Sipping a glass of Retsina

Sipping on a glass of Retsina, looking up at the half moon, surrounded by banana trees, sunflowers and roses. Cicadas chirp contentedly and Nikolas' little daughter runs around excitedly. He is watering the garden in the cool of the evening.

Went for another swim at Meloi after the sun had left the beach - only one other person there at the other end of the beach. I just rode into town and bought some drinks - once again I'm not feeling all that hungry and wont bother getting dinner. I'll get something tomorrow night.

I truly love this place and I haven't even visited the historic sites I came here for.

Isle of Patmos

Oh my God, now I've finally landed in paradise. This place is perfect, so much so that I've changed my ferry ticket and will stay an extra night here. Nikolas picked me up at the port as promised and took me to his place on the outskirts of the town. Skala is only a small town and the monastery isn't anywhere near as huge and dominatinng as I expected. The white houses of Hora are beckoning me from atop the hill - I'll visit in the morning. Nikolas' studios are great and even have little kitchens - I can imagine coming here for a week or two with Nadia and having a brilliant time. 

I went for a walk over the hill at the back to Meloi beach - took about 10 minutes. A  fantastic, secluded little cove with a handful of people enjoying the quiet beach, the water flat and calm. A yacht lay at anchor - what a great thing to do too, although it's almost a bit too cliched!

Onboard the Pride of the Dodecanese

Well, I  could hardly be happier, on board a catamaran, zipping across the Aegean towards Patmos. We're running a bit late but who cares.

I'm glad I added this little diversion before heading for Rhodes - it's been great already and can only get better shortly. Spoke to my darling Nadia earlier for about half an hour - She'll be on her plane flying this way in less than three days - yay!!

Almost there. I've been having a lovely time listening to a variety of songs, which have certainly put me in the right frame of mind for my imminent pilgrimage. Chris de Burgh's song "The Risen Lord" captures something of what I was trying to write last night. There is some ancient, deep, inexpressible spiritual connection that can be made to the heart of the resurrection but few people get past the debates abot its literal truth or otherwise and so miss out. Paul did Christians a great disservice by insisting that Christianity stands or falls on the resurrection - but I wonder if he meant a literal resurrection. Probably not and anyway, in his theology "resurrection" and "ascension", "glorification" or "vindication" meant the same thing.  Other songs - "Crusader" - there is something about the Crusades that does touch me deeply - I am susceptible to its call and can't judge those men who chose to wear the cross all those centuries ago. It appeals because it would be so much easier if the world were black and white, like in any fairytale, like in Lord of the Rings, like in much of the Bible, e.g. that book penned on the island I'm about to land on. My reality is anything but - there doesn't seem to be any movement or cause that isn't somehow compromised or corrupted or simply not what I really believe in. "I'd join the movement, if there was one I could believe in, I'd break bread and wine, if there were a church I could receive in" - Bono's words but my feelings for the past 15 years at least.

The song that touched me most deeply was "In a Country Churchyard" - a simple wedding day in the distant past then years, decades, centuries later, a visitor to the overgrown churchyard is reminded of what lasts - it is love, only love. That is what I want to say to my darling Nadia, the love of my heart and my soul. It is our love that will last and that is the whole purpose of our existence - to love and cherish each other every day for the rest of our lives, until that day comes for us when we are ready to fly...

Kos by night

Just finished a very enjoyable, leisurely ride around some of the ancient sites here - the Roman odeum, some mosaics and frescos plus a reconstructed Roman house from the 3rd century. Last night after dinner I meandered around with the dynamo switched on, admiring the town at night and taking some photos.

I headed off to bed, "ke-li-nich-ta", and ended up watching a German TV  channel for over an hour - an interesting report on Islam in Europe and elsewhere. It took a somewhat alarmist line but ended by saying Europe's Muslims have the chance to lead Islam worldwide into a new era of democracy and openness. It's a difficult question - just what does your average Muslim think about things like conversion to another religion? It reminds me a bit of fuundamentalist Christianity - if you corner them, they will admit that they think followers of other religions are heading for eternal damnation. That's a bit different to believing a Muslim who converts to another religion should be killed, though. That sort of belief ended in Christianity with the religious wars of the 16th-17th century. So Islam has a few hundred years of catching up to do.