Most of the memories from my life have already faded. Without outside support and help, I forget much of my past life. Of course, there are flashbacks and fleeting memories, and I call them fleeting because if I don't focus quickly and intensely on them, they disappear as soon as they appear.
What I consider supportive and helpful is that someone who has similar memories to me can remind me of them and help me with details that may trigger other information in my head.
I can even get more help from photographers. Most of the time, when I look at a photograph, I recall the context in which it was taken and can retrieve the story.
Like me, something dramatic happened that suddenly erased most of my memories. It was a fire that destroyed my house, along with everything in it, including all the photos of my childhood and adolescence, my parents, relatives, and friends, as well as the places where I grew up, learned, and lived for most of my life.
Now I can use the more recent photos as a memory aid, just like these eight-year-olds, who, whenever I look at them, transport me to the joy and wonder I had on my first trip to Greece. The sea and the color blue are two of my passions. I can say that I have explored the Black Sea, both in Romania and to some extent in Bulgaria.
When I received a vacation to Thassos Island as a gift from my son in 2017, I saw the Aegean Sea for the first time, a Mediterranean sea on a different level than my own Black Sea.
What follows now, and every Thursday from now on, will be a kind of photo reportage of the vacations I had on the island of Thassos over the past three years. I've written dozens of times about those places in travel and photography blogs, but now I think it's time for a final recap —a personal diary that will remain as long as this blockchain and Hive exist. Perhaps my photos will disappear, or the storage locations where I keep them will be destroyed. I want them to remain somewhere, for my family and me, and for anyone who might be interested.
My wife and I were unprepared for our encounter with the Greek coast. We had only seen tourist movies and photos, and had an opinion that, once we arrived on the island, it would change completely.
As I said, we have been to Thassos three years in a row, 2017 - 2019, when the pandemic stopped us and ruined our plan to travel there every remaining year of our lives. That's why we sometimes have to wonder why God laughs.
God always laughs when we plan for the future and expect it to happen as we planned.
Today's memory I want to put between two doors. Doors and windows, especially if they're old, offer an image that I like.
We have always traveled to the same place: Thassos, specifically Limenaria, and stayed at the same hotel, Hotel Karagiannis. This is a clear sign that we were more than satisfied with what we received. That pleased us, who have certain expectations that are certainly not like those of other people, and that's why I'm sure others will not be as enthusiastic about the place...
Give everyone what they want, and they will be happy!
... speaks the "philosopher" in me, contaminated by the fact that I have stepped on the ground of the great Greek philosophers of antiquity.
The time has come to start what I call photo-reportage, forcing me to chronicle the events as they happened. This is where the help I get from the photographs comes in, which are arranged in the order in which the events unfolded.
Our journey from Romania was made by car, which took us to the seashore on the edge of mainland Greece. From there, it was only a short sea journey to the island.
A short trip at sea, only half an hour, but for which we used most of the photos, because for us it was another absolute premiere. It was the first time we traveled by ferry and the first time we traveled by sea.
It was the first time I saw a ferry.
In the harbor, the sea water was a blue-greenish color, and there were lots of fish, probably attracted by the food they were getting from the tourists.
Once we leave the harbor, the sea turns deep blue.
Thassos is a mountainous island that suddenly appears before us.
The ferry that connects the mainland to the island is like a kind of bus for the locals, but for me it's a pretty scary novelty. We're afraid of the water, and I remember that we didn't have a smooth crossing. The thought that there were dozens or hundreds of meters of water under our feet was not reassuring.
Fortunately, the crossing was over quickly and we were reassured to feel the land under our feet again, even if it was the land of an island.
They were only doing it for the first time on this vacation. Limenaria was located on the opposite side of the island from the ferry port. Another half-hour drive followed, and so I can say I saw the first beach on the island—such a small beach with only four tourists on it.
When we arrived in Limenaria, we found ourselves in front of a small town that the Greeks call a village, which surprised me a lot. Our first concern was to take a small tour of the city, to get comfortable, and also to get to know the place.
The evening caught us near the small beach in the city center, near the harbor.
At night, it was just like during the day; everyone was out strolling, shopping, or on the terraces. This crowding, beyond the Greek socializing habits, I later understood, had another cause. Avoiding the heat during the day.
I love old doors, and the house doors are highly photogenic.
I want to close the door of this first post with this one, which, together with the wall of the house, evokes the colors of the Greek flag.
I rely mostly on photos in all my blogs. Words don't help me as much as photos.
I always start with photos when I want to write a blog. Photos remind me of places, events, and feelings that turn into words.
I make this statement as a plea to those reading not to overjudge the text and to focus on the photos.
A wise saying goes that a photograph is worth a thousand words, but I don't think so..
It depends on the viewer.
I'm watching you!!
