September in Molyvos

Last night we had a drink on the main terrace overlooking the pool. Joop had spotted the proprietess sitting there looking lonely and so we diligently went to engage her and be entertaining. It turns out ( she speaks very good English after 10 mths at an American school for English in Athens) that she inherited the hotel from her father. She grew up in Molyvos, the lovely town just 2km away and they spent ½ the year in town and ½ at the hotel. She was away in Athens doing a sociology masters when he died and she came back to run the hotel. Her mother has a difficult time being here as the emotions are too great. Yanna runs the place singlehandedly with the assistance of a rather terse ukranian woman named Victoria. They close down in the winter at the end of October. The gardens are very lovely and require Yannas devotion in the closed months. On the whole she does very well. I don’t see how anyone could keep up with gardens in this desicating heat. There was an unusual heat wave in May and a persistant one that has lasted all summer. Normally the temperatures are in the mid 20’s at this time of year. Her occupants are 30%Austrian and 70% dutch. I have looked everywhere we have gone and there is simply not a more lovely hotel to be had. The perch on the ocean with the steps leading initially to the pool and then to the sea is very marvelous. There are outdoor showers at both the beach and the pool with fresh water. Kyr just adores the constant swimming; snorkeling most of the early afternoon with frolicking in the pool in late afternoon. It is just one big convenient water vacation. So for anyone going to Levos you must stay at the Hotel Elpis just outside of Molyvos(Mythimna).

The hugest grasshopper in the world just jumped onto Kyr’s veranda and now the boys are diligently photographing it.

Our snorkeling journeys are very successful in abalone ½ shell acquisition. I am surprised the depth to which Kyran can dive. I try valiantly but I always feel that there is a big hand pushing me up just as I almost get to my desired object. I tried valiantly 4 times to get an orange sea urchin shell that was most unusual – the other ones are all green. Finally the mean hand relented and let me grab it. The beach we went to yesterday was a seaglass mecca. Green is the most common colour with brown a rare beast. We tried to eat at a taverna right on the empty beach, the chairs practically in the ocean. But the waitress was so rude and delighted in saying no to everything we requested. Kyr eventually got a slab of cheese and Joop a bowl of beans. Outside of greek salad it was slim pickings. All you end up wanting – and are even willing to pay extra for, is a pleasant server since most food is the same. The stress level here is minimal. It affords great long sleeps. The only time I feel anxiety is in the morning thinking up an excursion that won’t exhaust us. I think it is vestigal anxiety that just needs a home because I’m sure if I didn’t worry about it our days would end up the same. The only other thing that prompts anxiety is contemplation of my vet association. I made the mistake of reading an email from some independent vets and now I am very worried for the future of the association. They seem to have all gone crazy and are demanding more and more money just to perpetuate a feud. It makes me understand how wars start – just an escalation of what initially seemed to be a finite problem. It is hard to attend meetings- the expense and inconvenient times. I must send my vote proxy. How do you do that? It is quite hard to have much say as a rural vet. I’m going to try and put the vet association out of my mind. It is unlikely they even have vets on this island. I think everyone believes nature must take its course. A bit difficult to swallow but it’s a different world and I am made obsolete. But never fear my surgical skills are not disintigrating, they are being honed daily trying to extract seaurchin spikes from Joop's fingers.