Kythera with Lydia and Angelos

Kythira had always eluded me — Avlemonas, Diakofti, Kapsali, Chora — places I had only seen in photographs.
Angelos and Lydia finally gave me the excuse I needed.

I arrived two days early, long enough to let the island settle under my skin. By the time the wedding day came, the energy was already there — quiet, then suddenly electric.
While I was still setting up, a test track slipped out. The groom and his friends appeared, barefoot, and started dancing.

That was the moment the night decided it would not end early.

Ten hours later, dawn found the dance floor exactly where we had left it.
Happy. Exhausted. Perfect.

Kythira is no longer just a name.