Parga :: Comparisson reports

“There is a deep shade amongst the orange trees, and only where the cedars bear their enormous fruits does the golden sun penetrate. The aroma of lemon and orange blossoms mixes with that of roses and jasmines that decorate the living sedges and nearby homes. There, enormous walnut trees stand out; there, another row of tree after tree, pear trees, quince and apple trees. The pomegranates form a thick bush. At times, we can see through this soft green the greyish green of one of the olive trees covering the hills, the many branches of plane trees near the water, their leaves murmuring when the sea breeze nears. At times, gardens seem wedged into the skirts of the valleys, always watered by a nearby spring. The plane trees can be quite large, growing in valleys near springs and offering pleasant and ample shade.”

“Many of the cedar plantations are found where the ground is most fertile, amidst the shade provided by forests of olive trees or under them. Other gardens, by contrast, are found in places without any other trees, though their edges are protected from the wind by a row of trees: cypresses, arbutus shrubs and pomegranates. From above comes the sun, the forest of olive trees and a belt of trees protecting them all around. In spring, in the marvellous shade of these gardens, enhanced by the bubbling freshness of the nearby water, thousands of nightingales eternally sing their rivalry until the hottest hours of midday. An almost overwhelming aroma of flowers, especially lemon and orange blossoms, fills the air. You don’t know which sense to give greater preference to: sight, sound or smell. All seem to be united to form a harmonic whole, and you barely notice that the total effect comes from all three sources.”