My morning swim at Mandómata was the best yet. With my courage up I swam the width of the bay several times, building an appetite for coffee and eggs with chicken for lunch. After siesta, as soon as the sun began to fall, I climbed the hill to the Astronomy café. Dinner first, and then a guided telescope viewing of the sky – Jupiter, Saturn, the bow of Sagittarius and its nebula. The best part was listening to the passionate young Greek astronomer as she talked in a deliciously fast and trilled English about her favourite stars and planets. Passionate. Contagious. Generous.
DAY 6
A gentle breeze comes off the sea each morning. It might be a zephyr, the way it plays with the waves, tossing the tips here and there so they look like leaping dolphins. The sea temperature is perfect, refreshing with an edge when you first step in, exhilarating and enveloping when you dive under and the sea bed comes alive. A slight cold or hayfever has me planning a visit to Butterfly Valley today, my last day on this side of the island.
Scratch the butterflies. They come to that valley to die in July and August, so I’m a little late for that spectacle (!) I’m going to Kallithea Springs instead.