It is a month now since I departed the cliffs, cats, books and heat of Santorini. Yet it is still fresh in my mind, buried deep somewhere in my tummy, and a clip of some magical film as I close my eyes. Oia, a place where artists stay throughout winter, where donkeys bat their dusty eyes loyally, and cats make babies was most certainly the prefect home for the birth of Atlantis Books. I could only think and ponder about the project until actually having the pleasure of living amongst beautiful and wonderful people, inspiring and uplifting situations, books and films. This was a delightful and hazy exerince,to live in Oia,to live with Craig, Maria, Tim, Jenny, Chris, who is and will always be – The Guy, Oliver who was brave enough to take on a tiger ,Quinn and his lovely Karisha, many old friends and many new. The good man Will and his fluffy hair and adventures hat, Athena and her wry smiles and Cat, with her babies who I was fortunate enough to see born and grown fearless and hungry.

This place is a project; a creative collaboration which I know will live on and continue to grow, with more books, ideas and sand. To be standing in the bookshop talking to Craig as curious travellers, bold tourists and comforted locals tiptoed into the building created a feeling of something warm and insightful. So many people pass though, ask questions, interested in the project. To have created something that provokes so much interest made my constantly feel tingly and proud towards all these people. Excitement as new boxes of books arrived, the wails of glee at great works such as ‘Master and Margarita’, or ‘Oliver Sacks’ and many more works of fine literature reassumed my adamant to stay in touch with the shop, with its people and its shelves.

Oia seemed timeless, three weeks visit initially, turned into seven. Every day passed with painting many coloured books onto the wall, or rehearing some impossible text, or watching with envy the power of the chess game between Chris and Craig. The knowledge of chess inside these guys baffled me, its interesting union between two men I think. I feel honoured to have been let into this community for such an extended time, to have cut the hair of many heads, to have sat up at the old castle and breathed in the night air, to be hugged and to have grown in a funny way.

Picking lemons on a sparsely populated island called Thirasia with Will, battling against almost human cacti, morning swims in the blue sea and sleeping on cliffs so high above the ocean with Athena for company. All contributed to a time in Santorini that I shall never let fade, and I hope will fuel again some day…maybe in winter time, where more adventures will be waiting to be discovered.

Takk Atlantis Books, this time was Superb.