At Dimitri's

20.04.23

Actually we wanted to be at Dimitri's in the morning...

But something unexpected happened, so we arrived at his property in the afternoon. Dimitri took it easy, typically Greek. He doesn't care about the 'time,' he said.

Beforehand, we agreed to call him when we were on the country road, near the village of Kato, at a gas station. There he picked us up and we followed him a few kilometers to his land. In the last few hundred meters, it suddenly got exciting because the dirt road was really bad or very sandy in parts and was also uphill. Bürsti's off-road skills had always been sufficient. Today, the tires spun and dug in at two spots. Both were unfavorable spots because they were narrow and on a slope. The special mats to place underneath didn't help at one spot. I had to reverse and try again with momentum. The moment when the whole vehicle continued to roll backward despite the handbrake being pulled and the brake being pressed was quite sketchy. Somehow, Bürsti came to a stop fortunately. The next attempt worked as well.

A little off-road adventure at the beginning.

Dimitri was definitely happy when we arrived. With his somewhat excited and hectic manner, he showed us parts of his property and especially the wooden works he had made himself. Beautiful, handmade chairs, candle holders, and a frame for a mirror. He used olive wood for them. The best wood, Dimitri is sure of it. Somehow, everything happened quickly after our arrival. Dimitri, in his very sympathetic and loving way, is also a bit scatterbrained, one could say. His manner and his stories are also very entertaining and funny. An important topic: women. But just as important to him is his property and how it should continue. It is not easy to live here alone as he gets older. He loves nature, his olive trees, and the special location, on top of a hill overlooking the sea. Nevertheless, he would also sell the property if he finds a buyer.

It's definitely something very special here, a really beautiful place.

Dimitri lives here in a caravan. There is no real house. The shower and toilet are attached with a roof. He can also cook outside the caravan. There are also some covered areas around the caravan, and it feels cozy and homey, albeit simple and not very comfortable. There is only electricity from 2 solar panels.

Here and there, you can also find some junk. Including two very old Citroën cars. According to Dimitri, they used to be very popular and excellent for off-road tracks.

After the terrain tour, we first had freshly squeezed orange juice. It was a delight with the sea view.

Then Dimitri showed us what we should do tomorrow. Build a new fence, etc. Of course, that was also a bit chaotic but really fun.

Less fun, however, was when we saw the chickens confined in a much too small coop. But we will build the new fence for them so that they can roam freely. Unfortunately, it wasn't just the chickens that were confined. A dog without a name was chained to a small barn. The dog was very excited when we approached and petted him. We tried to make Dimitri understand that this is not how you should treat animals. He was understanding and we let the dog run free. It was naturally very grateful and it made us happy to see the beautiful four-legged friend running around. Of course, he also enjoyed the cuddles very much.

A little later, Dimitri took us to a female dog who had 5, 1-2 month old puppies with her. She too was tied up, unfortunately, very thin and behaving abnormally. We agreed with Dimitri that we will set her free tomorrow as well. The animals definitely need some care. Point 1 on the to-do list for tomorrow.

Dimitri seems to be a very warm-hearted and loving person, but he is overwhelmed, especially with his animals. The female dog with the puppies had just come to him recently and then had the puppies. He wants to give them away in the city.

For dinner, Dimitri had prepared a really delicious, typical Greek salad. Especially for us vegetarians. With tomatoes, feta cheese, onions, cabbage, a few wild herbs, and lots of olive oil. He calls it liquid gold.

The language barrier dissolved bit by bit. Dimitri had a lot to tell. As a musician, he was on tour in Europe for 30 years. In Munich, Vienna, Switzerland, and so on. A little musical sample is almost obligatory then.

Breakfast will be 'sometime' tomorrow morning.