When I saw the Facebook post about this writing holiday on Skyros, it seemed made for me. Writing course with Monique Roffey (award-winning Trini/British author), holidaying on a Greek island, yoga and singing sessions thrown in, meeting new people, opportunity to travel – how could I not go? I did ask around to see if any budding writers might go with me but I ended up travelling on this holiday alone, for the first time in my life.
Despite some initial nervousness about undertaking this adventure so far from home, I made all the necessary travel and accommodation bookings, choosing to layover in Amsterdam rather than London. Everyone seemed to be excited for me. So off I went.
I got over my six-hour jet lag during my two-day stay in Amsterdam so was able to arrive at Athens Airport full of energy. There was a mix up re the arrangements to meet our coach, but all was well in the end. We were taken to the Dorian Hotel for an overnight stay in Athens. The rooftop restaurant offered a delicious dinner and a stunning view of the Parthenon on the nearby Acropolis.
It was a long six-hour trip (with stops) to get to Skyros – two ferries and two coach rides – but it was an enjoyable journey. The ferry crossings were comfortable and not too lengthy, half an hour to the island of Evia then less than two hours to the island of Skyros. Most of us sat in the open air on the boats to enjoy the sunny, breezy day. These islands are in the Sporades chain of Greek islands in the Aegean Sea, close to the mainland, and are quite mountainous with mostly scrub dotting the landscape. The view was stark yet beautiful.
Once at the Skyros Centre, we were allocated rooms after collecting our luggage at a point reachable by a truck. The village is perched on a steep hill with small white houses clustered on top of each other and connected by winding cobbled paths. Definitely not suitable for people with disability issues.
My lodging consisted of a charming abode with its own courtyard, a small living room decorated with traditional ceramic and brass wall plates, a modest but adequately equipped kitchen, a bedroom with twin beds, a tiny bathroom with a shower about two-foot square, and a loft with a queen bed taking up almost all of that space. I chose to sleep in the loft, which was accessible by very steep stairs, and laid out my clothes on one of the beds downstairs as there was little storage anywhere. Every day I woke up to a fabulous view of the all-white houses, clinging to the mountain, from my bedroom window, and to the sound of church bells nearby. Just how you imagine a Greek island should be.
Three things to get used to here – walking up steep and uneven paths to get anywhere, daily siesta from 2pm to 6pm when almost all establishments are shut, and having to put used toilet paper in a bin rather than down the loo. By the end of the vacation, I remembered to do the latter about 90% of the time.
There were two courses taking place over the two-week span of this holiday, with a weekend break (Friday and Saturday) in the middle. My writing course consisted of eight participants and our tutor, Monique Roffey, a Trinidadian/British author of several award-winning novels. The other course of eleven people was led by the Centre’s founder, Dina Glouberman, a psychotherapist and world expert in working with transformational imagery. This focused on ‘Visioning Your New Life’.
The master classes were only for three hours a day (sometimes with homework to complete) with plenty of time for exploring and socialising. Breakfast and one other meal, usually lunch, was included and so the two groups got to mingle and bond. In addition, we had the option to join an early morning yoga session and to participate in a fun sing-along get-together in the evenings. There was also an opportunity to pay for a Shiatsu healing session, but this was booked up so fast that I never got to experience it. Every few days we had a general community meeting in which Dina would lead us in exploring and sharing inner feelings, and gave us inspiring thoughts for our way forward.
I loved my writing course which was on ‘Writing a Memoir’. All the participants worked hard and produced brilliant pieces which were often shared with the group, once the writer was comfortable with that. Monique is an excellent teacher (now a professor at Manchester Metropolitan University) and shared so many valuable insights into successful writing. She conducted some of her sessions outside of the ‘writing lab’ at the Centre, including one memorable one down at the beach where we had a meditative experience floating in the sea. We then wrote on our beach chairs and continued after lunch at the nearby bar/restaurant. How can this be described as work?
The other group seemed very happy with their sessions too, though I gather there were often tears as deep, personal experiences were explored, but this involved plenty of hugging too. I loved the hugging after the co-listening pairings that Dina encouraged us to do every day with a selected partner. Co-listening involves intense, but no reaction or judgement, listening to another person’s thoughts/feelings, and then giving feedback on what you heard. It felt awkward at first but then I came to look forward to it with my very empathetic partner.
The various members of the courses often met up to share drinks, dinner, shopping, and optional excursions. People came mostly from Britain, but there were a quite a few from further afield. One of my favourite memories was going out to find something to eat one evening and meeting up with others from the group, one by one, until we decided to have dinner together. I loved my meal of mussels in mustard sauce at a little restaurant on a corner where our table was set in the alley way. Then I noticed that we were all from different countries – Uruguay, Germany, the Netherlands, UK but living in France, and me from Trinidad & Tobago.
The food was a joy always. The Skyros Centre served mainly vegetarian dishes (suits me) and also catered for vegan and gluten-free diets. We all pitched in to wash dishes and tidy up the outdoor dining area. The nearby restaurants were varied but inevitably included their signature Greek salad – a luscious combination of the largest, reddest, juiciest tomatoes I’ve ever seen, with olives, bell peppers, cucumbers, onions and feta cheese, all swimming in tasty olive oil. I found it surprising that there were seldom any seafood options, but I did enjoy delicious scallops at one place. And ice cream, of course.
I signed up for every excursion organised for us. I didn’t know if I’d ever come this way again and I wanted to see and appreciate as much of the island and its culture as I could. The first was a 15/20 minute steep trek up the hill from the Centre to the old monastery perched on a massive rock about 500 feet above sea level. The views all around were spectacular from up there. Much of the monastery had been restored and included a very ornate, small chapel – lots of gold and gilt and silver adorning it. Further up there were more ruins and I was impressed by the extraordinary acoustics in the abandoned cistern at the very top. Of course we had to try it out with a sing-along to produce an echo effect that sounded a bit like organ music. I was glad for my knee-supports on the way down.
The second was a sail around some Greek islands. It was advertised as a day trip on a motor cruiser, but because there were only eight of us, they substituted a fifty-foot yacht! What a lovely surprise. The skipper unfurled the large foresail and we glided to a deserted bay on one of the many small islands dotted around the coast. Here we swam in the cool, crystal-clear water before enjoying a delicious spaghetti lunch prepared by an Italian cook on board. This was the highlight of my trip; sailing around the Greek Islands was a long-time dream of mine that didn’t seem likely to happen.
Another day, a few of us went on an excursion to Atsitsa, a sister learning centre to the Skyros Centre, about a twenty-minute drive to the north of the island. This was a very picturesque trip. The sea, when it appeared, was deep blue and so was the sky. We were taken on a guided tour of the very extensive facilities. Very pretty, flowers and blooms everywhere, and lots of spaces for open-air meetings. We just wandered around until lunch (a tomato/veg stew with dumplings divided into non-dairy, vegan and gluten-free offerings), and I sat on a stony beach for a while. Later I added a rock to a cairn I spotted on another beach.
The final excursion was a coach trip to the south side of the island. Along the way, we enjoyed the calming scenery of rolling, barren mountains, littered with rocks, sheep, goats and, apparently, horses. We stopped at some stables which were currently being operated by young French volunteers who were camping nearby. Here we got to stroke the legendary small Skyrian horses which are an endangered species that also roam the mountains freely.
Further on, we stopped at a spring where it is said that we’ll enjoy eternal youth by wetting our heads with its water. Hope it works. Soon we came to the tomb of the renowned poet, Rupert Brooke, who died tragically from a mosquito bite while serving in the British navy in World War 1. We were treated to an interesting account of his brief life by one of our course members. Finally, we were dropped off at the ferry port at Linariá, where we had dinner before returning home. A lovely evening out.
Lastly, a group of us walked up to The Faltaits Museum further up from the Centre. This is a large, converted house displaying twentieth century furniture, clothing, art, and much more belonging to the owner’s family. Most interesting and included a complimentary and very tasty liqueur made by the owner.
Every day, all the participants and tutors gathered after breakfast for ‘Demos’. For this, one of us had to volunteer to make a short speech on any topic and then manage the agenda of announcements. This always included a brief introduction to useful Greek phrases. I chose to talk about Trinitario Chocolate, or fine chocolate from Trinidad. This was received well, especially as I had samples to hand out! On our last night, the group came together for photos, dinner and a fun cabaret put on by our multi-talented crowd.
I am so glad that I followed my gut and just went for this delightful sojourn in Skyros. Many of our group had been there multiple times and I can understand the draw to this magical place. Apart from Skyros, the company offers similar courses on the Isle of Wight and also Italy. I highly recommend the experience. For details see www.skyros.com .
“Antio”
