Instinctively my right hand reaches out to cover my ring finger, as if searching for the little gold band that I dropped into the rubbish bin the day Antonio left.
‘I want to move on. But I’m thirty-one years old and all I know is how to be a mum and a breadwinner. Financially I’ve had a rough time and I’m only just at the right end of that now. This is my dream job and it’s how I pay the bills. Beyond that, well, I’m facing a future that is all new territory.’
Iliana approaches with a tray laden with small plates. We move our glasses as she lays out two linen placemats, napkins and cutlery. The smell of onions, tomatoes and lamb makes my mouth begin to water.
‘I hope you like Greek cuisine. We have dolmadakia, stuffed vine leaves; this is tomatokeftedes, which are fritters; then souvlaki, or meat skewers and Iliana’s special garlic dip. And a little Greek salad on the side. Please, help yourself, Leah.’
Daniel raises his wine glass to his lips and I watch every single movement. From the way his hand wraps around the glass, to the fact that his eyes close as he savours a mouthful of wine. I notice that the hairs on his forearm are golden brown, in sharp contrast to his deep brown skin. He skewers a dolmadakia on his fork and bites it in half.
‘Um … lovely, thank you Iliana.’ She bows her head, a little smile wavering about her mouth as I realise she was watching me, watching Daniel.
‘Could we have a little more wine please, Iliana?’ Daniel asks. ‘And maybe a jug of iced water. Thank you. This is delicious and I appreciate you helping out today.’
When she’s no longer in sight Daniel leans in a little, lowering his voice.
‘Iliana is usually here for a couple of hours each day to look after the villa but when the whole team is around we often pay her to cook dinner for us. It’s as good as any restaurant if not better. Thanos kindly arranged for her to be here today to help out. He’s keen to impress you.’
My mouth is already savouring the flavourful delights of dolmadakia. The rice is delicately flavoured with herbs and together with the yoghurt and garlic dip, my stomach is very happy indeed.
After a leisurely lunch, the girls insist we join them in the pool. It’s a bit of an awkward moment but Rosie is aware that I packed a bikini with a chiffon sarong. Eventually I give in and go to change out of my clothes. When I return Daniel is sitting on the edge of the pool in shorts and a T-shirt. I’m rather surprised, assuming he’d want to jump in and swim with Bella, but she doesn’t complain.
I’m happy enough to sit alongside him, thankful that I packed my sarong. Rosie insists on spraying us with her sun blocker and we spend a pleasant hour chatting and laughing as the girls do laps up and down the length of the pool.
Mid-afternoon, Daniel suggests we take a little stroll around the garden to discover a shady corner under the trees. The row of sunbeds beckons to me enticingly, perfect for a little snooze now we’re all drowsy from eating lunch. But first he takes me on a stroll past the level below the pool and we stand looking down onto a long, sandy beach that curves away in the distance.
‘That’s Astir Beach Club. Astir beach is in Vouliagmeni. You can see the long lines of loungers with their rectangular, white parasols stretching out along the swathe of sand. The water here, as you can see, is crystal clear and it’s a wonderful place to come for a day out.’
It looks elegantly displayed, rather than the usual haphazard chaos of a beach resort.
‘It’s a little village,’ Daniel adds. ‘There are restaurants and various eateries, designer boutiques; you can get a massage or take a walk around a scattering of ancient ruins that are on display to remind you of where you are. If you have time it’s well worth a visit.’
‘It’s something I’ll write up in my article but sadly we leave for the UK on Friday morning. Rosie has her heart set on seeing all the local sights which are within walking distance of the hotel. I think it’s going to be a rather hectic two days and by Friday we’ll be flagging, I suspect and ready for the trip home.’
‘So, you’ll be sightseeing tomorrow and Thursday?’
I nod my head. He’s standing probably no more than a foot away from me and when he turns his head to face me I can feel the warmth of his breath on the side of my cheek. Our eyes meet and suddenly I could be anywhere. Anywhere at all, because all I can register is the intensity with which Daniel is staring back at me.
‘Could we join you, perhaps? I’ve promised Bella we’d do the tour. I … um, we were going to make a start today but we delayed after getting the phone call, yesterday afternoon, saying you were coming here. When Thanos said you had a young daughter it seemed too good to be true. There’s no one here for Bella to hang around with and they do need the company of other kids. Anyway, I know my way around all the ancient sites … and it might be good for the girls to share the experience. You know, save them getting bored when there’s only an adult around. What do you think?’ he asks.
I feel heady and a little breathless. My heart is pounding and I can only hope my cheeks look sun-kissed and not blushingly red.
‘I’d love that … I mean, we’d love that. On the proviso that you allow me to return your hospitality and I foot the bill for the food and drinks.’
His face creases up into a perfect smile. ‘You strike a hard bargain, Leah, but if those are your terms then it’s a deal. We’ll meet you in the hotel reception at nine-thirty in the morning?’
‘Nine-thirty it is, then. We’d better break the news to the girls.’
‘Prepare for a little squealing and jumping around,’ Daniel throws the words over his shoulder as we walk back towards them. They won’t be the only ones wanting to do a little happy dance. I’m extremely excited about the next couple of days and suddenly I feel that fate is smiling down on us. Certainly, this is one development I hadn’t envisaged.
The Main Attraction
It’s a little strange at first, setting off for a day out exploring Athens as if we are a family of four. The girls walk a couple of paces in front of us, chattering away noisily as if they’ve known each other forever. It’s good to see Rosie so relaxed and happy.
‘They’re getting on well, aren’t they?’ Daniel’s voice breaks my train of thought.
‘Yes. Rosie has had a lot of adult company in her young life and I often feel she’s older than her years. Does Bella have any siblings?’
I turn to look at Daniel, letting my eyes linger for a few seconds as a little thrill fills my stomach with butterflies.
‘No. It’s rough on the kids, isn’t it? Tricia and I parted quite amicably after selling the house. I guess it’s less stressful when you don’t have to go through formal divorce proceedings, you simply divide everything up. I bought a place a stone’s throw from the university and Tricia bought a town house near Bella’s school. It was a tough decision to say yes to this secondment and be away from Bella for so long, though.’
‘How did Tricia take it? I assume that normally you see Bella on a regular basis?’
‘Yes, most weekends up to that point although there were a few months when that plan went awry. But Bella was having behavioural issues at school and for the first time ever Tricia was the one to encourage me to join the project. The first two years after our split were difficult for several reasons and she thought my absence from the day-to-day workings of their lives for a year would allow Bella to finally accept our situation.’
He shrugs his shoulders, like most single parents accepting that you make decisions based on what you think is the right thing to do. Whether that turns out to be the case, is another matter.
I see that Rosie has the map in her hand, but I notice she isn’t using it and we retrace our steps from Monday evening as we head towards the Acropolis. As we pass the entrance to the new museum I turn to look at Daniel again.
‘It’s an amazing building and a huge surprise, isn’t it?’ I say. ‘So modern and yet cleverly tied in with the past with touches that show the thought that has gone into the design.’
<
br /> He smiles across at me and we stare at each other for a second, or two. He seems pleased I’ve taken the time to find out a little bit about the museum before our visit.
‘It’s been contentious, to say the least. Now it’s fully up and running I think a lot of people can see it’s a fitting tribute to the past, while embracing the future. But opinion will always be divided as feelings run deep and always will. Personally, I think it reflects what archaeology is all about, though; looking at the past to see how it helps to shape the future. But it takes a visionary to create something this insightful. I can’t wait to show you around but we need to head up to the Acropolis first, because it’s going to be a scorcher again. By lunchtime we’ll be more than ready to find a little shade.’
I nod, turning my eyes back to check out the girls, who are giggling away over some private little joke.
‘Kids never fail to surprise and delight you, do they?’ I speak out loud the words running through my head.
‘That’s for sure,’ Daniel replies and I wonder if he was thinking the exact same thing.
As we start the long, gentle climb on the wide, pedestrianised street leading up to the entrance to the Acropolis, I pull out my camera and begin snapping away. To the right of us the heady perfume from a cascade of jasmine in flower makes a perfect picture. Then I scan back around taking a few snaps of the girls. To the left-hand side the houses front onto the wide pavement, which is laid with part-marble, part-stone paving. These are grand houses built from local stone, with wide ornate doors and entrances. Some have wonderful wrought ironwork balconies and beautiful detailing such as stone cornices. Many have ornate gates to the side which hint at secret gardens tucked away behind them. Snap, snap, snap. Each door is completely different and adds immense character making every one unique. As I stop to glance up at the balconies looking out over the thoroughfare, I think about the affluent people who have inhabited these houses over the years. What a view and what a place to live.
‘You seem to be obsessed with doors,’ Daniel comments, and I stop what I’m doing to fall back in line with him.
‘They draw my eye, that’s all. I love how each of these houses is so different, the finishing touches giving them their own sense of style. Look at that one with the double doors and the raised, pink marble-clad steps leading up to it. What a grand entrance and so fitting for the Acropolis hill, which surely must have been a desirable address stretching way back in time.’
Here, thankfully, there is little graffiti to spoil the sense of grandeur. I turn to my right, pointing to an area peeking out from amongst the greenery and Daniel follows my gaze.
‘That’s an outdoor theatre; we’ll get a great view of that from up on top.’
The girls are slowing their pace a little, as they have wandered away from the grand, marble pathway. They meander in and out of the shrubs and small trees abutting the gentle slopes to our right. The shady pathway runs parallel to the street. I catch a brief glimpse of some stone ruins nestling among the trees, but walk on past, eager to start the real climb we have ahead of us.
The slope of the path beneath our feet is now beginning to bite a little on my calf muscles. Daniel steers us across onto the grass verge and we, too, begin following the smaller path that is now winding its way around the bottom of the hill. It begins to peel away from the main pedestrian area. A large sign indicates that it leads up to a car park.
‘Mum, there are some cats wandering around over here. We’ve seen four already,’ Rosie calls out, sounding concerned.
Daniel immediately explains the situation. ‘There are a lot of cats in Athens, Rosie. They breed in the wild and don’t really belong to any one home, as they do in the UK. The climate is kind to them all year round and they visit their favourite places where they know they will be fed. Sometimes a house will have two or three cats who visit them daily and that’s how they prefer to live.’
I keep my voice low. ‘I’ve read about that and was rather hoping Rosie wouldn’t really notice it was any different over here. It must be really sad to witness when a cat is sick and doesn’t have anyone to take care of it.’
Daniel and I exchange a wary look.
‘There are volunteers who get involved and local animal welfare groups. There’s no threat of rabies, or anything like that. The cats still mark out their territories and the ones who live up on the hill will each have their own domain. But people are very good about feeding them and most manage to find more than enough to eat. It’s not quite as bad as you might think.’
I just hope Rosie doesn’t start getting upset about it, as to her they should all have a home and someone to take care of them.
This path is rather pretty, the trees providing some welcome shade from the sun. The lower slopes are quite green in comparison to the stark, pale stone walls and buttresses at the top of the hill, beneath the plateau. As we walk, birds skitter in and out looking for morsels to eat amongst the shrubs.
‘The cluster of ancient buildings on top of Acropolis hill have extensive views; very handy for spotting invaders.’ Daniel jokes with the girls now we’ve finally caught up with them. He begins to explain the purpose of this incredible building feat. ‘You can see how steep this hill is as we begin the climb just up here. We need to take care on those steps, girls, and watch your footing as the marble can be a little slippery in places. The monuments show the splendour and incredible wealth of Athens during the fifth century. This was a Herculean task and it would have been dangerous work for the people involved.’
Rosie spins around. ‘What does Herculean mean?’
Daniel glances across at me and smiles, then rests his gaze upon Rosie.
‘Sorry, Rosie. Hercules was a Greek hero and the son of Zeus. Hercules was famous far and wide for his great strength and he was even stronger than many of the Greek gods.’
‘They held the first Olympic Games here, didn’t they Dad?’ Bella chimes in.
Daniel looks pleased. ‘Yes, Bella, they did. Hercules’ father was known as the Olympian Zeus. In ancient times, this was also regarded as a sacred place, so imagine how many people have travelled this very path.’
Daniel has a way of making historical facts interesting and the girls seem to be lapping it up.
‘Before you guys head back to the villa we should all return to the hotel and go up on the roof terrace. You get an amazing view of the hill from there.’
Daniel nods, flashing me a smile.
‘When you see how steep the drop is around the plateau at the top you realise what an achievement it was to build the temples. We are talking about ordinary people without the benefit of Hercules’ great strength, who laboured for years and years. For many it must have been their life’s work.’
‘But the rich people wouldn’t have done any work, would they?’ Rosie reflects.
‘No. But it had to be a team effort. Imagine the people who sat down with a blank piece of paper and it was their job to design temples fit for their gods. When you see the remains up close you’ll understand that it took vision and a lot of wealth to make it happen. We are in one of the world’s oldest cities and even today, with modern building techniques making the seemingly impossible possible, these remains are still awe-inspiring.’
The real climb has begun and stretching ahead of us now we take the first in a series of flights of marble steps on our ascent. Hand-hewn paths intercept and lead off either side to create little terraces which give us all a break from the constant climb. Daniel and I stop for a moment to enjoy the view before we catch up once again to the girls.
We’re now walking in a tight little group as we dovetail in behind the snake of people making their way up to the entrance.
At the top of the steps we reach an open area that has a gentle slope to it. That too is mostly covered with marble slabs of varying sizes. Several large groups of people from the coaches in the car park below are congregating ready for their tours to begin. But there are lots of families, backpackers and coupl
es all converging on the ticket office. It’s less slippery up here but I’m glad we all have rubber-soled footwear.
Once the tickets have been purchased. we head towards the entrance to the site itself. We enter via large, double gates and from here on there’s nothing at all to obscure the views. We are, at last, climbing the pinnacle of the sacred rock.
‘It’s busy already,’ I remark as Daniel tells the girls to make sure they stay in front of us at all times.
‘I think we timed it just right, as once those coach parties set off that’s quite a mass of people.’
The route ahead has the effect of funnelling the stream of visitors as it narrows. The steps are wide enough for people to pass on either side. There is a handrail, but this is a hill which is beginning to feel more like a mountain to me, as we climb. You don’t have to look far to see the rocky edge falling away steeply, even if the sheer drop is a very safe distance from the public pathways. The gentle breeze does help, but the sun is already shining mercilessly down upon us. With no shade at all, I can’t help but think that Daniel was right and at noon it will be unbearably hot. That’s obviously why people head up here early in the morning or, I suspect, towards the tail end of the day.
We climb up onto a rather crowded, flat area before the next steeper set of steps begin, which are much narrower. With quite a volume of people either stopping to look at the views or chatting, we literally steer the girls carefully through the crowd. Others have stopped to take photos and it is a little harrowing from my perspective, with narrow ledges and some very irregular-sized steps. My legs wobble slightly as my fear of heights begins to take over. Fortunately, I follow Daniel’s lead as he grabs Bella’s hand. I’m relieved to hold onto Rosie as we climb the steep, almost vertical steps on the next part of our journey.
Rising high above us are the majestic columns of the gateway to the site. I’m trying my best not to show the mounting anxiety I’m feeling. Knowing that the higher we climb, the quicker the drop behind us is increasing, doesn’t help matters. I try not to dwell on how I’m going to deal with it when the time comes to retrace our steps. Looking down as we descend isn’t going to be quite as easy as the upward climb. Daniel seems to sense my discomfort; when we hit the top step it begins to level out as we walk beneath the towering stone structure. He hangs back so that Rosie and I can go on ahead. I give him a very grateful smile.
A Greek Affair Page 11