Today is the first day of fall - but it still feels like summer here in Kentucky. I complained about Athens being hot but summer was hot in Kentucky, too; we are flirting with a new record here for the number of days of 90 degree weather in the year. My lawn is burned to a crisp along with everyone else's. The only flowers which survived are the geraniums. (I have a new respect for them - I'll buy more of them next year.)
It was great to have the week to "decompress" in Seattle. By the fifth day my natural energy returned and after my flight from Seattle to Cleveland, I drove again to New York State for a quick visit with my family. For the first time in years, all of my sibs were together and we really enjoyed that special occasion.
Arriving home on September 15, I was happy to note that my house did not have a closed in smell from being unoccupied for three months. I opened all the windows to a fresh breeze and dragged in my luggage. It took a few days to get back into the routine. Some things I had even forgotten, like where I kept the potholders. Had I been away too long?
It did not take long for friends to call. I paid bills, made long-delayed appointments, repeated trips to the store to re-stock the pantry, and spent much time trying to replace the cell phone which died in Greece. The cell phone issue was finally solved yesterday, after three trips to the store and four calls to customer service!
I am leaving this blog here for those who have not yet seen it and want to learn about Greece. I am undecided whether I will change its name and continue it or if I will do another. Let me know what you think would be best.
Monday, September 24, 2007
Saturday, September 8, 2007
Sept 8 Connected Again!
After several attempts over several days to get Internet Explorer working, my son, Jonathan, suggested we call Aris in Athens to find out what he had changed when he adjusted my laptop to work in their wireless system. It was a good suggestion. Computing the time difference and Aris' penchant for sleeping days and waking at 3 p.m., we called him about 3 p.m. our time (1 a.m. his time) and he not only answered the phone but in short order was able to tell us what he had changed and how we could change it back again. He apologized saying he had intended to change it back for me before I left, but did not think of it as we had not had wireless service for several weeks. He is still waiting for the ISP to resolve their problems in Athens.
I am relaxing and enjoying the company of Jon and Beth, reading, writing, and walking the hills of West Seattle. After Athens and walking its hills daily, these hills are not as challenging as they had seemed on previous visits. It is sunny but cool here in Seattle, only getting into the mid seventies in the afternoon, a big change from Athens.
On my last evening in Haidari I wrote this poem:
It seems fitting somehow
That on this last night before I leave
I walk along Acropoleo street
Where I walked that first morning
After my arrival.
To enjoy once more the old houses
Tucked among the new
And view all the hills Athens has encompassed
(I think we must have eaten atop each one)
There's the house where the parrot
Shatters the morning quiet -
Except on Sunday
When only the bells call out
And I meet the lady in black
Climbing to her church up high.
The buses lunge up from Papandreos street
Like huge leviathans from the deep
To congregate at the corner
Swapping gossip.
It is hard to leave this place
I may never be back again.
Pios nakseree;
Who knows?
I am relaxing and enjoying the company of Jon and Beth, reading, writing, and walking the hills of West Seattle. After Athens and walking its hills daily, these hills are not as challenging as they had seemed on previous visits. It is sunny but cool here in Seattle, only getting into the mid seventies in the afternoon, a big change from Athens.
On my last evening in Haidari I wrote this poem:
It seems fitting somehow
That on this last night before I leave
I walk along Acropoleo street
Where I walked that first morning
After my arrival.
To enjoy once more the old houses
Tucked among the new
And view all the hills Athens has encompassed
(I think we must have eaten atop each one)
There's the house where the parrot
Shatters the morning quiet -
Except on Sunday
When only the bells call out
And I meet the lady in black
Climbing to her church up high.
The buses lunge up from Papandreos street
Like huge leviathans from the deep
To congregate at the corner
Swapping gossip.
It is hard to leave this place
I may never be back again.
Pios nakseree;
Who knows?
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Back in the USA
We arrived at the airport plenty early in Athens and it was a good thing. Mia discovered she had left her ipod at the house and insisted she could not go on a long plane tip without it. Her father went back for it while we wended our way through getting boarding passes, checking luggage and sat in a coffee shop to await his return. He came back in plenty of time. The flight from Athens to Newark was two hours longer than the flight to Athens. I had forgotten that. Just as well. There was nothing to do but grin and bear it. I think I dozed an hour or so. The kids slept very little, watched movies on TV and played games.
In Newark, we had to go through customs, reclaim our luggage, present our items-to-declare lists, (I was sure they would want to check the 10 or so sandwiches that the kids were carrying, but I handed him the cards and he waved us through) then re-check our luggage, go through security again, and find our final gate. It all went off without a hitch and there was even time for Mia and Marcos to walk around and get up and down and generally be relieved from the cramped seats. I sat and did nothing but keep an eye on them and on their belongings piled on the seats next to me. On the plane from Newark to Seattle, after staying awake for some 20 hours or so, the kids finally slept and I got an hour and a half of sleep too, which helped a lot. We were all happy to see their parents at the baggage claim in Seattle.
That was Monday. Today is Wednesday. I slept much of Tuesday, but I think I am adjusting to the reversal in routine. Now I try to stay awake during hours that I slept in Greece and try to sleep during hours I was awake. Athens is ten hours ahead of Seattle, nearly half a 24 hour period. One disappointment has been the inability to get my laptop to access Internet Explorer here in Seattle, even though the laptop is accessing a strong wireless signal. Something must have gotten changed when the laptop was set for wireless in Athens and we can not figure out what. So I still can not get on the internet from my laptop. I had wanted to send some pictures, but that will have to wait.
In Newark, we had to go through customs, reclaim our luggage, present our items-to-declare lists, (I was sure they would want to check the 10 or so sandwiches that the kids were carrying, but I handed him the cards and he waved us through) then re-check our luggage, go through security again, and find our final gate. It all went off without a hitch and there was even time for Mia and Marcos to walk around and get up and down and generally be relieved from the cramped seats. I sat and did nothing but keep an eye on them and on their belongings piled on the seats next to me. On the plane from Newark to Seattle, after staying awake for some 20 hours or so, the kids finally slept and I got an hour and a half of sleep too, which helped a lot. We were all happy to see their parents at the baggage claim in Seattle.
That was Monday. Today is Wednesday. I slept much of Tuesday, but I think I am adjusting to the reversal in routine. Now I try to stay awake during hours that I slept in Greece and try to sleep during hours I was awake. Athens is ten hours ahead of Seattle, nearly half a 24 hour period. One disappointment has been the inability to get my laptop to access Internet Explorer here in Seattle, even though the laptop is accessing a strong wireless signal. Something must have gotten changed when the laptop was set for wireless in Athens and we can not figure out what. So I still can not get on the internet from my laptop. I had wanted to send some pictures, but that will have to wait.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
August 30 I Get a Haircut
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!
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!
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.
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