Wednesday's crumbs
Trip Start
Apr 30, 2008
1
27
31
Trip End
May 31, 2008
Chania,
Greece
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Bring along Mary, Bob and Joe
Ask anybody that you know
We're going to have a great big show
Join the talent roundup!
Round 'em up, bring 'em in
Everybody's sure to win
Step right up, here we go
Oh, what a rodeo!
Why is it that something like this will pop unaided into your consciousness while it is hopeless to remember in which watering hole you might have left the book you were reading last night?
Shift to a cafe on the shady and so far cool side of the harbor for pot of tea and a read, eschewing the accompanying biscuit. The soundtrack in this shot is a melange of bouzouki and tambourine over the cafe speakers, the clop of hooves on the cobbles as the tourist carriages trot into position, the farting of motorbikes, the conversations in Greek, German, and GodKnowsWhat, the horns of delivery trucks inching through the crowds long the wharf, stacked with cases of bottled water and beer. An old man in white shirt and black pants sits alone at a table over coffee watching the morning pass by, the smoke from his cigarette rising in a slender grey column in the still, sultry air.
The air is thick with cigarette smoke, even in this outdoor watering hole. Everyone in Greece smokes, though only while they are awake. There are ashtrays on all the restaurant tables; even seen them in some of the WCs. This is my first time on the continent that I haven't been smoking, myself. Tempting as it is at times, I know that draggin' dragon for what it is now.
Almost two hours later, the heat of the day is already oppressive in the sun and I scuttle along from one pocket of shade to another, stopping back in my room for a medicinal shot of cool ouzo which softens the glare of the midday streets. Down the quay, Lou Reed sings "Walk on the Wild Side" from a dim bar. Another 100 yards along and it's Brubeck diving into "Take 5."
Unable to face the prospect of an 8-hour layover at Heathrow on Saturday, I have reserved a room for the day at the Hilton at Terminal 4. Going into the city would really be a goose chase, adding in travel time and airport security and changing money. It's an unnecessarily lavish expense at 150 pounds sterling, but if BA actually gets me to London on time, I think I will deserve it.
I'm feeling a little guilty being here another day in Chania without venturing off to other island locales, my itinerary forever stamped with missed opportunities. But while I have only 4 days left in Greece, I'm unable to overcome with the lassitude and inertia that seem to come with a trip winding down. Denied the pleasures of a good meal for the moment, I'm determined to pass the day without purpose; an interregnum before the series of departure scenes begin; a spy in the waterfront cafes, practicing the role of a jaded and dissolute traveler in a foreign port. As long as the ouzo and plumbing hold out.
