And so our Greek Lent begins
So now we're here, back in the bosom of Agios Magikades. And very chilly it is too. There's cloud obscuring the mountain and a thin mist of rain falling. The leaves on the jacaranda tree shiver while wisps of smoke from the village's chimneys trail across the rooftops. But even in the cold, it's beautiful. After the excitement of Clean Monday, where the beginning of Lent is marked by kite flying and the tavernas are full of people eating seafood, lagana bread and halva, things get back to normality. And for us, a self-imposed fast: no alcohol for forty days. No alcohol for forty nights. The rain gets heavier and the cloud over the mountain turns the setting into a scene from The Land That Time Forgot. But still the sparrows chirp in the trees and the children yell in the school playground. And the bottle of ouzo sits unopened on the dining room table. Salvation is just around the corner. That's about it. Love ...
