in paradise. They will not be disappointed. This evening I know I will see again the ferry to bear away those who must return home. For a moment I put myself in their shoes, dragging a wheelie case aboard; standing on the deck and watching the deep blue expanse of sea grow between us. My stomach twisted i...

I first came to Sifnos in 2016. It was my son who came here first for the wedding of a Greek friend. After he was here for just half an hour, he called me and simply said "Dad,....I think you had better come here". The Port of Kamares And so my next holiday was for two weeks on the Greek island of Sifnos. We disembarked from the ferry onto the small port of Kamares and wheeling our wheelie cases stopped at one of the first beach-side cafes. Revithokeftedes We ordered Mythos beers, a caper salad, a greek salad and some island specialities of the rρεβυθοκεφτέδες (revithokeftedes -  fragrant deep-fried chickpea balls).  It was love at first bite! The gentle warm breeze blew across the bay as we looked out upon an iridescent landscape of a sapphire and emerald sea, sparkling sands, golden mountains and an Aegean azurite sky. The scents, the colours, the tastes, the warmth of the sun and the warmth of the welcome was in the most literal sense, overwhelming. Overwhelming. Overw...