August 31, 2010
Rhodes
I can't believe I haven't written about Rhodes because it was on of my favorite islands I have traveled too. Good thing looking through old pictures sparked me to write and share with you.
We ended up in Rhodes because we missed our connecting boat to Patmos. After a run down the longest dock I have ever seen, a cab ride to another port, and more running to a boat that was the wrong one, we accepted defeat and went for breakfast. Missing the boat was a blessing in disguise because we had a fantastic time in Rhodes.
The old town is a completely walled city that looks medieval. I felt like a damsel in distress while walking through the main gate into the interior of the walls where the main part of the city lay. I was sweating, carrying a huge bag, and starving so damsel in distress wasn't far off.
After walking all day, seeing the road of knights, learning that the french settled there during the Holy Wars, and seeing amazing walls and a castle, I found the most interesting place yet.
We were walking down a street, which was obviously local, looking for a restaurant off the beaten path, and I found an entry way into a large room. Walking in through the HUGE wooden doors I realized that this was an entrance to a dwelling. The inside was huge and had arched doorways. Felt like a page right out of Aladdin. There was a staircase at the back and arched ceilings. The place looked like it was falling apart, but in my head I kept imagining some rich merchant, who would walk up the stairs to his amazing veranda that looked out over the port and the walls, and how grand this house may have been at one point. Or maybe it was a stable for horses and traveling sailors who needed have a cheap place to sleep, and a little lady on the side.
My favorite part of traveling is the imagining. You can put so many stories into a little corner of the world that you discovered
We ended up in Rhodes because we missed our connecting boat to Patmos. After a run down the longest dock I have ever seen, a cab ride to another port, and more running to a boat that was the wrong one, we accepted defeat and went for breakfast. Missing the boat was a blessing in disguise because we had a fantastic time in Rhodes.
The old town is a completely walled city that looks medieval. I felt like a damsel in distress while walking through the main gate into the interior of the walls where the main part of the city lay. I was sweating, carrying a huge bag, and starving so damsel in distress wasn't far off.
After walking all day, seeing the road of knights, learning that the french settled there during the Holy Wars, and seeing amazing walls and a castle, I found the most interesting place yet.
We were walking down a street, which was obviously local, looking for a restaurant off the beaten path, and I found an entry way into a large room. Walking in through the HUGE wooden doors I realized that this was an entrance to a dwelling. The inside was huge and had arched doorways. Felt like a page right out of Aladdin. There was a staircase at the back and arched ceilings. The place looked like it was falling apart, but in my head I kept imagining some rich merchant, who would walk up the stairs to his amazing veranda that looked out over the port and the walls, and how grand this house may have been at one point. Or maybe it was a stable for horses and traveling sailors who needed have a cheap place to sleep, and a little lady on the side.
My favorite part of traveling is the imagining. You can put so many stories into a little corner of the world that you discovered
Panagia
Well the biggest holiday of the season seems to be Panagia and for days the town has been getting ready. I have seen lines being painted, posters hung up, and decorations put up all over town and especially at the main churches. As you can imagine my excitement grew each day as the special even came closer.
Let me explain a bit of what Panagia is. Or at least what I understand it to be. It is a celebration for the Virgin Mary, and people all go to the big church during the day to kiss her picture and light candles. Then there is a procession down the Paralia, or the road by the water, twords the last church on the road. The procession has little kids, a band, priest and they carry the Mary painting down to the other church.
Then the festivities begin. The boats in the harbor light up one by one and move towards the port. As all the boats come in, representing the pirates trying to attack Paros and Steal the Ladies, there is a show of fighting between villagers and pirates. Of course the pirates loose and the townspeople save their fair maidens from doom. This wonderful ending to the show sets off fireworks that go out over the port and have have a fantastic birds eye view.
Malin was so kind as to have us for dinner and drinks while watching the fireworks and listening to the music wafting in the wind from town.
Let me explain a bit of what Panagia is. Or at least what I understand it to be. It is a celebration for the Virgin Mary, and people all go to the big church during the day to kiss her picture and light candles. Then there is a procession down the Paralia, or the road by the water, twords the last church on the road. The procession has little kids, a band, priest and they carry the Mary painting down to the other church.
Then the festivities begin. The boats in the harbor light up one by one and move towards the port. As all the boats come in, representing the pirates trying to attack Paros and Steal the Ladies, there is a show of fighting between villagers and pirates. Of course the pirates loose and the townspeople save their fair maidens from doom. This wonderful ending to the show sets off fireworks that go out over the port and have have a fantastic birds eye view.
Malin was so kind as to have us for dinner and drinks while watching the fireworks and listening to the music wafting in the wind from town.
Panoramic Sat..err Tuesday
I took Jen to a lesser known beach the other day called Votakos. It looks across the water to the island of Antiparos, has a short beach, sandy with some rocks in the water and next to no one there. It was high peak in August and there was a small family down the way that was hidden from our view by a few trees. Jen immediately declared this one of her favorite beaches and by the end of the day, it was her #1 favorite and we were due back as soon as possible.
Louloudi also took a liking to the beach and got in the water as well without us having to call her whatsoever. We were simply swimming when all of a sudden a puppy came paddling around us and quickly back to the beach. She is on her way to becoming an independent little swimmer.
In other news, Scott, Sara, Alexei and Katie, our dear New York friends are all coming tomorrow and little ol' Stu has actually taken his proper vacation days for the occasion, so will be locking away the computer and storing it in a place so that I can't sneak peeks at my work email. Ahh.. what it must feel like to be a Luddite!
Click to enlarge
Louloudi also took a liking to the beach and got in the water as well without us having to call her whatsoever. We were simply swimming when all of a sudden a puppy came paddling around us and quickly back to the beach. She is on her way to becoming an independent little swimmer.
In other news, Scott, Sara, Alexei and Katie, our dear New York friends are all coming tomorrow and little ol' Stu has actually taken his proper vacation days for the occasion, so will be locking away the computer and storing it in a place so that I can't sneak peeks at my work email. Ahh.. what it must feel like to be a Luddite!
August 26, 2010
Working at home
Just had to share this little bit of humor. To see the whole thing, click here: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/working_home
August 22, 2010
Mini Vacation
WIth the house spotless and some seasick french people on their way to occupy it, Jen and I have to evacuate for a week.
While this may seem like a chore in itself, it is a welcome retreat from our retreat. We will be staying at the lovely Sirocco's apartments managed by a friend of mine. We have gotten an excellent deal and will be staying in our private studio with our own entrance, balcony for LouLou, kitchen, stand up shower, a TV and, my personal joie de vivre, an air conditioner! It has been so bloody hot lately that I can't stand myself sweating so much, that I get up in the middle of the night to take cold showers on a regular basis. A/C will be a welcome relief and this little vacation will be good for us to rest our tired backs and hands, recharge our batteries and take a mini vacation.
Next month, is sister month! Jen's sister is coming, my sister Michelle is coming, Aaron's sister Erica is coming, so we will have plenty more to report in a week or two!
While this may seem like a chore in itself, it is a welcome retreat from our retreat. We will be staying at the lovely Sirocco's apartments managed by a friend of mine. We have gotten an excellent deal and will be staying in our private studio with our own entrance, balcony for LouLou, kitchen, stand up shower, a TV and, my personal joie de vivre, an air conditioner! It has been so bloody hot lately that I can't stand myself sweating so much, that I get up in the middle of the night to take cold showers on a regular basis. A/C will be a welcome relief and this little vacation will be good for us to rest our tired backs and hands, recharge our batteries and take a mini vacation.
Next month, is sister month! Jen's sister is coming, my sister Michelle is coming, Aaron's sister Erica is coming, so we will have plenty more to report in a week or two!
August 21, 2010
Penance
When we have lots of guests, it seems to be that you can only find time to do the light day to day chores such as shopping, laundry and cleaning the house. Our lives might seem quite peaceful and serene, but when it comes down to just the two of us, we are working harder than ever.
Latest big project have been to do the ceiling beams throughout the house and the shutters. So allow me to bore you with our day to day thrilling adventures in house repair.
While in most parts of the world, that would seem not too challenging, but in Paros it is quite something else.
With the beams, one must treat them with woodworm poison, stuff that is extremely toxic and can cause blindness and nausea if it gets in your face or eyes. So, with goggles and rubber gloves, it was injecting this stuff via industrial syringe into the problem spots and then painting over all the beams. This stuff is no laughing joke about the toxicity. A close friend of a friend apparently went blind in one eye because of this stuff; so I basically panicked every time a bead of sweat got between me and my goggles. Second, you must fill in the huge cracks and spots with wood spackle. Third, you sand it down. Fourth, you paint, all the while doing this from a shaky ladder that would probably buckle under the weight if I was 50 pounds heavier.
Latest big project have been to do the ceiling beams throughout the house and the shutters. So allow me to bore you with our day to day thrilling adventures in house repair.
While in most parts of the world, that would seem not too challenging, but in Paros it is quite something else.
With the beams, one must treat them with woodworm poison, stuff that is extremely toxic and can cause blindness and nausea if it gets in your face or eyes. So, with goggles and rubber gloves, it was injecting this stuff via industrial syringe into the problem spots and then painting over all the beams. This stuff is no laughing joke about the toxicity. A close friend of a friend apparently went blind in one eye because of this stuff; so I basically panicked every time a bead of sweat got between me and my goggles. Second, you must fill in the huge cracks and spots with wood spackle. Third, you sand it down. Fourth, you paint, all the while doing this from a shaky ladder that would probably buckle under the weight if I was 50 pounds heavier.
The difference
End result
While I did the ceiling beams, Jen made quick work of dismantling all the shutters, sanding, and giving them two good coats of paint. I had the fun job of ripping out old hinges that were rusted beyond repair and spackling the holes.
The end result, really makes the house look well taken care of and spectacular.
And of course, no work would be complete without the help of Loulou by dragging away dropcloths, eating paint chips and running away with screwdrivers.
August 19, 2010
Louloudi and Friends
Louloudi is a little social creature and loves meeting other dogs as long as they are playful. So long as the other dogs are sweet, we often chit chat with the owners and just talk about animals until the conversation turns to human topics which are so passe when you have puppies.
First beach buddy who belongs to some neighbors who come swimming everyday. A 3 month old jack terrier puppy that is super energetic and runs circles around Louloudi.
In other news, Jen tells me that Louloudi is no longer a puppy, but instead a "doggy", some halfway point between puppy and dog. I'm not sure if I'm ready to let go yet and see her off to kindergarten. :)
First beach buddy who belongs to some neighbors who come swimming everyday. A 3 month old jack terrier puppy that is super energetic and runs circles around Louloudi.
Size doesn't matter when you got speed
Then there is Hector, the retriever mix owned by the Metaxas. We have a feeling these two are related, as they are similar in size, both come from Noussa and act just the same. They will run tirelessly for hours and wrestle constantly. They are about the same size, but about a year apart in age. The second these two get together, the rest of the world is immediately forgotten.
Beach buddies
Dog play date and swim at the house
In other news, Jen tells me that Louloudi is no longer a puppy, but instead a "doggy", some halfway point between puppy and dog. I'm not sure if I'm ready to let go yet and see her off to kindergarten. :)
August 14, 2010
Belated Puppy Thursday & Panoramic Saturday
Best present ever
Happy working environment
Wednesday, we went on a boat tour with some friends to celebrate Alexandra's birthday a little early. This is the view sailing along the shore of unmanned island, Despotiko.
August 11, 2010
Ketchup & Crayfish
Sorry for the belated post. I seem to be becoming more Greek everyday!
So the Crayfish party has become somewhat of a tradition in this household. After Gunnar and the Ljungdahls learned two years ago that I had not been treated to a proper crayfish party, they quickly went into action to resolve that dilemma. What resulted was a wonderfully silly night with plenty of swedish treats, songs and wonderful people. It was such a success, that a tradition was born, as this neighborhood is so excellent at doing. So soon after an exhausting birthday party, we had set the date so that Helene could join and include a few fellow Swedes before they took off.
Two years later, the second crayfish party came to life. With imported crayfish from Riga, hats and decorations from our talented friends, music and delicious courses from Jen, swedish song sheets from our resident experts; it was a wonderful party hosted by the "kids" for our Swedish heritage members.
As Gunnar would say, a crayfish party is about the three S's: Singing, Sucking, and Schnappsing!
So the Crayfish party has become somewhat of a tradition in this household. After Gunnar and the Ljungdahls learned two years ago that I had not been treated to a proper crayfish party, they quickly went into action to resolve that dilemma. What resulted was a wonderfully silly night with plenty of swedish treats, songs and wonderful people. It was such a success, that a tradition was born, as this neighborhood is so excellent at doing. So soon after an exhausting birthday party, we had set the date so that Helene could join and include a few fellow Swedes before they took off.
Two years later, the second crayfish party came to life. With imported crayfish from Riga, hats and decorations from our talented friends, music and delicious courses from Jen, swedish song sheets from our resident experts; it was a wonderful party hosted by the "kids" for our Swedish heritage members.
As Gunnar would say, a crayfish party is about the three S's: Singing, Sucking, and Schnappsing!
The Paper Hat Station
Sunset appetizers
Crayfish Quality Control
The Group!
LouLou got a hat that she hated
Imported crayfish
Keeper of the Crayfish, Gunnar
Swedes approve of the crayfish addition
Aaron
Ele, Pam, Kat
Ebba, the Mastermind behind the crayfish
About as Swedish as it gets.
August 5, 2010
Birthday Party #27
Where to begin on telling of a birthday without sounding too self-centered and over indulgent..? To be honest, there is not much to be said in this case, so let's throw that notion out the window.
I. WAS. SPOILED. ROTTEN.
And I loved every minute of it.
The day started off with an old neighborhood tradition in which everyone nearby comes for a birthday breakfast. Great people, close family, donuts, croissants, juice, bellinis and bubbly make for a delightful morning in which I was put closer in touch with my Swedish side.
Spøiled.
I was in charge of souvlaki and grilling vegetables. Jen made a delicious orange and beet salad, grated carrot salad, guacamole and lots of appetizers. Helene made a wonderful cake and took care of the seating arrangements. We started with a nice drink and snacks at sunset as everyone came by. We later moved the festivities to the back courtyard and bathed in candle light and a well groomed courtyard.
A few casualties
Jason loved it
I completely whiffed the first one
British Jon and his ninja style
What!? No Bones?
More wine, cake and lovely conversation filled up the night. At one point the group took turns singing Happy Birthday in the languages present, which included Swedish, Greek, French and of course, English.
Later in the night, there were strawberry tequila shots that I had made and then eventually some beer pong. Getting to teach a few Europeans about beer pong was something quite ridiculous in itself, but they (especially English Jon and French Chris) were actually quite good and ended up beating everyone.
Much, much later in the night, a swim was in order as we invaded the waters sans clothing and plenty of floats. After a good swim, we played our final prepared game that failed to make the earlier evening festivities. Pin the Mustache on Stu was devised in the name of playing with my ever changing facial hair and it was fantastic. Jen printed out all forms of mustaches and we had a print out of me all ready to go a la pin the tail on the donkey. Instead we just goofed off and wore the mustaches ourselves, which proved to be far more entertaining.
A great big thanks to all who came and helped out with the preparations. A birthday is usually a great excuse to get your favorite people together and have a really good time, and this couldn't have been better if I had dreamt it. Thank you so much to Jen and Helene for all your love, you have spoiled me with your compassion and love.
The first light of being 27
I have a feeling it's going to be a good year...
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