Arrived with almost nothing. And already rich
Last Sunday, March 16, we moved to Kamilari, a small village in the south of Crete. Always an exciting step after spending five weeks in a small apartment in the 'North.' We've emigrated.
In the span of a year, we sold our house—a large farmhouse (without animals)—and reduced our belongings to what would fit in a garage box and a small container for our clothes. We sent three boxes ahead with some essentials and brought two large and two small suitcases. Now everything had to come with us. From north to south.
How were we going to fit all of this into our rented Fiat Panda? How would we carry it all down those many steps? And then, our great help arrived.
Two newly made Greek friends offered to help us move with their large truck. Wow, what a kind offer! Everything went very quickly after that. They even helped unload everything into our new home, a little paradise in Kamilari. We shared an improvised meal together, and then... it was time to enjoy, settle in, and explore.
I always want to know where I am, so I walked through the village and explored the surroundings the next day. A small road runs past “our house,” lined with olive trees. Among them, I spotted two orange trees. A few ripe, perfect oranges had already fallen to the ground. I couldn’t resist picking them up and taking them home.
A little further along, I saw a pine tree with fallen, bone-dry pinecones. Just what I needed to start a fire in the hearth! Yes, even in Crete, the evenings in March can be chilly.
Completely in awe of the abundance that nature provides - if you have an eye for it - I walked back home. Out of the corner of my left eye, I spotted something in the middle of a meadow: a ruin.
A ruin!
My heart started racing, and my imagination ran wild. I love ruins… Faded glory, the mystery of who lived there, how long it had been abandoned.. is it for sale?
Lying in bed that night, I thought: tomorrow, I’m going there.