Bittersweet.

Today was the last day in the village. It is certainly bittersweet leaving as I had a really relaxing time with my family, however, it will be good to get back and get back on the ice and start burning off all this bread and oil!!

It was a typical day, wake up, fruit cup, swimming at Gnospi followed by some cafe time and some dinner. 

 

Last day at Gnospi with these two beauties.

 

Typical scene at the cafe.

As you know it was Jai’s birthday last night and all their friends came. Well, today at swimming, one of the boys named Johnny dropped off a little envelope to Jess to give to her. In it was a little bracelet that said ‘Love’. It was so cute. We thought it was from all the boys, but tonight after dinner the girls came running up and said: ‘look at this!’  As it turns out all the boys went and picked out their own little gifts and gave them to Jai. She had bracelets and necklaces galore. It was adorable. She was beaming. How cute of them. 

 The kids said when they walked up to them the boys had all these envelopes in their pockets and started pulling them out. So cute. 

This is actually really cute too: the lady whom I rented the first house from has a movie night every night at sundown for all the kids who want to come. She sets up a projection screen and they bring their chips and soda and sit around and watch a movie. Last year she charged them all 50 cents and the money she raised went towards some save the turtle foundation. Tonight I walked by and was shocked at how many kids were glued to the screen.   

Tomorrow the 24hr trek home begins at 7am with a ride to the airport. First flight out at 1:35 to Amstersdam then a quick connection to Atlanta and then home. Going to be a long day!!
   

A Special Day

Today is my niece Jaiden’s 15th birthday so it was a big day with lots planned for later in the day. Happy Birthday Jai!!! 

Last night I wanted to head there to see if I could find any souvenirs for some folks back home, but Dad forbid me from going because a storm was brewing. I ended up going today and, in spite of there just being basically garbage to buy, it was a good start to the day. 

My sweet ride.

  

En route selfie.

 Once I returned to the village I took a little tour down some roads I was far too lazy to walk down.  

 
  
The above is a castle/fort that was used for blah blah blah. I don’t really know, but apparently there are snakes in there so this is as close as I get. 

After my little bike tour it was a swim at Gnospi and then the birthday girl wanted to have a water balloon fight so we went back and prepared our armory.  

The battle was kids vs. parents so Tina, Les and I took on Jai, Jess and Kyle. The balloons weren’t actual water balloons so they were huge, but it’s all we had. 

The fight took place in and around the church and because I couldn’t exactly use my iPhone to get pics during battle, I wore the chest harness with the GoPro and took a few screen shots of the footage.   

It was a little rough because the balloons were huge and they didn’t always break on impact so it was like getting pounded with a soft medicine ball. It was good fun though. 

After we ran out of ammo I grabbed the hose and got after it.  

After, yet another storm rolled through, it was time for Jai’s birthday supper.  

Tina and Dad and John went to the restaurant earlier and did some decorating for the party. 

The kids invited their new friends to celebrate with them. It was so cute seeing the boys there with them and I know Jai was thrilled.   

The boys were all a bit shy to order food so Dad went over there to coordinate everything.   

After a great meal it was time for the cake.  
It was super cute hearing the boys all sing happy birthday to Jai in their little Greek accents. 

It was a fun day overall and I hope Jai thought so too!!

8 Legger

I didn’t post anything yesterday because, quite frankly, it was a bit of a brutal day. I slept late, got up, ate, slept and then a big storm rolled in. I ended up being stuck in the house with no wifi for about an hour while the big storm passed through.  

  

After eating a Gyro for dinner I retired early. The whole day just kind of sucked and I am glad today was a much better day. 

I slept in late and headed to the cafe for a fruit cup. Then it was off to Gnospi for a swim. I’m heading home on Wednesday so I only have a few days to work on evening out the old tan lines. 

After being cast to sea by the current I paddled my way back to see that a guy had captured an octopus. I quickly paddled to shore to get some snaps. 

 The poor thing was in some distress so it was turning white. The guy put out those ‘traps’ in different areas around our little swimming hole. He puts bait in them and waits for them to get in there then goes and scoops them up.   

It was pretty exciting for everyone to see that little guy that close. Fortunately, for the octopus, he was set free. 

We did another jump off the big rock today with the GoPro so one day I will get that footage posted. 

After some chilling at the cafe, it was off to dinner at our favorite spot where I stuffed myself once again.  

Backgammon match before dinner

Look at the behaviour of the Mom. Sheesh…

Then it was off to our favorite place for dinner.   

Later we were having a drink with the women I rented the first house from and a ‘gypsy’ who was selling baskets came by. She kind of had a lot of them.  

It was a good night. Only two full days left before I head home. I rented a bike today thinking I was going to go to Stoupa for a little souvenir shopping, but the clouds were dark and Dad forbid me to go and I obeyed. I’ll go tomorrow sometime.

  
  

GoPro

I bought a GoPro before I left home and we have used it here and there, but there isn’t that much thrilling footage one can get while floating on an air mattress…

Today, however I wanted to try to capture the jump from the big rock at Gonspi. First I was going to go with the head cam, then chest cam, but decided to go with selfie stick cam in honor of my friend back home who is a selfie stick junkie. You know who you are…

I know it’s lame to write about this without being able to provide any pics just now, but it is more about how absolutely terrified I was standing at the top of that rock with a stupid selfie stick in my hand. Anyway, here is a pic of one of the kids’ friends who jumped before us to give you a glimpse.  

Mind the water spots…

Later at the cafe where we always hang it, the excitement level rose when dad decided he was going to go squid fishing at night with his buds. It’s perfectly normal to grab your rod and reel and bring them to the cafe and start getting them ready, right?  

Like a kid in the candy store.

If you can bring your rod and reel in, why not bring your bait in and get that set up too?  

Here, Aristides is configuring some kind of glow stick to put on the top of the hook.   Apparently it lights up and attracts the squid and then they see the bait and that is when you snag them. It’s all quite horrible really, but the compassion level is low when you are dealing with life long fishermen.  

After dinner everyone reconvenes back at the cafe for ice cream or a night cap. Everywhere you look there’re are kids of all ages hanging out or playing in little packs. One of my favorite things about going to the village when we were kids was this independence. You were free to roam the streets, run around, get the net and try to catch a crab or a starfish, or you could just chill. You could never stray too far and there were always adults around to keep you in line if things were getting out of hand. It was a feeling that you rarely had when at home.  

Group of little kids fooling around.

 

…and the older kids…

Aristides granddaughter came racing up to the cafe with something in her net. She was beaming. It was a crayfish, or as they call them here an ‘asskicker’ because of the way they swim.  She was proudly showing her Papou. 

Dad was holding this little guy up and all of a sudden it started flapping it’s tail like crazy. The damn thing scared the crap out of me. I screamed and jumped and pretty much the whole cafe was howling.  I certainly didn’t expect that. The thing looked dead. 

All in all, a great night sitting around the village.  

  
  
 

A full day.

After a bit of a sleep in I woke up to saw some guys playing tennis in the court across from my pad. Tennis. In 35C heat.  

I walked down to the house to steal a beach towel and saw my dad, sister and bro-in-law slowly moving out of the port on his boat, so I quickly made my way down there and jumped on.  Dad couldn’t take watching his boat just float there any longer so he needed to take it for a rip. Normally I’m not particularly fond of boat rides but somehow it feels quite relaxing and enjoyable here.  

Interesting rock formation.

Dad wanted to go see if Uncle George had caught anything with the ‘paragathi’. It’s a series of lines of hooks coming off a main line at intervals of around 3′ (I think). They then let it out and it somehow stays at a certain depth and blah blah blah, whatever. All I know is it’s a big production to get it ready and then go and set it out. Anyway UG was out collecting his and dad wanted to see if he had gotten anything.  

UG in his little traditional greek fishing boat.

“Tipota’. Nothing. 

We carried on in the boat to another little village called ‘Trahila’ and were going to go for a refreshment, but there was no dock to park the boat so we turned around and headed back.   

Trahila

We got back the same time as UG and here is dad checking out his haul.  

There was some fish in there and a couple of good sized ones that I thought weren’t too bad. UG just laughed at me and said: ‘no good’. He’s so cute. 

It was hot so it was time to swim, but just as I got to Gnospi a big storm was brewing and took the sun away.  

I took my chances on it blowing over, but no luck. It started pouring huge, cold rain drops and I headed back. Others thought it was fun to stay and swim while it poured rain, but being in the sea when lightning stuck wasn’t my idea of an ideal place to be.  

After some lounging around and an attempt at a nap I got ready and headed to the house where the decision to go to the ‘panayiti’ in a small village called Riglia had been made. The last time I was here we went to the same one and it was a lot of fun.  

Headed up to Riglia

 The food is classic roasted pork with Greek salads and bread. You go tell them how many people you have and they lop of a portion to suit your needs.  

The loper.

You are then given your portion on a huge square of butcher paper, grab some forks, salad and bread, and dig in.  

It might be the best roast pork you ever taste. 

I even had a Greek beer to get in the spirit of it all.  

We were there early so to ensure we got a good table, but it meant a lot of waiting and fooling around waiting for the band to begin.  

 I took this picture of Dad and Jess and for whatever reason it made me super emotional. There is just something about the look in both of their eyes and the way they are smiling the exact same amount that struck a chord. I shed a tear or two and Jessie and Kyle couldn’t stop laughing. Nice.  

Finally after a bunch of plinking and plucking around during their sound check, the music began. I often really enjoy Greek music for the most part. It all tends to follow a similar beat, but i like it and I like the bouzouki. What I CANNOT stand is the clarinet in Greek music. It is a horrible sound that makes it sound like off key snake charmers music. It’s brutal. 

We had high hopes for the band until about the 5th song until the clarinet guy started warning up. Once he started it was good night Irene. Awful. Beyond awful. However my bro in law was a great sport and took my Auntie up for a few dances.  

You can see the clarinet player in the background in the white shirt. I could have shoved that clarinet so far up his…

Kyle and Jess joined in the fun.  

Nobody, except for my aunt, knew what they were doing, but they gave it a go anyway. It was cute.  

There was only so much of that  squawking clarinet that one could handle so we left around midnight. That was one bad band, but it was a pretty good time regardless.  

So remember how I mentioned how spooky my walk home is now? Check it out.  

 
 

 I know, right?
  
     
      

Moving Day

After some spotty sleep I woke up early 😳 (9:45), packed up my belongings and waited for my new accommodations to be ready. Originally she said I could check in around 11, but 11 turned into 12 which turned into closer to 2pm. The Greeks have their own schedule and it is pretty much the whenever-it-gets-done-schedule. I didn’t mind though, I just took a nap while I waited. 

Finally I got into the new pad and was pleasantly surprised. I actually fell in love with the little place immediately. It was hospital clean and super cute! Plus, the wifi is fully operational! It made me wish I had stayed here from the beginning.  

Cute little bedroom.

  

Comfy sitting area

  

Shower with curtain!

The last place had a nice shower but no curtain. Water got everywhere which, isn’t a huge problem on the tile, but having a curtain seems much more civilized. The a/c works great as well as the ceiling fan room temperature isn’t an issue. I can’t believe this great little place only costs $74/night. What a steal. The only thing about it is that it is tucked a little away from the main area of the village and street lights are not a big thing along the back streets so it is a bit of a spooky walk after dinner. It’s nearly pitch black and shares the same road as the graveyard…good thing the walk is not very long. 

Speaking of the laid back Greek attitude, I meant to mention the guy who owns the bike rental place the other night. Anyway, I feel like his ‘fleet’ of bikes are a bunch of bikes that have been stolen and he now rents them out. They are a hodge podge of all kinds and in varying conditions. Some quite new looking and others squeaky and a bit rickety. Without fail, every bike you chose to try out has a flat tire. When you ask him if the tire has a hole in it, his response is a shrug and a ‘Den xero’ (I don’t know). So, if he doesn’t know, and doesn’t seem to care, it’s all up to you to decide which bike you are going to roll the dice on.  What he did do was give me his business card and said to call him if I got a flat. Comforting. 

This actually did happen to my sister and he did bring her another bike. The thing is, she didn’t even have to call him, he figured it was going to go flat on her and came along the trail with an extra bike just in case. Good timing…I guess? Why he let her take that bike in the first place is a mystery. 

The pre-rental repairs

 The last time we got bikes my bike kept slipping out of gear when I would push hard on the pedals to go up the hills. Anyone who has experienced that knows how frustrating that can be, never mind that it is a good crack on the heel bone waiting to happen. When I returned the bike I told him it was a piece of crap and that the gears slipped. I said: “are you going to fix it?” Another shrug followed by: ‘den peirázei’ (It doesn’t matter). Hahaha. Okay then! 

Here is a pic of some of my dad’s buddies having a normal conversation. Not an arguement or a confrontation, but just talking. They get pretty passionate.  

 Even though I can’t understand what they say, it’s pretty entertaining sitting around watching them speak to one another. 

Dinner finished around 10 or so and then it was time to retire for a relatively early night. It’s nice to be able to sit in the comfort of my home away from home and write the blog. Hopefully there will be a few less typos now, but don’t count on it. 
    

Low Key

Today was a pretty low key day for us. Nothing much to report as the days are very similar. Wake up, have something to eat, chill at the cafe and watch the random traffic jams at the corner, watch the people walk by, and try not to think about just how hot it is. 

Dad, on the other hand, is totally getting the runaround on getting his boat licensed. He had it shipped over from Canada, went to Vancouver to get all the paperwork stamped and approved, but he is getting all kinds of hassle from the coast card. If it’s is not one thing, it’s another. Poor guy, he has his nice boat waiting and ready to go, but can’t take it out without a huge risk of 1000 euro fine. Hopefully it’s resolved soon.   

We went for a nice, refreshing dip at Gnospi again, but other than having to take my shampoo at shower at the shower there (water was out again) it was fairly uneventful.  

The kids are having fun hanging with some local Albanian boys. Tonight at dinner Jai was managing her suitors via Facebook chat.  

Jai didn’t swim with us today, but she did come and hang out with the the boys. She got this funky tan line as a result. 

The house I am renting was only available until the 5th (tomorrow) so I will be switching to a different little suite. It supposedly has wifi! This house was supposed to as well, but with all the chaos that took place here in the last few months, apparently it couldn’t get done?! Having to be on he balcony and hope the Internet from across the way works was frustrating to a degree, but what is worse was that the rental was advertised as being equipped with wifi. Don’t advertise it if it isn’t available! 

Tomorrow I will have new digs so that will likely be the excitement of the day!! I’m curious to see how it turns out. I have to pack my stuff up and be out by around 11. Looks like I might have to set an alarm…😳
  
  

Water Back.

I woke up in the middle of the night to find no water coming out of the tap. Great. I remember this happening when I was  a kid and barely thinking twice about it. No water has bigger implications as an adult. By the time I finished being a sloth and wanted a shower I felt like the water issue had been resolved so I let the shower ‘warm up’ while I got myself sorted out. Little did I know that instead of it warming up, I was depleting my reserves and by the time I got in, I had little more than a dribble.   

 I managed to get the job done and we promptly headed out on the bikes towards a beach called Pantazi.   
 When we were kids we went there a few times until we saw someone take a crap in the sand and bury it. That put an end to our visits to Pantazi. It didn’t look overly inviting today either so a visit there is unlikely. 

Tonight ended up being a pretty amazing feast at my Dad’s cousin’s restaurant. Remember those baskets that my uncle George and I  put out the other day and came up empty with? Well yesterday he came back with a good haul and provided a nice meal for everyone. They cleaned them up and brought them to the restaurant where they cooked them up for us.  

 It wasn’t my thing, but those who tried them said they were ‘tasty’. We also had shrimp, souvlaki, ‘keftedes’ (Greek meatballs) and some cod.  It was really delicious and filling.  

 At John’s place after  dinner he mentioned to my dad that I looked exactly like my mom and started talking about her. I got super emotional and was really missing her tonight. She loved him and he loved her. Missing my Mom tonight.  

❤️❤️  

Panic Attack

Nothing too exciting happened today other than the short-lived panic attack I had when I realized I forgot my wallet at the restaurant in Stoupa 😳. 

I wanted to change it up a bit today and head to Stoupa for a bite so Tina, Jess, Kyle and I grabbed some bikes and went that way. It’s always a nice ride and feels good to get some exercise since swimming is basically none. 

After a quick look around in a few shops, we had dinner at a nice seaside restaurant. Both Kyle and Jess were quite ‘hangry’ as you can tell by their…expressions.  

Finally we got to a restaurant that had my sisters’ favorite dish: ‘Pastitsio’. It’s similar to lasagna in some ways in that the meat is ground beef and it uses noodles, but long macaroni noodles. Anyway, it’s super good and they gave you a lot so I was able to take half home for lunch tomorrow.  

It was when I was fussing with the to go box and simultaneously paying the bill when it all went unknowingly wrong…

From the restaurant we went to this frozen yogurt place called ‘Chillbox’ about 500m away. It is similar to Tutti Fruiti in St. Louis where you buy some yogurt and put whatever toppings on it and you pay by weight. Well I chose my flavors and went to grab my wallet to pay and realized I had no wallet. PURE PANIC set in. I fled the place, grabbed a bike and peddled as quickly as I could to get there, the whole time hoping like hell my wallet was where I left it. The cash in there was one thing, but all I could think about was all of my ID etc that would be an absolute pain in the arse to replace. I jumped off the bike, ran inside and to my relief, there it was…laid wide open on the counter just as I left it. Phew. Talk about a way to ruin a holiday…that would have been brutal. 

I happily rode back to the ‘Chillbox’ and picked mine up.   

We had to quickly eat up and get back because dad was very adamant about us getting back before dark. We did no problem. Safe and sound. 

Afterwards it was a little screen time at the cafe.  

Dad came by and was listening to a few of his favorite songs on the iPad.  

“Momma’s don’t let your babies grow up to be Cowboys…”

Nothing better than hearing Willie and Waylon with a Greek accent.  
     

Rock climbing.

It was an exciting day down at Gnospi today as everyone, but my sister, took at least a turn jumping off the big rock. Dad forbid us from doing it, but we just waited for a day when he wasn’t with us and did it anyway 😋 Tina was the only one who listened😕 I would say the drop is about 25 feet or so, but once you get up there it feels a lot higher.  

Me and my Albanian guide

 The treacherous part of the endeavor is wading through this shallow area of water across rocks covered in sea urchins.  The local kids either just swim through it or they know where to step. I had this random Albanian kid lead the way for me.  

 The kids here all have feet that are like leather on the bottom so walking across the craggy rocks isn’t really an issue. We Canadians come with soft sensitive foot-rub-lovin’ feet so we wore our flips. Flips are NOT ideal footwear for the record. Nonetheless we all made it to the top safe and sound. 

Standing over the edge looking down, all of a sudden it seemed super high. What makes it a little unnerving is because the water is so clear you can see the rocks in the bottom of sea so it doesn’t look all that deep, when in reality it is easily 25-30 feet. 

After my little Albanian guide jumped it was all me. The longer I stood there the more panic set in so I just went for it. Jess didn’t catch me in mid air, but here is me relaxing with my flips afterwards.  

 
The kids were both very brave, and although Jai needed a bit of extra time to gather herself, she did great.  

Jai

  
 Around 6 or so a big storm finally did roll through. Thunder, lightning and a bunch of wind and rain. It got to be pretty intense, but didn’t last too long.  

 The storm cooled everything off which made for a nice dinner at our favorite restaurant.