Marjoram and Fireflies

At the end of a long day driving, walking and taking photographs around the north western mountains in Greece, not far from the Albanian border I found a beautiful field just off a small road. Perfect for sleeping in. I parked up at the top after a bit of slightly precarious off road driving in the small car and got out to stretch my legs.

The smell hit me immediately. It was beautiful. The meadow’s flowers and herbs were enjoying the early summer evening sun and they were throwing out their scent with wild abandon. I lay there for what felt like hours inhaling and relaxing in it all, in particular the marjoram.

As the sun went down I climbed into the car, put the seat down, got the sleeping bag out and started drifting off. But there was something that kept catching my attention out of the corner of my eye. When I sat up to look my jaw hit the floor. There was a sea of fireflies out there. For the next hour I was back out in the field watching the spectacle against a backdrop of stars and smells. I will never forget this moment, as all my worries fell away and I melted into the landscape.

There are many places I have visited on my own and made mental notes to return to one day with someone. This field in Greece is perched high on the top of my list.