June

I am beginning to write from a cool Athenian yard. One of those hidden suburban yards that is very old Athens –it has lemon trees, a big jasmine plant, iron benches, sleepy cats and way too many clay pots. But the most beautiful thing about this yard isn’t actually in it: it is the neighboring huge and really old pine tree, that right now is full of noisy doves and sparrows. This is my favorite time to be here; it is breezy and I like hearing the birds.

I am getting familiar with writing to you again and I guess I needed this intro; if I were to start right away, I would tell you that summer is finally here and I am moved and excited, because a) I love it so and b) because after a long, difficult Greek winter, it felt like summer would never come. But here it is. Polaroid memories bursting; building an wild appetite for more! Here, summer balances charmingly between sweetness and frenzy, the way one can feel a Zen serenity dancing among two thousand people at an island traditional panigiri.

It is this cocktail of extroversion and solitude that I welcome with joy every June.

Re-connecting with a long list of summer favorites is like re-discovering who we really are. Awkwardly at first, we wear our teenage shoes and triumph in them; We wear them and we join the crowd that is watching the falling stars while wishing upon them, lying on beaches and rooftops, camping sites and village balconies.

Summer brings gifts; always.

photos by christos drazos

words by maria alipranti