Greek Island Folegandros Charms CNN | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

Greek Island Folegandros Charms CNN | Greece.GreekReporter.com Latest News from Greece

"The Greek island Folegandros is included on CNN’s list of seven most beautiful villages in Europe. In fact, CNN compares Folegandros with the famous island of Santorini, saying though, that Folegandros is better."

Visitors Flock to Folegandros Island

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2013/05/24/visitors-flock-to-folegandros-island/

"only in Folegandros and Sicily in Italy, one can find lemon houses, which are stone fortresses that protect the lemon trees from strong winds."

I've been to Folegandros twice, but don't remember seeing "lemon houses".  "Lemon houses" conjured up to me a house "whitewashed" with lemon tinted paint!  Sometimes white "whitewash" has a bluish coloured tint.

Folegandros Cottage

On my first visit to Folegandros in 1991, I stayed in a small one roomed cottage. When I say cottage, you may imagine something far grander than it really was. Just one room. Two thirds of the floor area was taken up by a double bed that touched the walls at three sides. On the other side a bedside table, and a couple of folding chairs. There was a ledge in the wall behind the bed. That was it! I enjoyed staying there! There were sheep in a barn next door, and a bathroom outside - often with a donkey tethered outside. I went back to see the cottage a few years later. Admittedly, it was a wet day. I noticed the goatskins drying nearby and the tannery, and animal smells. Not at all idyllic on that day.
　
As soon as I got off the bus in 1991, I was offered the cottage. I walked with my landlord-to-be down a lane to the edge of the Chora. And there was the mini one roomed cottage, with the detached outside bathroom with superb views of the monastery. To the left was a stone barn with sheep. On some nights there was a donkey parked outside my door. The building on the other side was being converted for residential use. It was just off the track leading to what looked like an open-air disco - which was shut. Beyond was on olive grove. Perhaps not such an idyllic location when the disco was open. The cost? 500 dr. a night.
　
Was it a cottage, or was it a barn or sty? It was comfortable enough with its stone walls, beamed ceiling, large bed that almost filled the room and a convenient ledge in the wall behind, but my neighbours were animals! I felt in touch with the past, for this was not a cottage purpose built for tourists. There were all mod cons, across a yard, and I often had to pass a tethered donkey to do my ablutions. I say all mod cons, and so they appeared to be from inside, but outside there was a large water tank on the roof to which water was delivered by tanker. I never did work out the arrangements for delivering water. On the first day the landlord looked dubiously at the tank and said it might be OK if I had a shower the following day. I used the water sparingly and it never ran out during my stay. I saw no water delivered to my tank, either, although I did see water being delivered elsewhere in the Chora. In the centre of the village were a number of wells. There were also taps at the edge of the roads. I only used the latter for washing my hands when eating at tavernas, but I saw how the water supply would have been obtained from the streets before alternative arrangements were made to the houses. I enjoyed living in my cottage. When I went back to 'my' cottage a few years later, I saw the goatskins hanging all round the approach to the cottage. It was hard to see why I had found my stay in the little cottage so idyllic. Either the goatskins were not there in 1989, or I had not noticed them.

[1991]

Dinner-time conversation

What do you chat about over dinner? "Afbetaling" is the Danish for hire-purchase - hardly the stuff of a casual dinner-time conversation.

I was chatting over dinner to some Danish tourists on Folegandros. They spoke very good English. The only Danish word I could think of was "afbetaling", dating from when I was studying, amongst other things, Danish consumer credit legislation in Brussels.

It was these Danes who told me about the Easter walks with icons on Folegandros.  I have been on many Easter icon walks since, on Amorgos.