Daily Life

I am back in Athens, and have started and stopped writing blog posts for numerous reasons. Daily life here does not mimic life in Seattle. And it's okay that it doesn't. At times I find things that do and do not make me miss Home. Last week, mom and I went to an outdoor cinema by foot and saw Inception. I was glad that it wasn't dubbed, but it did have Greek subtitles, so in addition to trying to follow the storyline, I was practicing Greek. The Cinema has tables and refreshments, so if you want to enjoy a kalamaki souvlaki with a beer, you may. The photo above was taken from our veranda yesterday morning. Please note the single orange cone to alert speeding traffic that workers are near.

Mom and I took a weekend trip with close friends to Agoriani, a small village up in Mt Parnassos. In addition to taking in the sights and local fare, conversation included differences between the States and Greece. We brought up safety as one, and how much the American is concerned for his fellow man's safety and security, whereas the Greek, well hey, if you weren't looking while driving and you fall over the side of the road, it's your fault. (Did I mention that we drove up a mountain to about 850 meters vertical height?)

I spent the day today going to the post office and to the grocery store. I love going to the grocery store here. It's a little insane. There is an entire section devoted to "Wheat Rusks" which are actually pretty good. Also there is a deli counter for Cheese, and a separate one for Feta, as there about as many varieties at each. Food is relatively inexpensive here (a red onion was .11 euros, a kilo of the finest Kalamata olives at 5 euro, fresh bread at .90 euros a loaf from a bakery, and juice at 2.50 euro). Those of you who have visited here will appreciate today's purchase of 7 cans of beer, with a FREE GIFT of an eighth can. The supermarket even delivered it all within an hour, so I didn't have to haul it home for my 15-minute walk on the heat. I feel like a local!

Speaking of the heat it's been perfect at about 85 degrees F. On our weekend getaway, we got a taste of the village--rain and fog and temps hovering between 55-60--but it was absolutely dynamite. There is something about heading up to the Mountain, putting on heavier clothes, warming yourself with good wine and better conversation, and enjoying the different environment that offers.

Breakfast there was hortopita, think cheese pie but replace the cheese with fresh local greens. The pita was handmade and we ate it with our morning coffee. Although our traveling companion, Kostantinos, prefers bread. I surprised myself in my enjoyment of this dish at that hour! We made a brief side trip to Kaloskopi, the village where my grandads and dad were raised. My dad's little brother is there during the summer with his wife, so we stopped in to see them though all too briefly. That village only has about 20 year round residents, so it's a dying village. The village where we stayed has about 350, and it's becoming more of a tourist site. We met some locals, one a driven young lady named Effie, who is in real estate among other things. She's the glue that holds a town together. She took us to see a hotel that was opened a few years ago by a Greek-Italian (got passion?) lady named Teresa. Teresa fundamentally is an artist. She has put together a beautiful hotel that includes only 4 rooms, all of which are different, but also a wonderful bar/common space, where the ceiling in unnaturally high, the menu is written on the window, and all of the details are hers (she made the clock for example, and the water basins that serve as sinks in some areas are carved from wood by her hand). It is AWESOME to see young women drive commerce wherever you are, and it was really fun for me to see how energized my mom got by seeing them. She sang their praises and gave them blessings. I think the differences she sees in her generation and mine spur her to encourage anyone to make a better life for themselves, but especially to the young women she meets.

I hate to cut this short, because I HAVE SO MUCH MORE TO TELL YOU! But I think some should be left for the trip home, no? I have to get going because (1) strikes going on today will make it harder for me to get around the city, (2) ouzo awaits in Thissio with my cousins and (3) I am pretty much done with the couple in the corner who have been making out since I arrived here. Though the window washer doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he just lit a cigarette.

Link to full album for weekend trip.

More to come!