I’ve just finished reading Henry Miller’s The Colossus of Maroussi – one of the finest travelogues ever. It chronicles Miller’s year out travelling around Greece just as World War ll broke. He describes Greece with such fondness.
It echoes where I’m at. I’ve been to Greece three times now – the first time was 20 years ago. I had no money and I hitchhiked all over. Old men on the islands gave me food. I hiked. I swam. I ate. I was 18 and lost and philosophical and seeking life. I came, again, 10 years ago, with my partner at the time. He’s Greek-Australian – from Kythera – and the experience was much the same. No, the sensation was the same.
Each time I’m here I feel a pounding connection. Like the place grabs me from my insides and says, “Hey, sit down a while. You’ve arrived safely.”
What is it exactly about the place?
It’s the light. It’s honest and raw. And the smells. The wild thyme, fig trees and mountain herbs, the brine of the sea, the dry-earthiness of the heat hitting dust and rock. It stirs something inside, something that yearns to be freed and expressive. And yet it doesn’t demand the expression. You can just sit quietly with it.
It says, “this is how life is meant to be”. This is why history is preserved here and the Greek ethos remains unmoved: life arrived and stayed.
Millar’s reflections on Greece very much mirror my own. He arrived in Athens in a heat wave and during a time of incredible poverty; the day I stepped into Syntagma Square it was 47 degrees. The country has just had a whopping 40 per cent cut to wages and families are starving all over the country. Miller was taking time out from writing for the first time in years; ditto me. Miller travelled with few possessions, ditto me.
“I’m glad I arrived in Athens in during that incredible heatwave,” he wrote. “Glad I saw it under the worst conditions. I felt the naked strength of the people, their purity, their nobility, their resignation….I saw people in rags, and that was cleansing, too….
“The Greek knows how to live with his rags; they don’t utterly degrade and befoul him as in other countries.”
He describes the light here: “Here the light penetrates to the soul, opens the doors and windows of the heart, makes one naked…isolated in a metaphysical bliss which makes everything clear without being known.
“No analysis can go on this light: the neurotic is either instantly healed or goes mad.”
Which mirrors something I wrote a few days ago about being broken down by the Greek experience.
I’m still trying to work out the upshot of all this as I leave Greece now and to head to Denmark (contrast much?). The light is one thing. The people – or what the light has done to a people over eons – is another, more interesting thing. Not all people, and I’m generalising, but a theme emerges. If you’ve been to Greece, I’m sure you know what I’m talking about. Although, it’s always going to be a personal take.
The Greeks know how to live with their rags. They don’t complicate stuff that doesn’t need to be complicated. The rich come back to basic tavernas to eat goat. Their food is simple. They refuse to “fuse”. When some olive oil, oregano olives and a chunk of fresh cheese, with some wine, can bring people together, why complicate things further with balsamic glazes and French-inspired foams? Many people here think leaving the EU and returning to the drachma is the best thing for the country. “We have everything we need here,” Eleni says to me over cheese and olives and wine. “We don’t need to buy asparagus from Spain or sprouts from Brussels when we’re happy with cucumbers. Let us get on with it.”
The heat, the light…when it grabs you and sits you down and says you’ve arrived,, well, you no longer have the need to dart off looking for more. You can live with your rags, with cucumbers for lunch. You’re not desperately looking for more, darting off to something better. And so you can enjoy what’s right there in front.
Miller finishes with this quote, which I read a night or two ago sitting out the front of the cottage I’ve been renting. I’d had a day where I didn’t look for more and I’d let the heat plonk me down.
Miller is describing the Colossus (his poet friend he admires so deeply and who is the protaganist of sorts of his book):
“He spoke of little things and of great with equal reverence; he was never too busy to pause and dwell on the things which moved him…
“He had endless time on his hands, which in itself is the mark of a great soul.”
I’m realising rushing and darting and reaching for more, and not honouring what’s in front of you, degrades and befouls. And rags are redundant. I leave today. But I know the experience will keep grabbing me and telling me I’ve arrived.
Have you had a similar experience travelling in Greece? Does the light leave you naked?
Beautiful writing Sarah… your heart is singing in a soulful Leonard Cohen-kinda way…
Thank you for sharing your heart with us. Travel safe to Denmark. Ian x
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I read Colossus of Maroussi about 30 years ago and loved it! thank you for that reminder and your words on Greece … it’s calling
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You’ve given me goosebumps. There is just something about Greece, you’re right. To put a finger on it, is something else! I love this x
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I agree with Ian, beautiful writing, and I hear what your saying …. love it when I get the little heart flutters of “I sooo get what you’re saying right now /that is just a stinglingly beautiful piece of art/truth/ meaning” … its very exciting!
Ive just finished a teacher training in Restorative Yoga with Judith Hanson Lasater, and alot of her speak made me think of yours … I think you’d enjoy her books: A Year of Living Your Yoga, poetic and profound little reminders to live in the moment & not take life or our thoughts too terribly seriously, and also: What We Say Matters – practising non-violent communication – eye-opening-ly simple truths & skills that we just aren’t taught as children, but help make life simple, honest & beautiful … if you ever check them out let me know what you think … I feel you’ll really like them …
I am excited to get my hands on Miller’s book now too! Thanks for sharing!
Best of luck in Denmark, its a bit weird but I feel a little sad you’re leaving Greece!!
Enjoy the fish in Denmark and the gorgeous design & clothes … though I know you won’t be filling up your suitcase!! I love Noa Noa & Day Birger et Mikkelsen …. but I digress …
Safe travels, don’t die (it’s a lovely song by Lisa Hannigan!!)
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i’m living in berlin at the moment, and on sunday we’re heading to the greek islands for two weeks of gorgeous ocean, sun & food. it’s a place i’ve always wanted to visit and seeing your posts from greece over the last little while have made me even more excited.
despite it’s party/24 hour reputation, berlin is also a relatively slow city (compared to my experiences in sydney & melbourne that is). i’m enjoying it here – but looking forward to things coming to rest in greece for a couple of weeks….. and taking a lot of very long, slow breaths.
& if you make it over to berlin at any stage you should check out the paleo restaurant in neukölln called “Sauvage”. their menu is 100% sugar and grain free.
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August 8th, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Tanya, thanks for the recommendation! I might just make it to Berlin after Denmark and Iceland!
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August 8th, 2012 at 10:21 pm
well, it is a bicycle riders heaven! let me know if you make it, there are a few (great) coffee places in this area worth checking out too
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I’ve always felt at home in Greece, felt an unshakable connection with the earth there, but I thought it was largely because my parents were born and raised there. Perhaps there’s something more to it than that. You’re not the first person I’ve heard express a similar connection to the country. Something in the air, perhaps.
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Yes, I’ve felt that too Sarah, and you’ve expressed it so beautifully. Thanks for taking us there. I am sorry you are leaving.
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What a beautiful post Sarah, your words are oozing happiness and a connectedness with life around you. We do have a total fixation with overcomplicating our lives here at the expense of missing so much. There is true art in simplicity. Safe trip to Denmark x
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I was talking to my nanna about Greece on the weekend. (My sister just returned, and my cousin is still there. I can sense a theme emerging!) My nanna and her friend, both in their mid-80s, were telling me how lucky I am to live in such a time where women don’t have to marry and have babies, and can travel as much as they like. It made me smile.
I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on Denmark Sarah, have a wonderful time and keep posting those food shots!! You simply must try the spirits in the colder European countries, to die for on cold nights.
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August 8th, 2012 at 7:41 pm
Mia, three strikes and act rule?? Perhaps you should be going to Greece?
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Perfect quote: “He had endless time on his hands, which in itself is the mark of a great soul.”
It all comes back to time, how we experience it, how we deal with, how it shapes our memories.
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August 8th, 2012 at 5:18 pm
Perfectly said.
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I only went once, over 20 years ago, now. GULP!, but I still feel the connection, the sense of belonging, the crazy idea that I had found my spiritual home. I long to go back. And one day I will. In the meantime, reading your travel tales is food for the soul. Happy trails! x
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Well done !
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Great article Sarah. A fantastic read. I hope you get as much out of your next travel leg as you have from your Greek one.
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Hi Sarah, I just recently came across your blog thanks to Pinterest. I absolutely LOVE this blog!! I can’t get enough reading. You write so beautifully! I just purchased your ebook and can’t wait to start my new life style.
My dream is to one day visit Greece with my husband! As his Grandmother was from there, would love to visit and find more family of his.
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August 9th, 2012 at 2:24 am
Thank you Lea! Go to Greece. Cheap, warm, kind!
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Sorry meant to put this comment here….Wow! I just read this out to my mother who is Greek (born there, moved to Aus in 1950 as a 12 year old) and she broke down crying with how beautifully you have described her homeland. She went back for a holiday about 5 years ago, and her experience was EXACTLY the same. The simplicity, the beauty, feeling that whatever is before you is sufficient, and the mentality of making do with whatever the seasons bring you.
She so desperately wants me to experience it too, and I can’t wait to hear over there. Thank you for sharing this Sarah. xx
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Love this story Sarah – http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life/go-find-a-boy–wtf-20120808-23u5m.html am loving the blog.
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August 9th, 2012 at 2:40 pm
Thank you for sharing, that’s awesome!! Gala is great.
Wouldn’t it be funny if society was the other way around? If everyone hassled married people the way they currently harrass single people? Asking what is wrong with them that they can’t be alone, suggesting to set them up with divorce lawyers without asking if they actually want/ need one, constantly offering platitudes like, “Don’t worry, one day you’ll lose him!” Of course I would never want that, becaues it’s mean… but it’s a funny thought.
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Fantastic blog Sarah!! Thank you.
Im gonna try and buy that book off Amazon right now.
I too have a connection with Greece and have been three times but unfortunately havent been to any of the places youve been to…..Yet!
Im so glad youve had a great time away. Im off to Santorini in three weeks time and will be going on my own…… Unfortunately my thyroid and adrenals are all over the place and Im greiving after a bereavement. Hope my depression and anxiety is helped by the ” white and blue” there and the ocean?
Take care on your travels. Im envious that youre seeing so much!!
Lauren in London x
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This is amazing! You say that the signs usually come in threes, right? These posts about your adventure is Greece is the third sign for me. I’ve been drawn to that region for years and a reading about your experience brought tears to my eyes a few times over the last few weeks. I wanted to go to Greece so badly that I registered for a month long course there next year. Thank you for the inspiration.
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You have expressed exactly the way I feel about Greece & the beautiful people. Thank you Sarah for sharing your feelings. It touches my heart just like the Greek music does.
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I have loved your writing lately, Sarah. It’s infused with light. At the same time, I can’t go along entirely with your premise. I don’t mean to criticize the Greeks individually, but they’re in such poor economic condition to some degree because they have accumulated enormous debt by consuming (social services, etc.) way beyond their means (and not paying for it by paying their taxes). While some of what you say about the nobility of the Greek culture may be true, there’s clearly a disconnect there. No one forced them to join the Euro area, and who gets left eating their debts? That said, one of my best friends is Greek and I know what you mean about the simplicity of their approach to pleasure, food, family, etc., and I cherish it.
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A Year in the World, The author who unforgettably captured the experience of starting a new life in Tuscany in bestselling travel memoirs expands her horizons to immerse herself—and her readers—in the sights, aromas, and treasures of twelve new special places.
A Year in the World is vintage Frances Mayes—a celebration of the allure of travel, of serendipitous pleasures found in unlikely locales, of memory woven into the present, and of a joyous sense of quest. An ideal travel companion, Frances Mayes brings to the page the curiosity of an intrepid explorer, remarkable insights into the wonder of the everyday, and a compelling narrative style that entertains as it informs.
With her beloved Tuscany as a home base, Mayes travels to Spain, Portugal, France, the British Isles, and to the Mediterranean world of Turkey, Greece, the South of Italy, and North Africa. In Andalucía, she relishes the intersection of cultures.
I hope you get to cross paths
http://www.francesmayesbooks.com/a-year-in-the-world/
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I backpacked through Greece when I was 19 (around 30 years ago!). When I reached the Knossos palace on Crete, a strong force made me just stop in my tracks, sit down and write poetry! It was beyond my control. Something about the light made me feel that I had come home. Thank you Sarah, for reminding me of that magic. Love your writings!
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Came across your writing after your aunt posted a link on a friend’s facebook page. Love you style and descriptions. Great quote ““He had endless time on his hands, which in itself is the mark of a great soul.” And as Andrew (above) said
‘” It all comes back to time, how we experience it, how we deal with, how it shapes our memories.”
Was always sad that I did not do the backpacker thing when I was younger, and now in my mid-50′s and in a wheelchair and given Greece’s current unrest (sad) reading writings such as yours is how I travel. Enjoy immensely the rest of your current journey.
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You are such a great writer, Sarah.
Beautiful!
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The Colossus of Maroussi – agree it is one of the worlds best books on travel from a great writer.
Your sensing the feel of place, of taste, smell, vista, people and moment, sounds and silence, breeze and still air….that’s travel, that’s “life from travel”.
Well done.
Best wishes,
Roger
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[...] friends Vicky & Silly, and it seems like a beautiful, peaceful place. Sarah Wilson writes about her cleansing experience [...]
When I lived in Greece for part of an exchange, I learnt more about myself than I ever could. I took risks like hitchhiking 40km across the Island of Lesbos to come back from an abandoned village which some random Greek people invited us to and enjoy home-cooking. It was the time just before Greece was to take its down turn, in the midst of the riots I did visit Athens and couch surfed it was such a great experience and Greece will always feel home to me.
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This is lovely! I’m half Greek and I absolutely ‘felt’ every word of this piece.
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I’m Greek living in Germany and what you wrote about my country is so touching and true, all these are exactly the things I miss desperately… Thank you so much, I haven’t found many foreigners who can feel the essence of Greece, even though everyone likes it… You really moved me, thank you
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Can you teach me how to let go of the shackles of life and to find freedom. After having lived in one place for all of my life, married to one man for 39 years, working in one job for 23 years, I want the freedom to wander. I like your sense of being a free spirit.
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[...] it, too. “Yes, it’s good you hear it today,” he said. You might also like to read this about living with your rags that I wrote about a few days [...]
I loved Colossus too Sarah, I re-read it last year and it made me ache to visit Greece! Thanks for posting, love your work x
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Hi Sarah – I relate totally to what you say about a feeling that settles upon me the minute I arrive in Greece. I’ve been there seven times and there is always something about it calling me back – and that is with no Greek heritage whatsoever!!
The less touristy places especailly, like up in Zagorohoria, or villages in Crete are just magnificent and the sense of peace and contentment I get there is so different to anywhere else.
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[...] love Athens. The craziness, the congestion; even in a heat wave the place leaves me pumped. It’s life in a petri dish. It’s so terribly, organically, [...]
First time comment but have been reading your blog for a long time and I love it!
My partner and I just spent 10 days with my family on the Greek Coast and boy it was hard to adapt to having no gadgets to play with – no TV or Internet left us with swimming twice a day and read a few books which I haven’t done in a while.
I must say that the general feedback was they DO want to stay in the EU. I noticed that they work hard with long hours but they always make time for “Kefi”. My cousins are well educated but are frustrated that they can’t get jobs in their professions. Government rules are so different from ours and they may try to fix them but I don’t think Greeks like change too much – but that’s my own opinion.
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I’m Greek-Australian and have visited Greece three times (and planning a fourth trip next year). The first time, we descended into Athens in multi-coloured dawn light and the sight of the islands and mainland below was tremendous.
Each time I visit, I feel as though there is some unforseen force that does not want to let me leave and the feeling is mutual! Without mentioning this to him, my Aussie husband made that exact comment when we were on the island of Symi. No other country can make me feel so relaxed and I have not encountered the same hospitality and genuine interest in just…I don’t know, having a chat? Learning about the other person? Giving someone you’ve only been speaking to for ten mintues a big, fat hug? anywhere else.
I used to think that it was solely my heritage and very Greek upbringing that made me feel this way, but after reading your blog and the comments of other readers I am delighted that you are having the same experiences and feelings.
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