sunset over Mykonos

Watching the sun go down for the last time before the return trip to the UK.

Of course, we found a beach taverna to sit in with candles on the tables and flaming torches along the shoreline. Add some Greek music, good wine and local food and we were all set.

The next morning didn't need a particularly early departure to catch the plane so we could enjoy the start of another fine and sunny day before packing the few remaining items and heading for the airport.

It rained slightly when we got back to Athens, but we were sure that the weather would remain fine at the little crossroads of the Mediterranean and Aegean where we'd spent the last week.

Delos weaves its spells

I've managed to load some of the pictures from Delos. The first one is of the hilltop sanctuary to Zeus, on Mount Cynthia. This is where Leto gave birth Apollo and was the reason for many early pilgrimages by the Naxians to Delos.

But let's go back in time - it's a complex plot.

Delos started out as Adelos which was an invisible island floating in the sea.

It was made by King of the gods Zeus when he amorously pursued Titan goddess of the night Asteria. She escaped his advances by turning into a bird and diving towards the sea. But Zeus was angry and turned her into the rock that became the invisible island.

Unabashed, Zeus then turned his attention to Asteria's sister Leto, who he made pregnant.  This somewhat annoyed his wife Hera who cast a spell to stop Leto from giving birth anywhere in the world under the sun.

Leto's labour lasted nine months, whilst Zeus sought a solution so that Leto could give birth. He asked his brother Poseidon, god of the sea, to help and Poseidon took the invisible rock of Adelos (not of this earth or under the sun) and made it stable with four columns of diamond chains. He renamed it, removing the 'A' which is like removing the 'in' in invisible and so the rock became anchored and visible as Delos.

Leto was grateful and immediately pledged to the island that in return for safe birth she would help the inevitably barren island become the richest part of the realm.

Leto found a safe spot to give unaided birth (Hera's spell also prevented Eileithuia - goddess of midwifery from visiting) and the goddess Artemis was born, in the area now known as the Sacred Lake.


A single palm tree marked the spot. Nine days later, the newly born Artemis helped Leto give birth to her twin brother Apollo.

Apollo was the god of light and that's another of the powers of Delos. It’s in the sunniest part of Greece and has a light quality all of its own. It became a place of pilgrimage, a place of sport and celebrations and a great trading power of many civilisations through to Roman times.

And to illustrate, further down the hill can be spotted the remains of the much later Roman temple to Isis - an Egyptian goddess.

Isis was the goddess of motherhood but also knew the secret names of gods, giving her great magic protection powers, which was significant in the eventual downfall of Delos.

Despite its great economic power, Delos defended itself with mysticism and magic, rather than conventional fortifications. This made it a pushover when Mithridates, a duplicitous enemy of the Romans looted and destroyed the whole island in 88 BC.

Also take a look at the picture below. It’s of a small part of the island close to the harbour. See the columns rising from what was once a huge and bustling metropolis.There's the remains of a massive sanctuary (forum) area for multiple generations of gods, a complete multi-storied town, a theatre, a huge hippodrome and a huge gymnasium for games of Olympian stature.

Greek mythology and a civilization rise and fall over a 9000 year period, and all occurring before the modern western calendar even started.

Delos and Delightful

We hopped a boat to Delos today, but I can't post any pictures because my Windows notepad won't accept the Lexar Media Jumpshot CF card reader as a USB device. I'd forgotten the intricacies of this compared to my more usual Mac, which just works.

Never mind; the above is a Myconian church.

Delos is the tiny island at the centre of the Cyclades and was once the epicentre of international trade between many empires, helped no doubt by its tax free status. But I'm talking about a couple of millenia ago, when the around 166BC the Romans created the tax avoidance mechanisms to encourage trade.

But to be fair, it had been doing quite well before that when it already operated as a confederacy, driven from the nearby island of Naxos. The Delian Confederation prospered in the circa 1000-500BC period and amassed plenty of cash, which was eventually removed 'for safe keeping' by the Athenians, who took it to Athens and after counting it decided they would spend it on building their Acropolis, Parthenon and so on.

Early politics, eh?

To add to it, the clever Pisistratus, who was the chief Athenian involved, decreed a form of purification for Delos which meant that everyone buried there was moved to the adjacent island and then in a second purification they added that no-one could be born or die on Delos.

Apart from any mystical qualities, this meant that no-one could claim to be from Delos and therefore have claim over any of the borrowed money.

But before any of this - and we are now going back to around 3000 BC, Delos had already built an advanced civilisation, with temples, shops, theatres and major sporting arenas. The remains of this is again visible on the island, which today has a population of about 10 archeologists, but in its heyday from 3000-88BC had a population of around 25,000-30,000 people from the very wealthy to regular citizens as well as a regular quota of slaves.

And even before this, the piece de resistance of the island would be its claim as the birthplace of not one but two of the Greek gods. Firstly Artemis (the huntress - Diana later in Roman) and  secondly Apollo, her twin and the god of light.

There's a proper tale to tell about how all of that came about and how the isleand eventually settled down in it's current location, but I think I'll save that fascinating tale for a day when I have some pictures.

pass the ice and another lemon sorbet sounds good

Sometimes its good to step back from the daily rushing around.

My work pattern can be somewhat 25x8 so its good to appreciate a few days of 0x0. Well okay, I've had a few texts and the emails are still coming through to my blackberry evben when it does have an 'out of office' message switched on.

This break is also a chance to step back and review options.

We shall see...

a smart car for getting around

The car might look small to those accustomed to other roads, but around here it's still one of the giants.

That is, compared with the scooters and all-terrain-hoppers that many drive.

Being a car, there's no requirement to wear crash helmets (although at times it almost feels as if one should).

Neither, it transpires, is there a legal requirement for the bikers and scooterists on the twisty roads around here to wear any form of headgear.

Best to drive slowly in any case. I've noticed that even the bus drivers and taxis drive sedately around here.

It's also easy to see that the main season hasn't started, because the hire shops are still full of the little four-wheeled scooters in luminous colours and we didn't have any trouble ordering the Smart as a cabrio.

Highly useful as the temperatures nuzzle thirty degrees.

midday sun

The streets around here are looking a little different from my usual ones.

Somehow brighter.
Quite often narrower.
Noticably steeper.
And in some areas just as bustling.

Like London there are also different personalities, based upon time of day. This picture is probably around mid day, when only the mad dogs and Englishmen abound. Later the area goes a bit bonkers.

But my mission later is to pick up a car.

It will be very small.

refreshment

A mini mission was built into today as we were told of a particular bar to find a particular drink. The cloudiness of the drink in no way represents the sky above, which remains resolutely blue.

Quitr often this is the time that we visit rashbre north in Scotland, although this year's change of venue gives scenery a little different and the deer have given way to pelicans.

Sunshine week

This post is a hint that it might be difficult to post during this week. Although I do seem to have discovered a wi-fi signal.

It's also rather fun having a famous film star as a next door neighbour.

white kitten intermission conference call wait video

Am I the only one that sometimes watches these videos when I'm waiting for a conference call to start?

if you know what I mean

Just refreshing my iPod (yes old school) ready for some time away. I think Cults need to be on the playlist.

They've come up through the bandcamp route (a few online tracks preceding success). I know its all a bit retro, but it's certainly not twee, if you know what I mean. Edgy twee, maybe.

If you've not heard them but want to decide on a new band for some great listening this weekend, then here's a track, complete with the listening comments. If you know what I mean.

Cults - You Know What I Mean by cultscultscults

prepared, for once

It's slightly unusual to be prepared to travel several days in advance. It's usually the night before, chucking a few items into a well used bag with wheels.

This time there's already a little heap of clothes and bits ready for tomorrow's departure and I may even put some into the car tonight to save time in the morning.

But for now, it's work.

more marmite

This was in the adjacent cupboard.

You can sort of sense the gloopyness.