We met our Greek friend Dimitra because of a cat. Our first trip to Alonissos was in 2015. We stayed in the supposedly swinging but actually sparsely inhabited old town. We had a cat friend there and she visited our front door almost every time we opened it. She would also serenade us with meows when we sat on the balcony. She really did sound like she was singing.
Shortly thereafter we went to a nearby taverna to continue the conversation over some Greek wine and mezedes. A new friendship was born. Dimitra lives in Athens but was spending time at her family house on the island, so we were lucky to intersect with her. She is a talented writer and lucky for us does much of her writing in English!
Fast forward to pandemic era 2020 and on one of our last days in Athens, before having to fly back to the US, we managed to meet Dimitra in an Athens park to have a socially distant catch-up. Hearing her thoughts about her work and her country, and just sharing her lively intelligence was a real joy. Coincidentally, her family house in Alonissos was just a few houses from our old town rental, and her mom’s apartment in Athens is about two blocks from our friend Kleopatra’s apartment, where we stayed before heading to the US.
On our second trip to the island two years later, we stayed on the edge of the old town and we did occasional walks through it. Our cat friend was still there. She clearly had had some kittens since we last saw her but was still perky.
We wondered who took care of her since not many people live up there. There was a woman in front of a nearby house and Sam asked her if she spoke English—yes—and asked her about the cat. Soon Sam and Dimitra we’re having an animated chat about Greece and life.
We couldn’t tell if the Alonissos cat remembered us, but luckily we did forge a lasting friendship on the island.
