Sunday, January 19, 2014

things you see in the middle of nowhere



Clouds of starlings weaved through the air like mythical beasts, and silvery grey cows patrolled the grasses with their mostly brown and black herd. I learned today that the Greek border is two hours and twenty minutes away from my front door— a fact that I must certainly take advantage of someday. I often found myself gazing at the hills on the horizon with excitement today, knowing that if I walked a little bit further, just past the river, I would be somewhere completely different. Bells instead of the azan, gyros instead of döner...



We found a few thousand swans (Mute, Tundra, and Whooper) in boisterous conversation, floating among the flooded fields— but alas, not a goose in sight. Not one! This delta was supposed to be full of geese at this time of year. Soon, the reason for their absence became clear: hunters. We couldn't drive a kilometre without passing a vehicle of men in camouflage with shotguns.

Those geese were probably in Greece, where the wetlands are protected.

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