DONOUSSA: IN THE DANCE OF THE CYCLADES The ship of the line usually brings you to Donousa at night. The lights in the houses are few, but the stars in the sky countless. In the port, the whole island is waiting for you, even if nobody knows you. The arrival of the ship here is almost a feastday. In the middle of the night you don't know where you've come. Your first concern is to find accommodation and rest. There are many simple white cool rooms. Many people love this island - they always leave, but they always come back. So if you are planning to come to Donousa in summer, it would be wise to call some time in advance and reserve a room. With the first light of day, you feel that you're in another world, even if you're barely awake. The sun barges in through every crack, every hole, even the keyhole. You open the door, and the sea is right in front of you: so simply and generously. To the right, nine miles away is Naxos, to the southwest 11.5 miles away Amorgos. Opposite is Keros. Nearby are the Koufonisia, Schinousa, and Irakleia which, together with Donousa, constitute the Lesser Cyclades of the Aegean, of Theodorakis, of Elytis: "Give me the fragrance of mint / lemon verbena and basil" requests the poet; but you have them beside you in the pot near the window. On the beach at Stavros, the largest settlement on the island, the sea is gold and blue and the sand pale gold. You don't even think. Hat, sunscreen, towel. In literally three minutes, you are dipping your feet into the crystal waters. The fishing caiques are returning with their catch. One boat is full of people and is about cast off. You ask where they're going. To the back beaches, they tell you. To Livadi, Fykio, Kalotaritissa. It leaves every morning and returns in the afternoon. And so the exploration begins. There's a lot to see and a lot to hear. About the pirates who used to hide in Aspros Kavos during the Middle Ages, and the bunkering in 1916 of the battleships "Goeben" and "Breslau" during World War I. About the archaeological findings at Vathy Limenari, which confirm that the island was inhabited as early as the Geometric age. You'll learn that in the 19th century foreign sailors called the island Stenosa or Spinosa. That Virgil called it Viridem (either because of its rich vegetation or its green marble), but you'll hear the locals calling it Denousa.You'll hear about the myth that when Dionysus, god of wine, saw Ariadne abandoned by Theseus on Naxos, he fell in love with her and brought her to this island to console her. You'll be told about Sealcave (Fokospilia), an ideal refuge for seals, as well as an enchanting cave with a sea floor the like of which you've never seen before. About Limni where caiques are anchored when there's a storm. About Xylobati, where you can hear only the wind, the eaglets and your own breathing, And weather permitting, from where you're standing, you can see Mykonos, Icaria and Samos. On Kentros (a unique beach ten minutes on foot from Stavros), you'll find a shipwreck, a remnant of World War II. Messaria, Mersini and Kalotaritissa are the other three villages on Donousa, which you can get to on foot. You can also go by car, as there is now a road to these places. But travelling in Donousa by car is rather like going to the street market in the morning wearing fur... Following the easily negotiable path over the mountain which will lead you to Kalotaritissa (on the north side of the island), you will see the old mines, and marvel at how cedar trees and lentisk, savory and rosemary, fig trees, vines and olive trees can take root in the rock. The reward for an hour's walk is truly great. The distant village Kalotaritissa, looks as though it has just stepped out of a time machine. Here is all the truth of life, and the clear-eyed gaze of the people. The pebbles on the three beaches sparkle in the sun. Papas, the highest mountain on the island (383 m.), seems to be bending down, as though protect ing you from the south wind and from the indiscreet eyes of civilisation. The distance to Mersini is shorter, just half an hour on foot. It is the only place on the island where you don't need to bring water with you. When you arrive in the village, an oasis of peach, fig, apricot and plum trees awaits you. In the middle of nowhere, you hear water gurgling: it springs up from the heart of an ancient plane tree, clear as crystal, to quench your thirst as you gaze at the island of Amorgos opposite, shrouded in midday haze. There, too, is Livadi, a golden beach below Mersini. In the evening when the waves and the moon whisper seafaring stories, a song you haven't heard for years will come to mind: "amid thegold a bride is vigilant! with the Cyclades hanging from her ears..." Nearby, at the tavernas of Tsiftis, Kostas, /lias, and Nikolas, the local people will be drinking wine and talking about their day, while the visitorswill be enjoying the fresh fish and hoping for a long night. They will all meet up at the end in an island folk dance or an old rebetiko song. They will all be speaking the same language, and singing the same tune.. "Take up a flaming mood, take up your mandolin / take up your golden speech, take up your tambourine / and let the song begin, and let nostalgia rise / till mind and thought both give and take of Par adise." Because the "dance of the CycJades"s is now begining, in Donousa.