Satisfaction

Whenever I visit Heraklion I usually go for a short walk at the port too. The old port that is, which sits right next to the new one but it is way more beautiful!

Apart from the obvious pleasure of walking by the sea, I like the combination of fishing boats and small yachts standing side by side and of course the old fortress at the end of the pier that keeps reminding anyone who walks by that this place has seen people come and go for centuries.

It was a drizzly day but the rain had stopped when I reached the water. The pavement was wet and darker than usual and the stones by the sea had taken on deeper tones. The air felt heavy and clean at the same time. I kept my umbrella in one hand, not because I needed it at that moment but because the clouds above me made no promises and I wouldn't want to see my camera soaking :)

I have lived ten years in Crete and even though many things have changed since then, the old port still greets me with the same steady character. The walls of the fortress seem indifferent to all those who pass by in front of it. Fishermen and travelers and children and lazy wanderers like me. I walked slowly toward it, enjoying every step. The city behind me hummed softly yet my attention was entirely on the meeting point of sea and stone ahead. Now that I live far away it feels like stepping into a memory. The shapes are the same yet the feeling is different.

Distance alters things even when they remain exactly where you left them.

Being in Crete for the olive harvest adds another layer to all this. The work with the trees brings a grounding sense of purpose. Yet every break from the fields brings encounters with places that shaped my past. I meet friends. I visit the land of my grandparents. I walk through streets that once felt entirely mine. These small visits remind me that time moves on yet certain bonds remain untouched.

As I turned back toward the city the rain started again. Light at first and then steadier. In the distance the silhouettes of cranes from the new port faded into the grey sky. They looked almost like quiet guardians of the coastline. I felt content with my walk. It was simple and brief yet it carried the entire weight of memory and the satisfaction of returning to a place that still feels like home.