Flowers are the theme of the day, and not just in Kentucky where the blanket of roses is awaiting the 130th winner of the Kentucky Derby. Today is May Day. This day means little in the United States, but around Europe it is celebrated in grand style. To the people here it means that nice weather is officially here or at least on its way. Summer is not far off. Here in Athens the day calls for picnics, singing, dancing, and the creation of wreaths made of flowers. This isn't hard because I've never seen a country more covered in wildflowers than Greece. While the entire country is dusted in dead brown dirt for most of the year, a carpet of flowers appears in the spring and makes everything appear lush and dazzlingly alive. I've been told that Greece has more species of wildflower than anywhere in the world, and I think they may be right. There are poppies, daisies, lavender, and violets, but there are also a million other types of flowers I've never seen before. They even have the strangest dandelions. I swear Konstantinos and I picked and blew apart a dandelion that was two feet tall and whose poofy head was the size of a tennis ball. It was big enough to make lots of wishes on.
I know the flowers won't last that long, but I wish they would. I love walking through the vines of roses twisting all along the front gate, and I love the smell that floats in the air as you pass flowering bushes, trees, and plants. The other night Despina, Kate and I went on a walk as the night started to grow dark. We walked to a circle where a creek runs through. In the evening lights, the water twinkled. Overhead trees loaded with flowers released the sweetest fragrance, and a few loose petals drifted down around you like snow. It was like being in a fairy tale. Pure magic.
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