tuckova

So it's the Ionian Sea and my love of cultures nurtured at a crossroads is getting satisfied. A group of children throwing globs of wet sand at each other, until one of them catches it in the eye and cries. At the canal of love either lovelorn women cure their sorrow or couples seal their promises, depending on who.you ask. Maybe both. A man out near the buoy teaching his daughter or girlfriend to float, the bright pink of her swimsuit flashing every time the water rises. Kalami was made famous by Henry Miller and by Lawrence Durrell, who was my introduction to Rashomon storytelling. The tops of my feet already have the unfreckled lines of sandal straps. Corfu Town is a UNESCO site. The beach umbrellas, spelled ambrela on this beach, advertise Ben and Jerry's and Nestlé. It's almost too hot for ice cream. I can see Albania across the water, dim in the heat haze. Once only noble families whose names were on the list could walk on this promenade. A man comes out of the water and stands drying in the evening sun, tells us he loves America, Al Pacino, Saturday Night Fever, Harrison Ford. One last dip in the sea and it's time for dinner, something with feta and tomatoes that taste like rich sunlight. It's only the first day.