Vivir Mi Sueño

For those of you who followed my travel blog last year, I started a new blog for my 2009 Greece trip Here's the link:

http://stilldreaming.travellerspoint.com/

Happy reading!

So the 12th of August is here, but it has arrived sooner than desired. It is hard to believe that nine months ago I sat down at the computer and arranged this date with Sophia. At the time, August 12th seemed so distant and intangible. But is is here, and my bags are packed and sitting by the door.

But before I get into the heavy, sappy stuff, I'll fill you in on our adventures in Sifnos.

Last Monday we awoke around 5:50am because our ferry was to leave at 7:00am. Grigoris arrived at the apartment with his bike at 6:40am. Somehow we managed to fit all of our belongings in the additional compartments and our backpacks. As we were loading everything onto the bikes, I started pacing around and trying to hurry Takis and Grigoris. They told me to relax and that I wasn't allowed to worry about Time in Greece. We left the apartment at 6:45am, arrived at Piraeus, the port, at 6:59am, and the ferry left at 7:15am, so we still had time to spare. I learned my lesson about Greek Time from there on out through the rest of the trip.

On the ferry, we got four seats on the side deck next to the railing. Fifteen minutes after "embarkation," Takis couldn't tolerate the poor seating and upgrade our tickets to "air class." We sat indoors in a section with airplane-like chairs, but they were more comfortable and we actually had leg room. And it was a good things because we later went back out to our original seats, and they were soaking wet due to the sea mist. During the six hour ferry ride, Takis, Grigoris, and I watched a movie on the laptop, played cards, and ate. Jason slept for most of the time, but he joined us for a couple rounds of poker.

When we arrived to Sifnos, Grigoris, Takis' twin brother (I'll refer to him as Girgoris V.), was waiting for us at the port. We drove through the island, got lost a few times, and then we finally arrived to the house. Just like in Mykonos, we had to walk through the narrow streets surrounded by the white-washed walls and stone sidewalks. Our house was hidden in a little alley, so it was very private and charming. There was a main patio with a canopy of the pink flowers that are so prevalent on the islands. Through the doors of the house was a small living area with a loft with a full-sized bed, where Jason and I slept. Then there was another set of double doors with the bedroom and small bath. The bathroom had a pit with a faucet and opening in the ceiling. (But the Hotel Anjou in Paris still has this place beat for the worst shower of the trip.) Aside from the constantly soaked floor, it really wasn't too bad. There was another door on the patio perpendicular to the wall of the living room. Through this door was a small kitchen. I felt like I was living in the thirties (I think that's one of my favorite things about this place). We sat down with the owner for a while after she showed us around the house. She also showed us her four cats for which we cared. I instantly fell in love with the kitten, Moro ("baby"). I can't wait to see my kitty back home.

We got ready for the beach, but Grigoris felt sick, so we let him sleep for a while as we hung around the house. Later we hopped on the bikes and went to a cafe right on the water. We sat on the deck where people were dancing to American music, and we ordered coffee. After about an hour or two, we went back ot the house, showered, and then went out for the night.

Here is a summary of the nightlife on the islands. Around 9 or 10pm, you're at home finishing up dinner. You lounge around for about 2-3 hours so that you'll have energy for the night. You wake up, shower, and leave around 2:00am. You go out to a "bar" and either sit down or dance/bed at the knees and sway (if you're European). Then around 4:00am, the bars close, and the clubs, which are pretty much the same thing only bigger, open. You leave the bars, mingle in the streets, and slowly make their way to the clubs. Then you stay at the club until 6-7am.

Even though this really wasn't my scene, I like ddancing in Sifnos better than in the States for a few reasons: 1) Unlike in American (Morgantown, especially), people are not completely inebriated, falling all over each other and trying to start fights. There is a very friendly environment, and I felt safe. 2) The clubs are a lot cleaner than in Morgantown. 3) People just stand and "dance" in their own circles. Men and women don't dance with each other, which I like because I don't have to worry about strange men trying to dance with me. I enjoyed dancing, but after witnessing the third sunrise, I was getting pretty bored with the mundane routine. Every night it was the same thing with the same music, but just in a different building. A couple of nights I went back to the house early and actually beat the moon to bed.

My favorite moments of the trip occurred between the beach and going out. We would make dinner (or order souvlaki) and eat on the patio and listen to the music. One night we discovered that we could climb on the neighbor's roof and get a good view of the island. Only in Greece can you climb on somebody else's roof, watch the sunset, and eat ice cream.

I also really enjoyed the beaches. Surprisingly, my favorite beaches were the rocky ones. We had to climb down the sides of cliffs to reach the water. One day we swam along the cliffs and walked through a small cove with our heads in the water so we wouldn't step on sea urchins. Another day Jason, Grigoris, and I walked around the rocks looking at the sea life. We found crabs, snails (I immediately thought of Paqui and her caracoles), and marine plants. I also liked the rocky beaches because they were more private with less people. The water was very clean. (You know you're truly Greek when you start critiquing beaches despite the crystal clear waves and purple water in the distance.)

One day we met Apostolis, and he hung out with us for the rest of the trip. We also met a 21 year-old Greek American who speaks Greek fluently and visits Greece every year. After he criticized West Virginia and WVU and I retorted with a list of recent athletic WVU accomplishments, we got along a little better. His friend was a friend of Takis, so they stopped by the house occasionally.

We really didn't get to spend much time with Grigoris V becuase he works on the island, so he was usually there. At the end of the his month he's going Portland, Oregon for three years to study. A couple of days he joined us for the beach. (Takis fell on the rocks and he had to switch bikes with this brother because he injured his knee.) One day the four of us were swimming in the water teasing each ohter, atching like sharks were attacking us (there are no harmful sharks in Greece) when Grigoris V. came out of no where and grabbed my foot underwater. I think the whole island heard me scream.

I'd like to continue about my trip to Sifnos, but now it's time to go to the airport. I found out that one of my flights was cancelled, so now I have to catch another flight. This extends my trip another hour and half, making the total traveling time 23 hours. But now I catch the same 3 hour flight to Frankfurt with Jason and we'll have a 2.5 hour layover there.

There are many things I'm going to miss about Europe--like being able to sit in restaurants and cafes for hours at a time without feeling rushed. The relaxed way of life without obsessing over the time. The food, the sea, the feta cheese and yogurt. Not having to check the weather for rain every day. But the thing I'm going to miss most about this trip is the people who became my family over time. In Vienna, I made a life-long friend. In Spain, I gained three sisters. And here in Greece, I adopted three brothers, a yiayia, two thias, and a papou. I'm especially going to miss the company of Jason, Takis, and Grigoris. I'm going to miss the constant lifes, the inside jokes, and the rides on the bikes. I'm going to miss Grigoris yelling at Takis and keeping him line. I'm going to miss Jason and I laughing into our pillows at night trying to avoid waking the others up. I'm going to miss the "Ella re malaka" and "Pinao poli." I'm really dreading the goodbye with Takis and Grigoris at the airport. But we made a cheer tonight before we left, "Unitl America." They've promised to visit two years from now, and we're going to hold them to it.

At the same time I'm excited to reunite with my friends and family back home. I thank God that my departure is bittersweet. It indicates that my journey abroad was indescribably amazing, yet home is so inviting and comfortable. I want to thank you for following my blog and expressing your thoughts and comments about my experiences. I really felt like you were traveling along with me, and it made recording every event so enjoyable. I look forward to seeing all of you when I return. God bless.

Pslam 37:4

For the past week, we haven't had Internet, and I have limited time right now. But I'll try to catch you up as much as possible. Right now we're back in Athens; Jason and I caught a bus this morning from Nafplio back to the house of Takis. We jumped right back into the routine of going to Yiayia's for lunch. (Today we ate with Aunt Loula? I forget how we're related to her, but she is very sweet and speaks a little English. She's also visited Wheeling before.)

I don't know if I wrote about this or not, but for a while we couldn't find a place to stay on the island of Sifnos. So for a while, we made plans to go to a beach on the mainland, Preveza. But a few days ago Sophia went out in the morning and came back to the house to tell us that she found a house for us on Sifnos. We quickly canceled our plans at Preveza, and tomorrow morning at 7:00am (or PM if you're Greek) Jason, Grigoris (Gregory), Takis, and I catch a ferry to Sifnos for six days. And we're taking the bikes with us. Not only are we excited about getting to spend time on an island, but we anticipate meeting our other cousin, as well. Takis has a twin brother, Grigoris, who lives on Sifnos, so we'll get to meet our other Thios.

But the past week was relaxing but at the same time, eventful. Here's a brief recap:

• We went to many beaches around Nafplio. We also spend several evenings shopping and sitting in cafes in Old Nafplio.
• Sophia and Mariana took us to a performance in the ancient theater of Epidavros to see one of the three plays of Euripides' account of Oedipus. It was all in Greek, and we didn't understand it all, but it was a beautiful show under the stars. They haven't made an reparations to it since the ancient Greeks built it because they did not want to risk affecting the acoustics. Without microphones, the actors can stand in the middle of the stage while the people in the last rows can hear them clearly. Afterwards we went to a small village for traditional ribs--of lamb.
• Marianna took us to Old Epidavros the following night to watch her friend perform. He sang songs about the passion of Greece--wine. We shopped for a while and then went to a bar to watch a cover band perform American songs.
• Sophia and Marinna took us on a road trip throughout the peninsula of Mani, where there are many old and abandoned villages with houses that look like castles. After driving through the mountains and stopping at a monastery built into the side of the mountain and a small village, we stayed in a small castle that was transformed into a hotel. That night we went to a very small village for dinner and then played Euchre (Marianna's favorite) on the balcony all night. Then next morning we woke up had the best breakfast I've ever had: fresh bread, blackberry jam m and apricot jam made from the fruit grown on the property, freshly squeezed orange juice, frappes and coffee, and fresh kaloudia (cookies). And we were the only visitors for the night.

The next day we drove in the mountains along the coast (with many winding curves and no guard rails). We stopped at a cave at sea level that went into a cliff on the edge of the sea. We put on our hard hats and life vests and climbed into a boat as a guide took us through the cave for about a half hour. Afterwards we drove around half aimlessly making stops when we felt like it. Eventually we stopped in yet another small village to "have a coffee" and swim. While we were there, we decide to stay there for the evening. Our balcony overlooked the green sea with crystal clear waves; we couldn't even sea the shore from the balcony. Adjacent to the beach was a huge cliff with fishing boats docked below. We ate dinner at a very elegant hotel--I ordered sea urchin. A little too salty for my taste.

The following morning, we headed back to Naflplio, making stops in other villages. We drove to the cove that was supposedly the entrance to Hades and then another one that was the entrance to Heaven. We also stopped at a small sanctuary constructed for Poseidon. That is what I like about Greek road trips. You pack up, leave the house 25 minutes after the plan departure time, drive 15 minutes, turn back around because you realized you forgot something (no, it wasn't me this time), and then make stops whenever you feel like it. There is no rush to get to your destination because half the fun is getting there. Plus the view from anywhere in the country is BEAUTIFUL.

• Lena, Sophia's sister, visited for a few days, so we got to spend some time with her.
• Yesterday Sophia and Marianna also took us by ferry to the islands Hydra and Spertes for the day. At Hyrda, we sat at a cafe for lunch and shopped around for a while. The law does not allow cars on the island, so the people travel by donkey. (We didn't ride any because it was overpriced and nothing can beat last year's experience at Santorini.) Spertes was less crowded, so we just walked to cafe and sat and read on a beach for a while. On the ferry ride back the four of us played rummy. Then when we returned to the port around 9, Marianna and Sophia wanted to go swimming (here they call it bathing). So we stopped by a "seaside" and they hopped in. To them that water was warm, but in reality...it wasn't. They laughed at the two of us as we slowly made our way into the water.
• We spent many evenings sitting on the patio looking at the stars and playing guitar.
• Jason read a novel about a young girl who falls in love with a vampire. I made of him and laughed whenever he talked about how romantic it was. Sadly, I picked it up and reacted the same way. So one evening he wanted me to reread it to him allowed. We sat on the patio for three hours as I read aloud and added my own sarcastic commentaries to mask my interest in this shamefully ill-written book.
• One morning I woke up early and climbed 999 stairs to the fort on the top of the hill. After walking around the castle for an hour, I walked back down and Sophia picked me back up. ...Then I passed out for a good hour.
• We had to brush our teeth and wash our faces with bottled water several mornings because the water company temporarily shuts off the water supply whenever they decide that the citizens have used too much. It's unpredictable.
• We learned that "tzitziki" and "tzatziki" are two totally different things. "Tzitziki" is the huge cicada that lives in the olive trees and perpetually "sings," while "tzatziki" is the yogurt sauce that is typically served with gyros. I almost ordered giant cicadas for lunch one day.

So tomorrow we're off to Sifnos. I will be sure to write my final entries when I return to Athens, which I won't think about again until it happens.

Yia!

Our last morning in Athens, Takis took his "niece and nephew" to the bus station, and sat with us for an hour until our bus driver decided to show up five minutes after the bus was supposed to leave for Nafplio. We took a two hour bus ride to Nafplio where Sophie picked us up from the station. She brought us to her house where her sister, Lena, and her friend, Mariana, had lunch waiting for us. The house is absoultely gorgeous; it's an open, ranch-styled house with various levels and patios. It's on top of a hill overlooking the city and surrounded by olive and orange trees. (Sophie says that in October she picks the olives and takes them to a olive oil processor, and they keep ten percent of the oil while she keeps the rest. I could drink the olive oil here.) Also living on this hill are a million cicadas. (I plan on catching one and sticking it in Jason's pillow case. Ok, not really. But it's fun to imagine.)

After we took a siesta, the ladies took us to beach with actually waves but no sand. It was very pebbly. The two of us watched each other in amusement as we tried to walk bare-foot from the towels to the ocean. Sophie and the girls swam in the ocean the entire time while Jason and I tried to find the "coolest rock on the beach." Jason won.

Later in the evening, they took us to Old Nafplio for dinner on the bay. Even with the midnight sky encompassing the bay, you could see the crystal clarity of the water. In the States, the bill would have paid triple for the food simply because of the atmosphere. Their younger, pregnant friend came to join us, and hs sipped on her wine and puffed on her cigarette. Most of the Greek children look healthier here, so I hope hers will be OK, as well.

The next day, Lena left, and I joined Marina on a trip to the market. We walked down a street lined with vendors advertising their fruit, vegetables, and spices in Greek. After trying a few grapes and grabbing a couple handfuls of oregano to smell, Mariana bargained with the farmers and bought about eight bags of fresh fruits and vegetables. I aslo accompanied her to the bakery, pharmacy, and Greek super market.

After we got back and ate lunch, the four of us went to a different beach, where we sat at tables and sipped on Greek frappes. I played backgammon with Mariana and Sophie, and they taught us different variations of the game. For the rest of the time after that, Jason and I lounged by the oceans and read. I love how relaxed it is in Nafplio; it's the most relaxed I've felt since last summer.

In the evening, Mariana dropped the two of us off at an outdoor theater which sat against one of the walls of the fort of Nafplio. We decied to go see Mama Mia, since it was filmed in Greece. Even though it was probably one of the worst movie adaptation of a musical that we have ever seen, we enjoyed watching the familiar sights of Hellas on the big screen. (Hellas--"Greek" was a derogatory name given by the Turks, so they consider themselves to be Hellenic and living in Hellas/Hellada instead.) Anyway, Jason and I couldn't understand how a director could pair up a genius like Meryl Streep with a poor actor like Pierce Brosnan. But the atmosphere was well worth our time.

Sophie and Mariana came to pick us up and took us to get souvlaki. When we got back to the house, Sophie sat down with us on the patio and went through a historical, Greek book with pictures of our ancestors from Attalia. In the book were public records compiled over time, and they even mentioned Papou Pete (my Papou's father and Akis' brother). We were up until 2:00am, but Sophie promised that she will go show us more later in the week.

Today we woke up to the Greek army doing practice rounds nearby (either that or exploding cicadas). We played guitar and ate on the patio. We mainly just ate, lounged around, and read. It was a very relaxing day. Tonight we're going back to Old Nafplio for dinner.

Oh yeah. I think my favorite part of the house is the shower. It's like a small shower room with a window. If I time my shower right, I can watch the sunset behind the mountains. And right now Jason and I are in the study/library, and we can look out and see the fortress of Nafplio. I love it here.

Kalispera.

Once again, it has been a while since I've updated my blog, so this entry will probably be lengthy as well. Please read at a healthy pace.

Ok, let me try to think back five or six days. Wednesday night Takis took us out to meet some of his frineds. Here in Athens, the best way to get around is by motorcycle. For your sake, I won't go into detail, but it's easier to avoid traffic on a bike. We went to this district called "Gazi" because it's near an old gasoline factory. We went to a small outdoor disotech, but it was crammed with people. Takis friend, Peny, told the DJ that we were from America, so he played a few songs for us. But they listen to a lot of American music over here anyway, so we heard everything from Justin Timberlake to Frank Sinatra.

The next day, Jason and I just hung out around the apartment until lunch. When we arrived to the house, YiaYia and the house maid (I feel so rude calling her that, but she has a really Greek name that I can never remember) were in the kitchen, and Papou was sitting in the living room by himself. Normally when we come over for lunch, he is in his room sleeping, so I took advantage of the moment and started to show him pictures of my family. I showed him pictures of my real Papou, who is infamously known around here as "Tzimi" (Jimmy). (Everyone always asks about Tzimi, and I'm always proud to claim him as my Papou. They also always ask about Wheeling, which I think is comcial because 95% of Americans don't know that Wheelig, West Virginia exists, but here in Athens they ask about it like it's a well-known city.) In Greek, I attempted to explain each of my mother's immediate familiy members, and I think I succeeded. Later, he got up and showed us a picture of he nad Despina on their wedding day. I asked him which year it was from, and thiking I didn't know my Greek numbers, he didn't say a word and just wrote imaginary numbers with his finger on the table. I'm not really sure why, but I thought it was so cute how he did this. I think it reminded me of the scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding when Tula is sitting with her mother and YiaYia, and her YiaYia silently shows her items from her family's memory box. When Papou drew the numbers, it was if we weren't letting the language barrier and cultural difference interfere with the fact that we are family.

After lunch, Grigoris came over and took Jason and I out around downtown Athens while Takis whent to work. When we were on the tram, I asked something about the Acropolis, and his reply was, "No, the Akropoli is over there," and he pointed to the right. I saw the Acopolis clear as day, and I said, "No, I'm pretty sure it's right there." "Oh, yes," he repsonded, trying to cover the fact that he didn't know the layout of his own city,"that's the small Akropoli. The bigger one is over to the right."...and so went the rest of our "tour." Jason and I were laughing becuase we knew the area better than Grigoris. (To be fair, it's the touristy area.) We walked around the base of the Acropolis where there are parks, pathways, a lot of vegetation (for Greece), and very few people. I wish my dad, in particular, could have been with me because I don't think he enjoyed the constant hustle and bustle of Athens. But in this area I didn't feel like I was in a huge city. Also, because we had Grigoris with us, the people were very friend. (So what they say about the Greeks being friendly is true. I guess they just don't like tourists.) After walking around, we went to a small restaurant to eat souvlaki (you can't come to Greece without eating souvlaki--they sell it like hot dogs). Then we took the Metro out to Piraeus to see the port, and then we got on the tram back to the "house of Takis."

Grigoiris' mother is from Argentina, and his father is from Greeece. So he speaks Spanish, Greek, and English fluently. It's the prefect combination for him to teach us the language because we can always make comparisons among the languages. We always ask him, "Do you conjugate this verb in Greek like you do in Spanish?" Or, "How do you say 'towel.?' Ok, now in Spanish?" At first I thought he would get annoyed with us, but he loves it when we say words in English that orginiate from the Greek language. We also surprisingly find many Spanish words with Greek roots. I also carry around a red notebook and write everything down so that I can remember. At frist when I wrote in my notebook, he admonished me for only spelling in Grenglish (Greek in the latin alphabet). Now I write it in both Gringlish and Greek, and he corrects it for me. Jason, Grigoris, and I have discussing teaching our languages abroad. Grigoris would be a great teacher because he does not get impatient with us incessant "students." The other night the three of us (Takis is normally texting on his phone when we get into these conversations) figured out the meaning behind the word "galaxy." I was explaining the story behind the name, Mily Way, (I won't go into too much detail, but it involves Zeus, Hercules, Hera, and breast milk), and we realized that "gala" means "milk" in Greek, so galaxy "come from the Greek word" for milk. (We looked it up and confimed it on Wikipedia.) We loved to do this with other words, as well, but I think that we make some of it up. For example, we convinced ourselves that "OK" stands for "ola kala" (everything is good). We couldn't find anything on the web to support us, but we're going with it. Regardless, learning Greek in Greece and through other languages is any linguist's dream.

When Takis got home from "Starbucks," he and Grigoris took us to a restaurant in the center (Monastiraki). We sat out on the street where we could see a small catherdral and watch everyone walk by. Later we went back to Gazi for a little bit while they danced. I mainly sat down half asleep. I don't like the dancing here because all the girls do is bend their knees swing their arms. They look like (short) Barbie dolls trying to dance. Jason and I were dancing like idiots/Americans, and then we noticed that no one else was stepping outside of the basic knee-bend "step." So then we just had fun imitating them.

The next day (Friday), Jason and I woke up to go to actually go up to the Acropolis. It was yet another hot day, and it was packed, but we still go to take everything in a little more than we did last year. (We had gone with 22 people, and we were twenty water bottles and one wheelchair too short.) It was a little more enjoyable this year. I was able to observe things that I only breezed by last summer.

After a seemingly eternal tram ride back to Takis', we went down the street to the Greek "fast food" restaurant, Goody's. I got a salad with fresh greens, real feta cheese, Kalamata olives, and toasted bread. Goody's definitely has McDonalds beat. We took our food back to the apartment, and Takis came in ready to the beach. Grigoris came over, and we loaded up all the equipment and squeezed in his car. We stopped by his friends' house, ran into a little market for food, and then went stright back to Takis' house because he forgot the most important piece of windsurfing equipment. (Grigoris says it happens every time.) We drove along the coast to a practically remote beach. The guys went out windsuring for a bit, and then they came back to the shore to teach Jason and me. Takis teaches water polo to children every day, so he has all of the qualities of a good instructor. He taught me how to get on the board, maintain my balance, pull the sail up at the right angle with the wind, and then grab ahold of the sail. Even though the furthest I said was five feet, I really enjoyed the sport, and I hope I can try it again.

A few hours later, Jason, Takis, and I started playing raquetball, which is very popular to play on the beach. Eventually the game evolved into an intense match of "beach tennis." We played while the sun set behind the mountains in the distance. The scenery was pefect. It's amazing to think that the Greeks can enjoy this type of atmosphere any time they please.

On the way back, we stopped at a Starbucks. (The Greeks are obsessed with Starbucks--both the drinks and the baristas.) When Jason and I got out of the car, we looked around and realized that the area looked familiar. It was the same cornere where we had been looking for a taxi driver last year. We had gone to a beach outside of the city, and we couldn't find a taxi driver willing to take us back. Poor Aunt Elf searched for almost an hour until we found two greedy taxi drivers. Yet again, something so foreign to us last year has become a familiar part of life here in Greece.

That night the guys said that they wanted to go out again, but I put on my PJs and decided to stay in. They decided to sit down with me a little before they left, but Takis fell asleep and the other two were worn out. So we all ended up staying in and going to bed.

Saturday. This has been my favorite day out of my entire trip thus far. We woke up around 11am, and Takis went to the bakery to bring us back fresh crossiants. After breakfast, Grigoris came over, and we took the bikes to Sounio. After making a stop at the same Starbucks area, we rode for an hour through the moutains and along the coast down to the very southern tip of the peninsula. At the top of the hill is the Temple of Poseidon and the hill from where King Aegeon jumped, hence the name Aegean Sea. We had to go up and tour it because this is the one place that our mother insisted that we had to visit because it was the most breathtaking part of their trip when they were here thirty years ago. And it was certainly worth the trip. The view of the mountains and coastline was amazing.

We tried to go to the beach right below the ruins, but it was too crowded, so we went to a beautiful beach down the road. Afterwards we went to a small restaurant and ordered almost every Greek dish you could imagine. On the way back we pulled over to the side of the road, and Takis and Grigoris started to walk down the cliff. Not knowing where we were going, Jason and I followed them down to a small cove where people were swimming. Once we got down to the very bottom, we saw a small, hidden bar built into the hillside. We took a quick dip, ordered drinks, sat on the rocks, and watched the full moon rise over the water. There were only locals there, and it was relatively quiet with soft, relzxing music playing. We set our drinks down in the little holes of the rocks and laid down. The setting was PERFECT; I felt like I was in a Corona commerical.

When we got back, Takis and I played guitar on the balkoni. After Takis went to bed, Jason, Grigoris, and I lined our chairs up along the window to watch the water and moon, and I fell asleep.

The next morning the four of us got on the bikes and went to the "house of the parents of Takis" about thirty minutes outside of the city. They have a beautiful home with huge windows that overlook another Sea (there are too many to keep track of). His mom was in Santorini, so only his father was there. We sat down with him, and we...no, he...talked about everything under the sun: politics, language, geography, guitar, salaries, the history of China, and dergoatory slang words. He really was like the father in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and he (seriously) explained how the root of every word is Greek. With a glass of ouzo in his hand for every hour, he also went through the family tree and tried to tell us that Takis is more like an uncle to us. Takis liked that a little too much, and now he refers to us as his niece and nephew. I called him Thios Ilithios (Uncle Stupid...it rhymes). He also took us out to dinner, and he ordered raw clams and grilled octupus. It was pretty much a tentacle on a plate, but it was soooo good. When we returned to the house, he played the guitar for us and tried to teach my some Greek songs. All I can say is that he is your typical Greek man with long, slicked back grey "hairs" in a pony, a beard, and chest hair showing.

When we got back to the house, Grigoris went home, and Christos and his friend Pablo came over. Pablo is half Spanish. I love behing able to use my Spanish and Greek. They stayed up for a while, and I went to bed.

Today went to YiaYia's house, and they were yelling at Papou again because he never eats. (He's much like my Papous Tzimi because he won't eat, but he'll insist that you pile the food on your own plate.) YiaYia was yelling at him to eat, and Moro starting cutting his food for us. He looked at Jason, took a sip of his Coke, and said clear as day, "Baby." Those Arslains forever keep their wit.

I'm not really sure what we're doing this evening. We may go to the beach or out to eat. Den ksero.

Yia sas.

Pictures!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2219667&l=cec4b&id=25815473