Jeff—Saturday
After seven weeks on the road for book conferences and
events, we’re back on Mykonos. The first
few days were overcast and chilly, but by the end of the week it was blue skies
and warming weather. All is returning to normal. Except for my car, which died
suddenly as it struggled up a hill. But
even that will be better soon. Or so the mechanic says…assuming the part gets
here from Athens on a “timely” basis.
Barbara has a friend visiting for a few days and her reaction
to the island reminds me of why I never talk about how things “used to be” to a
newbie visitor. She loves it. Fascinated
and enchanted. Yep, that succinctly sums
it up.
I’m fascinated and enchanted too, but at something
different. What has my attention these days are Mykonos local elections,
pitting the current mayor against a former mayor who unexpectedly resigned in
the middle of his fifth term three mayors ago. But now he’s back, having
assembled much of his old team for a run at it again. The current mayor is holding his ground and
barbs are flying.
The good news is that the end is in sight because elections
are on Sunday, May 26th, the same day as European Parliament
Elections. The smart money is on a runoff mayoral election the following Sunday,
June 2—which just happens to be the anniversary of my Bar Mitzvah, a fact I’m
certain is almost as interesting to the world at large as a faraway island’s
local elections.
There are claims by all parties running a candidate—a third
party is in the mix—that this election holds the ultimate fate of the island in
the balance. Truth is, that balance tipped some time ago. What is really at stake is who does the
electorate trust to handle the new order?
In that debate lie the barbs. And
they are sharp.
I shall not go into them here, because I wish to remain
welcome on the island, but they’re in keeping with what the USA is poised to
experience in its 2020 elections.
Thankfully, in a week—or two at most—life will be back to
normal here on Mykonos, which in most civilized parts of the planet would clearly
qualify as paranormal.
I can’t wait. I love it when things go off the rails
ballistic. It inspires me to do what I do…write fiction on the edge of societal
change. Make that the sharp edge.
—Jeff
PS. All images are
from the Municipality of Mykonos website.
Posts
I bet you are glad to be back. this summer I am here for three days then away, then back...then away then back until September. Forwards and backwards so much I feel I'm in the cast of river dance.
ReplyDeleteBut no one can do the dance steps the way you do, Caro. And yes, it's great to be back.
DeleteYou'll have to get used to it, Caro. When you're rich and famous, you'll be jetting around the world captivating audiences with your tales. Like Jeff.
ReplyDeleteYou're absolutely right, Stan. Only one slight error, the final word is misleading as it should have been spelled out as "Jeffery."
DeleteGlad to see you're back safely, Jeff. If you're back busy writing, you won't need that bucket of bolts anyway.
ReplyDeleteYeah, but Barbara's trapped without it! Thankfully it's back in action. The Jimny I mean.
DeleteI wish everyone i n Greece the best. I cannot imagine NOT enjoying time there.
ReplyDeleteLet me chime in on the elections. We've had a first-hand taste of elections here on 'our hill' in the Peloponnese. For more than two years we were told our storm-damaged road wouldn't be repaired 'until the election' (meaning that it would either be repaired by the election in order to get votes or after by some new person who'd won the hearts of voters -of which we are not). In March the equipment arrived, dug out the bad spots and left. . .then concrete trucks arrived in May and patches were made to the bad spots above us. One load was dumped on 'our' section of road which obviously needs one or two more truckloads to be 'patched', not 'repaired'. A visit to the Mayor's office by our neighbors resulted in being shown a letter from the contractor saying the road work was complete. . .photos from the neighbors shot that claim down. . .so the contractor was returning . . .still we wait for the contractor, Godot, or the election. Ahhh, such is the entertainment afforded by local elections . . .welcome back!
ReplyDeleteYep, that's a time-honored tradition around Greece, roads get paved just before elections. The rains were so bad on Mykonos that it looks as if they served as the scene for a re-enactment of the Dresden bombings during WWII. The big downside is that the rains have continued making it impossible to pave...so Mykonians may have to wait another four years for repairs to the foxhole-size challenges to driving.
DeleteThough, come to think of it, there is another possible way to get your road paved. Twenty-five years or so ago I was on Patmos for the Apocalypsis ... 1900th anniversary of the Book of Revelation. The festivities included a visit by virtually all the Patriarchs of the Orthodox Church. It was quite an impressive sight and for a week before their arrival all the island was abuzz with sprucing up--including laying fresh asphalt everywhere the Patriarchs would visit. That inspired a lot of locals to think their roads would be paved, but as things turned out, the paving ended wherever the road would no longer be in view to the visitors. So, if your house happened to be around a bend or over a hill, fugedaboutit. :)
In Mpumalanga province in South Africa, potholes are so big that local residents have been known to plant trees in them or use them as plunge pools.
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