Until Next Year…
Yesterday Jonathan was asked if he would like to harvest a
vineyard early on Sunday morning. After going to bed at 2 a.m., a 6 o’clock
alarm was…alarming. A strong kick of Nescafe, a few dry cookies, and he met
Yiota at the vineyard.
The owner arrived in his tractor, pulling a trailer with
dozens of plastic boxes. A thick plastic sheet was set on the bed of the
trailer, plastic bins were set between the rows, knives were produced, and the
work began. Not quite awake, Jonathan managed to slice is thumb deeply in the
first few minutes, a fact that he tried to disguise with little success.
Baskets were filled and then dumped into the trailer bed
lined with plastic. The grape varieties—red, pink, and white—were combined in
the trailer. A lot of conversation ensued among the harvesters, and four hours
later Jonathan could claim to have made fast friends with another dozen
villagers. The total harvest was close to three metric tons, all of which will
be hauled off tomorrow morning to a large wine press in Pylos. For his efforts,
the owner--whose name is, oddly enough, Dionysios--sent Jonathan off with three large plastic bags of grapes—about 20 pounds of
each variety. The explanation that he would be traveling by plane to America in
the next 24 hours did not seem to phase his compatriots. "Oh, wonderful,
bring them to your children,” one man shouted, and everyone shook their heads
in agreement.
Jonathan has now satisfied his longtime aspiration to become
a Greek αγρότη (farner)—harvesting
grapes and olives, taking long afternoon siestas, swimming twice a day, and
making lively παρέα (company) with his neighbors late into the night.
The ride to Athens on Monday took a mere 3 1/2 hours, a consequence of the upgraded highway system. He was indignant when passed by a full cement truck on the windy roads near Kalamata...and then later by a Mercedes hearse.
No comments:
Post a Comment