T music plays on. Matina has selected the Rain and Jazz mixtape from  kasetophono giving a relaxing tone to our Sunday morning. I forget all the things that I had planned to do and while the coffee is being prepared, I start going through photos in my computer. My mind travels to the places that my body would like to be.

To the mountain.

I keep on staring at the same photos again and again. They are all from the same folder. From that weekend of November, when we were at Kallergi. Above Omalos plateau, at the heart of the White Mountains.

Our little adventure started at night. The rational thing to do would be to start much earlier during day light, but we opted to drop by a feast and have some raki instead. I guess that is the advantage of being familiar with a place. You can afford to act foolishly. On the other hand, hiking under the moonlight is amazing and then you get to have the opportunity to wake up in the mountains.

Which is pure magic.

In my everyday life, getting up in the morning is a struggle. It takes huge effort to start the day. However, when in the mountains, waking up is amazingly easy, it is simple joy. For what you are going to see, for whatever experience awaits you.

I can only guess that this does not apply only to me, judging by the others as well.

This was the mood of the next morning. After fooling around and enjoying the morning sun and coffee, it was time to embark on a small exploration of the area.

Looking above the gorge, we could see the sea. But the path we chose, took us on the opposite direction. Where we could find a different kind of sea, a white one, made of clouds. A magic cloak that covered the land and the mountains, leaving just their tops exposed, as if they were small islands.

A different God reigned at the summits and we were lucky to be in his kingdom.

We came back to the shelter. The mist was rapidly spreading around us and the sun was starting to set. We gathered our stuff and started our descent towards Omalos, unaware of the spectacle that we would witness just a few meters away.

 

It is impossible to put into words the feelings of those moments. Maybe because when I was living them, I was not entirely sure that what was unrolling before my eyes was actually real. The photos serve as a document of truth and I can now be certain.

The coffee is almost over and the playlist too. By the time I wrote these few words, I have circled through the photos a few dozens of times. A mental voyage in repeat.

Andreas
Kallergi Mountain Shelter, White Mountains sierra, Crete, 2016.