The Sifnos Chronicler: travelling a Greek isle
I first met Michael Ellis when he was trying to decide if he, an Englishman from Cambridge, could live happily year-round on one of Greece's Cyclades islands. After moving to Sifnos and marvelling that he lives among such beauty and human kindness for more than 10 years now, the answer is … most definitely yes.
"This is the best time of year on Sifnos. You know that," someone from there said when, with the magic of WhatsApp, I was speaking to her a few weeks ago. I do indeed. For a flower lover like me, April on this Greek island is pure heaven. It's when the rains of the past winter and the warmth of the spring sun conspire to bring forth wildflowers everywhere.
Ship engines thrum. Seagulls swoop overhead. Workers in fluorescent green vests stand about on the pier. Vehicles sit, waiting, in rows. In time, cars and trucks start to roll up the ramp and, with an efficiency I've seen often before, are soon settled on board. A deep toot of its horn, puffs of smoke from the stack, and the big white ferry slips away from the dock.
"I love your blog," said an email I woke up to one morning. What writer doesn't love to hear something like that? "Sifnians are indeed the kindest people we have met on our travels," the note went on. This person and I agree on much, I could already tell.
Not long ago, I came across this photograph that I took once on Sifnos, and the memories it brought back made me smile. Ripe nectarines. A warm lemon cake. Fresh island eggs. A chunk of Cretan cheese. Our landlady, whose studio my husband and I were renting for a month, would leave a treat on our kitchen table every day, something different each time.