Before the storm

Wolfgang Lugmayr

by Wolfgang Lugmayr

Story

There is an interesting vibe about the village on the edge of the gathering tourist storm, so close to the start of the season.

We deliberately arrive BEFORE the season, on the one hand to soak up the true character of the island (before it becomes more of an appearance later on) and on the other hand to be able to use the amenities of a village in the haze of tourism, which nourishes the people here … such as the first brave innkeepers and service providers who have already opened their tavernas and shops.

But most of the village is still sleeping, still drawing strength for what is coming soon, this annual “circus” when people try to catch up with their lives for a week or two. My wife and I have experienced it a few times ourselves, both as tourists and as service providers. It is a curse and a blessing. The art of it is to keep yourself and nature centred. This happens in this place more than in many others. For this reason, it has become something like a second home for us.

I am standing on the terrace of our accommodation, the laptop in front of me, watching the relaxed hustle and bustle. The little supermarket around the corner seems to be opening soon. I can hardly wait, because this market, very popular in the area, specialises in organic products and offers food alternatives to all the cheese and meat, the primary basics of Greek cuisine.

The nearby kafenion, once the social hub of the village throughout the year and always a source of calm and inspiration to me, has now closed permanently. After some displeasure, the clientele has finally lost its way and the place has been converted into a seminar and meditation room, among other things. Right next to it, workmen are currently finishing a new flat. Time is running out, the season will soon begin …

… but “running time” has a different meaning here on the island than elsewhere. One has the feeling that it runs slower, quite “siga siga”, as they say here. Stress seems to be a foreign word and “that’s why we have the lowest rate of heart attacks in the whole of Greece and probably in the whole of Europe”, as a local once proudly explained to me some time ago.

The approaching storm is also expected with the same calmness that helps to avoid heart attacks and other inconveniences in the future. After all, one knows that the storm will be fruitful, that it will bring money into one’s pocket with which one will be able to survive the next winter … But far beyond all that: it is noticeable that the people here are hosts with heart and soul, and joy gives serenity.

Just now a bus drives past my vantage point, probably loaded with a first small group of tourists, the first harbingers of the storm. I can already feel a light breeze on my face.

© Wolfgang Lugmayr 2023-04-05

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