Islands

The old soul of Lefkes

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I can’t stop thinking about the little village of Lefkes, and the old dog who found us there. Even now, I check the weather for the village two or three times a day, wondering where the old dog is and how she’s faring in the rain, the sun, the cold nights. Has she eaten? Does she have water? Is she comfortable?

Lefkes, Paros

The village is on the Greek Island of Paros. It’s a traditional place with bright whitewashed buildings, Aegean blue shutters and doors, and narrow lanes that could be public paths or private spaces. There is an organic feel to the architecture here–like the old buildings have germinated from the hillside, squeezing in next to each other, into any empty spits of land. No two are the same shape. The village is a warren of stone paths climbing up and winding down the hillside, each lane hugged tight by these cottages. Stairs and doorsteps rise off of the lanes, varying in width from top to bottom, making wise use of their space. Trees and vines rise up out of tiny bits of open ground.

Lefkes-Paros-House-Vines-Lanes
A house squeezed into the space between lanes, with a vine squeezed into a tiny spot of ground.

 

An Old Soul Finds Us

We arrived by bus one morning. It was pre-tourist season, on a less-traveled-to island, in a village that doesn’t get many tourists anyway. Quiet, but for the buzzing of bees and the wind in the lanes. Fresh with the scent of orange blossoms, wisteria, and the crisp air of a cool spring morning.

Lane up to the Church in Lefkes.
Lane up to the Church in Lefkes.

 

After admiring a peaceful cemetery that carried down the hill behind the Church of Agia Triada, I returned to the front courtyard to see that a dog had found Bryan.

She appeared ancient–black and bony, with a proud, gray face and hunchbacked hips. She allowed us to pet her, and then started walking away down the lane, stopping to look back at us with an expression that asked, “aren’t you coming?”. We followed.

Lefkes dog follow me
“Aren’t you coming?”
old-dog-lefkes-paros
Bryan walking with the old dog in Lefkes.
Old dog lefkes flowers path
The old soul walked on without us.

 

Walking through Lefkes

She teetered a bit when she walked, maybe from arthritis or from some ailment that made her shaky and restless. When I stopped to take a photograph, she came back for me. We stopped at a tavern, thinking to buy her some food. The dog watched for a minute, then lurched on without us. I saw a woman make a nasty face and go out of her way in the narrow lane to avoid even brushing against the old dog. Though the tavern door was open, the shop was not serving any food. As Bryan sorted that out, I went to catch up with the dog, and to see if there were any restaurants up ahead. But the dog was gone. Not a trace.

Bells rang. Elderly people stepped out of their little houses, arm-in-arm, heading to a little church in a little lane. I returned to the tavern for Bryan. We sat there, sipping a Fanta and a Coke and talking about that old dog…her pitiful condition and the flagrant contempt we’d witnessed for the old soul. What’s wrong with people? Where’s the empathy for the old, the sick? It tainted the beauty of the place. And I felt sick that we’d given the dog nothing to eat. She was a bag of crippled bones, and we had done nothing to help.

Feeding the Soul

But within the hour, we saw the dog again, up a lane near the center of the village. Bryan ran into a shop and bought what he could find–which was a bag of pizza-flavored bagel bites. I called to the dog and she wobbled towards me. The rattle of the bagel-bites bag got her undivided attention. At first, I worried she might not have the teeth to chew them. But chew she did–crunching one after another. Two mousy cats crept a little closer on the wall where we sat, and called out to us. Of course, we fed them too. Within minutes, the bag was empty and three sets of eyes stared at us, at the bag, at our hands. The dog licked the stones for crumbs. The cats meowed and sniffed around their feet.

Bryan went down the lane to an open shop. He came back a few minutes later with a bread-plate-sized hot pepperoni pie. We tore off small, very hot bites, blew on them, and fed the old dog and the two cats, right there in the middle of Lefkes. They were gentle eaters, and patient. A few passing townspeople looked, but said nothing. We all had to flatten ourselves to the wall several times to avoid the cars on that narrow lane.

After the pie was gone, the cats retreated and the dog stared at us for a long few minutes. I offered her water. She drank from the lip of the bottle as water poured into my palm. And then she walked away, turning again to ask “aren’t you coming?”

Saying Goodbye

We walked with her to the end of town, to a place near our bus stop. I worried that she was too near the busy road, too far from where she’d found us. Could she get back to her safe place? I tried to get her to follow me down the pedestrian lanes back to the church. She turned and walked away, in the direction back to the center, where there were cars. Nothing I did got her attention, and she disappeared down the lane. I cried. Bryan said, “She knows these roads. She’s lived a long time here without you watching out for her. She’ll be ok.”

Bus stop Lefkes Paros Greece
Bus stop at Lefkes on Paros
Lefkes-marble-doors-lanes
Crooked marble door frames and steps in the old lanes of Lefkes.

Since we had a little time before our bus, I wandered again through the town looking again for her. And, somehow I found myself back at the church. And guess who was laying in the courtyard?

There she was–alone in the sun, washing her feet. She looked comfortable, content. I did not want to disturb her, to have her get up in greeting or to walk me back to the busy road. So I did not enter the courtyard. I stood staring at her for a few minutes–wishing for her to have food, water, love and comfort for all the days of her life.

old dog courtyard church lefkes paros
There she was, alone in the courtyard.

 

If you go

So, if you go to Lefkes, look for this old lady. If you find her, give her my regards and feed her a pie. I’ve thought of her a thousand times. And I’m quite certain she is an angel in disguise.

green-fields-lefkes-paros
The fields around Lefkes on Paros
Bird-nest-lefkes-paros-greece
Bird returning to a nest in Lefkes, Paros, Greece.
cat-wall-lefkes-paros-greece
A cat gazes down from his perch in Lefkes
earless cat lefkes paros greece
Sadly, it looks as if this poor cat’s ears have been cut off.

 

Finally, if you like this post, please leave a comment! You can also….

The Turtles of Lady Elliot Island – Great Barrier Reef

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The Turtles of Lady Elliot Island 

Located at the southern tip of the Great Barrier Reef, Lady Elliot Island is remote—50 miles from the Australian coast. There is limited air access, and no ferries or boats come in. Evenings on Lady Elliot Island are dark and quiet but for the sounds of the wind, the waves, the birds, and sometimes the sounds of sand being scooped and pushed as Green and Loggerhead turtles come ashore to dig holes and lay eggs. 

The Green and Loggerhead turtles that call this island home are the size of end tables–three to four feet in length and about 500 pounds or more. They can live to be 50-80 years old, and will often travel as far as Africa in their lifetime. At night, they lumber up on the same beaches where they were born, to find a place above the high tide line to lay their eggs. About 8-12 weeks later, hatchlings dig their way out of the nest and run for the sea—usually on a cool, dark night. It is said that the baby turtles know their way to the water by looking for the lightest part of the sky—the horizon. Any other lights may disorient and confuse the turtles. So during our stay on Lady Elliot Island, we were urged to keep room lights off at night, and when lights were on—to close the thick curtains tight. 

“She must have forgotten the time”

Every morning, we saw at least one turtle making her way down to the water after sunrise. Sometimes we saw turtles sitting at the lip of the surf–exhausted from their night’s labor–waiting for the tide to ease them over stones and back out to sea. 

A turtle has an audience as she goes back to sea on Lady Elliot Island.
A turtle has an audience as she slips back into the sea on Lady Elliot Island.
A turtle waiting for the tide to help her out to sea one morning on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
A turtle waiting for the tide to help her over the rocks and back out to sea one morning on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
A turtle and her tracks, waiting for the tide to help her out to sea one morning on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
A turtle and her tracks, waiting for the tide to help her out to sea one morning on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

Watching the Turtles

On land, turtles seem prehistoric, lumbering, slow, and so intentional. In the water, they float, glide, dive, and seem so carefree. On a glass-bottom boat tour, we saw a teenage turtle resting in a bed of sea plants on the ocean floor, while another large turtle cruised past the boat’s sea window looking in at us. A Hawksbill turtle—which is endangered and rare to see around Lady Elliot—swam by the boat. On our final morning, Bryan saw a single half-dollar-sized hatchling race to the sea.

Another day, I sat on the beach, soaking in the sun and staring out at the turquoise blue of the reef. Bryan was snorkeling—or as he said, putting his face into an aquarium of colorful, Finding Nemo fish. I tried to write in my journal, and should have been applying sunscreen to my shins. Instead, I couldn’t take my eyes off the glinting water. And like a vision, I saw a giant turtle raise her head and look at me from the reef right in the very spot where my eyes were focused. I saw her feet treading water as she bobbed in the shiny waves, looking straight up the beach at me. She stayed there for a few minutes before turning and diving down. Maybe she was looking for her nest, or being kind to this non-swimmer with a little viewing. I’ll remember that turtle for a long time, gracefully bobbing in the sparkling blue water. 

Turtle tracks and a turtle on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Nest types can be identified by the tracks. This Green Turtle waits for the tide on Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Dual turtle tracks to the water. Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Dual Green Turtle tracks to the water. Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Seen from a glass-bottom boat, a teenage turtle rests. Lady Elliot Island, Australia
Seen from a glass-bottom boat, a teenage turtle rests in a reef cubby. Lady Elliot Island, Australia.
An endangered Hawksbill turtle, rarely seen in Lady Elliot Island, surveys the people in the glass-bottom boat
An endangered Hawksbill turtle, rarely seen in Lady Elliot Island, surveys us in the glass-bottom boat.
Possible turtle nests are marked on Lady Elliot Island.
Possible turtle nests are marked on Lady Elliot Island.
Hatchling the size of a half-dollar runs for the ocean one morning on Lady Elliot Island.
A turtle hatchling–only the size of a half-dollar–runs for the ocean one morning on Lady Elliot Island.

 

Saying Goodbye to Lady Elliot Island

Turtles are solitary and mysterious creatures. They navigate long distances, and yet regularly find their way back across the vast ocean to the same tiny bit of beach where they were born.

As we lifted off the runway, and circled around to see the island from the air one last time, I hoped that I–like a turtle–could find my way back to the peaceful beaches of Lady Elliot Island and the Great Barrier Reef.

Plane landing on Lady Elliot Island, photo taken from a plane
Photo taken from a plane just leaving Lady Elliot Island and circling around for a last look. Note the plane landing from the right (on the tip of his nose 🙂
Tiny little Lady Elliot Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Tiny little Lady Elliot Island, in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

“And the turtles, of course…all the turtles are free, as turtles and, maybe, all creatures should be.” Dr. Seuss

Lady Elliot Island’s Coral – The Great Barrier Reef

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The Great Barrier Reef

The Great Barrier Reef is the largest living structure on earth. At 1,400 miles long, it occupies less than 0.1% of the ocean surface, yet 25% of all marine species can be found in the reef. Lady Elliot Island’s reading room exhibits explain that the reef is made up of corals—which are tiny marine animals that grow in colonies. The colony excretes a hard carbonate skeleton, and over many generations coral reefs are formed from the buildup.

Lady Elliot Island’s Coral

The beaches on Lady Elliot Island are filled with bits of coral washed ashore, making beach walking a slow workout, especially when you stop every three feet to photograph a piece of strawberry red, asparagus green, or carrot orange coral. The coral bits sometimes have shapes like hearts, sponges, tubes, or plant-like stalks. They sound hollow, feel hard and a little chalky, and clink and crunch like bone china beneath your shoes.

A coral beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Coral beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

Walking Around the Island

Every morning on Lady Elliot Island, we circumnavigated the island. It takes about 45 minutes to walk all the way around including a few minutes to stop and examine a piece of coral, or to stare out to sea. We did the walk at least twice a day.

A coral branch, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
A coral branch, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
A coral sponge with stars, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
A coral sponge with stars, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Strawberry-sized coral pieces, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Strawberry-sized coral pieces, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Orange coral stalk, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Orange coral stalk, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Red coral and a cone shell, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Red coral and a cone shell, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Bright red coral among milky white corals, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Bright red coral among milky white corals, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

Reef Walking

A favorite thing to do was reef walking. Wading up to my knees with a walking stick in one hand, camera in the other, I walked in the paths between the corals. How peaceful out there. No one else around, just the sounds of the waves and the birds, and feeling oh-so-small in the big blue sea. One day, I caught a glimpse of something cobalt blue underwater. I made my way over in the maze of coral to find a blue starfish below the waves stretching its arms and hugging the coral, as it made its way across the reef.

Reef walking, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Reef walking, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Reef walking, just me and the sea and clouds, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Reef walking, just me and the sea and clouds, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Blue Starfish in the coral reef off of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Blue Starfish in the coral reef off of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Blue Starfish crawling over the coral, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Blue Starfish crawling over the coral, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

Peaceful Days

Lady Elliot Island was a series of glorious days of sun, of passing clouds, and of peace. One day was a repeating cycle of a misty rain for 2-3 minutes, then the bright warm sun for 5-10 minutes before the mist returned. This cycle repeated again and again that day. I felt like a vegetable in the grocery, waiting for the mist machine to cycle on. Another day was really windy—which they say is a forbearer of cyclone season, but since the wind came from the east, there was no reason to worry. We watched the birds float on the wind, just over the water.

A crab coming out of his shell, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
A crab coming out of his shell, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, AustraliaA crab coming out of his shell, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Striped coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Striped coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Shells sheltering on a stone, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Shells sheltering on a stone, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
In a stone bowl, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
In a coral bowl, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Various sizes and shapes of coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Various sizes and shapes of coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Corals, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Corals, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Sponge coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Sponge coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Neutral shades of coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Neutral shades of coral, photographed on the the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

We spent sunsets at the Lighthouse, with champagne and beer. Sitting in plastic chairs photographing the colors and the clouds. One evening, there was a double rainbow behind us as the sun went down. Such extraordinary beauty. Afterwards, walking back across that little island in the dusk and dark, across the deserted runway, feeling the wind and the mist, hearing the birds and the ocean waves surrounding us—and beneath all those stars—THAT was magic. That feeling of isolation, of distance, of solitude, of the immenseness of the world. It puts things in perspective. 

Lighthouse and rainbows at sunset, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Lighthouse and rainbows at sunset, Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.
Heart-shaped coral found, arranged, and photographed on the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia
Heart-shaped coral found, arranged, and photographed on the beach of Lady Elliot Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia.

 

To read more about Lady Elliot Island, please see this post.

To read more about climate change impact on coral reefs worldwide, please see THIS ARTICLE.

Thanksgiving on Easter Island

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Thanksgiving on Easter Island 

Across the Pacific, a 5 hour and 40 minute flight from South America…Rapa Nui. Easter Island is only about 9 miles wide. And thousands of miles from other land. Moai statues haunt the land in an open-air museum.

We’re Thankful to see it!

Sunday, November 25, 2007:  Easter Island, Chile

Easter Island is only 64 square miles, and is miles from everywhere. We landed on this tiny spot in the Pacific Ocean, 2,500 miles from Santiago in the late evening. We were met by Josie and Alex–our guides who both have personal connections to the island–who greeted us with pink leis and Pisco Sours. We are here on a National Geographic extension with 3 other passengers from the Endeavor-Antarctica cruise.

Our shadows go to breakfast at our hotel
Our shadows go to breakfast at our hotel, Hanga Roa
Bryan and Carol
Bryan and Carol

We saw moai, moai, moai (Pronounced “MO-eye”). Enormous carved stone statues-many restored to their Ahu platforms over the past 40 years and hundreds more abandoned before they ever made it to ahus. It’s really quite surreal to see them scattered about–some face down where they fell and others standing proud, most with backs to the ocean.

Ahu Tongariki
Ahu Tongariki

Funny how they kind of looked like penguins. Guess it’s all about perspective ?

(In all seriousness, we learned a lot about the island’s history. Our guides were phenomenal and the experience excellent.)

Moai perspective
Moai perspective
Bryan and Moai
Bryan and Moai
Moai at Rano Raraku
Moai at Rano Raraku

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Rano Raraku…a picnic BBQ after hiking through the partially carved stone statues and seeing the volcano lake at the top.

Moai - Don't walk on the Moai
Moai – Don’t walk on the Moai sign

On Friday, we turned on the TV-getting the one channel. On the news we saw photos of icebergs, Zodiacs, and heard something about a rescue and National Geographic. We couldn’t make it out. Later in the day, we heard that the Endeavor was sinking–having hit a submerged iceberg. We were devastated. I can’t describe how stunned we were thinking that our beautiful ship with all those fantastic people was in distress. For a painful 3 hours, we walked in a daze through the moai sites. And then, we drove into the Hanga Roa hotel parking lot so I could log on to CNN for any news. Turns out, the sinking ship was actually GAP Adventures’ Explorer. All passengers were rescued–safely aboard Nord Norge after a few hours in lifeboats on open water. The poor red ship went over on her side, and sank some 15 hours after the accident. All the emotions: relief for the Endeavor, thankfulness that we were safe, sadness for those travelers/crew…it was a strange, emotional day. And I’ve never felt more Thankful for our safety, warmth and luck.

Crater
Crater

So, what else can I say about Easter Island? There are more horses than people. 4,000 horses run pretty much free. There are at least as many dogs–most of german shepherd ancestry. Are they strays? Free range? I ended up carrying bits of food around to feed the skinny dogs.

Waiting
Waiting

The island smells of maple syrup and curry. The seed pods of a wild grass that grows in clumps sound like wooden chimes in the wind. Rain comes and goes–fast. Rainbows. And we ate well–the cerviche at La Taverne du Pecheur, the Chilean wines, Bryan liked the Escudo beer. Great coffee too.

2 new Moai
2 new Moai
Carol on Easter Island
Carol on Easter Island

It was a fantastic place. And now, we’re on our way home. Looking forward to fresh clothes, our own bed and-of course-hugging our pups.

See you all soon!
Love,
Carol and Bryan

Anakena
Anakena

Love the colors…San Juan, Puerto Rico

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Old San Juan, Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico! I only had 1.5 days there for a meeting (February 6-8, 2007). But no complaining about that! It was 80 degrees and sunny (vs. 10 and snowing back in Chicago!) I got about two hours to roam and take photos. Somehow, I lost the very first Blackberry I ever had. I’d had it for less than 5 weeks. Oy!

Blue Black brick roads
Blue Black brick roads

I wandered around admiring the colors, and the dark, inky-black brick streets.

Old San Juan
Old San Juan
Reflection
Reflection

I stumbled around snapping picture-after-picture of all the buildings. Like crayons in a box, so many colors–bright or faded, some roofless, some with ferns gracing the balconies, some with comforting yet exotic lights on inside. And then I saw the reflection of the church in a window.

Pigeon park
Pigeon park
Evening San Juan
Evening San Juan

Found a pigeon park…I’ve never seen so many pigeons in one place. Cooing. Walking, Watching. Waiting. They parted slightly to allow you to walk through their masses. If you bought food from the vendor, you were mobbed!

Old San Juan during the golden hour right before twilight is simply amazing. Great old buildings with fantastic colors. I was dumbstuck by the colors and the light. And it smelled like somebody was cooking something good right around the corner…

San Juan vista
San Juan vista
San Juan pastels
San Juan pastels
San Juan bright
San Juan bright
Hotel El Convento
Hotel El Convento
Hotel El Convento
Hotel El Convento
Puerto Rico map
Puerto Rico map
Puerto Rico Flag
Puerto Rico Flag

Bermuda Haiku

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Hamilton, Bermuda

We went with a group of media people and stayed at incredible Elbow Beach, Bermuda Paget.  Pink sand!

Pink Sand Beach, Bermuda
Pink Sand at Elbow Beach, Bermuda

“Gleeb gleeb” tree frogs. Birds?
“Eek-Moo-Moo!” Pink sand, Pink Bus,
Moon gates…Bermuda.

A media trip to Bermuda for Carol and Bryan
A media trip to Bermuda for Carol and Bryan
Bermuda beach
Bermuda beach
Bermuda: Pink buses & those shorts!
Bermuda: Pink buses & those shorts!

One night, we had a group dinner on the beach. They served a rich, white bean truffle soup in the tiniest little bowl. Blown away. Bryan learned to make it later. What a treat!

Bermuda map
Bermuda map
Bermuda flag
Bermuda flag

Grenada, West Indies

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St. George’s, Grenada

We picked Grenada because we wanted a beach vacation…time to lounge around, read books and enjoy fruity rum drinks. We also wanted somewhere “foreign and far” for a different experience. Grenada, West Indies…The Spice Island. They produce more spices per square mile than anywhere on earth…and it’s way down there…South of the Tropic of Cancer and really close to Trinidad and Venezuela.

Map of Grenada
Map of Grenada

On 5/24/02, we left Chicago on an American flight that we learned as we buckled up was being piloted by our good friend, Mark Bledsoe! Four and a half hours to San Juan, PR then on to another flight for two hour journey to Point Salines Airport.

We arrived after dark. Short and sweet drive to the hotel on twisty roads with people out walking on the edges, goats and cows grazing, and exotic smells. We arrived at the Coyaba Beach Resort on Grand Anse Beach around 8 p.m…a hotel with no door! Just a breezeway into the lobby-bar area. We’d walk through the garden to get to our room #226.

Grand Anse Beach, Grenada, West Indies
Grand Anse Beach, Grenada, West Indies

Things we enjoyed about Grenada:

  • Rum Punches! They consisted of rum, a little syrup, dash of bitters, lime juice and a sprinkling of nutmeg.
  • Mini-Buses! Just $1.50 got you a ride to town on a mini-bus. They operate with a driver and a conductor (who collects and ushers people in/out). You stand on the roadside and wait. A toot of the horn means the bus has room for you and will stop. Three knocks on the bus frame means you want out. Fast. Good breezes. Soundtrack of reggae. Ten minutes to town. Everyone rides–including kids going to school.
  • The Nutmeg bar/grill. great views of St. George’s and Grand Anse Beach in the distance. Carib beer and grilled cheese sandwiches. We’d watch the water taxis load up and ferry people in / out of the harbor.
St. George's Harbor
St. George’s Harbor

 

  • Grand Anse Beach. A truly grand beach. Long vistas, soft white sand, shady trees and the front yard for Grenadians. In the mornings and evenings, you could find locals out on the beach. Scrubbing themselves with sand and then drifting in the shallows of the surf.
  • Coyaba’s Pool bar. I didn’t have to swim to get out there! Stools in the water positioned your lower half below water, while your top half sat at the bar in the sun and shade enjoying rum punches. A great sensation.
Us at the Coyaba pool bar
Us at the Coyaba pool bar – Grenada

 

  • The morning walk to get cappuccinos at La Boulangerie. A French Bakery painted pink…not the best restaurant ever, but a great morning walk. Always breezy outside seating and a fine cappuccino and chocolate croissant.
Sunrise at Grand Anse Beach
Sunrise at Grand Anse Beach

 

  • Beach people. There was Mango Man–who walked all day up and down the beach selling mangoes. He carried the crate on his head with one hand balancing it. One day he frowned at us and simply said “Go. Walk.” It was good advice–we were roasting. Alvin–sold “regular and custom designs at your request”–spice necklaces and small carved tikis for earrings or necklaces. And the lady selling bathing suit wraps and hair braiding.
  • Coconut Beach French Creole restaurant up the beach! a pink and lavender beach place that served simply delicious shrimp and hearty potatoes, among old trees and delicate twinkle lights. A favorite place to walk at sunset. It made me feel at home to smell the good stuff cooking and hear the pots/pans in the kitchen, to hear the tv playing softly in the background and the waves rolling in and watch the candles flicker in the breeze. Delightful.
Coconut Beach Restaurant
Coconut Beach Restaurant

 

  • Dolphin watching boat tour. A small boat with a few tour guides that watched intently for dolphin fins or a patch of bubbling, gurgling water that means the dolphins are feeding below…when seen, they’d sharply turn the boat to follow them. The ride up the coast as far as Gouyave let us see the pastel homes with wrap around verandas embedded in the hills. Rain forest mountains in the distance.
  • Brown Sugar restaurant on the hill. Windows open and breezes on the hilltop. Grenadian foods named for local sayings/expressions… I had the “Sweet Man” (a pork dish with sweet tangy sauce).
  • Art Fabrik, Tikal and other shops. Amazing little place to find arts from the island: scary West Indies voodoo dolls, batik cloth, wooden carved angels, paintings, calabash art and all kinds of spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, saffron, cocoa, mace, etc) and spice-scented lotions, soaps, perfumes.
  • Grand old victorian homes. These old ladies were made with metal siding, metal roofs, and now sat rusting along the beach. There was one yellow and red one on the road between our hotel and the town. It looked deserted…and kind of reminded me of the ornate homes of metal that we’d seen in Iceland!
Mace drying
Mace drying
  • Rain Forest hike. We went up into the Grand Etang Forest for a few hours to hike in the cool, misty rain forest. We saw a nutmeg tree. Did you know that nutmeg fruits are yellow and round…and when ripe they split open at the bottom to reveal the red mace-covered nutmeg inside. The red strands of mace are removed and laid on trays to dry in the sun. The nutmegs are also dried and sold as whole pits to be grated over foods/drinks. We also saw cinnammon trees…the cinnamon comes from the bark. Our guide peeled back some bark and crushed some leaves so we could smell “christmas” in the forest. We saw monkeys watching us from the trees. And a mama goat tied to a tree to graze while the baby goat ran loose around her. Exotic flowers grow like weeds up here! And bamboo–the guide said it grows 6 inches every day. (!!!) As we left the rain forest, we stopped at a small house/gift shop. A soccer game was on and we sat with the guard and our guide sipping beers and a…
  • Ting…a Grenadian grapefruit soda that became my favorite drink!
  • Surf-walking at sunrise and sundown. sharing leftovers with beach dogs. Wiping the sand from their eyes and scratching their backs.
Sunset on Grand Anse Beach
Sunset on Grand Anse Beach
Carol and Bryan in GrenadaCarol and Bryan in Grenada
Carol and Bryan in Grenada
Grenada Flag
Grenada Flag

The Madeira Islands

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The Madeira Islands

Thank god we left the Porto hotel before it got light and the roads got crowded! The airport was not well marked. We missed a turn and couldn’t find a place to turn back for a while. And then, there was no one at the car rental place–just a locked drop box for keys. Ugh.

At the airport, I watched a woman pray–with a gold book held up to her nose with both hands and an orange scarf over her head. When she finished, she wrapped the book in the scarf and tucked it into the small suitcase with her.

We arrived in Funchal, capital city of The Madeira Islands, landing on the stilted runway just after 9 a.m.  We rented a car and headed out to the verdant terraces of Madeira.

Our route around one of four Madeira Islands
Our route around one of four Madeira Islands

Stunning scenery and twisting roads up to Pico do Arieiro. At 6,000+ feet this is the place to see ALL of the island from the highest vantage point. We checked in to our great room with a balcony, had some of the fresh fruit they welcomed us with and went for a walk on the mountain-top miradouro.

I planted myself at the look-out point above the cloudline. I sat there alone for about 30 minutes–listening to the wind, to the misty clouds, and to the birds’ aerodynamic swoosh as they passed close by. It was incredibly peaceful up there…the rocks warm on my butt, the air cooling me, and the sun toasting me. I looked for an answer on that mountain. An answer to my life’s questions. Nothing came but peace.

Carol alone on the Pico do Arieiro
Carol alone on the Pico do Arieiro

We had a nice dinner there and were up and out for sunrise over the island at 5:20 a.m. Sounds of wind, full sky with all the stars. The sun finally greeted us at 6:15 a.m.

We spent the next few days driving around Madeira…the roads were frightening. Cliffsides, narrow, rocky, speedy drivers, huge buses, and tunnels.

Santana had the parrot saying “Hola!”, laughing like a crazy person, and crying like a baby.

Seixal was a lot of vibrant green terraces carved into a hill above the Atlantic and we caught some rain there. It smelled of dampness on that Saturday night. Families gathered in the tiny little streets to drink, eat and talk. We heard footsteps and kids behind the shutters way into the night. Bryan saw a line for bread the next morning–a long, patient line of people waiting in the rain for loaves of bread.

Seixal
Seixal
Seixal Terraces
Seixal Terraces
Riberia Brava
Riberia Brava

We drove out and into the middle of the island for walk in their rain forest of Rabacal. We hiked for a bit in the mist. Later we stopped at an unexpected, out of the mist, Jungle Rain Cafe (think Portuguese Rain Forest Cafe, with Italian food). I picked out a Sao Roque patron saint medal (patron saint of dogs) and one clerk asked another how to say “thank you” in English. 🙂  I used my very best “Obrigada!”

Our best days and nights in Madeira were the last few. We got to Riberia Brava and checked into a great little hotel with a balcony over a parking lot and the ocean. There was a nice bottle of wine from the shop and a take out pizza and we hung out on the balcony for a while. We spent a lot of time at the rocky beach too. The sea glass and sea pottery opportunity was lovely–and I collected and walked and photographed for hours.

The view from our room in Riberia Brava
The view from our room in Riberia Brava
Carol collecting sea glass at Funchal beach
Carol collecting sea glass at Funchal beach

In Funchal, we enjoyed the old mansion B&B with it’s port selection. A proper Madeiran lady with far-away eyes and a neat grey dress ran that big old mansion with the resident tea-cup chihuahua. The first time I saw that little dog, he was sitting in his owner’s lap picking meat off a chicken bone that she held for him. The terrace was nice overlooking Funchal–we spent time out there for meals, dainty servings of stiff port in tiny, delicate stemmed glasses, and games of cribbage

We walked up the steep hill to the top (Monte) for the basket toboggan ride down. Near the beginning of the walk up, we passed an elderly lady walking very, very slowly up the hill. We respectfully nodded as we hurried past. About 10 minutes later, we were huffing and puffing and could barely walk, when we noticed the lady passing us–still at her slow steady pace. She smiled and nodded as she passed. Hmmm. There’s a life lesson in that.

The toboggan ride was fun. It’s a flexible basket resembling a sled, but on greased metal bars. Two men dressed immaculately in white pants and shirts with little boy hats pull it along with ropes, then jump on and ride while they guide the buggy down into town–over the streets and down the winding hill. Such a strange experience on a little island out at sea…600 miles from Lisbon, and 544 miles from Casablanca.

Funchal toboggans
Funchal toboggans

We spent a long time on the beach–listening to the waves roll in and scramble the rocks back down for another go, sipping sangria and hunting sea glass.

Here’s a 2:26 video of Madeira: Madeira Islands

And the last night, we watched the lights come on down in Funchal from the balcony. And like that, the trip was over. We flew home through Lisbon to Heathrow and on to Chicago on Wednesday 6/13/01.

Madiera Flag
Madiera Flag