Portara

Jamie finished her course on Saturday and we needed to be in Spetses/Porto Heli by Tuesday night to meet the Chapmans first thing on Wednesday morning. On Sunday, continuing high winds made it clear that we weren’t going to get out of the harbour – nobody came and nobody left. In fact a catamaran that was moored on the outer wall caused a stir when it started to take on water after continued battering by wind and wave. On Monday, we decided to go when the winds died a little in the evening so we walked up to the Portara.

The Portara stands on an outcrop connected to the mainland by a causeway. It’s impressive because of its size and simplicity: it looks a bit like a gateway to another world – you wouldn’t be entirely surprised to see Spock or Harry Potter or a time traveller step through it.

As we walked over the connecting causeway we were all struck by the ferocious waves on one side and the calm waters in which people happily swam and bathed on the other. Chris and I looked at one another and shook our heads – we weren’t leaving today. This impression was reinforced as we watched a yacht struggling to get in to harbour from the open sea from the top of the hill. On checking with the Marina office, we were advised there wasn’t a window in the weather until next Saturday!