Saturday, June 11, 2022
The proposal has been made by Nikos for free camping in some mountainous spot somewhere at 822m. altitude. The proposal has been made earlier in case I did not leave for Rome. So I'm still Patras. Nikos and his company are already there two days earlier. I have stayed at home since the weather is rainy and the upcoming weekend is expected to have unsettled weather. I look over and over at the weather forecast online and the forecast remains ominous. But the house "eats" me and I don't want to stay inside anymore. I make the decision to start with Rebel thinking that even if it rains along the way it will be an experience like the one on my trip to Croatia. That I like suffering is something I hear somewhere in my close circle and I answer: you have to remember and say these things! I don't see it as an inconvenience from my point of view, but as something that will take me out of the comfort zone I already live in.
The new backpack with all the essentials. Gas for cooking, luxury, the mug that always accompanies me hooked to the backpack, sleeping bag, clothing, food to share with the rest and tent, tent? I load a few more things into Rebel's saddlebags and start. The weather is rainy, but it's not raining yet.
Behind and to my right with rain approaching me. After an hour of driving Nikos hears the sound of the exhaust in the distance as I was climbing the mountains, I was getting closer to the point but at the same time the rain was approaching. A quick phone call from Niko for further location instructions and it's back on the gas. The Rebel left the asphalt and now continued on a difficult snake road until I reached a large clearing where the rest had bathed at the edge of it. As soon as I arrived it started raining. I covered the motorcycle with a green tarpaulin to keep it from getting wet since I found it there conveniently.
I won't go into the details of names, there were about eight of us.
The place already had some large wooden benches and tables over which the children had spread a large tarpaulin for shelter needs in case of rain which was needed. They welcome me as I didn't know anyone from the group and we all sat together under the tarpaulin until the rain passed.
Night was already falling since I had arrived there in the afternoon. The cloudiness helped the darkness and the dense pine forest we had for shelter gave the atmosphere even more gloom. Fortunately the rain stopped after 40 minutes and since then, despite the forecast, it has not visited us again.
Tents all around the tarp and hammocks from tree to tree. A makeshift bar between two pine trees was the bar for our drinks and chats. Ouzo, tsipouro, wine.
Night had fallen for good.
- Let me get you something to drink, Nikos tells me.
He offered me ouzo with lemon juice since I was not at my best emotionally. I don't drink ouzo, at least not until then, but since then it has become my favorite cocktail. The ouzo and lemonade had started to flow in my blood and slowly one by one they left the tents for the evening bed. Some thought of sleeping outside in the hammocks but the earlier downpour changed their minds.
It was time for me to sleep, but I hadn't even taken my small tent out of the backpack. I looked and looked again at the tarpaulin covering my machine, and the two together formed a triangle. I didn't want to sleep in a tent even though the weather was rainy.
Faithful to my appointment with the soil, remnant or Samothrace nostalgia?, I begin to stretch the tarpaulin with some rope I had. I also threw an exercise mat I had with me on top of the pine needles as an illusion of a mattress, I got into my sleeping bag to stay warm as the cold had already made its presence felt. The Earth was ready to embrace me and I, which I did not expect how and how at this moment.
So you hear your heart when you touch the Earth.
I have borrowed this phrase from a Nikita Klint song (xes ti'sai gia me). The first time I slept outside on the ground was in Samothraki on some cloudy nights in September 2021. It is not only the contact with the Earth. You become one with the universe, you understand that you are part of it and not something separate. You return or rather embrace the point where you end up, even if you don't want to, you have no choice because of the law of gravity. The stardust you are made of will touch Earth.
I don't know why but out in the open air I sleep better, without sleep interruptions, calm and nice even though I am exposed without even a conceivable accommodation separating me from the rest of the atmosphere. You open your eyes and see no walls. On your face you will feel the breeze that suddenly got up from its own sleep to go a little further. Nothing prevents you from hearing the rustling of leaves or the call of the owl in the tree above you. The sounds of the city are gone and yet again you feel so familiar. Nature embraces you. Where you expected you wouldn't be able to sleep, you only wake up with the sunrise.
Sunday, June 12, 2022
I woke up and in front of me I saw the beautiful forest while at the same time I felt the smell of pine needles. Rebel still by my side without any complaints. Nikos made Greek coffee. My relationship with coffee is not the best, but my mug is now for all purposes. I opened the package of breadsticks to accompany our coffees since everyone was slowly waking up.
On the balcony, which is nothing but the edge of the cliff that gave us a wonderful view of the sea, we had put the chairs and drank our coffee completely speechless.
Elena and Vassilis took it upon themselves to cook lentils, unsalted. But I didn't add any salt. While I had an individual plate with me, I put lentils in the empty can from the eaten dolmades, so I wouldn't have to wash any dishes.
Night came again. Ouzo with lemonade and ice back in my mug. All together around the "bar" to discuss love and relationships. Personally, I'm tired of this conversation since you reach more or less the same conclusion, the same conclusion. I will not hide the disappointment I feel when I hear people, and especially men, say that somewhere out there there is the one and only partner for everyone since this belief is a product of Western pop culture.
I owe Nikos a wooden pyrography sign with the inscription "feelings".
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