Forgotten in time but without losing its traditional flair, in contradiction to other villages on the island of Kos, Asfendiou lays on the Southeast side of the town, a place surrounded by olive trees, pine trees and firs, somewhere on mount Dikaios.
Wintertime is probably the best time of the year to explore the area; winter on the island is mild so the temperature is ideal for hiking to the top of the mount, plus the lack of tourists gives you the opportunity to enjoy the peaceful scenery and meet the locals. The locals will always greet you with a smile, without asking a lot of questions. In the beginning of our route, there was a small, picturesque house, visibly abandoned but still majestic. Its walls were still white, still fighting the mold. Its windows were wooden, with rusty bars and its door was narrow and quite old, trying to protect what was on the inside.
We got into the house and the feeling that this was actually an abandoned home, disappeared for a while. The sunglasses still laying on the wooden table, the family photos and the embroidered tablecloth, make you think that grandma is out to collect some olives and grandpa forgot his glasses when leaving. On my right side, I spotted more photos that unravel the close relationship of the family with the church. A big window in the center of the living room, sees to the big bedroom. The window right in the middle of the house, indicates that this also used to be a traditional kafenio (café). My friend told me that it used to be a cafe during the Italian occupation (1912-1943), before it was bought by Daniil Efstratios in 1946, as a proika (bride price) to his daughter, to become, a year later, the family home we have just discovered.
We continued to the central room, where the Efstratios family used to welcome their friends and family to spend the afternoon together, as the locals used to say “aposperizo”. There, a small entrance leads to the second part of the house that was built at a later time and was used as a kitchen.
In this kitchen, someone can find useful everyday items from the times it used to be a house, and also kitchen appliances from a later era, since many generations grew up there, until it was completely abandoned in 1993. A very characteristic detail, is the huge bed with some patchwork kilts and pillows, also featuring a wooden ladder leading to the attic.
Closing the old door behind us, to start hiking to Metohi, a nearby area, we realized that we just had a small taste of the past life in the village of Asfendiou. A former traditional café that met the prime era of the region (during 1850-1940) and a home that was abandoned by its owners that had to leave their fatherland to work as economic migrants, in the 60’s, in Germany, Canada, Australia and the US.
Who knows…maybe this place will relive its past glory with the help of the new generation. In any case, its multiple lives will remain untacked, no matter the social changes…
Μαρία Ελένη Βασιλειάδη 