Greece - Day 11

In which history is explored, lamb is eaten and more drawing happens.

Today was my first taste of the ancient ruins of Greece as we went to our first museum and archaeology site. We went to the Eretria museum and they had a nice collection of pots and funerary offerings all found in Eretria. Then they also had this whole outside area where you could walk around and even explore the ruins! They had a tomb that was excavated and on display behind glass. There was this weird platform thing that some thought was for making wine but I've decided was for sacrificing animals (see the spout that would easily catch all that sacificial blood? Handy!).






















A big highlight for me was that we got to see archaeologists at work! While they weren't dressed like any archaeologist I know...ahem...they certainly looked like they knew what they were doing. Jesse translated a conversation with them and we found out that they've been at this site for four years but this site has been excavated for the last 30 years! Here's a photo of where they sort pieces they've found. Now this would be fun for any puzzle enthusiast out there! To me it seems impossible how they can reconstruct 30% of a statue or sculpture - how do they know where everything belongs?! That's why they get paid the...uh...probably small bucks.

They had this whole area where you could walk around, in and through! It was wild to be able to actually walk on and in these ruins! This is definitely as close as I'll ever get to being Indiana Jones! :-) And why did I have to wear those stupid shorts for this photo shoot?!




While walking through these ruins we came across this broken pot that had yet to be assembled. It wasn't behind glass or a roped off area - just sitting there on the ground. Seemed so weird to me that I could pick it up if I wanted to (which I didn't).

We also saw this place called the Mosaic House. It's a house that has these amazing mosaic floors. Thousands of pebbles and stones were used to create these intricate designs.


After this exciting outing, we headed deeper into the mountains to a place called Steni. Guess what? We had a fantastic lunch! Probably the best lamb I had was from this place. Mmmmmm. Afterwards we walked around the village which was super quite as we were there during the Siesta. This village had about nine of these constantly running fountains throughout. You could go up to one and drink right from it as it was all spring water! We saw many people fill up their jugs with this fresh water. Cold and refreshing! Then we all just chilled in the village for an hour or two. As in all the villages we visited on my trip - this one had a church. The churches in Greece are all very colourful! Some are painted on all walls and even the ceiling, and this one in Steni had a very colourful wall with sculptures all over it.

I took this opportunity to make another drawing. This time I have a photo of what I drew. As you can see I took a few liberties with what I saw...that's art for you!




















































On our drive back we saw a couple things that warranted stopping and checking out. One was this cool swinging bridge that was pretty bouncy! Another was this really neat mini-church that could only fit one person inside! Often in Greece you'll see these mini birdhouse sized churches which act as a memorial for where someone died. Not sure what this one is all about as it was literally in the middle of nowhere!

That night we had dinner in Eretria where Jesse and I played a game and walked around and talked about guy stuff! We played Through the Desert - which Jesse won.

Greece - Day 10

In which we visit Yaya, draw some scenery, swim and eat.


Today we went to visit Yaya. Yaya is Greek for Grandma and is Holly's birth mother. She's 86 years old and is pretty much self sufficient (which means that she doesn't buy anything from a store!). We had a tour of her premises which involved a few small buildings put together (really just a few rooms - but apart from each other). This is what the inside of her main living area looks like. That fireplace is where she does most of her cooking!


This is her bread oven where she makes bread pretty much every day! Bread is such a big part of eating in Greece. No matter what, every meal you eat at a restaurant, you will always be served bread. You never ask for it, but you always get it. What's kind of funny about it is that they always charge you for bread - even if you don't order it or want it!

Here's part of her farm. She had chickens, rabbits and other misc animals! There were two guard dogs in this fenced in farm as well. One interesting thing about Greece is that they don't have any pets! No dogs or cats would ever be found in the home of a traditional Greek. To them it's the same as having a goat wandering around your living room. That said, there are thousands of cats in Greece but they are all homeless. Any time you go to a restaurant for dinner there will always be cats beneath your feet begging for food!

Here's where Yaya has a shower. She has plumbing so I'm not sure if this barrel collects rain water as well - but that hose is the shower head part!










After that cultural experience we played some games with the kids and then I took a time out to do some drawing. I don't do much drawing but find that when I'm on vacation I enjoy sketching something that catches my eye. Here's what I drew. Then I coloured it using the computer. This is the view out the backyard of the Polhemus residence where I stayed.


Then we went back to Eretria for a swim. Ahh swimming! While in Eretria I went back to Kyrilos's shop and bought that ring. Here's a picture of the ring. It was the most expensive thing I bought - but it really is a one of a kind!

You know when you're walking along and you stumble into a spider web and you freak out as you try to get it off of you? Well that almost happened to me here in Eretria - but replace spider webs with octopus tentacles! They were just hanging off a canopy! Those wacky Greeks.

That night we had another amazing meal, this time at Holly's sisters. I was getting worried that I would gain some weight while I was on vacation with all this good food. As a little aside here: when I booked this trip back in March, I decided it was time to lose some weight. I was 230 lbs and made a goal to get below 200 lbs before my trip. One week prior to my trip I was down to 200 lbs! That last week before leaving I tried super hard to lose even more so I could say that I was below 200 lbs and I did indeed get down to 195 lbs! A pretty major accomplishment for me! :-) I'm also happy to report that while I enjoyed so many great meals, upon my return I discovered that I didn't gain any weight at all! Whew!

Greece - Day 9

In which there's a hike, a fire and some French.

In case you're wondering, it's Monday! On vacation you totally forget about the days of the week!










Today Jesse and I hiked up to Ano Vatheia, a tiny village a few miles from where we stayed. This was a quint little village. We were there during the late morning and early afternoon - so it was hot! So hot that all the sheep in a nearby field were huddled under one tree. So hot that on our way back was say a fire nearby. We saw the planes come and drop their water loads onto the fire, but it wasn't quick enough to save some of the olive trees that Holly's sister had in that area.

Late in the afternoon the Frenches came. This was another family that was staying with us - friends of the Polhemus's. Jonathon, Candice and their three boys: Lucien, Francis and Arran (aged 8,10 and 11 respectively). We played some games with the kids and then got ready for another swim.

We went swimming in a beach in Amarinthos - so really close by. This photo has Arran in the foreground and Francis in the water.

Every time we went outside in the late day or evening, we all protected ourselves with mosquito spray. It's not like they were swarming with mosquitoes or anything - but they do have them (couldn't tell if they stayed away from those white-trunked trees or not though!). All of the Polhemus's were bitten throughout the week in various spots causing much itching and sleepless nights. I'm happy to report that I made it through my entire trip without one mosquito bite! I guess Greek mosquitoes don't like the taste of Canadians! :-)

Greek Lexicon

I always carried around my moleskin notepad with me and it came in quite handy as a translation aid. Any time I learned a new word, I'd write it down in my book. Here are all the words I learned (written phonetically):

Yes: Neh
No: Ohi
Hello (formal): Yassus
Hello (informal): Yassou
Good morning: Kali merra
Good evening: Kali sperra
Good night: Kali nicht
(you'll note that there's no "Good Afternoon" because everyone is napping during the siesta!)
Good: Kala
See you later: Tha Teh Pumeh
Beautiful: Orayo
Please: seh perakalo
Thank you: Efarrysto
Your welcome: parakalo
Cheers: Yammous
Bathroom: Banyo (also same word for beach...that's awkward!)
Hot: zesty
I love you: Sa ga po
ice cream: Pa ga toh
I love you, ice cream: Sa ga po, pa ga toh
How are you: Ti kanateh
I like: Moo aressi
Everything: Ola
Sorry, excuse me: Signomi
of course: veh veh
What is that: ti nefto
What time is it: ti ora eena
water: nero
Many years (as in Happy Birthday): Kronya pola
very, many: poli
watermelon: karpuzi
later: mehta
only: mono
food: fagitoh
I eat: Tro
every: kathay
good luck: Kali tikhi
with: Meh
Fish: Psari
Fresh: Fresca
Greece: Ellatha
One: Enna
Two: Theo
Three: Tria
Four: Tessayra
Five: Penteh
Six: Ecksi
Seven: upta
Eight: Ochto
Nine: Ennia
Ten: Thecka

I also learned how to read Greek. I couldn't comprehend what I was reading - and I could only read if it was all capitals - but I could read it! Here is a lexicon for what each letter sounds like:

Γ: Y or G sound
Θ: Thhh
Ψ: Pss
Φ: Fff
Ξ: Kss
Π: P
Λ: L
Σ: S
Δ: Th (as in the)
P: R
V: N
Ω: O
Y: ee
X: phlegmy kh
B: V
MΠ: B

Greece - Day 8

In which a ring is eyed, a beach is swam in and a normally late dinner is eaten.

Today we spent some official time in Eretria. Jesse's mom and dad - the Polhemus's, were smart in taking me to their favourite shop first. The shop is called Loupon and His Dolphins. They are friends with the shop owner: Kyrilos. Why were they smart in taking me here first? Well everything here was so amazing. He had replica ancient vases and pottery, hand made jewellery, replica statues and many other high quality products. In the two weeks that would follow I did not find one store that could match the quality and assortment that this store had.

I eyed a really cool ring that Kyrilos himself made. It had an ancient coin from 450 BC embedded right into the ring. It was of a guy riding a horse and on the back would be Athena. After humming and hawing - I told Kyrilos to put it aside and I'd come back to get it on another date.

Afterwards we went to our first beach. This one is in Eretria. You can swim on either side of this strip of land. It's surprising - I realize I had never even swam in salt water before - or if I had I had forgotten how salty salt water is! The water was warm and super clear. You could see right down to your toenails! As you can see in the photo, the bottom of the tree is painted white. This was the case with almost every tree we saw in Greece. I was told that painting tree trunks white was actually an insect repellent!

I learned that in Greece, as in some other European countries, everything shuts down from 1-5pm. It's just so hot (high 30's to low 40's - dry heat). Everyone has what's called a Siesta which usually means a nice afternoon nap! Then everything opens back up around 5pm and doesn't close until 10 or 11pm. I took advantage of a little nap time and then Jesse and I played some games. We had both packed our bags with enough games to keep us busy!










That night we were invited to dinner at a restaurant in Gymnou, which was only 10 minutes away. The restuarant was up in the hills a bit so there were some great views. Dinner in Greece is never before 9pm and is often a very social thing. This was my first full meal in Greece - and it was amazing! We had Tiganopsamou (fried flat bread with cheese), Melantzanance (eggplant and tomato sauce), floryarra (fried flutes of cheese - they love cheese!) and lamb. They also drink something called Retcina which is like white wine but has a bit of sap or retsin from trees in it. Yummy.

As an aside I will say that I will be referring to things in Greek - but I will be spelling them phonetically instead of in actual Greek (as I only often heard words and didn't see them).

Before drinking from a newly poured glass, you'll often hear someone say "Yammous" which is like us saying "Cheers". Our waiter, who was the owner of the restaurant was named Tassos and he was a very excitable fellow. I couldn't understand anything he said, but he was entertaining nonetheless.

Greece - Day 7

In which there are planes, ferries and automobiles and the first of many great meals.

I made it to Greece in one piece. My friend, Jesse and his dad, Joe picked me up in Athens from the airport. From there it was about an hour and a half ride to the ferry to get to Evia. Evia is the second biggest island in Greece after Crete. This photo is of the island of Evia from the ferry. The ferry docks in Eretria, but Jesse and his family have a house in Amarinthos, which is only 15 minutes away.

Background info on Jesse: Jesse is from Providence but I met him when he and I were living in Toronto. I met him through the magic of board gaming! He and I attended another friend, Errol's game night. When I left to go to Vancouver, Jesse also left to return to Providence and I haven't seen him for over three years. His mom, Holly was born in Greece but was adopted away to America. 35 years later her birth family found her and now they have a summer home on Evia.










We stopped in Eretria for a gyro...mmm, gryos. I love gyros. Every time we ate dinner it seemed like it was right next to the water! It's interesting - there would be a long strip of seating underneath canopies right next to the water - but the restaurant is actually across the street. So you'd often see waiters crossing the street carrying their plates of food and whatnot. Apparently there's some sort of unwritten rule that you can't have a restaurant right by the water as that's prime real estate for sitting. Jesse had been taking lessons in Greek so he could communicate very effectively anywhere we were because no one else spoke English! The photo on the right is of Jesse and his dad and in the background, across the street, is the restaurant where they're cooking our gyros!

London - Day 6

In which a mission is accomplished and a pier is burned.

Today we got up and wanted to head out of the city. We chose Brighton which is an hour train ride away. This was a nice 50’s-esque pier town. It had a labyrinth of street full of quirky stores. It was quite windy and chilly so I bout a new hoodie as I didn’t pack anything with long sleeves!

This became a glorious day when we turned a corner and I accomplished Mission #2: we saw an actual Banksy! This one was even protected with a sheet of Plexiglas. Often if the Banksy is on a side of a building, the owner will actually want to protect it as it draws a lot of people in. In Brighton we saw a a gallery of really cool art and they had some limited prints of Banksy that they were selling for a mere 9000 pounds! The actually told us that awhile ago they sold a Banksy print for 300 pounds and more recently it sold for 103,000 pounds! So you can see why building owners would want to protect an actual Banksy work of art!

That reminds me of a story that Mike told me about Salvador Dali. Apparently he would invite his friends out to dinner at a posh restaurant, eating and drinking whatever they wanted. When the bill came, Dali would write a cheque and then before handing it to the waiter, Dali would make a doodle on the back. The owners were so excited to have an original Dali work of art that they never cashed the cheque, but instead had it framed! Now that’s cool!

We went out on the pier and they have ride and carnival games . We played one game where you drop 10p into the machine and it falls through various spaces and offers some ‘strategy’ through an LCD screen with a matching gem type game. Silly but fun. Throughout the day Mike was playing text tag with Sian (remember her from Day 1?) Seems like there were setting something up for Saturday night...that’s nice! We walked along the beach of the Channel through the cool but strong wind. We saw the old pier that had burned down and then found our way to a restaurant that Mike remembered being good. I hadn’t had fish and chips yet so this was my opportunity. It was tasty.

Speaking of tasty, here's where we got all our hot jellied eels.

That was about it for Brighton and we headed back to good ole Londontown.





Later that night, Chris came over and we played more board games (this time with 3 players!). Un until 2 am! We were staying up until 3:30am because that’s when I had to get a taxi to the airport to get my flight to Greece This is another example of why inexperienced travellers shouldn’t book flights online. I’m sure a travel agent would have noticed how ridiculous that would be. Not only that but it wasn’t even a direct flight. I had to fly to Warsaw, Poland first! I didn’t land until 3pm in Athens. But playing board games with Mike and Chris all night was great fun. We played 3 player Hog the Remote (a Bamboozle Brothers game). I mention this as we had never figure out how to do a 3 player version of this game...but here in London – we figured it out and it was great fun!