Islands

in the stream

Mount Etna

I believe that it was Lawrence Durrell who coined the word “islomania”, i.e. an affliction of the spirit that makes one unable to resist islands.

I was born in Westerly, Rhode Island. The name comes from the Greek island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean. Rhodes was once on my list of places to visit. My interest came from reading Lawrence Durrell and other sources, e.g. “The Colossus of Maroussi”

My mother, aunt and I visited Bermuda once in the early 1960’s. My favorite aunt was then married to a less than honorable man who worked for the government in some capacity in Bermuda. This was my first visit outside the USA and first time on an airplane. Bermuda was fun. Mobylettes, exploring caves, young girls ( I was more than a bit shy), swimming in the warm Atlantic, frogs jumping across the roads at night, a sea of black faces at a cricket match held on a holiday and parties.

In the early 1980’s we began visiting Manhattan on the reg in autumn (in New York) and around June 11th, my mate’s birthday. There is no city like Manhattan. Other cities that we have been to do not have the energy that Manhattan has. Though today I would not recognize W57th St. It is like Dubai. The clubs for dancing and listening. DJing at SOB’s for one summer on French Caribbean Friday nights. The restaurants where one can dine quite well if you look hard enough and ripoffs. Walking the streets both day and night. The New Yorker attitude and sense of humor. Native New Yorkers are a special breed. I have only met a few. From the NYT: Cab driver behind a tourist in traffic idling at a green light. “Lady, there is only one shade of green!” It is a large microcosm of the whole country. Every language in the world is spoken there. Somehow it works. It has to. It is a great leveler. We have made more visits to this island than any other.

My favorite island, the sweet island of Sicily that we were fortunate to visit several times. Home of my paternal ancestors. Quite beautiful, the badlands of the interior and the coast, though different in their appeal. The Greek ruins, the Byzantine churches, Mount Etna, the baroque, the color of the stone, the people, the people, the food and the wines. The magical mixture of a host of cultures. The sky at night and sun by day. The lemon groves and the olive trees. Is it the key to understanding the rest of Italy?

We visited Lipari on a day trip while in Sicily. We liked it so much that we returned and stayed for a week. One day we took a day trip to Panarea. On the way we saw Salina and Stromboli from a distance. The feel of Lipari and the other Aeolian islands is less frenetic than Sicily’s larger towns and cities. The cuisine is a bit different too.

Guadeloupe where by chance we discovered a musical legacy that is very rich. The rhythms, the melodies and harmonies. The people and the beauty of two parts of the island, one side arid and one lush, dominated by a still active volcano. The friendly people who replied “good!” when we told them we did not speak much French at all. The musician friend who drove us around Grand Terre and took us to Les Saintes. Only later did we find out how good a musician he is. The humility and lack of pretension. People came from French Guiana to hear him play at our hotel. The beauty of the island is only matched by the beauty of its people. La Guadeloupeen.

Martinique was somewhat different than Guadeloupe. At midnight the night sounds were deafening as I walked from the plane to the terminal. A beautiful island with equally wonderful people. One exception was the drunk cab driver who took me all over the western coast of the island before depositing me at my Gites-de-France at almost dawn. Not a great introduction but I recovered. St. Anne and St. Pierre were very pretty. The drive through the rain forest skirting the volcano was memorable. I had never seen so much vegetation growing from the sides of tree trunks. I brought home some fine music to boot.

Chale Island is more than half preserve and the remaining portion a resort. I preferred the preserve portion since it was so peaceful and quiet. Chale Island lies off the coast of Kenya south of Mombasa a few degrees south of the equator. It is a special place and I feel fortunate to have been able to enjoy this little paradise for 5 days.

Block Island is about 15 miles off the coast of Rhode Island. No cars on the island make it great for cycling and walking around. The Mohegan Bluffs are worth a look. The people of Block Island have purchased much of the vacant land on the island to prevent rampant development. They are smart and have preserved the island for future generations.

Mount Desert Island Maine on which is located Acadia National Park. My mate caught a butterfly there and then very gently let it fly away. The first rays of the rising sun shine on this part of the North American continent.