A Pilgrimage to Pantokrator
We are just back from a wonderful afternoon with Stefanos and his family... We have eaten well; very very well.... !
Ionna said to me laughing 'Julia, you will be writing in your blog… Day 205, Julia's not gone running, she is eating and drinking in Greece and has gained 5 kilos...'
If Giorgos had his way, this would be the case... :)
Stefanos and his family are very generous hosts, they took great delight in us being with them, and showed enormous pleasure in seeing us enjoying all they gave us...
I told them that in the past year we have been ‘researching food’ around the world… We have eaten very delicious food everywhere, but that there is something about Greek food that calls us back again and again... If is very special indeed....
We sat together around a long table in the sun sharing an amazing feast, and ourselves... Spiros asked us whether we minded not understanding all that was being said.... There was much animated conversation, in Greek of course, and we sat amidst the big family embraced by them all....
Lack of a shared language made no difference to the truth of a friendship, that blossomed from the moment we stepped out of a taxi in May last year, and walked up the steep driveway of ‘Stefanos Place’, to be greeted by Stefanos himself, who served us coffee at a table with a bright red check table cloth on it.
Of course speaking Greek would allow a deepening of understanding and a sharing... But it was not necessary for being together and connecting over food, relaxing in the spring sunshine together....
Watching and listening allows an awareness of what is being said, so it felt like I did understand... I said this to Spiros, 'I feel like I am understanding because it is the language of the heart that counts...'
'And body language...' Ionna said... 'And tone too...' I added....
The language of the heart is the most powerful of all, communicating all that is needed... The giving and receiving of Love.
This morning we went hiking in the mountains... We had intended to walk for two hours to give us time to get ready to go to lunch... We drove up to Spartilas and parked on the edge of the steep rocky path....
The way was marked with red arrows because the Corfu challenge race has taken place recently and so the path was clear and easy to follow.... Clear but steep, very steep and very beautiful... Despite the severity of the climb and the challenging terrain, it was easier than we have become accustomed to in the land of the cactus and wild horses’ of St Lucia.... Easier underfoot and not so hot…!
We could have walked all day....
In the end we hiked for nearly 3 hours, and had a bit of a rush to get to lunch…! We nearly reached the top of mount Pantokrator before needing to turn so that we would not be late…!
There used to be a monastery at the top of the mountain and the name Pantokrator means the omnipotent lord of the universe; almighty ruler…
It is used especially of Christ and so without consciously choosing to do so, we had been on a pilgrimage on Easter Sunday in Corfu to the top of the world… celebrating this magnificent planet, celebrating being alive, celebrating love and connection…
