omegabeth and Lisa off to explore the city while I tried to nap. I did succeed, fitfully, for a couple of hours, and then we traded: they slept while I wandered around. Though I was careful to pay attention to where I was, I missed one turn and spent a short while quite disconcertedly lost. Obviously, however, I found my way again, and I got back in time for a shower before wandering out for dinner.Unfortunately, two hours of 24 is not enough sleep for me; after walking around for another hour or two, I was in that deleriously tired state where I talk but my voice seems to be coming from miles away, and I walk but I don't actually feel my feet touching the ground. So I left Beth and Lisa again and made a beeline for the hotel, while they walked to the Parthanon and found a place for dinner.
Sleep remained elusive, however, and I had a fitful night of unsatisfying sleep before getting up to catch the bus to the ferry to the island. We arrived on the island (Skopelos) around 4, got to our house by 4:30, and were on the nearest beach by 5. Ahhh, much better!
The house
omegabeth found for us is perfect: it's three levels in a house at the top of town. The town itself is small, build from the waterfront up a steep hill, and our house is at the top level of the houses, which makes it quite a climb from the commercial center, but it means we have a spectacular view over the terracotta and stone roofs down to the water. We enter the house on the middle level, which has a small sitting and dining area and a little kitchen, and a full bath. Downstairs, there's a large sleeping area with two beds and another full bath. Downstairs is dark, cool and quiet. Upstairs, there's a smaller bedroom with one bed, two windows, and a door out to a stone patio that overlooks the whole town and the water and dark green hills of the island. The bedroom is airy and light.The house is in a neighborhood, which seems to be mostly locals and some rentals (I think our neighbors are German). To get to the commercial center from our house, we walk down narrow and turning stone stairways, through winding paths and down to the lower levels, which are no wider, but are sloped rather than staired, so people can drive their motorbikes, which, fortunately, give a noisy forewarning before they come around a corner. People are friendly but reserved in the neighborhoods, but a hello (or "yassas") is always returned with a smile.
Dinner last night was unremarkable tourist fare, but the waiter tried to pick me up, politely. (I've been wavering between wanting to understand what the men are saying to me on the street and being glad I can't.) We found a spectacular dessert shop (Ambrosia), which made up for the less impressive dinner.
Now, it's almost 3, and the sun should be mellowing a bit, so I think I'll be going swimming shortly.
I seem to be having trouble logging into my regular email account using putty, which is my typical approach when traveling. If you want to send me email (or lj comments) that I see before I return to the US on the 17th, you should email me at roaraborealis at gmail.
