Zeus
I saved the best for last, so I thought. I was feeling too tired to climb the highest peak of the island earlier on. I wanted to see where Zeus acquired his bolts of lightning. On a more human level, Zeus was worshipped by the Naxians as ‘the protector of sheep and goats’, which is important too.
The path to the peak of Mount Zas starts near a small spring. The first thirty minutes were okay, then the ascent left me breathless. It was another forty-five minutes to the peak and then another seventy-five minutes down. It’s such an easy mountain, although the path ends after fifteen minutes and you have to scramble over big rocks to reach the summit, but I simply didn’t have the energy. Damn virus.
I explained myself to a random American girl for no reason and I wished her luck while she continued to the peak. I felt a little defeated. But once I made the decision not to continue, I simply shrugged and stumbled down.
In the mountain village Filoti I ordered a glass of red wine to help myself forget my failed mission and make a plan for the afternoon.
All I could think of was to return to the beach for my final afternoon and evening. Again, I was surrounded by the brave little saddled seabream and I stayed in the warm water to watch the sun move closer to the horizon. These were the final moments of light. I realised that in two days I would touch down in a dark autumnal Amsterdam. No more lightness.
I had to return to the Paradise tavern for my final ritual: fine dining with no smell or taste. The grilled octopus was excellent, the texture was really enjoyable. I have hesitated eating octopus ever since I realised these animals are incredibly intelligent. Then I thought: would Odysseus eat octopus, and he probably would.
Kitron
As a digestif the staff at Paradise tavern offered me a glass of Kitron on the house. Maybe they took pity on me because on all three nights I ate at the tavern I was the only person sitting alone. This citron liquor is made from citron leaves. The main production is in Chalki but a shortage of citron trees limits the production. Kitron comes in three colours: green, colourless and yellow. The latter is the most bitter, the green version the most sweet.
Final morning
On a small island connected by a pier to the Chóra, and the port, stands the Portára, the monumental temple gate erected around 530 BC. It was part of a temple dedicated to Apollo. But the temple was never completed. Apollo and Dionysus embody two opposing principals: the static, the clear and pure Apollo, and the dynamic, the unleashed, ecstatic Dionysus.
Epilogue
This was a strange journey, travelling with two important senses - smell and taste - fewer than usual. Since I had less energy to be active I had more time to think and read. My flight back home was Monday. I spent the Sunday evening in the port city of Piraeus. When there are cats I’m happy. But the marina, where the expensive yachts moor, is awful. The narrow streets in between the apartment buildings on the many hills, is where the heart of Piraeus lies. People were grilling on coal fire in the street, neighbours meeting outside, the balconies overgrown with green plants. Piraeus is not a neutral place, like Oran.
“A convenient way of getting to know a town is to find out how people work there, how they love and how they die. [...] Naturally, they also enjoy simple pleasures: they love women, the cinema and sea bathing. But they very sensibly keep these activities for Saturday evening and Sunday, while trying on other days of the week to earn a lot of money.”
Piraeus beach.
