Return to Astypalaia

Somewhere in the Aegean Sea all the way at the end of the Agony Gramme lies Astypalaia, the butterfly shaped island. Looking east on a crystal clear day you can see Kos, and maybe the Turkish coast beyond. 

 Astypalaia is last stop on the Blue Star Ferry line, about a twelve hour voyage from Piraeus port. The ferry leaves in the blazing late afternoon heat and arrives under cover of darkness in the middle of the night. No way I'm taking that route. A short one hour flight from Athens on a small prop plane will suit me fine.

I have visited this island many times, it is my second home. Unfortunately, due to the Covid pandemic I have not made it home for the last two years. I've missed the Aegean, the absolute quiet broken by gusts of wind and tinkling goat bells. But I wax poetic. It is beauty with a harsh edge. The heat on a still day will break me, leaving my mind unmoored, floating in an uneasy delirium.

I will arrive on the island June 28th with my friend and traveling companion Andrea. We are volunteers on a bioarchaeology project that is excavating the Kylindra site, the world's largest neonatal cemetery. Follow this link for more detail on the project.

 https://sites.google.com/site/fieldschoolastypalaia/

More soon

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