Patmos, Beaches and Swimming in the Aegean

When I was growing up, I loved to swim. After failing swimming lessons offered at the pool at Ole Miss when I was four years old, Mom and Dad took me out to Sardis Lake, and Mom told me to put my face in the water, stretch out my arms in front of me, and start kicking. Once I figured out I could do it, all fear was gone. Even though the water was ugly and brown.

Most summer days were spent at the pool every chance I got, and I loved learning to dive and back dive, keeping my legs together and toes pointed because I loved how it felt to glide through and hear people say what a beautiful dive. Those days are LONG past! 😂 Now I smile as I hear kids say, “Watch this!” as they perform their water tricks. Seems like something innate in us that longs to be seen.

I also worked to perfect various strokes but found I liked my own style best. Eventually got certified as a lifeguard and WSI (water safety instructor). Did I swim like a fish? Maybe not, but I sure tried.

But pool swimming doesn’t compare to swimming and playing in the waves in the Gulf of Mexico. And the Gulf can’t begin to compare to swimming in the Aegean.

Now that I’m pushing 60, the little “swimming” I do now is playing with Charlie in our neighborhood pool, but after the past week of swimming in the Aegean, I feel like a child again, ready to swim, swim, swim! Though now instead of feeling so big because of all I can do, I find myself increasingly more astonished at how very tiny I am in the scheme of things.

Unlike a pool where you can dive right in and get used to the water, you have to wade into the Aegean.

The pebbles often make you walk gingerly, unless you wear some kind of water shoes. I wore my faithful Chacos in and out of the sea, and after 8 years and hundreds of miles, it is about time to retire them.

The water is not quite as icy as I remember back in the mid-80’s, but it’s close. I saw some men sort of run and dive into the sea, but I was not that brave. I had to stand for several minutes just with water up to my ankles.

Then lower calves.

Then calves.

Then below my knees. And maybe back to my calves or ankles. Maybe several times.

Until finally up to my thighs, waist, and so forth. Usually took at least thirty minutes to get completely submerged.

But once I did…Freedom! To swim and float at leisure.

On Monday Cookie, Wally, and I went to Agrio Livadi. This is the beach where my grandfather’s family had their summer home, and where Papouli swam the most. This is his summer home from the back.

They rent umbrella chairs there, so we sit in the shade until we get so hot that we have to get in.

On Tuesday, Wally stayed in while Cookie and I went to Loukakia, also known as St. Luke’s beach. This was my grandfather’s favorite beach. 

This view shows the monastery on the right and the island we swam to straight ahead. Close-ups below. My aunt said the monastery was built to banish a monk who had misbehaved. He was sent to this monastery for a month. Would anyone else sort of hate to be banished here???

Do you see a lion’s open mouth on the right side of the islet?  The water was calm, and Cookie and I swam out to the islet and around the islet twice. I’d purchased a mask with built-in snorkel before the trip because I remembered my sister having a mask in 2011, and it was amazing to see the blue water, rocks, fish, and how far down I could see.

I’d also bought a water-bag for my phone so I could take pictures under water. The only problem was that my fingers were so cold that I couldn’t click to take any!!

Thankfully, when my hands were above the water, I could take some. Cookie said she’d heard that hermits used to live on the caves in the islets.

Wednesday was a Lambi Day. It’s rare that the water is calm enough to swim there. Lambi was once known for the most unusual and beautiful rocks, but they are mostly gone now. Some can be seen out in the water, though with deeper water, they are harder to pick up. If you enlarge the picture, you can see some amazing ones. How in the world were they formed??? Two more pics from Lamb below.

Wally, Cookie and I swam out around the edges of the coast out of sight of the main beach. It was so calm and secluded, and would have been scary except that we found rocks near the shore that we were able to stand on and rest.

Thursday was rough winds, so we went to one beach, but after noticing an  older heavyset woman swimming in her bra and panties, we decided it was not our scene, and we headed back to Agrio Livadi.

On Agrio Livadi most people wear both tops and bottoms. Thankfully.😅

On Friday, we went to Livadi Tou Geranou (λιβάδι του γεράνου). Cookie and I swam out to the islet there, and the waters got so choppy about half way that we almost turned back, but we pressed on. We were surprised to find from our watches that we made it in only 15 minutes!

After resting about 5 minutes, the winds began picking up so much that the water was white capping. I suggested we wait for it to calm down, but Cookie said it wouldn’t—it would only get worse!

Thankfully, we made it back much more easily because we were swimming with the current instead of away from it.

Both Saturday and Sunday we swam at Agrio Livadi where we knew the waters would be calm, as the winds blew strong throughout the island.

Psalm 95:5 says, “The sea belongs to Him, for He made it. His hands formed the dry land too.”

One beach we didn’t go to was Kambos, where our family used to have a beach home. In 1985, we spent most of our beach days there. Today, it is loaded with umbrella chair rentals and is way too crowded.

Adventure in Kambos

Kambos is where Cookie and I took the paddle boat out in 1985, and we paddled with all we had and couldn’t get back to shore.

There was a tiny church on our right, and initially we’d said that when we got even with it, we’d turn around.

The problem was that once we got even with it, and turned around, we kept drifting past it. We paddled with everything in us back towards the beach. But when we looked toward the church, we had made no progress and immediately began drifting farther away.

I was sure we were going to drift out into the Aegean to be eaten by sharks or never to be seen again some other way.

Thankfully, Cookie had the sense to steer us into a cove where we sat and talked about how to get back.

We had probably been there ten minutes when suddenly we heard the wonderful sound of a speed boat that came to rescue us!