Marcos and Mia's father and I have talked on the phone and agreed that I will go to their place Sunday and stay overnight and he will take us all to the airport Monday morning. I am relieved. I did not want Theodosia to miss her first day of school or to get up at 5:00 in the morning so she could take me to the airport before school.
I have wanted to get my hair cut for several weeks and the opportunity never presented itself. Today I was determined. Theodosia tried to call her own hairdresser for an appointment - the shop was closed. Since the cell phone they gave me went on the fritz, making connections has been difficult. They do not have a phone book. Theodosia said that shops should be open by 9:00 and might take a walk-in. I left the house and walked to two shops that I had seen in the area. Both were closed. The internet cafe was not yet open. I was headed back to the house when I saw another hair salon with the door open so I walked in and she took me within five minutes. Like most younger Greeks they knew a little English and since I was willing to try Greek, we could converse a little. I am not sure how much they understood of what I said. But when I was done I asked when the internet cafe opened and she said at ten so I waited a half hour and was at the door when it opened and sent my blogs off. In the interim I found a city bus stop and since I wanted to get back to feed the kittens for Theodosia who was giving lessons, I took the city bus up the eight blocks of UPHILL climb to the house. It was worth the half Euro!
Thursday, August 30, 2007
August 28 Kathy Goes Home
Yesterday morning we checked on Theodosia and the kittens. She said she fed them "all night". When they started to cry in early morning, she just put them all on the bed with her - and there they were. They see much better now and cry as soon as they hear voices. Theodosia had to cancel some of the day's lessons so she could clean the house, do mounds of laundry and care for kittens. The ash had sifted onto all balconies and been tracked onto the stairs. Kathy and I cleaned the upstairs balconies, speaking in whispers not to wake the kittens. The ash is very fine. We swept up as much as we could, then hosed down what the water would flush and then mopped up the rest. We carted loads of laundry to the roof to hang on lines. The wind had changed so the bank of smoke was to the south and east of us. We did the noon kitten feeding for Theodosia, The kittens now want to suck long after they are full; they just want the comfort of attachment. One kitten attached itself to loose skin on my arm and by the time we were done feeding and cleaning them, he had given me a "kitty hickey". My strength is coming back slowly. I was good for the short haul down to check email, then I needed a nap. Kathy spent the afternoon organizing and trying to stuff all of her purchases and belongings into her three suitcases. She packed and repacked.
The alarm went off early this morning. The kittens were fed, we hauled suitcases to the car and finally left at 9:20. Since we do not have internet at the house Kathy could not print off her boarding pass and had to get it at the airport. We made a detour by Maria's so she could give Kathy a goodbye gift. We got to the airport at 10:20, two hours before Kathy's flight, a little better than last time when we almost did not get on the plane. And there is more security this time. I helped Kathy drag her three HEAVY bags in and found the long Continental Airlines line. Theodosia parked the car; we were only allowed to watch from a distance until Kathy checked her bags and got her boarding pass, but then we had to say goodbye as she had only 30 minutes left to go through security and get to her gate. Seeing her off was the beginning of "re-entry" for me; I will fly back to Seattle with my charges in six days.
Fires still burn in Greece, but most of those on Peloponnese are out - or there is nothing else to burn. Cooler temperatures and lower winds help. TV has returned to normal viewing except for interviews with victims. I was impressed to see on TV a long line of trucks hauling prefabricated houses to the sites of the burned over areas. Loads of water were delivered; even the bakery truck left of a sack of fresh loaves on the curbside in a village. Phone banks are in place and emergency aid is available. Of course no one is happy. One Sunday morning paper had the whole front page completely black, with three words of text printed in red at the bottom, saying in Greek "There are no words".
The alarm went off early this morning. The kittens were fed, we hauled suitcases to the car and finally left at 9:20. Since we do not have internet at the house Kathy could not print off her boarding pass and had to get it at the airport. We made a detour by Maria's so she could give Kathy a goodbye gift. We got to the airport at 10:20, two hours before Kathy's flight, a little better than last time when we almost did not get on the plane. And there is more security this time. I helped Kathy drag her three HEAVY bags in and found the long Continental Airlines line. Theodosia parked the car; we were only allowed to watch from a distance until Kathy checked her bags and got her boarding pass, but then we had to say goodbye as she had only 30 minutes left to go through security and get to her gate. Seeing her off was the beginning of "re-entry" for me; I will fly back to Seattle with my charges in six days.
Fires still burn in Greece, but most of those on Peloponnese are out - or there is nothing else to burn. Cooler temperatures and lower winds help. TV has returned to normal viewing except for interviews with victims. I was impressed to see on TV a long line of trucks hauling prefabricated houses to the sites of the burned over areas. Loads of water were delivered; even the bakery truck left of a sack of fresh loaves on the curbside in a village. Phone banks are in place and emergency aid is available. Of course no one is happy. One Sunday morning paper had the whole front page completely black, with three words of text printed in red at the bottom, saying in Greek "There are no words".
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
August 26 Difficult Days
It has been a very difficult four days. Kathy decided to join Theodosia on Aegina and went by bus and boat early Thursday morning. I took the city bus into Athens and went to the Goulandhris Museum of Cycladic and Ancient Greek Art, where I spent a couple hours viewing a special video exhibit and then the permanent exhibit of Cycladic and Cypriotic art of the Bronze age - an excellent collection. Then I walked down "tourist row", tried on a few clothes, bought a few trinkets and came back to the house. Almost as soon as I got home, the cold that I had been fighting for several days overtook me, my sinuses filled up and my nose began to run. I went to bed. Friday was a haze of medicated misery, drifting in and out of sleep and seeing the first TV reports about the fires. Friday evening Christos took the boat to join the others in Aegina for the weekend.
Saturday when I got up for the bathroom I noticed the door to the "kittens room" was closed. That puzzled me. We were keeping the door open so the mother cat could come and go. Perhaps Christos shut the cat in for the night when he left so she would not get locked out. Feeling a little less congested but still pretty weak, I lay in bed and watched TV recordings of the fiery holocaust on Peloponnese. There was little else on TV. At 4:00 the electricity went off. I got up and once again saw the door to the kitten room closed. I peeked in; they were crying. I checked with Aris. Where is mother cat? He hunted but could not find her. He did find another of Theodosia's cats lying dead in the dumpster at the top of the street. We feared the worst.
I fed the kittens. Maybe the strongest ones would survive. They are just three weeks old. Only a few of them took much milk from the syringe but I got some down most of them and they quieted. They are just starting to navigate on all fours and still do not see well. I fed them again at 8:00. Three of them are getting the hang of taking milk from the syringe. One still refuses the syringe as he has from birth. TV reported that fires had encircled a village in Peloponnese and the whole village was killed, 40 people. The heat must have been intense; pictures of cars showed nothing but the burned out shell of metal. The videos of the fires look like movie special effects - so huge and spectacular. All TV stations cover little but the fires, over a hundred of them, driven and spread by wind and temperature. Ashes fell over the city of Athens; the sun was blotted out by the smoke. I kept the windows closed. The electricity came back on in two hours, perhaps a planned outage to prevent a total collapse of power as has happened in the past. The government declared a state of emergency. No rain in sight. Fire departments totally overwhelmed. Many planes from other countries doing water drops. Nothing helps. The death toll goes to 52. I fed the kittens again at midnight. They are more frantic; about five of them could take a half syringe each. The stubborn one still would not eat. I don't think he can last long.
Still not feeling well, I did sleep all night and woke this morning, Sunday, to kittens squalling at 7:3o. More of them are taking milk better. The holdout still has had only a squirt or two. How is he still alive? They have now attached themselves to me, their surrogate mother. They know my smell, even though they can not see far yet. They swarm all over my feet, try to crawl up my leg, suck on my toes. I use a big box. As I feed one of the nine I put it in the box. When they have all had half a syringe I offer another, taking them out of the box one by one. Some will take a second syringe now. Then I clean their eyes and wipe the milk that has dribbled down them. I smell of milk myself even after I wash my hands. My clothes get soaked with milk. I rinsed the ashes off the balcony outside my bedroom so I do not track it through the house. I took a shower and went back to bed, spent by only that little activity.
When Violetta came home from church she saw the mother cat lying dead on the lower garage level. I fed the kittens again at noon. By now all but two or three are getting a fair amount of milk. I try to force some milk into the mouth of the stubborn one, but he fights me very hard. The fires continue to rage. Death toll now is 60. The satellite picture shows smoke rising from all of Peloponnese. I can not watch much TV; it is heart rending. People with garden hoses frantically facing a towering wall of flames approaching their houses. Police have blockaded roads and assist the elderly to leave; helicopters rescue the stranded. It goes on and on. It seems like all of Greece is burning. There is ash again on my balcony but not as much as yesterday. The southern sky above the city is still a great wall of smoke, but the wind now blows away from Athens.
I fed the kittens again at 5:00. Each feeding time I first pour a little milk into a saucer. By now they know the smell of the milk but they still want to suck so they get it up their nose and they back away. I hope they will begin to get the idea soon. They are gaining in ambulatory ability. They will not stay in their bed - their mother is no longer there. Their mother now sits in a chair in the middle of the room and sweeps them off the floor and shoves a plastic nipple into their mouth and dumps them in a box! The room smells of milk and cat.
I know Theodosia, Christos and Kathy are coming from Aegina today but I do not know when. At 9:30 I learn from Aris that they are returning on the last boat which leaves Aegina at 10:30 p.m. I feed the kittens again. Most of them are now taking two half syringes of milk, some greedily, but there is still the holdout. When Theodosia came at 1:30 a.m. she immediately fed them. Even if they did not want it, she held them up and squirted a whole syringe of milk into them, even the stubborn one. Sated and sleepy they quieted quickly as soon as we turned off the lights. I was very happy to relinquish my surrogate mother duties and amazed that all nine are still alive. I am feeling better but still do not have my energy back.
Saturday when I got up for the bathroom I noticed the door to the "kittens room" was closed. That puzzled me. We were keeping the door open so the mother cat could come and go. Perhaps Christos shut the cat in for the night when he left so she would not get locked out. Feeling a little less congested but still pretty weak, I lay in bed and watched TV recordings of the fiery holocaust on Peloponnese. There was little else on TV. At 4:00 the electricity went off. I got up and once again saw the door to the kitten room closed. I peeked in; they were crying. I checked with Aris. Where is mother cat? He hunted but could not find her. He did find another of Theodosia's cats lying dead in the dumpster at the top of the street. We feared the worst.
I fed the kittens. Maybe the strongest ones would survive. They are just three weeks old. Only a few of them took much milk from the syringe but I got some down most of them and they quieted. They are just starting to navigate on all fours and still do not see well. I fed them again at 8:00. Three of them are getting the hang of taking milk from the syringe. One still refuses the syringe as he has from birth. TV reported that fires had encircled a village in Peloponnese and the whole village was killed, 40 people. The heat must have been intense; pictures of cars showed nothing but the burned out shell of metal. The videos of the fires look like movie special effects - so huge and spectacular. All TV stations cover little but the fires, over a hundred of them, driven and spread by wind and temperature. Ashes fell over the city of Athens; the sun was blotted out by the smoke. I kept the windows closed. The electricity came back on in two hours, perhaps a planned outage to prevent a total collapse of power as has happened in the past. The government declared a state of emergency. No rain in sight. Fire departments totally overwhelmed. Many planes from other countries doing water drops. Nothing helps. The death toll goes to 52. I fed the kittens again at midnight. They are more frantic; about five of them could take a half syringe each. The stubborn one still would not eat. I don't think he can last long.
Still not feeling well, I did sleep all night and woke this morning, Sunday, to kittens squalling at 7:3o. More of them are taking milk better. The holdout still has had only a squirt or two. How is he still alive? They have now attached themselves to me, their surrogate mother. They know my smell, even though they can not see far yet. They swarm all over my feet, try to crawl up my leg, suck on my toes. I use a big box. As I feed one of the nine I put it in the box. When they have all had half a syringe I offer another, taking them out of the box one by one. Some will take a second syringe now. Then I clean their eyes and wipe the milk that has dribbled down them. I smell of milk myself even after I wash my hands. My clothes get soaked with milk. I rinsed the ashes off the balcony outside my bedroom so I do not track it through the house. I took a shower and went back to bed, spent by only that little activity.
When Violetta came home from church she saw the mother cat lying dead on the lower garage level. I fed the kittens again at noon. By now all but two or three are getting a fair amount of milk. I try to force some milk into the mouth of the stubborn one, but he fights me very hard. The fires continue to rage. Death toll now is 60. The satellite picture shows smoke rising from all of Peloponnese. I can not watch much TV; it is heart rending. People with garden hoses frantically facing a towering wall of flames approaching their houses. Police have blockaded roads and assist the elderly to leave; helicopters rescue the stranded. It goes on and on. It seems like all of Greece is burning. There is ash again on my balcony but not as much as yesterday. The southern sky above the city is still a great wall of smoke, but the wind now blows away from Athens.
I fed the kittens again at 5:00. Each feeding time I first pour a little milk into a saucer. By now they know the smell of the milk but they still want to suck so they get it up their nose and they back away. I hope they will begin to get the idea soon. They are gaining in ambulatory ability. They will not stay in their bed - their mother is no longer there. Their mother now sits in a chair in the middle of the room and sweeps them off the floor and shoves a plastic nipple into their mouth and dumps them in a box! The room smells of milk and cat.
I know Theodosia, Christos and Kathy are coming from Aegina today but I do not know when. At 9:30 I learn from Aris that they are returning on the last boat which leaves Aegina at 10:30 p.m. I feed the kittens again. Most of them are now taking two half syringes of milk, some greedily, but there is still the holdout. When Theodosia came at 1:30 a.m. she immediately fed them. Even if they did not want it, she held them up and squirted a whole syringe of milk into them, even the stubborn one. Sated and sleepy they quieted quickly as soon as we turned off the lights. I was very happy to relinquish my surrogate mother duties and amazed that all nine are still alive. I am feeling better but still do not have my energy back.
August 22 We Go To The City
Theodosia is on Aegina Island at another of Sophia's summer houses. I opted out having had a lot of sun and water at Rafina and wanting to see at least ONE museum before returning home. Christos returned to work. Kathy was undecided about Aegina but can go later if she chooses. For now she is in Haidari.
Tuesday Kathy and I set off early for Athens. It was very hot. We took the city bus and then navigated the Metro (subway) after studying the system map. It is really very well labeled, put in place for the 2004 Olympics. We went to Omonia square and had turopita and bougatsa for brunch, checked out a large department store, the greatest virtues of which were clean restrooms and a cafe on the top floor; we utilized both. Then we walked to the Hellenic American Union to check on the cost and format of the intensive course for non-Greeks. 400 Euros for one month, five days/week, 3 hours a day, morning or evening classes. I had purchased a child's story book (7 years and up) in Rafina to help me learn Greek. The story is so clever and fun to figure out that Kathy wanted one of her own. We found "Little Basoula the Witch" is one of a series and luckily the bookstore had a different one from mine so we can trade them when we finish. We went to the National Gardens for a little shade, but we realized the length of time between our rest stops was getting shorter and we had better head home.
Since Christos went back to work and Theodosia is on Aegina the pantry at the house in Athens had not been restocked. Coming home from Athens yesterday I recognized the supermarket where Theodosia took me when I first arrived and it was only a block from the local bus route. So this morning Kathy and I went shopping as early as we could get away. It was still hot. A third wave of temperatures over 100 degrees - never before heard of here! We bought the bare minimums as we were carrying two heavy bags each on the bus but at least we had some necessities - like toilet paper.
Tuesday Kathy and I set off early for Athens. It was very hot. We took the city bus and then navigated the Metro (subway) after studying the system map. It is really very well labeled, put in place for the 2004 Olympics. We went to Omonia square and had turopita and bougatsa for brunch, checked out a large department store, the greatest virtues of which were clean restrooms and a cafe on the top floor; we utilized both. Then we walked to the Hellenic American Union to check on the cost and format of the intensive course for non-Greeks. 400 Euros for one month, five days/week, 3 hours a day, morning or evening classes. I had purchased a child's story book (7 years and up) in Rafina to help me learn Greek. The story is so clever and fun to figure out that Kathy wanted one of her own. We found "Little Basoula the Witch" is one of a series and luckily the bookstore had a different one from mine so we can trade them when we finish. We went to the National Gardens for a little shade, but we realized the length of time between our rest stops was getting shorter and we had better head home.
Since Christos went back to work and Theodosia is on Aegina the pantry at the house in Athens had not been restocked. Coming home from Athens yesterday I recognized the supermarket where Theodosia took me when I first arrived and it was only a block from the local bus route. So this morning Kathy and I went shopping as early as we could get away. It was still hot. A third wave of temperatures over 100 degrees - never before heard of here! We bought the bare minimums as we were carrying two heavy bags each on the bus but at least we had some necessities - like toilet paper.
Monday, August 20, 2007
August 20 Goldfish,Cards and Kittens
We returned from Rafina in late evening on Friday. On Saturday, Theodosia, Christos and Nikos all took the boat for Aegina to join Sophia and her family. Kathy and I spent the weekend with Christos' brother, Vasilios, his wife, Dina, their son, Andreas, and their daughter, Maria and her fiance, Diamondis, in Athens. On Saturday we had a wonderful meal including a souffle that Maria had made. Then they took us to an overlook of the Pireas harbor with a beautiful view. It was actually a large bowling center with bowling lanes downstairs and a restaurant on the upper level. Since this is traditional vacation time for Athens, and a weekend to boot, (everyone who can flees the heat of the city on weekends) traffic was minimal and the restaurant had only a few patrons. We relaxed with (what else?) pagoto, and took pictures of the view. Maria and Andreas translated for us as neither Vasilios or Dina speak English.
While there my minor headache began to pound big time so we returned to their house and I took some pain reliever and laid down for an hour. Who knows what caused the headache. I've only had one other since I've been here. After an hour it had disappeared and I came out of the bedroom to find Kathy playing cards with the family. They taught us a card game called "Kseree" and another card game called "Agonie"and we played until 11:30 when they brought out all the leftovers and we ate again. They took us back to Christos' house to sleep as they did not have room in their apartment for us and came back for us Sunday morning.
On Sunday we ate a little earlier around 1:00 and had "goldfish", a good sized fish, (not the pet variety) and roasted potatoes, salad, tzatziki, leftover souffle, horta and I forget what all else. At 3:00 we took two cars to travel about an hour to Halkuda and Eretria. Eretria is a beautiful resort area on the coast of Evia Island which lies just east of mainland Greece. Actually Evia was once a part of the mainland which accounts for the fact that it is the largest island in Greece. The channel that runs between island and mainland is quite wide in places and ferries ply it at frequent intervals. Eretria had an unending beach and many swam there. There were open showers set up near the beach. Changing rooms are not available at most beaches. An interesting aspect of this beach was the area directly behind a small building, open to the beach and the cafe, where the matrons changed from their swim suits using their cover-ups as a privacy shield, pulling off their swim suits and putting on their clothes under their cover-up. Obviously an acceptable practice.
We stopped briefly in Halkuda to see the place where water runs under the bridge in one direction for six hours, and then changes direction and runs the other way for the next six hours. A mystery. It was not an allusion; you could clearly see the water flowing strongly against the rocks at the bridge abutment. Kathy proposed a theory that since the sea is close at hand and may in fact circle the area, it could have generated a reciprocal motion where the water flows one way until an equilibrium is passed and then it changes and flows the other way. She consulted Maria, who has a mechanical engineering degree, as to her idea, but Maria did not seem interested in positing a theory. In essence her reply was "Pios nakseri" (who knows). Some mysteries are best enjoyed and not explained.
The demise of two kittens was wrong. Only one died. Amazingly the other nine are alive and their eyes are open and it won't be long before they will be wandering from their bed. Already one has fallen over the side and as we watched, she worked and worked to get back into the bed and finally made it unaided. We have been supplementing mother's milk with milk from a syringe and many of the kittens are getting the hang of taking milk from the syringe. It is so much fun just to watch them pile on top of each other to find a comfortable place to sleep. They are working to get their legs to obey them but they are already surprisingly strong and by instinct stretch and curl up like any older cat.
While there my minor headache began to pound big time so we returned to their house and I took some pain reliever and laid down for an hour. Who knows what caused the headache. I've only had one other since I've been here. After an hour it had disappeared and I came out of the bedroom to find Kathy playing cards with the family. They taught us a card game called "Kseree" and another card game called "Agonie"and we played until 11:30 when they brought out all the leftovers and we ate again. They took us back to Christos' house to sleep as they did not have room in their apartment for us and came back for us Sunday morning.
On Sunday we ate a little earlier around 1:00 and had "goldfish", a good sized fish, (not the pet variety) and roasted potatoes, salad, tzatziki, leftover souffle, horta and I forget what all else. At 3:00 we took two cars to travel about an hour to Halkuda and Eretria. Eretria is a beautiful resort area on the coast of Evia Island which lies just east of mainland Greece. Actually Evia was once a part of the mainland which accounts for the fact that it is the largest island in Greece. The channel that runs between island and mainland is quite wide in places and ferries ply it at frequent intervals. Eretria had an unending beach and many swam there. There were open showers set up near the beach. Changing rooms are not available at most beaches. An interesting aspect of this beach was the area directly behind a small building, open to the beach and the cafe, where the matrons changed from their swim suits using their cover-ups as a privacy shield, pulling off their swim suits and putting on their clothes under their cover-up. Obviously an acceptable practice.
We stopped briefly in Halkuda to see the place where water runs under the bridge in one direction for six hours, and then changes direction and runs the other way for the next six hours. A mystery. It was not an allusion; you could clearly see the water flowing strongly against the rocks at the bridge abutment. Kathy proposed a theory that since the sea is close at hand and may in fact circle the area, it could have generated a reciprocal motion where the water flows one way until an equilibrium is passed and then it changes and flows the other way. She consulted Maria, who has a mechanical engineering degree, as to her idea, but Maria did not seem interested in positing a theory. In essence her reply was "Pios nakseri" (who knows). Some mysteries are best enjoyed and not explained.
The demise of two kittens was wrong. Only one died. Amazingly the other nine are alive and their eyes are open and it won't be long before they will be wandering from their bed. Already one has fallen over the side and as we watched, she worked and worked to get back into the bed and finally made it unaided. We have been supplementing mother's milk with milk from a syringe and many of the kittens are getting the hang of taking milk from the syringe. It is so much fun just to watch them pile on top of each other to find a comfortable place to sleep. They are working to get their legs to obey them but they are already surprisingly strong and by instinct stretch and curl up like any older cat.
Friday, August 17, 2007
August 17 Goodbye to Rafina!
We are leaving Rafina and returning to Athens this evening. Our things are packed and we have had one last swim in the sea (we are already nostalgic) and we are at the internet cafe so we can check our email and I can do my blog, while they finish closing up the house.
Besides swimming and eating and sleeping, we have done a FEW other things. Wednesday was a holiday in Greece, a family day; all the stores were closed. Theodosia, Christos and Nikos went to church services. We were kind of looking forward to a festival, but we missed it, I guess, as shortly after we went to bed Tuesday night, after midnight, there was loud music. I thought it was somebody with a loud car radio, but the next morning Theodosia said it must have been from the village. We were disappointed. To make up for missing the festivities, on Wednesday night we went up the coast to a very nice place right on the sea, La Costa hotel. The water was lapping right next to our table. A band was playing some good dance music, but it was too difficult to dance on the pebbly beach. We ordered tall glasses of pagoto, which were delivered to our table with sparklers flaring on top of them. Very nice place.
Thursday when we came in to the internet cafe we had barely sat down to the PCs and got started when there were electrical problems and they had to close the place down. A bystander said there was a fire somewhere and that might be causing the problem. So we got no internet time and we had an hour and a half to kill. We did some shopping and then saw some roadies setting up equipment on a stage in the square. Obviously a band was going to play. Kathy asked one of the men when and he said 9:30, so we asked Theodosia if we could come in early in the evening to get seats and she brought us in, saying she and Christos would come later. They waited too long. The first 45 minutes by the Upside Down Band was some pretty good rock and roll. Then they changed to Pink Floyd and the music was okay but they used way too many strobe lights to be comfortable. Unfortunately that's when Theodosia and Christos came. We retired to one of the outdoor restaurants and had chocolate and banana crepes. Wonderful creations. Better than the one I had on my first trip to Greece. So the evening was not a whole loss!
We are looking forward to seeing the kittens in Athens, now two weeks old.
Besides swimming and eating and sleeping, we have done a FEW other things. Wednesday was a holiday in Greece, a family day; all the stores were closed. Theodosia, Christos and Nikos went to church services. We were kind of looking forward to a festival, but we missed it, I guess, as shortly after we went to bed Tuesday night, after midnight, there was loud music. I thought it was somebody with a loud car radio, but the next morning Theodosia said it must have been from the village. We were disappointed. To make up for missing the festivities, on Wednesday night we went up the coast to a very nice place right on the sea, La Costa hotel. The water was lapping right next to our table. A band was playing some good dance music, but it was too difficult to dance on the pebbly beach. We ordered tall glasses of pagoto, which were delivered to our table with sparklers flaring on top of them. Very nice place.
Thursday when we came in to the internet cafe we had barely sat down to the PCs and got started when there were electrical problems and they had to close the place down. A bystander said there was a fire somewhere and that might be causing the problem. So we got no internet time and we had an hour and a half to kill. We did some shopping and then saw some roadies setting up equipment on a stage in the square. Obviously a band was going to play. Kathy asked one of the men when and he said 9:30, so we asked Theodosia if we could come in early in the evening to get seats and she brought us in, saying she and Christos would come later. They waited too long. The first 45 minutes by the Upside Down Band was some pretty good rock and roll. Then they changed to Pink Floyd and the music was okay but they used way too many strobe lights to be comfortable. Unfortunately that's when Theodosia and Christos came. We retired to one of the outdoor restaurants and had chocolate and banana crepes. Wonderful creations. Better than the one I had on my first trip to Greece. So the evening was not a whole loss!
We are looking forward to seeing the kittens in Athens, now two weeks old.
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
August 14 Continuation
Sometime Saturday Kathy realized that she was running out of her asthma medication. Too late we realized we might have called Theodosia and had her bring more from Athena. We expected to be returning to Athens ourselves by now, but plans had been changed by her ER visit.
Sunday we spent a quiet day resting. As the supermarket was closed, Christos went to town and bought a cooked chicken and some fried potatoes and we had the usual Greek salad. O, yes, and pagoto. Theodosia who can not remain quiet for long, told us we would go to Marathona early on Monday to see where the Marathon race originated and we would be home by noon before the sun was high.
Theodosia told us that older Greeks say you can find your way anywhere by asking people. We supplemented her asking with a very good map of Attica that we bought from the bookstore. When we found the tomb of the Greeks and Persians who were buried on the field of the Marathon struggle, it was closed! It was Monday! A huge grass-covered mound covers their graves. We took a few pictures, then tried to find the place that housed the Marathon Trophy, but the signs we had been following suddenly stopped and we did not find it. Instead we found the 2004 Olympic rowing center. Occupied solely by the guard at the entrance, it is used as a training center, the water having been diverted from the sea; the rowing lanes are visible, the bleachers stand empty. We took some pictures and then Theodosia said we would go and see the only lake Attica has and it is man-made.
The mountains come down close to the sea in Marathona and we drove up the mountain about half an hour to Lake Marathona formed by a dam, which serves a a supply of water for Athens. It was built in 1924, during one of the short periods Greece was not at war. The placard said that the Ulen engineering firm from the United States helped the Greeks to build it. Theodosia says that the older people, when asked if their water is good say, oh, yes, it is Ulen water.
When we returned to the house, Kathy's medical needs were made known to Christos and he agreed to go to Athens to get the medications. Kathy was going too and they would return the next day. He delayed in getting started and Kathy and I played cards to keep ourselves awake. At 12:30 p.m. he startled us by coming into the room and saying he would get the medications, that it was late now, and Kathy did not need to come. So Kathy drew him a map of the bedroom in Athens and explained where the medications were. She said she needed them by 10:00 a.m. the next day. We retired. Theodosia assured us that Christos would have them in Rafina by 10 the next morning - and he did.
Sunday we spent a quiet day resting. As the supermarket was closed, Christos went to town and bought a cooked chicken and some fried potatoes and we had the usual Greek salad. O, yes, and pagoto. Theodosia who can not remain quiet for long, told us we would go to Marathona early on Monday to see where the Marathon race originated and we would be home by noon before the sun was high.
Theodosia told us that older Greeks say you can find your way anywhere by asking people. We supplemented her asking with a very good map of Attica that we bought from the bookstore. When we found the tomb of the Greeks and Persians who were buried on the field of the Marathon struggle, it was closed! It was Monday! A huge grass-covered mound covers their graves. We took a few pictures, then tried to find the place that housed the Marathon Trophy, but the signs we had been following suddenly stopped and we did not find it. Instead we found the 2004 Olympic rowing center. Occupied solely by the guard at the entrance, it is used as a training center, the water having been diverted from the sea; the rowing lanes are visible, the bleachers stand empty. We took some pictures and then Theodosia said we would go and see the only lake Attica has and it is man-made.
The mountains come down close to the sea in Marathona and we drove up the mountain about half an hour to Lake Marathona formed by a dam, which serves a a supply of water for Athens. It was built in 1924, during one of the short periods Greece was not at war. The placard said that the Ulen engineering firm from the United States helped the Greeks to build it. Theodosia says that the older people, when asked if their water is good say, oh, yes, it is Ulen water.
When we returned to the house, Kathy's medical needs were made known to Christos and he agreed to go to Athens to get the medications. Kathy was going too and they would return the next day. He delayed in getting started and Kathy and I played cards to keep ourselves awake. At 12:30 p.m. he startled us by coming into the room and saying he would get the medications, that it was late now, and Kathy did not need to come. So Kathy drew him a map of the bedroom in Athens and explained where the medications were. She said she needed them by 10:00 a.m. the next day. We retired. Theodosia assured us that Christos would have them in Rafina by 10 the next morning - and he did.
August 14
Things can change rapidly. Last Friday mid-afternoon, Theodosia called. She was in the hospital in Athens with chest pains. We waited for a while; she was getting tests. I asked Christos if we were going to Athens. He indicated after we swam, but a few minutes later came to the door to say he alone was going to Athena. Kathy and I waited with Nikos, Sophia's husband. Sophia and the rest of the family had gone to be with Sophia's sister. We heard Nikos make or take some calls but he did not share any info with us. We went for our evening swim but Nikos did not go; he said he would stay to answer the phone. When we returned and prepared lunch leftovers for supper, Nikos said he would wait to eat with Christos. Finally in the evening Nikos came and said "Theodosia all right". We were relieved. At 12:30 when I turned off my light Christos had not come. Neither was he there on Saturday morning.
We were not too worried about that. We figured Theodosia was resting and we were not going to call her; she would call us when she was ready. But no one called. When we went swimming in the morning, Nikos did not go with us, which was unusual, especially since he had not gone the night before either. Kathy and I decided to walk in to the village to use the internet and get some groceries we needed and take a taxi back. We asked Nikos to write down the address for the taxi driver.
When we returned to the house at 2:00, Christos was not here. Nikos had obviously been on the phone with his wife and was all set to have us help him prepare lunch. With his limited English and my limited Greek, some of the potatoes got cut and some got sliced, but all got fried in olive oil. Then we fried a couple eggs and made Greek salad as usual. Nikos had cooked beans, his first choice for "healthy food".
Finally, needing at least a little information, I called the house in Athens. Christos answered. Trying to get information on the phone is much harder as one has no physical clues, which Christos gives in abundance. But I finally ascertained that he was coming back to Rafina definitely "simera" (today). Nothing about Theodosia. We got ready to go swimming and waited for Nikos. He was in the shower, rather unusual, as he usually showers off under a hose outside after swimming. He showed us where he would put the key to the house in case he was not there when we returned. We decided he must have an appointment. We went swimming. When we returned the house was all closed, we found the key, showered, made our supper, and as it was now dark we sat on the patio and played cards. Surely Christos would come soon. We half-joked about being left alone. My phone either had no more minutes or was not working properly so we could not use it. Suddenly I imagined that Nikos had showered in preparation to taking the bus to join his wife. We laughed; we were abandoned! About 10 we heard a car door and thought: Christos! But it was Nikos who walked in, said hi, and disappeared into his room. He had taken a taxi, something he never does. What was going on?
When Christos and Theodosia finally arrived about 11:30 p.m., we were standing on the porch much relieved to see Theodosia in obvious good health. She immediately explained that the chest pains had been from stress, that the hospital had done tests and taken x-rays and she had slept nearly all day Saturday. Christos went immediately into the house and that mystery was explained to us too. Nikos had been stung with something while swimming and his leg was all swollen, which information he had not shared with us. He had gone into town to the pharmacy to get something for his leg and that was the reason for his disappearance.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
We were not too worried about that. We figured Theodosia was resting and we were not going to call her; she would call us when she was ready. But no one called. When we went swimming in the morning, Nikos did not go with us, which was unusual, especially since he had not gone the night before either. Kathy and I decided to walk in to the village to use the internet and get some groceries we needed and take a taxi back. We asked Nikos to write down the address for the taxi driver.
When we returned to the house at 2:00, Christos was not here. Nikos had obviously been on the phone with his wife and was all set to have us help him prepare lunch. With his limited English and my limited Greek, some of the potatoes got cut and some got sliced, but all got fried in olive oil. Then we fried a couple eggs and made Greek salad as usual. Nikos had cooked beans, his first choice for "healthy food".
Finally, needing at least a little information, I called the house in Athens. Christos answered. Trying to get information on the phone is much harder as one has no physical clues, which Christos gives in abundance. But I finally ascertained that he was coming back to Rafina definitely "simera" (today). Nothing about Theodosia. We got ready to go swimming and waited for Nikos. He was in the shower, rather unusual, as he usually showers off under a hose outside after swimming. He showed us where he would put the key to the house in case he was not there when we returned. We decided he must have an appointment. We went swimming. When we returned the house was all closed, we found the key, showered, made our supper, and as it was now dark we sat on the patio and played cards. Surely Christos would come soon. We half-joked about being left alone. My phone either had no more minutes or was not working properly so we could not use it. Suddenly I imagined that Nikos had showered in preparation to taking the bus to join his wife. We laughed; we were abandoned! About 10 we heard a car door and thought: Christos! But it was Nikos who walked in, said hi, and disappeared into his room. He had taken a taxi, something he never does. What was going on?
When Christos and Theodosia finally arrived about 11:30 p.m., we were standing on the porch much relieved to see Theodosia in obvious good health. She immediately explained that the chest pains had been from stress, that the hospital had done tests and taken x-rays and she had slept nearly all day Saturday. Christos went immediately into the house and that mystery was explained to us too. Nikos had been stung with something while swimming and his leg was all swollen, which information he had not shared with us. He had gone into town to the pharmacy to get something for his leg and that was the reason for his disappearance.
Stay tuned for the next chapter.
Saturday, August 11, 2007
August 10 - Friday
We have been in Rafina since last Tuesday. Here the routine is a cycle that goes swim, eat, rest/sleep/read, swim and repeat it all again. Some of our party go swimming at least twice a day. Rough life.
Yesterday when Theodosia went to Athens to take her mother to a church conference where Violetta will stay for a week, she dropped Kathy and I off in Rafina village (about 2 miles) and we checked our email at the internet cafe. Then we wandered around looking for electronic shops where we might buy a cable for Kathy's MP3 player to hook into a stereo so she could share some of her songs with the family. We found three shops but no cable. When we tried to call Christos to come and get us, my phone would not ring his number, just gave us a recording that he had his phone turned off which we did not believe. No way could we walk back in the heat. And we were not sure we could direct a taxi to the place we were staying as it is only a summer home and we did not have the address. Finally we called Theodosia on her cell phone and she called Christos to come get us.
Now that Christos is on vacation and there are two of us to try and catch what he is saying, we are learning more Greek. Today he had Kathy and I help him make hemas which is similar to our spaghetti except that they do not use a tomato sauce. He grated one tomato, carrot, onion, and added these along with fresh herbs and powdered garlic, to a mix of ground veal and pork, so it was well seasoned but essentially a meat sauce. When we told him that we cook our tomatoes down for a thick tomato sauce, he said that many tomatoes were too heavy for the stomach. Later in the evening, he took us into the village of Rafina to walk along the waterfront and bought us roasted corn from a street vendor - and pagoto, of course.
Theodosia called from Athens to report that two of the kittens have died in spite of the fact she had tried to supplement their feedings with milk from an eye dropper.
Yesterday when Theodosia went to Athens to take her mother to a church conference where Violetta will stay for a week, she dropped Kathy and I off in Rafina village (about 2 miles) and we checked our email at the internet cafe. Then we wandered around looking for electronic shops where we might buy a cable for Kathy's MP3 player to hook into a stereo so she could share some of her songs with the family. We found three shops but no cable. When we tried to call Christos to come and get us, my phone would not ring his number, just gave us a recording that he had his phone turned off which we did not believe. No way could we walk back in the heat. And we were not sure we could direct a taxi to the place we were staying as it is only a summer home and we did not have the address. Finally we called Theodosia on her cell phone and she called Christos to come get us.
Now that Christos is on vacation and there are two of us to try and catch what he is saying, we are learning more Greek. Today he had Kathy and I help him make hemas which is similar to our spaghetti except that they do not use a tomato sauce. He grated one tomato, carrot, onion, and added these along with fresh herbs and powdered garlic, to a mix of ground veal and pork, so it was well seasoned but essentially a meat sauce. When we told him that we cook our tomatoes down for a thick tomato sauce, he said that many tomatoes were too heavy for the stomach. Later in the evening, he took us into the village of Rafina to walk along the waterfront and bought us roasted corn from a street vendor - and pagoto, of course.
Theodosia called from Athens to report that two of the kittens have died in spite of the fact she had tried to supplement their feedings with milk from an eye dropper.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
August 6 Where is the Post Office?
Today Kathy and I took the local bus to Haidari so she could exchange some American money and mail her post cards. The people at the bank remembered me (oh-oh, here comes that American woman again and this time she's brought a friend), so her exchange went a little quicker than mine as they had the routine down now. Then we set out to find the Post Office. We walked further than we thought it would be but after asking at least five people, we found it.
When we walked in it looked like social services offices in the U.S. Lots of people waiting in chairs. It was obviously "take-a-number" which we did and eventually got chairs so we could people-watch and listen. Whenever there is an animated discussion or disagreement, bystanders in Greece are not always satisfied with being voyeurs - there is always at least one person who wants to offer advice or make suggestions or comments, even when they are not involved in the issue at hand. Makes people-watching lots of fun. Eventually our turn came and we got the post cards mailed and walked back to the main street. By now we were hot even though there was a pleasant breeze blowing, and we needed a rest room. We stopped at a nice restaurant and had a frappe and a cappuccino and used the facilities and congratulated ourselves on being able to accomplish these simple activities without Theodosia's help.
Turns out the problem with our internet access is not at our house. The ISP has chosen this time to update their system. I commented to Kathy they would not dare to take so long to get the bugs worked out in the U.S. You can just imagine what would happen if an ISP was down for ten days. People would be leaving it like rats from a sinking ship!
All ten kittens are holding their own and mamma cat is a devoted mother.
When we walked in it looked like social services offices in the U.S. Lots of people waiting in chairs. It was obviously "take-a-number" which we did and eventually got chairs so we could people-watch and listen. Whenever there is an animated discussion or disagreement, bystanders in Greece are not always satisfied with being voyeurs - there is always at least one person who wants to offer advice or make suggestions or comments, even when they are not involved in the issue at hand. Makes people-watching lots of fun. Eventually our turn came and we got the post cards mailed and walked back to the main street. By now we were hot even though there was a pleasant breeze blowing, and we needed a rest room. We stopped at a nice restaurant and had a frappe and a cappuccino and used the facilities and congratulated ourselves on being able to accomplish these simple activities without Theodosia's help.
Turns out the problem with our internet access is not at our house. The ISP has chosen this time to update their system. I commented to Kathy they would not dare to take so long to get the bugs worked out in the U.S. You can just imagine what would happen if an ISP was down for ten days. People would be leaving it like rats from a sinking ship!
All ten kittens are holding their own and mamma cat is a devoted mother.
August 4 A horse, of course!
Kathy came prepared with a list of the riding clubs in Athens area and we set out early to find the nearest one. We found it with little difficulty since Kathy had printed off Maporama directions. With Theodosia translating for us we made inquiry. The club is not open in August as Kathy suspected. Everyone including the horses goes on vacation. That is, everyone except for the grooms, obviously. The man at the office said we could look at the horses. We looked in on about thirty horses, all beautiful and perfectly groomed. We took pictures of some.
A visit to a second horse club nearby established that club was open during the week but this was a Saturday. There was a jumping lesson going on in an outdoor ring. Theodosia talked to a man who has his horse stabled there. He gave her the name and phone number of the owner who could set up an appointment for Kathy and an instructor to give her a lesson if she wanted. Kathy was very pleased to see the horses and Theodosia has expanded her already extensive fund of information. Theodosia joked maybe she might even go riding with Kathy some day. That I would like to see, Theodosia on a horse.
In the evening we were invited to Christos' brother's for a dinner which turned out to be a belated birthday celebration for me. We had wonderful food to eat, mousaka, macaronipita, salata, kolokethopita (phylo with pumpkin filling), feta, chicken from a Chinese place, tzatziki, pork chops, meat balls and topped that off with ice cream cake and the last course, pieces of fresh fruit. Theodosia and Christos gave me a small battery-operated clock and when it needed a battery, our hostess found one and other eager hands installed it, set the time and gave it to me, all set to go. I love it; it is beautiful.
The kittens are all still alive and fighting each other furiously for their turn at the milk stations of which there are only six. The tiny kittens know nothing of sharing, only survival.
A visit to a second horse club nearby established that club was open during the week but this was a Saturday. There was a jumping lesson going on in an outdoor ring. Theodosia talked to a man who has his horse stabled there. He gave her the name and phone number of the owner who could set up an appointment for Kathy and an instructor to give her a lesson if she wanted. Kathy was very pleased to see the horses and Theodosia has expanded her already extensive fund of information. Theodosia joked maybe she might even go riding with Kathy some day. That I would like to see, Theodosia on a horse.
In the evening we were invited to Christos' brother's for a dinner which turned out to be a belated birthday celebration for me. We had wonderful food to eat, mousaka, macaronipita, salata, kolokethopita (phylo with pumpkin filling), feta, chicken from a Chinese place, tzatziki, pork chops, meat balls and topped that off with ice cream cake and the last course, pieces of fresh fruit. Theodosia and Christos gave me a small battery-operated clock and when it needed a battery, our hostess found one and other eager hands installed it, set the time and gave it to me, all set to go. I love it; it is beautiful.
The kittens are all still alive and fighting each other furiously for their turn at the milk stations of which there are only six. The tiny kittens know nothing of sharing, only survival.
August 3 A Day of Arrivals
We left Rafina early Friday morning to pick up my daughter, Kathy from the airport. She has come to spend her three week vacation with me in Greece. The plane was on time and after she had collected her baggage we had a snack and came to the house in Athens. When we arrived we discovered Theodosia's cat, that has been waddling around with a huge belly for the last couple of weeks, was beginning to give birth. So while I helped Kathy get settled, Theodosia played midwife. When I checked in at the birthing room a couple hours later, there was one kitten. Two hours later there were six! I said to Theodosia I told you so. I had been predicting six kittens but Theodosia said none of her cats had more than three or four kittens and certainly not for a first litter.
We had supper and talked about how Kathy could find a place to ride horses while here in Greece. Theodosia knows nothing of horses in Athens, but for Kathy she is happy to help her find some. When I went upstairs next I looked in on the squirming kittens. What? There were seven! One yellow one only half dried, and then I saw another just born and as I watched, another!! Nine! Theodosia came rushing in to resume her midwife role.
Later in the evening we all went to say goodnight to the cat and kittens. It was hard to see them as they laid on top of each other in a pile. We counted six dark ones and four yellow. That can't be right. We counted again. Sure enough. There were ten. The latest arrival was conspicuous for a white collar, the only one so marked. News of the cat who had ten kittens went around the circle of family and friends like lightening. Who could believe it! There is nothing like new babies to make one reflect on how amazing life is. Where once there was one cat, now there are eleven!
We had supper and talked about how Kathy could find a place to ride horses while here in Greece. Theodosia knows nothing of horses in Athens, but for Kathy she is happy to help her find some. When I went upstairs next I looked in on the squirming kittens. What? There were seven! One yellow one only half dried, and then I saw another just born and as I watched, another!! Nine! Theodosia came rushing in to resume her midwife role.
Later in the evening we all went to say goodnight to the cat and kittens. It was hard to see them as they laid on top of each other in a pile. We counted six dark ones and four yellow. That can't be right. We counted again. Sure enough. There were ten. The latest arrival was conspicuous for a white collar, the only one so marked. News of the cat who had ten kittens went around the circle of family and friends like lightening. Who could believe it! There is nothing like new babies to make one reflect on how amazing life is. Where once there was one cat, now there are eleven!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Wednesday, August 1
The previous blog was written last Monday but we lost our internet connection at home in Athens last Saturday and this is my first opportunity to post my blog.
We are once again in Rafina and I am at an internet cafe. I hope I may find an English language newspaper here in the port. I have only seen one since I arrived on Greece, though I have watched CNN on TV. There is no TV at Sophia's summer house here in Rafina, only the radio. The swimming is great, especially early in the morning or in the evening when the sun is not high. Christos is insistent that one must wait three hours after eating before swimming, so we swim first in the morning, and then really enjoy breakfast on the patio. True to their predictions, with August comes a nice breeze from the north and the temperature moderates.
We are once again in Rafina and I am at an internet cafe. I hope I may find an English language newspaper here in the port. I have only seen one since I arrived on Greece, though I have watched CNN on TV. There is no TV at Sophia's summer house here in Rafina, only the radio. The swimming is great, especially early in the morning or in the evening when the sun is not high. Christos is insistent that one must wait three hours after eating before swimming, so we swim first in the morning, and then really enjoy breakfast on the patio. True to their predictions, with August comes a nice breeze from the north and the temperature moderates.
July 30 A Moonlight Cruise
Saturday we went in late afternoon, at the invitation of friends, to board a small boat in Loutraki to travel through the man-made channel between Peloponnese and the rest of the Greek mainland. Similar to the Panama canal in strategy, the deep channel is cut down through solid rock and allows ships to pass through instead of going around the huge Peloponnesian peninsula, a great savings in time. Before the six-kilometer-long channel was cut, boats were portaged across the mountain on a bed of timbers! After we traversed the channel and returned we continued cruising under a full moon, enjoying the beauty of the lights along the coast including those of the city of Corinth.
We stayed overnight with our friends and the next day went swimming, of course, and had wonderful food to eat, but the best part of the visit for me was the opportunity to spend two or three hours talking with two young Greeks who spoke fluent English. They were both well educated and obviously very bright, but I was impressed with how much they knew of Greek and also of American politics. Our conversation was wide ranging including not only politics, but economics, medical insurance, education, job opportunities, cars, foreign trade, movies and literature. I found them to be thoughtful, pragmatic and wanting something better for their homeland. One of the big differences, they said between the U.S. and Greece is that even though Greece has laws to protect its citizens, many laws are not enforced. (That certainly is obvious in traffic!) We had fun talking together and we enjoyed ourselves, sitting on the beach under an umbrella, sipping frappes, with Brazilian music playing behind us in the cafe, while the rest of the household had their nap.
I inevitably paid for not taking a nap, "running out of steam" later in the day and sleeping in the car on the way back to Athens. But not before we made a stop for "pagoto", ice cream. I will gain five pounds simply on the amount of ice cream I eat here!
We stayed overnight with our friends and the next day went swimming, of course, and had wonderful food to eat, but the best part of the visit for me was the opportunity to spend two or three hours talking with two young Greeks who spoke fluent English. They were both well educated and obviously very bright, but I was impressed with how much they knew of Greek and also of American politics. Our conversation was wide ranging including not only politics, but economics, medical insurance, education, job opportunities, cars, foreign trade, movies and literature. I found them to be thoughtful, pragmatic and wanting something better for their homeland. One of the big differences, they said between the U.S. and Greece is that even though Greece has laws to protect its citizens, many laws are not enforced. (That certainly is obvious in traffic!) We had fun talking together and we enjoyed ourselves, sitting on the beach under an umbrella, sipping frappes, with Brazilian music playing behind us in the cafe, while the rest of the household had their nap.
I inevitably paid for not taking a nap, "running out of steam" later in the day and sleeping in the car on the way back to Athens. But not before we made a stop for "pagoto", ice cream. I will gain five pounds simply on the amount of ice cream I eat here!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
