Thursday, August 27, Veria, Greece

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Drove into town. Veria. Stopped by Demetri’s shop, “Ethnic Arts.” Cool stuff. Awesome clothes (for tiny people) and textiles from Nepal or places around there. Greece has really awesome clothes for women, tiny women, but I love the styles. Nothing I can wear. After a big sigh and a second of pouting, I was over it. I focused on items that were manufactured for other things -- home and personal accessories. That was fun.

All of us spent some time in the shop -- some spent time and money, but who and what escapes me now.

The drum was set up in front of the shop. We sang and distributed fliers for the coming weekend’s event. Moving to the central square, Mariah and I oogled over the fabulous shoes and ladies fashions that are popular in Greece. Lots of East Indian influence -- colorful and fluid. Unfortunately no time to shop. We have to get to the park and set up for tomorrow.

Done. Everything is ready. Back to the house. Jockey for position to take a shower. Tdom Bah and Jackie stay at the site. Lee and I opt to go back to the house with the rest of our group. We promised to spend Friday and Saturday night at the site. We have no problem with the “camping part.” No hot water in the shower and square porcelain with a hole, bolted-to-the-floor toilets after a full day is not appealing. Nope. And because Tdom Bah and Jackie are not in the house, we took over their sleeping quarters. We lost our air mattress; efficient Jackie had deflated it and took it to the park.

I think that was some sort of excuse to take a shower and have a “real” toilet. Although our hosts’ water heater is powered by solar, we have all had to learn (1) use minimum water (i.e., turn the water off and on during your shower), or (2) take a cold shower. Greece, or course, started experiencing an unusual heat wave upon our arrival (hot and humid) and air conditioners aren’t part of the culture. As Dorothy says, “there’s no place like home!” These experiences are valuable lessons about we Americans as individuals and collectively as a nation, with our high standards for personal comforts. And the six of us fall right back into our abundance fantasies -- first stop upon arriving home -- Circle K for a Big Gulp filled to the brim with ice. Next, home. Turn that air conditioner to 65. Put on comfy clothes. Retire to a favorite sitting object, grab the clicker and check our 500 cable channels, ending with the age-old statement: “so many channels and nothing good to watch.” We did not see TV until we arrived in Greece, and no one went postal. Says something, huh?

Another early morning tomorrow. Jackie will pick us up at 9:00 a.m. The event is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. A long

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Photos

Ethnic Arts
Demetri's shop. It's a great shop.

Can We Help You?
When Demetri is not at his shop, Anna takes over (far left).

Hanging Around
We're hanging around Demetri's shop.

Side Street
View up from Demetri's shop.

Taking a Break
Mariah enjoys a frappe while waiting to sing.

We're Here
Wil and Lee outside Demetri's shop.

Local Citizens
I love this picture. It will always remind me of Greece.

Veria Museum
Outside the museum.

Street View
One of the streets in Varia. I liked the dog walking across the street.

Rooftops of Veria
The rooftops of Veria. View from a park.

We're Touring
We stopped at a little park for a breather before continuing on our tour,

Water Well
Lee and Mariah take a break for some water.

Sunset
View from Demetri's and Sophia's house.

Demetri and Sophia
On the side porch of their house.

Sophia and Christos
Aren't they beautiful?