Lock down vacation
Signing the lease, part 2
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There was nothing else for me to do the next morning, except jump in the Pagasetic Gulf. The water was April brisk, but the freshness instantaneously washed away all the layers of doubt and worry. As I came up for air and looked up into the clear blue sky, I felt my heart burst with optimism. As I walked up the stone path back to the cottage, I was met by the Greek owner who handed me the most perfect lemon, wished me Kalimera and continued on his way.
I wasn’t meeting the owners of the house until late afternoon so I had the day to meet a friend and do a bit of hiking on one of the many Kalderimi. The hillsides are laced with these stone donkey trails which were once the main mode of transportation that linked the 27 villages dotted across the Pelion Peninsula. There will be many detailed future posts in the future about these hiking trails because my plan is to explore all of them.
Finally it was time to meet the owners and see the inside of the house - no broken windows, tile floor was intact, plenty of hot water, a properly working toilet, it was “simply enough.” Theses two words have recently become my new personal philosophy. It just needed a bit of elbow grease, a fresh coat of paint, maybe a new stove, and a whole lot of love. I called Jonathan before signing the lease, just to make sure, to which he replied, “hell yes.” Finally after four months of obsessing, and years of talking about living on the Mediterranean, it was finally happening.
Cheers!