LIVING
AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2008
BEACH CULTURE.
My first experience of the
local beaches was in 1982, when I first travelled to Aegina
alone to visit my mother and father –in-law.
Being a rather lovely ( then
) 22 year old alone, my mother-in-law and her sister decided to
escort me to the beach one morning for a swim. Walking along
Angelopoulou, we must have looked like a set of weighing scales;
me, tall, thin and golden in the middle, flanked by two short,
large bosomed women, each of whom had hold of one of my arms as
they waddled, scuffing along in their worn dusty sandals, their
cotton house-coats bursting at the buttons. They shouted eager
greetings as they passed various neighbours and once we
reached the beach, they busied themselves collecting shells
whilst I enjoyed a cool, unaccompanied swim.
Today, this very beach is
throbbing with noise. Disco music blares from loud-speakers and
garish inflatable platforms and toys bob on the waves, trying to
tug away from the ropes that anchor them to the sea-bed.
Sun loungers and umbrellas
populate the beach from which extravagant sun-worshipers order
pizzas, alcoholic drinks and iced coffees from the kiosk which
arrived two years ago from the mainland and seems likely to
stay.
Gone are the days when the
locals would congregate under the pine trees and spread out
blankets to enjoy a communal picnic, where the only background
noise was that of the heaving waves and keen chatter.
Today, our local beach is a
den of flirtation by night, where beach parties are the norm and
cars and motor-bikes glisten in the setting sun
We however, have found our own
little cove which admittedly is peppered with plastic bottle
tops but when we clear our cove of its debris, it becomes a
magical haven where we are able to lean against the rocks,
listen to the sea and swim to the rhythm of natural noises.
Its location is a secret ….until
it is discovered by commercial sharks.
Meanwhile, I will leave the
commercialized beaches to the beautiful young people who
obviously enjoy them for the specific beach life they provide,
fun and entertainment!!
Alison Lorentzos
copyright August 2008
