Recharging the batteries
- willa
- Sep 19
- 3 min read
It's been a little quiet here the last few weeks, and this weekend I am showing you the reason. We all need to get out sometimes, and the way I switch off from my very busy life in the noisy, frenetic city of London is by escaping to a wild and remote place once a year.
Every year I go to the very Southern tip of Europe. I usually spend one week in an area called Sfakia on the South coast of Crete, and one week on the tiny island of Gavdos, about 50km South of Crete. It is the very last bastion of Europe deep into the Lybian Sea. "You do the same thing every year...?!" some people ask me. And yes, I do - I find that it is the best way to recharge my batteries.
I love the wildness, the landscape, the endless deserted beaches, the dry, majestic mountains you can hike in for days - and the friendly people, many of whom have become friends and whose kids I've seen grow up in the last 10 or 12 years.
Apart from that, it is a place full of history. Gavdos is the island known as "Ogygia" in Greek mythology, where the nymph Calypso held Odysseus hostage for 10 years. When you go there, you understand why Odysseus was in no hurry to escape; it is so beautiful!
Today, as in the old times, it is not for the faint-hearted: the boats don't always go, so you could get stuck for a while, and that also means that sometimes there is fresh food (this year we were lucky), and sometimes you have to eat dried bread. At night, lights can go on and off... but does it matter if you know the hot sun will return in the morning? Things are slow at Gavdos, which is perfect if you come from London and want to leave behind the frenetic pace of the big city.
On my way back to London I went for for one last day-long hike along the Southern coast of Crete, and visited a favourite and special place: the tiny church of Agios Pavlos (St Paul) on the beach near Agia Roumelli. It is the spot where Saint Paul landed after being shipwrecked. According to local belief, a well opened up on the spot (although there happen to be many sweet water wells on the beaches of Crete and Gavdos) and the good Saint started baptising the Cretans. Who knows?
What we do know is that another Saint, John the Stranger (Ioannis Xenos) built a little Byzantine church in the late 10th Century. Inside are beautiful remnants of frescos.
When looking at the frescos it always strikes me how lively they are, and how much they look like the local people today. The church is still in use and there is a profound sense of prayer; you don't need to be a Christian (I am not) to appreciate it. So before moving on with my hike I sat down in the coolness for a while to enjoy the deep sense of stillness and beauty.
The next day I flew back home, and I have uploaded a few new treasures for you since. You can find all my current stock here, and if you always want to see the latest additions, follow me on Instagram.
Happy weekend everyone, and find some stillness! 🕊
This week's new treasures:
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