All good things must come to an end

Well, my trip to Greece has come to an end. It's been a wonderful month, and Skopelos was amazing. A year ago, I'd never even heard of the island.

On my last day there, I woke up at 6AM and caught the 7AM ferry, a small Flying Dolphin (foreground), to the port town of Aghios Konstantinos on the mainland. The trip took 3 hours, and the sea was calm. A ferry company bus was there to meet the passengers and drive us the 2 1/2 hours to Athens.



Once again, I had a nice experience with a local. The bus driver, Yannis (John) dropped everyone off at Kaningos Square in the center of Athens. I asked him where the Hilton was and he said "if you wait a minute, I'll drive you a little closer". The other 50 or so passengers disembarked and collected their luggage, and Yannis proceeded to drive me to my hotel in my own "private" motorcoach. What a nice guy!



Speaking of the Hilton, my room was awesome! Private balcony, top floor, down comforter and pillows, flat screen TV, mini-bar, marble tub, AIR conditioning, olympic size pool, oh and did I mention the view? I overlook the pool and the ACROPOLIS!!!!!!





It doesn't get any better than this. I also took my first hot shower in 4 weeks ;-) Here's my "mobile office" in Athens with the Acropolis in the background...



No trip to Athens would be complete without a trip to the Plaka, Athens' shopping and flea market area. After spending the afternoon poolside, I walked the 2 miles to the Plaka. It was a piece of cake after hiking the hills of Skopelos. The streets are lined with lively outdoor cafes, food vendors selling fresh coconut, cherries, spices and more, stalls where they sell leather, olive oil soap, local honey, furs, icons, clothing, jewelry and all things Greek. You can also buy replicas of ancient Greek artifacts. For about 75 cents, I bought a big bag of fresh cherries for dinner and then I finished my souvenir shopping.







There are street musicians, henna tattoo artists, and the darkest men I've ever seen selling knock-off purses, CDs and sunglasses. They sell their wares on a blanket on the ground and gather them up and disburse when the police come. Bargains abound. There are typical junky souvenirs, but also hand made jewelry, leather sandals, "evil eye" charms to bring good luck, decorative stone eggs, you name it. A number of street vendors were selling necklaces with a person's name "written" in wire. I bought one, told the man my name, and he quickly created it right before my eyes using wire and needle-nose plyers, then attached it to a leather cord with a clasp. Not bad for 5 Euros. Talk about hand-made!



The narrow alleys of the Plaka are filled with shoppers and vendors and it's always been my favorite part of Athens. It's near the harbor too. There are ancient columns and ruins nearby, and the plaka is built right around and on top of them. Here are leather and souvenir shops...





All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend my last night in Greece.





The next morning, I took a 2 mile stroll to exchange my remaining Euros for $$, then hopped on Athens' clean, modern metro for the 25 minute trip to the airport. Security was a breeze, my Delta flight to Atlanta left on time, and twelve hours later, I arrived on US soil and went through customs. Only one more leg to go to get to Wilmington and I arrived, exhausted, around 2 a.m. Traveling abroad is great, but Dorothy knew what she was talking about when she said "There's no place like home." Especially when home is Wrightsville Beach ;-)

An uplifting story from Greece...

I spent my last night in Greece in the bustling capital of Athens. Jill from the Skopelos Foundation for the Arts recently e-mailed this story and I thought it was nice...

An Australian artist who came to Skopelos accidentally left all of her money and credit cards in a taxi in Athens. She was distraught on the street with nothing but the clothes in her suitcase. Another cab driver saw her in the street and asked what had happened. She told him the story and cried because her whole identity was gone in a moment.



The cab driver said he would take her to the police but first he wanted to take her for a ride around Athens. By the time she composed herself, she began worrying
that the cab driver's intentions were not honorable and that something terrible was going to happen. It was dark and the driver took her to a vacant parking lot and asked her to get out and close her eyes. She said "No way", so the cab driver said "OK, then just turn around." The most beautiful view of the Acropolis unfolded in front of her eyes. The stress melted away as she realized that the man only wanted her to forget her troubles for a moment before having to deal with the police.



He then took her to the police station, helped her translate her ordeal to the police and took her to her hotel. When she asked how much money he wanted he told her it was free of charge. The woman said that if she hadn't of lost all of her money she would have never had the experience. She realized the meaning she had placed on money and that this experience would never have happened if she hadn't lost her wallet. She also realized that there are still good people in the world who want to help for nothing other than the joy of helping another human being.

Greek worry beads... who knew?

OK, I've seen these around town, especially in the hands of the old men who sit for hours on the waterfront. I Googled the term and found out the following: (I also copied this photo from Wikipedia)



Worry beads, or komboloi, are a Greek fidget toy, used to relieve stress and generally pass the time. They resemble prayer beads, but bear no religious significance. They are merely an instrument of relaxation and stress management.

Komboloi are constructed from any type of bead, although amber, amber resin (such as faturan) and coral are preferred, as they are thought to be more pleasant to handle than non-organic materials such as metal or minerals.

Greek komboloi generally have an odd number of beads and usually have a "head" composed of a fixed bead (παπάς 'priest') and a tassel. They can be rubbed, spun and twirled in a number of different ways, mostly by old Greek men who know more tricks on their worry beads than the average yo-yo champion does.

A variation of the komboloi with an especially long string, often with only two beads, is known as begleri. The origin of the Greek komboloi is debated. It may derive from the komboskoini used by Orthodox monks or the Islamic tasbih. Armenians also have their own worry beads which serve the same purpose as the komboloi and are also non-religious in nature.

And, from http://origin.hit360.com/german/special/article.php?afieroma_id=39

Only here in Greece have we modified them into something different. Mr. Aris Evaggelinos, driven by his love for his grandfather, who made him his first worry beads, built in Nafplio the Worry Bead Museum. In the same building he has his worry bead workshop, where visitors can observe the making of worry beads. The exhibits that are shown are from all over the world, which have been collected and are cared for by Mr. Evaggelinos himself.

According to the opinion of Mr. Evaggelinos, amber, mastic, red coral, ivory, ebony etc, which are used to make worry beads, are not soul-less materials. They elicit the smell of the sea, retsina wine, etc. and are alive. He has also written a book about the history of worry beads. As he says, the worry beads are a part of the Greek tradition and must be protected by the government. The goal of the museum is to save and show the Traditional Greek Worry Beads. The museum is one of a kind in the world and can be found at 25 Stekopoulou Street, Nafplio. For more information call +3027520 21618. Also just recently, a worry beads exhibition was held at the Millenium Centre in Patra. Anthi Aggelopoulou.

And from http://gogreece.about.com/cs/greekfolkart/a/komboloi.htm,

Like most Greek folk art, the history of komboloi is confused. Some claim that they are a recent addition to mainland Greek culture, arriving only seventy or eighty years ago and then achieving a fashionable status. Or that they are a mimicry of Turkish prayer bead strands, adopted by persecuted Greeks to mock their captors.

Still another theory suggests that the Turkish conquerors forbade their Greek subjects to shake hands, and the beads were introduced as a way of reminding Greeks to not shake hands. Others assert, probably more rightly, that they are derived from the knotted prayer strands (komboskini) used by Greek Orthodox monks. As the word komboloi means "group of knots", this may be the true origin.

Until recently, komboloi were the special province of men, and were rarely seen in the hands of women. Melina Mercouri was an exception, often handling a silver strand in public as she fought for recognition of Greece's cultural sovereignty. Modern young Greek men would disdain carrying them. But now, as they transcend cultural tradition and become a fashion accessory, both men and women are carrying them. Beautifully crafted strands are appearing in fine jewelry stores, and older strands are becoming prized collector items.

Self-portraits at sunrise

One morning around 4 a.m. we had a little "wind storm" and shutters all over the neighborhood starting banging and slamming open and shut. I got up to secure things but, by 6 am I wasn't able to fall asleep again. I decided to try to catch a sunrise. With un-brushed hair and wearing no makeup (you'll see why this comes into play in a minute), I walked to the Kastro walls and climbed the steps to the top.

I have a pretty good idea which direction is east, but with the mountains around I wasn't sure exactly where the sun would appear. It finally started to rise, behind a mountain as anticipated, and I was waiting around for it to hit that perfect spot for a photograph. It never did. These digital cameras are great for alot of things, but capturing quality pictures where special timing and lighting are involved just isn't one of them.

Anyway, I got a little bored up there with no one else around, so with outstretched arm, I started taking some sunrise self-portraits. Quality aside, the entertainment factor is evident. Here are a few....







Once I got home, I heard the village "trash man" coming down the hill. He picks up the small bags of garbage people hang on gate posts every morning and carries them away on his mules. Antiquated, but wonderful!

Greek coffee 101

**Information and photos copied from: http://www.greekproducts.com/greekproducts/coffee.html and
http://www.ringsurf.com/info/Food/Coffee/Coffee_Makers/Greek_or_Turkish_Briki/ http://greekfood.about.com/od/glossary/g/gl_briki.htm

Coffee has its origins in the Arabian peninsula when, in 1100 AD, the first coffee trees were cultivated. Coffee was first roasted and boiled by Arabs making "qahwa", a beverage made from plants. In 1475, the world's first coffee shop was opened by Greeks soon after the Turkish occupation of Constantinople, the ex-capital of the Byzantine Empire. That was followed by the establishment of more coffee houses in Constantinople.

In about 1600, coffee entered Central Europe through the port of Venice.
The most important moment in coffee's history was that of its introduction to the New World. This happened in 1607. Since then, coffee has become the world's most popular beverage. More than 400 billion cups are consumed each year. The largest producer of coffee is Brazil. "Greek coffee" does not refer to the product itself, which is imported mainly from Brazil, but to the way the coffee is prepared.



Greeks drink coffee both hot and cold. The more recent type of "Greek coffee" is served ice-cold and is made by a special type of coffee, which comes as powder or as small grains. This type is served during the summer and has started to spread around Europe and the American continent carrying the name invented in Greece by French tourists, "frappe".

While deluxe super-automatic espresso machines flood the market and more and more specialty coffees become the coffee drink of choice, the true coffee purist understands the appeal of the Briki, pronounced "bree-kee". Called the ibrik in Turkey, this coffee brewer is designed to make Turkish coffee. The ibrik was designed to brew coffee on the hot desert sands but can now be used with a stove burner. It is a long-handled pot that contains a brass, copper, or stainless steel container. It is slender at the top with a wider base.

It is highly recommended that very fine powdered coffee grinds are used when brewing with a briki. If the coffee grounds are too coarse, the water will not be properly sealed during boiling and will result in a poor tasting beverage. The briki can hold several cups of water and can produce a number of coffee drinks that are strong bodied and steaming hot when made.

To make a great cup of coffee, it is recommended that you add sugar and cardamon to the brewed coffee. If you are making Greek coffee with the briki, you can make it four different ways. For a strong and bitter taste that has no sugar, you will be making Greek sketos coffee. By adding one teaspoonful of sugar, you will be making a metrios style of Greek coffee that has a medium sweet taste. The glykys or vari glykos style of Greek coffee refers to a taste that can be described as honey-sweet. The glykys vrastos style of Greek coffee also contains a sweet taste but has less froth due to the fact that it is boiled more than once. Never put cream or milk in Greek coffee.

Using a briki (or ibrik):

1. Fill it with cold water until it's approximately 2/3 full.
2. For sweetened coffee, add a sweetener like sugar into the ibrik.
3. Add the appropriate amount of ground coffee. It is recommended that you use more coffee than needed, as it would add to the thickness of the foam. The coffee will then form a cap over the water.
4. Heat the ibrik and watch, as the boiling water will bubble up through the coffee grounds.
5. Remove the ibrik from heat when the water begins to foam up.
6. Allow the coffee to settle and bring it back to the heat source.
7. Repeat the last two steps until the coffee has foamed up three times.
8. Stir and serve the drink into either a demi-tasse (Greek for a half-cup) or an espresso cup.
9. Let the coffee grounds settle and then drink up.

The butcher, the baker, the model ship maker

A visit to the model ship builder's tiny workshop was one of the highlights of my trip! This elderly man's grandfather worked in the shipyards, as did his ancestors before that.



During our visit, we were told that the island's shipyards sort of "went away" a few decades ago because they took up valuable coastal property that could be better used for tourism. The ship builder told us that he became very sentimental about it and loved building ships, so he began building exact replicas on a tiny scale. All the moving parts actually move, including the oars in their holes, the cannons, the rigging, etc.



He starts from drawings and hand makes everything. His son is now his only apprentice and is now the main builder, while the elder man is the brains and designer behind each model. They use no glue whatsoever, only tiny copper nails that are then hidden with putty so the holes don't show. They MAKE all the metal parts from sheets of aluminum that are formed into whatever he needs them for. Every last detail, down to the interior benches that the rowers would sit on, are re-created in these model ships. The detail is amazing, and the ships are made entirely of walnut.







George Bush, Sr. is a frequent visitor to the island, and usually stays on the yacht of a wealthy Greek friend. This same friend gave Bush one of these models as a gift. They cost in the neighborhood of 15,000 Euros (about $20,000 US) and each one takes about a year to build.

"M" is for Monday.... and Monasteries

Yesterday, I decided to hike due east of town and see some of the more famous monasteries here. I left the house around 5 p.m. and after walking around the harbor, I hiked straight up towards Evangelista. It's the highest, and largest, white building in this photo.




As I got closer, and higher, the road was steep and had alot of switch-backs.



Evangelista is one of the most outstanding Byzantine monuments preserved in Skopelos and inside it walls is the church of the Annunciation of the Virgin. It dates from the 1700s, and is located about 2.5 miles from town.



The Byzantine style was based, to some extent, on the Christian sacred history, and icons played a central role due to the triumph of Orthodoxy. Arches and domes, and the “cross in square” ground plans are the main features of Byzantine constructions, beautifully decorated with sacred paintings and mosaics with Bible scenes. The church at Evangelista shows some of these typical features. Here is the elaborate altar and the beautiful mosaic tile floor.







At the front door, a sign said to dress appropriately and only ring the bell once. I rang it, and about 5 minutes later a diminutive, elderly nun with long gray hair let me in. She didn't speak English, but hobbled along and pointed towards the church motioning for me to go inside and look around. When I arrived, she was washing her laundry by hand and feeding a large group of cats. Afterwards, she led me to a simple little room that had a small window with a view of the valley below. She displayed and sold lace, icons and crosses to help support the monastery. I bought a small icon for 3 Euros.



Afterwards, I hiked back down the hill and started up a different road, this one even steeper, towards the monastery of Metamorphosis. A few minutes into this hike, a car of girls I'd seen at Evangelista stopped to offer me a ride. They said they were going ALL the way to the top to see Prodromos Monastery. I would never have been able to reach it on foot, so I hopped in and scrapped my original plan. The girls were in Skopelos from Athens and were very nice. Two of them spoke English and explained things to me about Orthodoxy. Here are some photos of Prodromos, including it's vegetable garden. Currently, only 2 nuns reside there.







According to the inscription at the entrance, in 1721 the monk Filaretou rebuilt it on top of the old foundation. The church of the monastery of Prodromos is the same type of church as Metamorphosis (cross shaped with four pillars). The only difference is the existence of two choirs on the sides, following the style of Mt. Athos. There is a gilded altar screen of woodcarvings with rich decorations of vine leaves, birds, animals and 15 illustrations of the main orthodox celebrations. Also of importance are the icons in the monastery, which date back to the 16th, 17th and 18th century A.D. In the monastery's dining room is a wall painting relating to the founding of the monastery. In the conch is an illustrated prayer, with St. Haralampos and Filaretos the holy monk and founder on either side. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed inside.



From here, I accompanied my new Greek friends, Anastasia, Evi and Katerina, to see the small unmarked Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (above). It was made of stone and had icons inside and a tiny monk's quarters with a fireplace attached to it. As they had at the prior church, the Greek Orthodox girls walked around the church and crossed themselves at each icon, kissing it out of respect. They explained that most churches have four icons seperating the entrance from the holy area inside: Christ on the right, John the Baptist to his left, the saint that the church is dedicated to next to that, and the Virgin Mary on the far left. They also recommended that I read Seraphim Rose's biography to get more information on Orthodoxy in general. Meeting them made my monastery and church visits much more interesting! It also saved my aching feet from about 3 additional miles of hiking.



The sunset as we set off down the mountain was stunning. You can see in the photo below just how high up these monasteries were built. Talk about living in seclusion! You can see Skopelos Town across the harbor where I began my hike!



After all these weeks in Greece, I couldn't resist taking this shot of my poor tired feet... dusty, tanned, swollen, only recently blistered, and wearing no polish, only the obligatory "I'm on vacation!" ankle bracelet. I must admit, the Columbia flip-flops I bought before my trip have served me well. They're leather, have great tread and have weathered stone trails, cobbled steps, the beach, and miles of hiking. I'd happily do a TV commercial for these guys!



After 3 hours of hiking, I stopped in Platanos Square to have one last lamb dish that I hadn't tried yet, lamb in tomato sauce. It obviously had some of the local island plums in the sauce too, as I found some pits, but it was divine! Once again, the dish featured those small boiler onions in the sauce. I headed home around 9:30 for a much-deserved night's sleep.

It always comes back to the food here...

Most restaurants here have food on display to lure in customers. They have glass cases of meat and fish and cooked dishes and vegetables that tantalize you as you walk by. The smell alone is torture when you're hungry. This is a charcoal rotisserie in front of one restaurant, Olympia. They slow-cook all their meats in here from sausage to chicken, lamb, rabbit and more.

A block or two away, I came across a crepe place where they're made fresh to order with ham and cheese, chocolate or your choice of filling.



This particular evening, I had another craving for lamb, and opted for a lamb and potato dish for about $9. It fell off the bone, and I was able to eat the whole thing with a plastic fork and no knife! I also had a piece of walnut cake, in syrup of course. Luckily I hiked a mile over the hill to and from the beach today and swam a little too!



High atop the hill where the Kastro walls are (dating to the 5th century BC!), there is another romantic outdoor overlook with a cafe and bar. Fresh squeezed lemon and orange juice and cold coffee frappe's are available as well as spirits. The view of the sea below is stunning.



Another evening, I decided to try the stuffed tomatoes that I see on all the restaurant menus.($7) Stuffed with rice and seasonings and swimming in olive oil and lemon juice, they did not disappoint. On the side, I was given roasted potatoes and onions in a rich broth. They were small, but larger than pearl onions.



Many nights, I get my food to-go so I can take it to a waterfront park bench and enjoy the view....