Peace of Limnisa

Last year I was lucky enough to win the Limnisa/Bluethumbnail short story competition with my story DOD. The prize was a week at the Limnisa writing retreat in Greece. As many of you will know I am partial to the odd retreat, but usually I just take myelf off somewhere remote where I can stroke cats, write stories and befriend locals. An organised retreat is nothing I have encountered before and I was intrigued by what and who may be waiting for me.

My trip to Limnisa started from Piraeus port in Athens. Piraeus is a hectic sight to behold, best seen from​​ the tranquil deck of a departing ferry. It is noisy with the hum of bike and car engines, and the whole port seems to be in a constant hurry. Islanders rush along the port, their arms laden with bags and boxes of new appliances from the capital to take home, men on bikes with roaring engines drive up and down from ferry to ferry relaying messages, and car horns beep from the busy road outside. Rugged men with dark arms catch and throw ropes as boats come and go, and big metal tail gates bang open onto the capital’s cement for people to come home, come shopping or come on holiday.

The boat trip was smooth and sunny, with a stop at Aegina after an hour, and then a further forty minutes to Methana, the peninsula which houses Limnisa. A flock of seagulls, far more serene than the sandwich-stealers of Brighton, flew most of the way with us. My first glimpse of Methana was of tall green hills and a small town surrounding the harbor. The buildings are not the white stucco walls and blue domes you associate with the Cyclades islands like Santorini, but instead are more modern structures, akin to Athens and newer building methods, but still endearing in the way they are all looking out to sea, their shutters open to greet newcomers.

Mariel, my contact, met me at the little harbor in Methana town and drove me to Limnisa, my home and retreat for the next week. The road wound around the coast and in the fifteen minute journey we didn’t pass a single other vehicle. Mariel is Dutch, has lived in various countries and has an inspiring and easy outlook on life. Her and her partner Philip (British author) set up Limnisa over ten years ago and have been hosting retreats and workshops ever since.

The pictures on the website looked lovely but photographs alone do not do the place justice (and neither will my testimonial!). Limnisa is a large white house that overlooks the Aegean sea and its own private beach. Beneath and surrounding the house, paths lead you through terraced gardens to discover nooks and crannies, balconies and hammocks, all of which offer sounds of the sea and solitude.

Great place for breakfast

Perfect spot for some profound thinking... or a nap.

So what do you do all day in this seaside oasis?

Days began at 8.30 with yoga in front of the sea. There was then a healthy breakfast to fuel us for creativity during our silent mornings which run till 1.30. During this time you are encouraged to work on your own individual projects in your own space. My favourite place to spend the morning was on the terrace below, overlooking the garden and sea. I sat here for a good few hours every morning, with my laptop, a sweet coffee, and the occasional cat for company. Silent time ends with the dong of the lunch bell, but you can continue if you’d like to take your lunch away from the group and bring it back to your chosen writing spot.

I found the discipline of four hours silent time a fantastic treat! I am not prone to silence (unless I am asleep!) but having no distractions, bar the sound of the waves and buzzing bees, really helped my writing and within four days I had written an entirely new short story and completed one that had come to Limnisa in fragments. And it’s not just the silence that focuses the mind, there are literally no other distractions… there is no internet, no television, no radio. I achieved in one session of silence at Limnisa, what would probably have taken me days, possibly weeks at home.

In the afternoons, you are free to relax on the private beach, continue with your projects or explore the island by bike or foot. Methana is a beautiful old part of Greece, with very few inhabitants. The countryside in May is vibrant with the orange flowers of pomegranate trees, poppies that spring up wherever they can, bourgainvillea, and huge purple thistles. Villages are rare and, sadly, mostly deserted. Methana is a volcanic island and hugely fertile, it used to be a rich larder for Athens, but the advent of faster transport links meant that fruits and vegetables could be brought up quickly from Crete instead. The southern latitude of Crete makes it an early greengrocer for the rest of Greece, with produce available much sooner in the year. Much farmland in Methana has thus been left to its own devices, only smallholdings remain to feed those that cultivate them.

Decrepid house in the former capital

One day we took an excursion with Mariel around the island and took a short climb up to the volcano. It's a great little hike with changing earth and rock formations around every bend, and a volcano shaft that you can look down into the centre of the earth! Well almost...

Bob in search of the volcano!

Upon the hills, little chapels cling, and within villages you’ll find the odd taverna which might be open to serve you something cold, but otherwise the signs of civilization are few. This suited me just fine – I was here to relax and write after all, but I can imagine for the young generation growing up in Methana (the school takes children all the way to 18), a volcanic island with population 2000 offers little entertainment.

Agios Georgios town, a twenty minute walk from Limnisa

Fresh (or not so fresh - I stunk!) out of the suphur baths at Methana

In terms of entertainment at Limnisa, we had the sea, our writing, reading, including of course to each other. The retreat attracts a wide range of people, from published authors through to hobby writers, playwrights and documentary makers. Basically anyone who could benefit creatively from some disciplined time alone with just themselves and their craft. The great thing about Limnisa is that everyone respects what you are there for. No-one forces themselves on you, you don’t have to make small talk when you bump into someone on a terrace, you can stay in your own little private world. And if you wanted to stay there in your world the whole time, I dare say you could. However, I really enjoyed the lunch and dinner opportunities to get to know people and their projects. Getting out of my world at these chances, meant I felt refreshed and motivated to return to it the next morning.

Lunchtime at Limnisa

Something to note is that the food prepared by Mariel and Philip is delicious! If anyone doubts the variety and taste that can be obtained from a vegetarian diet, then visit Limnisa and be enlightened. Every meal was a real treat.­

So what did I achieve during my time at Limnisa? I wrote a fun new short story about an American girl in Paris who falls in love with the butcher because he’s the only person who talks to her (Thanks for the inspiration Artis!). I completed another short story which came to Limnisa as bare bones, and I had a session with Philip to work on an another which needs some refinement.

And what have I learnt? After a year living in Brighton and almost as long commuting and working in London, I remembered how much I love a simple life! The home and environment that Mariel and Philip have created is truly inspirational, and there is no reason why we can’t all recreate some of this tranquility in our own hectic lives. Whether we start the day with some basic exercises, carve out half an hour of every day (we have twenty four of them remember!) to dedicate to something we truly love doing, or find two trees every once in a while to hang a hammock from, we would all benefit from some time away from work, noise, social media, and each other!

Limnisa helped me remember that with time to myself, with good views, good food, good company, good walks and a cat, I am a happy girl! Is that a recipe so difficult to replicate at home?

We will see…

#text #Methana #Limnisa