Missolonghi – Miss Rosa Florou
This article posted in Christopher Flynn’s blog, on March 6, 2013, entitled “Missolonghi – Miss Rosa Florou”.
Christopher Flynn writes fiction, travel essays, and poetry. He teaches English in Austin, Texas.
Missolonghi – Miss Rosa Florou
Before heading to Missolonghi, I found out there was a Byron Society there. I’d hoped there was something … a museum, a memorial, maybe even a local group dedicated to Lord Byron in some way. So I was happy to find out there was, and I emailed the president, Miss Rosa Florou.
After Hester and I got off the bus, walked through the rubble of the city’s walls, found the Hotel Liberty and checked in, I called Miss Rosa Florou. She was always “Miss” Rosa Florou in emails. Over conversation in the half a day we spent with her I found out she was married and busy with her son’s upcoming wedding in Athens, so “Miss” was an honorific that didn’t exactly translate. But after all those emails, that’s what she was to me.
She came to the hotel to pick us up. I remember trying to tell her where it was on the phone, but she said she knew it. There were only two hotels in town, so obviously she knew it.
Right now I’m searching my mind for a way of calling someone a character, or an original, without belittling them in any way. Because Miss Rosa Florou is an amazing, hilarious, over the top woman, a character and an original, but one you’d do well to take very seriously while laughing.
