At the end of May Anna declares herself happy:

-We are very lucky.

-Why, did we win the lottery?

-Not exactly, but we bought time. Which, as you know, is money.

Anna explains to me that Fourni near Ikaria is no longer a distant destination.

-We’ll be there in four hours.

–By flying? I ask with a laugh.

–Exactly, she replies seriously. Thessaloniki – Athens with OLYMPIAKI and then connecting with ATHENS AIRWAYS to Ikaria. From there, Fourni is next door. Once by car and by ferry we would need at least 16 hours. Isn’t that amazing?

Yes, indeed it was. Equally surprising, however, was the development. On June 1, the day before our departure, we suddenly learn that ATHENS AIRWAYS’ flights to Ikaria are no longer operating. We complain, we shout, nothing happens. We are left with the -paid- ticket of OLYMPIAKIS in our hands. If we changed it, we would pay extra. The only alternative was, after the flight arrived in Athens, to continue by ferry. Which would sail at 12 noon for Fourni. With the 10:00 departure of the plane from Thessaloniki there were only 2 hours left until departure. Time seemed to be at a premium. All the more so as the plane took off 10 minutes after 10. We can feel the margins tightening.

We land at 10:50′. At 11:10′ we break into the taxi.

–The ferry leaves at 12 o’clock, I say to the driver. Unfortunately, in recent years the ferries are expensive.

He looks at his watch: –We’ll make it, he reassures me.

He has his way. At 11:45 he’s off the ship.

We get tickets and at 11:50 we’re in. Now we can relax. In seven and a half hours we’ll be at the bays. “Guests please disembark, the ship is ready for departure,” the loudspeakers announce. Minutes pass but the ship is still tied up. The passengers – and many foreigners among them – wonder what is going on. We find out immediately. The exit of the harbour is blocked by trawlers protesting against the new fishing policy. And, of course, they are choosing this way, this time of year, to assert their rights. In the old days this would have been unthinkable. In recent years, exclusions – of any kind – tend to become an institution.

At 16:30 – four and a half hours after the normal sailing time – the “NISSOS MYKONOS” unties the anchors. At least we were on time.

Half an hour after midnight we take our first steps on the waterfront of Fourni.

We feel troubled in this wild hour. The place, however, is alive. All the shops on the beach are open. At the “Mansion of Kyra-Kokonas“, the café of the harbour, we are greeted by Manolis and Patra. But not only them. But also the Mayor of Fourni, Giannis Marousis.

–Welcome to our island, even if you are in pain, he says with a smile.

We didn’t expect to be greeted on the waterfront at this hour. For 15 years now, mayors have almost always waited for us in their offices.

-Here, hospitality starts from the very first moment, says the Mayor and invites us to the Town Hall the next morning.

FOURNI. FIRST IMAGES

At 7 in the morning the bed doesn’t hold us any longer. The unknown Fourni are outside, waiting for us.

By this time Manolis has opened the cafeteria. In two minutes the coffee will be steaming. We sit at the first table, next to the harbour. A few meters in front of us, the reflections of boats, small boats, speedboats and boats play in the calm waters. On a sailboat flying an English flag, a couple is drinking their coffee. It’s beautiful on deck this time of day in the Greek sunshine.

One fisherman has already got the job. He bends down on the deck of the fishing boat and devotes himself to mending the nets. A few islanders are taking their morning stroll around the harbour. They greet us politely. Someone arrives at the edge of the pier with a fishing rod. He baits and casts it. A few seconds later, the rod bends. He pulls it out with a header. He casts again. This time, the resistance grows. He pulls the rod with care. At the end of the line, a cobber is close to a pound. My childhood years in the port of Kavala come to mind.

–Morning. Not bad, I say.

–It’s fine, the place still holds fish.

Manolis Markakis in the meantime brings cakes, fresh juice and excellent myzithra from the island’s goats. What wins us over, however, is the honey of Fourni. Made almost exclusively from thyme that abounds in the island’s soils, it is one of the finest honeys we have ever tasted.

A SHORT TOUR OF THE SETTLEMENT OF THE PEAT BOGS

Several shops are dotted along the beach, fish taverns, ouzo bars, bars and cafes. Fourni is famous for its fish, all caught by the islanders in the rich seas of the place. There is always fresh fish at affordable prices and, of course, lobster pasta, which has become famous in recent years.

From the center of the beach, a road leads slightly uphill in an E-SE direction. It is the famous “Sokaki“, a road that ends after 200 meters at the square of Agios Nikolaos. Sokaki is a reference point for Fourni, not only because it is the commercial centre but also because it is the most traditional and beautiful part of the settlement. As a rule, the two-storey buildings, one next to the other, exude an aura of simple, neat architecture of the interwar and early 20th^th century. Some are even stone-built, dating back to the 19th^th century. One of them bears an inscription with its identity: “CAFE THE SAMOS NICK SCORDOU 1890 AUGUST 1”.

It is a great pleasure to pass by all these houses, to observe their original features. Equally beautiful is the row of mulberry trees, planted all along the road, from the beach to the square.

The road is spotless, with almost no cars, a joy for pedestrians. At the doors of their shops, shopkeepers exchange morning chats, greeting us politely. It’s our first time in Fourni and we have the feeling that we know the place from long ago. In front of the oven, freshly baked bread is smelling of freshly baked bread. The same fragrance greets us at the second bakery in the square. Across from it, the café-ouzerie “The Drosia” is already open. Stelios Markakis, brother of Manolis, is drinking his coffee at a stone table in the dew of an over-aged plane tree. There are two imposing plane trees in the square. If, 200 metres down the road, we hadn’t started from the island’s waterfront, we would have been sure we were in the square of a traditional mountain village. We drink our second coffee with Stelios. An unexpected picture is revealed just a few meters above our table. It is an imposing marble block, carved in the shape of a rectangular parallelepiped.

–This is the famous sarcophagus, dating back to Roman times, says Stelios. There are several ancient findings in various parts of the island.

At the Town Hall we are welcomed by the Mayor John Marousis, who gives us as much information as there is about Fourni.

A BRIEF REVIEW OF THE PAST

Archaeologists have not been particularly interested in the Fourni. In the few ancient sources, the Fourni are known as “Corseai” or “Corseai“. During Hellenistic times, the philosopher Porphyrus (233 – 301 AD) calls the Fournians “Corseas“. This explains the compound name “Fourni Korseas“.

There is no certainty about the first inhabitants of the island. It is possible that they were Milesians from the opposite coast of Ionia. For the time being, we briefly mention the archaeological finds that have been identified in various locations on the island.

On the hill of Agios Georgios, above the central settlement, parts of the acropolis and remains of architectural elements have been found. In the settlement of Chrysomilia, at the northern end of the island, a masonry of a Hellenistic tower is preserved. In the coastal settlement of Kamari, on the eastern coast, traces of a half-submerged settlement of late antiquity can be seen in the sea. Finally, on the beach Petrokopio, in the southwestern part of Fourni, an ancient quarry with many “half-works”, i.e. unfinished architectural elements on site, has been uncovered.

IN THE FORESKIN OF ST. GEORGE

We admire the marble sarcophagus for a while. Measuring 1.10m high, 2.38m long and 1.10m wide, it is decorated with relief-formed wreaths and circles. From the inscription, it appears that it was the funerary monument of one Epamininos, son of Tilon and Philti, who died at the age of 25. Directly opposite the sarcophagus an old, uninhabited house has an engraved date of 14 March 1872.

Starting from the sarcophagus, we take the narrow alley in a W-NW direction and, 50 metres later, we turn right into another alley with steps, about 120. Immediately afterwards, an uphill path begins outside the last houses in the village. We pass between grills, flowering thymes, prickly pears and cypresses. Here and the iconostasis of Agia Irini Chrysovalantou. A little further up, the air is fragrant with oregano and sage. The view, as we go uphill, becomes more beautiful. The trail is unmarked but is clearly marked. We pass through a wire gate and immediately afterwards we meet flat rock. Its surface is engraved with initials of names and dates. Among them we can pick out some from 1927, 1928, 1940.

Then the path climbs uphill to the right. At a leisurely pace it takes less than 20 minutes to reach the chapel of Agios Georgios, at an altitude of 155 metres. A large pine tree with an imposing umbrella casts a thick shadow. We climb up beside the rocks of the summit. The settlement appears in perfect plan view, while the view to the D of Thymena and the other small islands is magnificent.

An inscription engraved on the citadel by a guard states: “I have long been guarding the Corsair citadel“. The Acropolis of the Corsicans, which covered an area of about 36 acres, surrounded the rocky hill of Ai-Giorgis. From inside the wire fence we head W. The terrain is rough and the slopes steep. To the S-SE, remnants of the fortification with heavy dry stone walls survive. The maximum height does not exceed 3 metres. Under such a wall a solid rock bears successive rectangular carvings. Even more impressive is a carved gully, which follows a semi-circular course on the surface of the rock for about 8-9 metres, with a width of 20-40 cm and a maximum depth of carving exceeding 40 cm.

Some remains that mention our data such as an aquidogram, some statue bases and some traces of inscriptions, we do not manage to locate them. The very tall grasses and the scorching sun are not the most favourable conditions for systematic research on the rough slopes.

For several minutes we gaze around us at the spectacle. Every authentic traveller who finds himself in Fourni owes himself the few minutes’ hike to the top. He will not regret it.

BEACHES AND INLAND

If one observes the island cluster of Fourni on a detailed map, one will conclude that it is unlikely that there is an island or cluster of islands in the Greek territory with such an incredible abundance of bays and capes at every point of the island.

The island complex of Fourni consists of a set of at least 20 large, medium and tiny island territories with a total surface area of 48 km2. The three largest – and most inhabited – islands are Fourni with an area of 30,272, Thymena with 9,999 and Agios Minas with an area of 2,225 square kilometres. The rest are uninhabited islets and islets and islets, the smallest of which have an area of a few hundred or even a few tens of square metres.

The Fourni complex is located in the SE Aegean Sea, between the ideal triangle formed by Samos, Ikaria and Patmos. From Samos they are separated by a 3.5-mile-wide channel, and from Ikaria by a 7-mile-wide channel.

The mayor Yannis Marousis provides us with an amazing ISUZU Pick-up for our travels around the island. On our first tour, our driver and guide is Manos Mytikas, an official of the Municipality. We cross the beach and head south. The road rises gently. Windmills dominate the hilltop. We leave the only petrol station on our right and shortly afterwards we meet the main fork in the road, leading either N or S of the island. We head first towards the S. This is the section with the most, most beautiful and friendliest beaches of Fourni.

We first pass by the seaside settlement Kampi with the fishing shelter, the tavernas, the rooms to let. An authentic place of peace and relaxation. Next in line is the large bay Marmaro. The asphalt road descends just above the coast with the three excellent beaches of Pelekania, Aspa and Elidaki.

Above Elidaki, the left fork of the road ends after 500 metres at the long cove of Petrokopi.

Here is the ancient quarry of Fourni. From a distance, the carvings of the marble rocks can still be seen. The height of these vertical and smooth surfaces must be close to 20 metres!

We leave the car and drive downhill with wonderful steps of local stone that lead to the coast.

–I am impressed by the beautiful staircase, I say to Mano.

–You will see many such stairs in strategic places either inland or on the coast of the island.

Our greatest surprise comes from the carved, unfinished marble stones, which are scattered on the pebbles of the coast. The shapes are mostly rectangular parallelepipeds, but there is also a cube. I take the dimensions of a rectangle that looks like a sarcophagus. The length is 2.40, the width is 1.30 and the height is 1 meter. These dimensions give us a volume of 3.12 cubic metres, which, with an average marble weight of 2.5, brings the total weight of the carved marble to 7.8 tonnes! Amazingly, there’s also a cylindrical piece, probably a column vertebrae. The height is 1 metre and the carving of the curved surface of the cylinder is excellent, but the real surprise comes from the diameter of the base, which reaches 1 metre and 85 centimetres. In the many columns or vertebrae I’ve seen so far, I don’t recall anything like it. The weight is estimated at about 6.7 tons!

We have many questions, both about the method of carving, the method of transport and the place of destination. Unfortunately they are unanswered.

We return to the road network and continue south. We first cross the good tarmac road to the extreme point, the cove of Vlychada. It’s a shallow sandy beach with fine pebbles, just across from Patmos. A narrow tongue of land separates Vlychada from the bay of Kasidis to the west. With its three wonderful beaches, the bay is a true swimming paradise.

Another beautiful coast is the bay of Vitsilia. Whichever direction the winds blow, one will always find a tiny sandy beach with calm waters. One sight that makes us very happy is a small flock of young partridges crossing the road and disappearing into the bushes. Enclosed between rocky slopes, Vitsilia has an opening of only 100 metres. The place is deserted and beautiful. On the beach, as on many others, young tamarisk trees have been planted, which a few years later will cast a protective shadow over the summer holidaymakers.

Another thing we have also been pleased to note is the many colourful oleander trees that have been planted along the island’s road network. Reliable roads, access roads with steps of native stone, ornamental plants along the roadsides and tamarisk trees for valuable shade on the shores. Here is a set of actions by the municipal authorities of a small place that we are not lucky enough to encounter often. Unfortunately, Fourni is too small to influence the rest of Greece by example.

We digress for a moment to St. John. A small settlement, with a few houses and a small square with a spring of cool water. Large plane tree, olive trees, tamarisk and cypress trees, beautiful surroundings. The church also has well-kept cells, with a beautiful view of the bay of Agios Ioannis, a narrow and deep bay with clear waters. Many dozens of steps start from the settlement and go down to the rocky shore.

HEADING NORTH

Afternoon now. A short stop for refueling, not the car’s but ours. In a fish tavern in the port of Fourni we have a light lunch with cacava. Then we start to explore the northern part of the island. At the junction above the petrol station we now turn left. A few minutes later we meet the familiar, well-built staircase made of local stone on the left slope of the road. It leads us to the picturesque chapel of Aya-Marina. Pine trees, cypresses and a terrace with cool shade. Three upright columns, one large and two smaller ones. Open horizon in all directions. A few kilometres from the settlement of Fourni, the chapel of Agia Marina is a place of peace and tranquillity.

Continuing on, we pass by the beautiful church of Panagia, from where a relaxing path is an alternative route to the Acropolis of Fourni. A little further down, we meet the downhill and difficult dirt road on the left that leads to the beach “Koumara“. Here is the church of the Evangelistria and a wonderful natural environment with a native forest of kumamaria. The waters of the bay are calm and clear. Next in line is the cove Amoudaki with the tiny settlement of Bali. The natural fishing shelter in the cove is protected from almost all weather.

After Bali we leave the west coast for a while. A downhill concrete road leads us to the east coast, specifically to Kamari. The place is overgrown with fig trees, vineyards, olive trees, small orchards and reeds. The water on the beach is shallow, the bottom rocky and the coast exposed to easterly and southerly weather. This, however, does not prevent several boats from being moored at the beach. There is a light plume of wind blowing, fouling the waters. This wrinkle does not allow us to see clearly the traces of the ancient submerged settlement. But we can see, a few hundred metres further up, the ancient columns in the church of St. Taxiarchis.

On the seafront there is a tavern, the “Almyra“. An old album is fixed to a lilipute concrete pier. On top of it flies a Greek flag. It has been placed there by Constantine Achladis, who owns the tavern. At this time of the afternoon the Almyra is open. What could be nicer than a Greek coffee by the sea, under the shade of young tamarisk trees. We gaze across to the rather large island of Aghios Minas, with the homonymous monastery, the bushy vegetation, the protected bays and beaches. A large hill in the north stands out from the rest of the brownish mass of the island. It is light-coloured because it is made of limestone.

–We call it Asprovouni, Dinos explains. Similar rock is found in the opposite section and the Furnaces.

We temporarily bid him farewell with the promise to return to try the “sufiko“, the specialty of his wife Angeliki.

We ascend towards Chrysomilia, the second most populated settlement of the island. Built with a strong amphitheatricality, the village overlooks everything from an altitude of about 180 meters. The place is overgrown with numerous and varied fruit trees, vines, orchards and lemon trees. Most important, however, is the presence of olive trees, thanks to which Chrysomilia is famous for its olive oil.

We cross a narrow alley and then we start going down steps. Very quickly we come across the café of Barpa Nikolas Flytzanis, a balcony with a unique view. 25 years a sailor, barpa Nikolas found his own arachovoli in Chrysomilia.

-I have a boat, this café, a few sheep, grandchildren and children. I don’t need anything else.

From the village of Barba Nikolas the route continues to “Kampi”, the seaside settlement of Chrysomilia. It is around 680 continuous steps. On the beach there are two tavernas, a few houses and a fishing shelter, one of the most beautiful we have seen in the Greek region.

–How do we get up to Korakas? we ask in the café.

–Here, by the sea, you ask us about Korakas? They say laughing. It’s not easy, there’s no path all the time.

-Can’t we go by visual contact?

-Of course you can, as long as your soul says so. Just don’t be late, or the night will take you.

We are climbing the asphalt road to Chrysomilia. Somewhere in between we meet the cemetery church of Agios Triada, on a hill with a prominent view of the bay. Here is another archaeological site of Fourni. The lower part of the walls of the temple is actually the masonry of a Hellenistic tower, consisting of fine carved stones of great dimensions. Many other architectural elements are scattered everywhere. Outside the B wall of the temple, the foundation and the niche of the small early Christian sanctuary are preserved.

ANYONE ELSE… FOR ‘KORAKAS’

A few hundred meters before Chrysomilia we meet a lonely house on the road. On the right, a dirt road climbs uphill, which after 600 meters takes us to the chapel of Agios Minas, at an altitude of 300 meters.

18:20′. We find the path above the chapel, parallel to a fence of excellent dry stone. The general direction is N-NW. Goat bells can be heard on the steep slopes opposite. Reach the top of a hill, dominated by a cylindrical column built of dry stone. A narrow path descends to the stable and ends there.

18:40′ We cross the barn. Immediately afterwards begins a giddy trail, invisible and very rough among stones and thorns. We choose our steps with great care. The ground is not forgiving of slips and falls. A hare flies ahead of us. The place smells of sage and thyme.

We’re coming up on the neck. A steep slope rises to the E-NE. From where we are, the peak is invisible, probably ‘Korakas‘. It’s 18:50′, there’s plenty of time before sunset. We decide to keep going ever north-northwest, to another peak that is visible. There is the steep massif of Kerki on Samos. At 1433 meters its peak is lost in the clouds. A different image looms to the south. It is the settlement of Chrysomilia and lower down the huge bay of Fourni.

19:20′. An hour after our departure we arrive at the highest northern peak of the island. It is Fanas, with an altitude of 476m. Samos Ikaria, Asia Minor coast, sea horizons and cool breezes. Korakas beckons us in the E-SE. He is a little higher than us. Time is running out, we have to make it short. We return to our familiar neck of the woods and climb vertically up the steep slope. It’s not an easy walk to the top.

20:00′. –Ai, we’ve finally arrived at Korakas, says Anna with relief.

At 514 meters we are at the highest point of Fourni. In front of us is the pillar of the G.Y.S. and next to it two dry stone cobbled huts. We admire the vast horizon for a while. But the sun is getting lower. We have to get going lest the night catch up with us on this rough terrain.

20: 35′. The moment the sun sinks off the northern tip of Ikaria, we are in the barn. Fifteen minutes later, literally at last light, we enter the ISUZU.

A MAGICAL JOURNEY

With such complex coastal morphology, it would be a great omission if our tour of Fournios was limited to the mainland. Nectarios Karlas takes his speedboat to introduce us to the secrets of the coastline.

We leave the harbour with a bow to the south. Ahead of us a long landmass, although it looks like a continuation of Fourni, is actually the islet of Kistiria, sandwiched between Thymena and Fourni. Apparently at some geological time it was a piece of land that broke away from the western part of Fourni. This is evidenced by an incredibly narrow opening between the two islands, the Mikro Diapori, which barely exceeds 4 metres. Through this “eye of the needle” Nektarios steers the boat, with great speed and even greater confidence.

Very quickly we pass off the bay “Marmaro”, with “Elidaki” and the other beautiful beaches. Here is Petrokopio with its famous quarry. At the entrance of the bay the islet “Korniachti“. The coastline is rocky and inhospitable, a solid grey granite, deeply carved by the action of the waves over the centuries. No ship can approach these rugged shores. But a little further on, the deep bay of St John is a safe cove. Coming out of the bay, the grey dominance of the rocks begins again. Only the seagulls feel comfortable on their rough surface. Among them there are some chicks with ashen feathers, which can hardly be distinguished among the rocks. Their wings are weak, they cannot yet fly. So they are limited to making small, clumsy steps.

The bay of Kasidis follows. With its beautiful sandy beaches it is an ideal place for swimming. Four islets stick out in the open: the Macronissi and the much smaller Stronglo, Plaka and Plakaki.

We enter the almost calm bay of Vlychada, with its beautiful sandy beaches and the steps to the coast. On the eastern slopes of the bay the construction of a road to the old Italian outpost is underway. Outside Vlychada is the islet Prasonisi and, off to the east, the Mikros and Migros Anthropofas (so called in local parlance by Nektarios, coinciding with the suffix “gos“). The next bay is that of Vitsilia. Here the waters are calm, not at all affected by the garbi. Equally calm are the cormorants, the “kalokatsouda” as Nektarios calls them.

We approach the small, beautiful coast “Lia” (Elia).

–This is where seals tend to find shelter, says our friend.

In the time we spend, they are sadly absent. We enter the deep bay of Bulo, with calm surface waters, a few farmhouses and a road that reaches the shore. Impressive again are the familiar dry-stone fences, the simplest form of stone architecture. They are laborious works, hundreds or even thousands of metres long, usually ending above the coast. These dry stone fences reflect all the patience and care of the ancients to delimit their properties, large tracts of land, most often hopelessly barren and steep.

We arrive at the cove Kato Maneta. Exotic sandy beaches, two small buildings, a chapel and a boat make a perfect backdrop.

We are approaching Kamari. Very close to it, the long mass of Ag. Minas dominates. Next to Kamari with its rocky coastline, the small, welcoming sandy beach of Grias stands out. Immediately afterwards the very sheltered pebbled beach of Pniγmenou, accessible only from the sea.

We cross the narrow channel between Fourni and Ag. Minas, we set sail for Asprokavos, which Nektarios calls Kavos to Papavasilis. It is a rugged promontory, with steep slopes of several dozen metres of solid limestone. Almost opposite are the unique limestones of Aghios Minas.

After the bend, a familiar peak emerges. It is Korakas, with slopes that fall steeply into the sea. High on the ridge, the small church of Agios Minas can be seen, the starting point of our route to the top. A dry stone wall is built for hundreds of meters on an incredible cliff. We wonder how it was built and what properties it demarcates in this wilderness area.

We are approaching the north of Fourni. Samos is already very close. The peak of Fana appears high above. Just below reveals a tiny, pebbly coast with turquoise waters. The loneliness of the place is tempered by a stone-built hut and a dry stone wall to the shore.

We pass the cape Shaita. This is where the garbanzo finds us. For the first time the bulk of Ikaria makes its appearance. The coastline of Fourni develops salted and rocky. Higher up, the slopes are covered with low vegetation. Above them, the dry stone walls look like huge, irregular lines. From the ground rise the friendly silhouettes of two windmills. Yes, and a decorative touch, a narrow gully with two pink clumps of flowering oleander. Nice, distant images of the island, very realistic. They can only be seen from the sea.

Projecting the golden apple. Above the village, the long ridge that we crossed to the peaks of Korakas and Fana can be seen in every detail.

Coast “Koumaras“, tiny cove “Skleithro“, we dock at “Kavos” and enter the wide channel between Thymena and Fourni. The waters are calm, the bulk of Thymena protects them from the swell.

It takes us three hours to complete the circumnavigation of Fourni. And if it took all day, it still wouldn’t tire us out. With such a thunderous variety of images it is impossible to feel tired.

AT THE YAKUMIS FAMILY DAIRY

–You will find us very easily, says James, 200 metres before the chapel of Agia-Marina at the neck of the hill, turn right. Every day we are there.

We immediately find the dairy and the corral. The place is unique, a flat balcony, overlooking the whole eastern horizon from Samos to Patmos.

–You should have a hotel here, not a cheese factory, I say to our friends.

Giakoumis welcomes us with his wife Marouda. (Marouda is the traditional version of the name Maria, like Yacoumis of the name James).

An old sailor, Iakovos Manousos, has dedicated his time, after the sea, to more land-based activities, livestock and cheese-making. His wife Marouda is a valuable companion. We watch them in their small premises, among old tools and cheese heads arranged on shelves or hanging from the ceiling. There are the traditional baskets or “tyrovollia” for the cheese and “focadia” for the mizithra. All are made by a local craftsman with raw material made from bullae.

Maruda’s making us coffee. We drink it next to the carved base of the traditional “armenou“, a vessel used for milking that is already more than a century old.

What can one say about the deliciousness and quality of Yakoumi’s products. It is a privilege to taste in some shops of Fourni traditional products of the place, myzithra, feta, kefalotyri.

“LANDING” IN THYME

Early in the morning the “Mansion of Mrs. Cocona” is open. As I approach, I hear a subtle music, which does not seem to come from an artificial sound source. It is Manolis with his bouzouki, invisible inside. He is playing to himself, before the first patrons of the shop begin to arrive.

Strange weather today with humidity, thin clouds and still water. The peak of Thyme opposite us is making a fuss. Sometimes it comes out boldly in the sunlight and sometimes it hides shyly in the clouds. I survey the outline of the ridge, a not at all desirable ridge that starts smoothly from the north to end south on steep slopes and the summit.

–We want to go up there, I say to Manolis.

–Where, at the top? I don’t recommend it today, the weather will be bad. And then you’ve got a local to guide you?

-We’ll find someone to ask in Thyme.

The weather meanwhile changes dramatically, very soon the rain starts. Our wish is in danger of going unfulfilled. Time passes with pessimistic thoughts. However, at some point the weather opens up again. We’re looking for a boat to Thyme. By a strange coincidence, none are available. Only the “EXPRESS SPIRIDULA”, which will start after 12 noon. It’s too late.

-Calm down a little, says Manolis. Here, observe with these binoculars the details of Thyme.

I am trying to find a path above the settlement. I’m having a hard time. It’s obviously very discreet

At 12:15′ Spyridoula sails. 10 minutes later we step on the waterfront of Thymena.

-You will go up the steps from the port and at the last houses you will turn right, the instructions say. Then the path will lead you.

-Sounds easy, says Anna.

Cement steps cross the settlement, which climbs up the slope with a strong amphitheatricality. After about 320 steps we reach the last houses of the village. There we are met by heavy rain.

–Come on, take cover until it stops, a little lady calls out to us.

She is Chrysoula Markaki. We are huddled under a small shed in the courtyard. The kind woman buys us orange juice. Her son Manolis lends us a raincoat and gives us his phone number if we need him for anything.

12:50′. We start with a drizzle. Dirt road at the beginning. Then the trail begins uphill and rough, heading generally NW. We reach the base of a rock cave, which serves as a goat shelter. The ground is paved with gravel stones and, as it is wet, is very slippery. I break off a piece of a “snake” (cedar bark) root and make a makeshift stick, hardly professional but very practical. As we approach the ridge it starts raining very hard again. Miserable conditions, the march gives us no satisfaction. Our only pleasure is the music from the sweet-sounding bells of the goats.

A gidostrata at the neck descends slightly in direction D. We follow it for a few minutes, but it deviates too much and does not lead to the top. Which suddenly disappears behind thick clouds. It’s only at the last moment that I can get an accurate orientation: N 190. We call Manolis

-Yes, you have to turn left. The gidostrata leads to a beach.

It begins a vertical uphill, with no sign of a path. Stones, thyme and thorny bushes. We remember Korakas. The difference, for the worse, is the heavy rain. And far worse is the fog. The stones are very slippery. I bless my provision for the improvised mongoose.

We are constantly upwind, with wind and heavy rain. The fog has covered everything, it’s a blind march.

-June 5 today, I’m talking to Anna. Are we on an island in the Aegean or a mountain on the border?

Anna tries to protect, as much as she can, the bike from the rain. Suddenly, in a gust of wind, the fog is dispersed. It looms ahead of us, at 50 metres, slightly tilted, the concrete pillar of the G.I.S. It is 14:30′ and my altimeter, in a rare burst of precision, reads 470 metres. It’s exactly the elevation that the maps mark for the peak “Papas” or “Simania” or “Selada“, as the two other local names are.

It’s raining terribly. Hail is interspersed between the thick drops. Against these odds, Anna takes the camera out of her raincoat and takes a picture of me at the top. It was only three seconds. But we’re already regretting it. Sensitive electronic cameras are not made for such hardships. It’s getting to close up again. Anna has time to take two quick photos. They are the last ones. When the fog disappears after a while and the rain stops, the camera is dead. Any attempt by Anna to get it working again is futile. Down low, but also across the horizon, a spectacle is revealed that is probably unique in Greece.

Even now, so many days later, I find it difficult to overcome the magnitude of the sadness, the drama of those moments. But already, from the first steps of our return, the decision had been made. This would not be the last time we would climb Thymena.

EPILOGUE

Last morning today in Fourni. We sit at our usual little table, the first on the coast. A cool breeze is blowing, the atmosphere is clear. The volume of Thyme is outlined in detail, I can see the path without binoculars.

–Today is a day for the top, says Manolis.

-Opportunity to come back to Fourni, adds the Mayor.

Without a camera anymore, we walk the streets of the island again. Early in the afternoon we are in Kamari, for Angeliki’s “soufiko”. Vegetables from the garden, eggplants, potatoes, peppers, fresh tomatoes and onions. First fry them one by one and then boil them all together for 10 minutes in the pot. So simple.

–Let’s be strong to rejoin, says 80-year-old Thodoros Markakis, the only permanent resident with his wife, Angeliki, in the monastery of the antique Agios Minas.

–Next time, Uncle Theodore, we’ll drink again at the monastery.

Afternoon now. “NISSOS MYKONOS” is making port. Giannis Marousis, the Mayor of Fourni Korseon, directs us. As if just a moment ago, he was greeting us in the middle of the night.