Welcome to sunny (sic) Greece!!!

. . . yes, the black cloud has decided to follow me on this trip!! I think the gods are trying to send me a message. I'm not even going to check to see what the weather is like in England, but I'm sure it's nice and sunny. Although we've had some rain here in Greece, it's still been very warm, around 25 degrees . . . but my pasty white skin is begging for some colour!!

Things I've learned in five days and have easily adapted to:
- afternoon naps are not an oddity; they are practically law! Everything and everyone shuts down between 1400-1700 hrs.
- work is not first and foremost in people's minds (I've yet to meet somebody who works a 40-hour week!!)
- sitting for hours on end for an afternoon or evening coffee (or both) with friends is an almost daily occurrence.
- a night out is lame if you're home before 0400 hrs.
- everywhere you go you are given a glass of water and snacks. Even at a club, if you order a drink they give you a glass of water and snacks . . . lovely, lovely!

I'm in Karditsa in central Greece, having a wonderful stay with my aunt, uncle, and cousin Ritsa, and just feeling completely and utterly relaxed!! My Theo (uncle) has taken me all over this area and shown me so many beautiful places; Ritsa has been showing me the nightlife and helping me along when I've managed to put my foot in my mouth a few times (more on that later); and my Thea (aunt) has given new meaning to the term "ultimate Greek mama;" in other words, if any of you have a need to put on a few pounds (perhaps for a movie role?) or engage in some gluttony for a while, my Thea would be more than happy to cook for you and a few hundred of your closest friends!! Yes, for those of you that know my beautiful mama, I can say with all certainty that my Thea Popi puts my mom to shame in that department . . . (still hugs & kisses, mum; love you lots!!)

Yesterday me, my Theo, and Ritsa went to Meteora, an unbelievable place full of monestaries built on the tops of sharp mountains . . . really something that needs to be seen to be believed. I've also been to my parents' village, Krioneri, and am going again today. I have vague memories of it from 16 years ago and was reminded how beautiful that entire area is. The roads wind up and down through the mountains and lush green, all around a gorgeous emerald lake . . . reminds me a bit of Canada, but instead of bears, wolves, and moose, it's goats, pigs, and the odd snake! Also, there's a scent that I remember . . . I can't describe it, but it's wonderful and I recognized it instantly.

Coming to Greece I thought my Greek was in good shape and I would have no troubles getting by . . . but I was soon reminded that people in Greece talk about 500 wpm and I've found myself not sure if I should be concentrating on the words or the hand movements to try to get some understanding of what's being said (I think I'm getting wrinkles from trying to concentrate so hard)! For example, as Ritsa's friend Elena told us a story (of which I understood about every 10th word and tried to make up my own story in my head of what she could possibly be talking about), she turned to me at the end of about five minutes and asked me something which I thought I understood completely (yes, finally!), to which I simply answered "nai" (yes). Ooooohhhh, wrong thing to do. While I thought she asked me "am I right?" she actually said "am I wrong?" I answered "yes, you are wrong." Oh, shame!!! Thank God for Ritsa, because she's gotten me out of a jam or two in the past few days.

Yes, so I'm loving the lifestyle here, but as a true-blooded Canadian, not something I think I could live with longterm (not because I love winter and minus 30 degrees so much). My plans have changed somewhat (okay, a lot!), but that's the beauty of travel, isn't it? Saturday I'm taking the train to Thessaloniki to stay with my uncle (mom's side) and hopefully go to some museums while there. On Tuesday I'm going to take the train to Athens, spend a night there, and then Wednesday I plan to hop a ferry to an island . . . which island? I have no idea. It may be a flip-the-coin kind of deal, or if I happen to see a group of soccer players from, let's say, Argentina getting on a ferry, I'll probably get on that one too!!! After about four days in the islands, I'll head back to Athens for a couple of days before hopping the pond back to Canada.

My mind is mush and I'm loving it!!! I hope this finds you all well . . . and one final thought:
- if anybody is looking for a sure-fire way to quit smoking, come to Greece. If chain smoking everywhere and by most people doesn't turn you off smoking, then you're up the creek without a paddle. Pops, I think I've got the black lung!

Cheers,
Georgia
(P.S. Dilemma . . . who to cheer for in the cup final? We hate Comrie and we hate Pronger. Maybe I will have to become a soccer fan for a few weeks!)

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