Day 1 - Finally, a culture that appreciates naps!

---

Rachel’s first full day in Greece began with a bit of excitement. A large Greek bug decided to join her in the bathroom. Since Rachel absolutely loves American bugs, Greek bugs were extra fun. Especially since she was not wearing contacts and it moved fast and was bigger than a quarter. Luckily, Rachel escaped safely. The bug, unfortunately, didn’t.

One of our favorite things to do in Europe is to walk to the local bakery every morning for a pastry and some fresh bread. Since there was no hiking involved, Rachel joined us. I thought the bakery was two blocks away. It was 100 F by 10am, so the two blocks would have been fine. However, the bakery was a bit farther and we were all sweating by the time we got there. Inside, we met the typical Greek grandmother. She smiled and chuckled as we tried out our Greek. We bought one each of four types of pastries; mild feta cheese, a pizza-ish one, spinach, and a sweet one. They were all delicious. Rachel likes Greek breakfasts.

Off we went to find a resort beach. Astros is just about 5 miles south of where we were staying. It met all our needs…sandy, warm, and nice breezes. This was Rachel’s favorite beach so far. The sea was so calm, we bought inflatable mattresses to lie on while we floated. Daniel’s key ingredient for a beach is shade. Luckily, an old Greek man had just left from a prime spot under a large tree and we swooped in and scooped it up. Between that and a beer, Daniel had a good day.

We came back to our apartment late afternoon and decided we still needed more beach time. Mary wanted to take a nap. Everyone sleeps here from 2-5pm. Instead, off we walked down to our apartment’s private beach to swim and play with the new snorkel we bought. We discovered a great technique of snorkeling- which Rachel thinks will impress our scuba buddies. Since Rachel discovered there were sandy beaches, she was no longer enamored with the rocky beach and was therefore able to document our skills.

We went out to eat at the Blue Sky restaurant around 9pm, which is early for Greeks. We ended up being the only ones in the restaurant. The nice owner was thoughtful enough to put on some music for us - sappy American country. Daniel was thrilled. Rachel really was thrilled about the cute, shy waiter who was about her age. Unfortunately, she didn’t get a picture. Rachel was a bit shocked at how they served fried fish.

We walked home at midnight and it was about 95 degrees. Bed time at last.

---