September 2022
The tiny town square
of Chora, capital of the
Greek Island Folegandros is everything it should be. White houses with blue, almost indigo, doors
and windows surround the square. In the centre are the chairs and tables of a
café under the shade of fig and hibiscus trees.
Cutlery clinks: people chatter.
It is the feast day of the Holy Cross and the church that
takes up one side of the square is flying two flags, bright against an azure
sky. One, the Greek flag, reflects in
its stripes, the blue and white of the houses.
The other flag has an intricate design in maroon and yellow. It is the flag of the Byzantine
Empire. What a model for
taking a long and optimistic view of history.
The Byzantine Empire fell over half a
millennium ago. Sultan Mehmed II, leading the forces of the Ottoman Empire
sacked Constantinople after a 53-day siege on
29th May 1453.
Still, hope springs eternal…, I guess.
Photo by Adrienne Higham
I was travelling with the excellent Noble Caledonia
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