Greece, In Photographs and Words

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Last May I was in Greece. Quelle surprise!

I was hoping to be there again this year, but it looks as though it is not a happening thing, mainly due to lack of money. It’s such a bore being poor! Living in a country as remote (in the context of the world) as Australia, “down-under” as we say, it’s a major expense just to fly out of it. Then of course to make the trip worth-while, one has to spend at least a month away. For me, this is a problem at the best of times. Anyway, last May I was in Parga.

I had never heard of Parga and the funny part was I found myself there by accident. I was heading for Igoumenitsa, on the north-west coast of Greece, where I could catch a ferry for Corfu and from thence some sort of conveyance to the tiny Ionian island of Paxi. Ages ago, we’d taken a day-trip to Paxi from Corfu, and I really wanted to visit it again, for it remained in my mind as a tiny gem. I collect the ‘tiny gems’ of Greece.

I’d spent two weeks in Kefalonia, the largest of the Ionian islands, and, thinking I would be terribly clever, I worked out that I could travel in just one day from Fiskardo in Kefalonia to the neighbouring island of Lefkada by ferry, then bus it through Lefkada to Preveza on the mainland, and from there take another bus to Igoumenitsa. It was fine in theory and actually should have worked. But when you travel in Greece you have to allow for the S factor. Siga-siga - which means slowly-slowly. Things happen when they happen. Buses run to timetables concocted by bureaucrats without a thought to tourists wanting to travel from Fiskardo to Igoumenitsa in one day!

And so I reached Preveza at four pm to find that I’d missed the only bus to Igoumenitsa. Now Preveza is quite a pleasant, sizeable coastal town but the bus station is a fair way out with no nearby hotels or pensions. I looked on the bus timetable board and saw there was a bus onward to a place called Parga at eight pm, so I looked it up in my travel guide book and found it described as ‘the jewel in the crown of the Epiros Riviera’! How could I resist? I bought a ticket to Parga.

By the time I arrived there at ten that night and was decanted in the darkness at the top of a street, I was pretty done in. I hadn’t realised we would have to traverse half the inland towns of the mainland coast on the way – through mountains and valleys, up and down zig-zag roads – and bump over what felt like the roughest goat tracks imaginable. I was not happy. I had the only plastic bag to hand ready to receive my last meal and was clutching the back of the seat in front for support, as we pulled into Parga. I fell out of the bus. There was a hotel on the corner so I booked in there regardless, and went straight to bed.

Ah to awake in paradise. Check out my pix in the gallery to see why I love this place! I stayed a week in beautiful Parga and never did get to Igoumenitsa or Corfu. I did however make it to Paxi, which is another story…

Yassus!

I’m a hopeless Grecophile. I just love the place. However, I do hope the title won’t put you off commenting here – I realise that not everyone, probably 95% of the world in fact, isn’t actually fussed about Greece. Of course I’d like to alter that statistic!

Someone once said to me, “Why write about a country if it’s all barren rocky hills, cute seaside villages, useless ruins and some sort of daft salad? You can find those anywhere.” The answer is, of course, “Because I want to.” So I have.

Writing is my passion, and what’s the world without a bit of fervour, excitement, wrath, indignation, desire, indeed love. I don’t write about Greece all the time. My first published piece was about my journey to work on my motor scooter – scintillating stuff, but New Idea liked it! I used to write for an antique publication with funny things that happened on the way to the antique fair. Way back I did reviews about art galleries and shows for a magazine knowing very little about art except what I liked and disliked (but isn’t that the way everyone views art?)

My first published book is “Max, and the Gang of Five,” an adventure story about cats for children aged 8-12, first published by Zeus Publications in paperback in 2005. It’s still available from me (A$18 + postage). My granddaughter illustrated it (aged 12 at the time) and we had a wonderful time collaborating.

At present I’m writing travel articles and Women’s Fiction, a rather unlikely combination, but there you go. Women’s fiction isn’t as easy as it sounds. It’s not all Mills and Boon, and so I’m learning the trade, as it were. I like my stories to have multiple plots, lots of interesting characters all confronting life with its myriads of problems, experiencing angst as they work their way towards love and happy endings. You need happy endings these days, don’t you think?

I’ve included my Women’s Fiction novel “Awakenings” as an e-Book on this website because it’s set on Santorini. If any of you have ever been to Santorini I think you’ll agree with me that it’s a magical place, just the setting for characters to find romance and peace (and there’s a fair bit of drama in it too). I’ve been there many times, so all the details and background are authentic. I hope you’ll read it.

At the time of writing I’m busy on the “ABC of Travel Tips for Greece.” I apologise for not finishing it for the launch of this website, but it’s grown like Topsy since my first idea and the research has taken a little more time than I’d envisioned. I’m not writing a travel guide. Once again it will just be me and Greece, perhaps a little tongue-in-cheek. And I’m hoping to make another journey to you-know-where before I finish it so it may be longer still.

Anyway, please enjoy this site. If there’s anything you would like to say, suggest, or ask, you can contact me on the Blog.

Efcharisto poli – Helen