Ok, so since Thurs evening, I’ve been sick with something that left me bed/couch ridden the whole weekend. I can’t figure out what it is. Today is the first day that I feel semi-normal. Maybe one of you can help me out and tell me what was wrong with me because I’m curious. Here are the symptoms:
1. An ongoing headache from Thursday night till Sunday night.
2. Becoming so cold that shivering and teeth clattering occur even though one is wearing a fleecy, wrapped in both a fleecy and wool blanket, and has a free-standing heater about a foot away.
3. After being freezing for a time, one’s body starts to feel the exact opposite and sweating occurs and one can feel the heat emanating from one’s face.
4. A sore neck (not throat) …neck, in which case one can’t move one’s head in any direction other than straight. (this happened for 2 days).
5. Loss of appetite.
6. Slight case of nausea
…..I don’t get it. If I had a cold or cough to go along with it, it might make more sense but I didn’t. If any of you know what this is or what it’s caused by….etc. Fill me in!
What other news? Tony is back at Samos and is waiting to hear if he’ll be switched to a different base (he really want’s to go to one near Athens) so we’ll see!
I’m planning my trip to Turkey and it’ll happen in the middle of May a week before my fam arrives!
Tomorrow, I have the day off because of the May 1 holiday but I think I’ll come into work for a bit to make-up for my upcoming trip.
It looks like they’re setting up some kind of circus near the beach so I’ll have to check it out when it’s ready.
I think that’s it for now… Oh, one more thing, apparently they are calling for the hottest summer here in 150 years!!! I can’t really imagine what that would be like. Yikes…
M
Monday, April 30, 2007
Monday, April 23, 2007
Fun Weekend!
This will be a quicky! I was too busy at work today to write my post but I want to throw some stuff up even if I have to stay a little later.
On Sunday Tones and I had such a nice day! We went to Naoussa in the morning for crepes and frappes in the harbour. Later, we walked around and ate gelatos. Here are some pics from Naoussa:
Later in the day it was sooo nice and warm that we decided to go to the beach and suntan. I tried the water, but it's still quite cold.
After the beach I wanted to pick flowers for my place because there are tons of wild flowers everywhere right now. Tones helped and gave me a beautiful big bouquet complete with whole flower bushes including the roots....how romantic!!
Tomorrow will be a sad, sad day. Tony leaves in the evening to go back. I've gotten so used to him being here (12 days is a long time since the usual visits are about 3 days or so). I think I'll skip karate tonight so we can hang out - last week my sensei was saying what a good student I was because I still came to the lessons while Tony was visiting. Well, I was a good student up until today!
M
On Sunday Tones and I had such a nice day! We went to Naoussa in the morning for crepes and frappes in the harbour. Later, we walked around and ate gelatos. Here are some pics from Naoussa:
Later in the day it was sooo nice and warm that we decided to go to the beach and suntan. I tried the water, but it's still quite cold.
After the beach I wanted to pick flowers for my place because there are tons of wild flowers everywhere right now. Tones helped and gave me a beautiful big bouquet complete with whole flower bushes including the roots....how romantic!!
Tomorrow will be a sad, sad day. Tony leaves in the evening to go back. I've gotten so used to him being here (12 days is a long time since the usual visits are about 3 days or so). I think I'll skip karate tonight so we can hang out - last week my sensei was saying what a good student I was because I still came to the lessons while Tony was visiting. Well, I was a good student up until today!
M
Monday, April 16, 2007
The Baptism
Over the weekend the baptism took place of Tony’s cousin’s baby girl. On Saturday, we went to the church at around 6ish to see the baptism. I didn’t realize it was such a big deal. It’s almost like a wedding. There were a ton of people all dressed up, a professional photographer and videographer, decorations, and party favors.
The baby finally got her name, “Margarita” – roll the “r”. Before then, she didn’t technically have a name so everyone called her “baby”.
Above, the proud parents with Margarita (Vassilis and Flora - we stayed with them when we went to Milos in the summer). The next photo is of them with Tony's grandparents - so cute!
After the ceremony, we all headed to a restaurant in Marathi for the reception. We had a bunch to eat and everyone started dancing. It went on till the early morning but Tony and I left early – at 3am. I have some videos too that I might put up but they are kinda long. We’ll see!
Oh! And on Sunday, Tony and I decided to hit the beach since it’s warm enough now (most days). We went in the early evening and just laid on the beach till 7:00, sooooo nice!
M
The baby finally got her name, “Margarita” – roll the “r”. Before then, she didn’t technically have a name so everyone called her “baby”.
Above, the proud parents with Margarita (Vassilis and Flora - we stayed with them when we went to Milos in the summer). The next photo is of them with Tony's grandparents - so cute!
After the ceremony, we all headed to a restaurant in Marathi for the reception. We had a bunch to eat and everyone started dancing. It went on till the early morning but Tony and I left early – at 3am. I have some videos too that I might put up but they are kinda long. We’ll see!
Oh! And on Sunday, Tony and I decided to hit the beach since it’s warm enough now (most days). We went in the early evening and just laid on the beach till 7:00, sooooo nice!
M
Friday, April 13, 2007
Yay!
Tony arrived last night! He gets 12 days off which is the longest amount of time off since he's been in the Army. One of the Sergents found out Tony had to take someone's place on the ship and miss his Easter break so, since he likes Tony, he gave him an extra 6 days!
Tomorrow is the baptism too and in the evening everyone will go out to a restaurant for some good food, music, and dancing. I'm looking forward to it!
Have a good weekend.
M
Tomorrow is the baptism too and in the evening everyone will go out to a restaurant for some good food, music, and dancing. I'm looking forward to it!
Have a good weekend.
M
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Monday, April 09, 2007
Greek Easter
This is going to be one looooong post! Before I get into the Easter happenings, I’ve gotta mention what’s all over the news right now. I’m not sure if it was shown on North American news or not but a cruise ship sank at Santorini. It hit a rock in the water on Thursday and luckily most of the passengers got off (I think all but 2). Then it fully sank during the night. Anyways, when the ship started sinking, the boat Tony is on was sent over there (1 of 2 Special Forces boats that were sent). So they sped over there but it took 2.5 hours so by the time they got there, the passengers had been taken off the ship already. It was kinda exciting though because I was watching the news with Linda and we were trying to see his boat arrive. He had no connection on his cell, so he couldn’t tell us where he was. Anyways, they ended up going back to Leros when they found out there wasn’t much they could do.
Ok, now Easter. It was full of church, ceremonies, symbolism, and good food. I took a few movies too that I'll try to post this week. I’ll break the post down by the days:
Thurs: This is when you are supposed to dye eggs red before the sun goes down. This represents Jesus dying on the cross. I did that upstairs with Markos and Linda (I was pretty much upstairs with them most of the weekend). After you dye them (they are hard boiled) you have to shine them up with a polish. We did about 35 eggs!
Fri: Friday consisted of 2 outings to the church. For the first one, we went in the early afternoon and the church was packed! We stood upstairs in the balconies where we ran into a bunch of Tony’s relatives. It was a nice service (which had started very early in the morning) and at the end of it they took this wooden Jesus off a cross and wrapped him in a white cloth and put him in what’s called a epitaph (kinda like a fancy coffin with no walls and decorated with flowers). Then they paraded it around the church and set it in the middle on a little stage.
The second celebration is at midnight and takes place at 3 churches and throughout the city. We headed down around 11ish and got a good spot near the windmill at the port. The 3 churches each have services and at the same time they take their epitaph, with Jesus in it, out of the church and walk with it to the port where the 3 convoys meet. After they get organized, they all head together on a walk around the town.
Sat: Saturday was very busy! During the day Linda and I cleaned and cleaned to get ready for Sunday when everyone comes over for the roast. While we were cleaning, Markos got the lamb ready for the roast and other interesting food items ready. Tony’s cousin Vassilis and uncle Yiorgios came to help Markos. I have to explain what they were doing because it’s interesting and I have pics that might make you queasy.
They got the lamb ready to roast by sticking the bar through it and stuffing its stomach with onion, peppers, and tomato, then they sewed it up with wire. Along with the lamb, there is also something else that gets roasted too called kokoretsi; it’s a very large skewer of assorted meats (livers, hearts, and not sure what else) and it gets wrapped in intestine! The skewer gets turned around by a motor and you have to guide the intestines along the meat as it gets wrapped around. I tried it for a bit: slippery!
Before midnight, we headed back down to the church with candles and one dyed egg each. There were too many people to fit in the church so a lot of people stood outside. At around midnight, everyone lit their candles using fire from the church that got passed from candle to candle. This fire was originally from Jerusalem and was flown to Athens and then all around Greece! Once everyone’s candles were lit, it was time to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It’s kinda like New Years; everyone does the double cheek kiss and you crack your egg with someone else’s. There are also a ton of very loud fire crackers. I brought my candle home still burning and used it to burn a cross above my door (Linda says that's another thing some people do to protect their homes).
Once that was finished, we headed home to eat a special soup called mairitsa, which is only eaten once a year. It's made with liver, heart, dill, and lettuce. It was very good!! Makos showed me how to make it earlier that day. Mmmmmmm!
Sun: This was a fun day! It pretty much consisted of food, drink, dancing, sun, loud music, firecrackers, and gunfire. It was such a nice day, about 20 degrees. I came upstairs about 11 and by that time the lamb had been roasting for 3 hours already. People started to show up soon after and some were already there. It was mainly Tony’s relatives and some friends came later in the day.
Markos set up speakers outside and they put on loud Greek music. We picked at the lamb when it was finished and the guys let off firecrackers. Markos brought his gun out too and was shooting it off and he let me try; it jerked me back when I shot it! This is a very loud day as you can tell; I’m surprised I can hear today!
At lunch time we had a meal at a table outside. The kokoretsi was sooooo good by the way; I think it was my favorite. But it was all so good because it had been roasting for so long. The surface was crispy and the inside was tender. In the evening, the dancing started. It was so much fun and it helped to work off the pigging out we all did! I got my practice in for next weekend when the baptism happens.
We were so full and tired by the end of the day! At about 11 most people left and we cleaned up a bit. And that’s the end of Easter. I’m glad I got to be here for Easter, it was an experience!
M
Ok, now Easter. It was full of church, ceremonies, symbolism, and good food. I took a few movies too that I'll try to post this week. I’ll break the post down by the days:
Thurs: This is when you are supposed to dye eggs red before the sun goes down. This represents Jesus dying on the cross. I did that upstairs with Markos and Linda (I was pretty much upstairs with them most of the weekend). After you dye them (they are hard boiled) you have to shine them up with a polish. We did about 35 eggs!
Fri: Friday consisted of 2 outings to the church. For the first one, we went in the early afternoon and the church was packed! We stood upstairs in the balconies where we ran into a bunch of Tony’s relatives. It was a nice service (which had started very early in the morning) and at the end of it they took this wooden Jesus off a cross and wrapped him in a white cloth and put him in what’s called a epitaph (kinda like a fancy coffin with no walls and decorated with flowers). Then they paraded it around the church and set it in the middle on a little stage.
The second celebration is at midnight and takes place at 3 churches and throughout the city. We headed down around 11ish and got a good spot near the windmill at the port. The 3 churches each have services and at the same time they take their epitaph, with Jesus in it, out of the church and walk with it to the port where the 3 convoys meet. After they get organized, they all head together on a walk around the town.
Sat: Saturday was very busy! During the day Linda and I cleaned and cleaned to get ready for Sunday when everyone comes over for the roast. While we were cleaning, Markos got the lamb ready for the roast and other interesting food items ready. Tony’s cousin Vassilis and uncle Yiorgios came to help Markos. I have to explain what they were doing because it’s interesting and I have pics that might make you queasy.
They got the lamb ready to roast by sticking the bar through it and stuffing its stomach with onion, peppers, and tomato, then they sewed it up with wire. Along with the lamb, there is also something else that gets roasted too called kokoretsi; it’s a very large skewer of assorted meats (livers, hearts, and not sure what else) and it gets wrapped in intestine! The skewer gets turned around by a motor and you have to guide the intestines along the meat as it gets wrapped around. I tried it for a bit: slippery!
Before midnight, we headed back down to the church with candles and one dyed egg each. There were too many people to fit in the church so a lot of people stood outside. At around midnight, everyone lit their candles using fire from the church that got passed from candle to candle. This fire was originally from Jerusalem and was flown to Athens and then all around Greece! Once everyone’s candles were lit, it was time to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection. It’s kinda like New Years; everyone does the double cheek kiss and you crack your egg with someone else’s. There are also a ton of very loud fire crackers. I brought my candle home still burning and used it to burn a cross above my door (Linda says that's another thing some people do to protect their homes).
Once that was finished, we headed home to eat a special soup called mairitsa, which is only eaten once a year. It's made with liver, heart, dill, and lettuce. It was very good!! Makos showed me how to make it earlier that day. Mmmmmmm!
Sun: This was a fun day! It pretty much consisted of food, drink, dancing, sun, loud music, firecrackers, and gunfire. It was such a nice day, about 20 degrees. I came upstairs about 11 and by that time the lamb had been roasting for 3 hours already. People started to show up soon after and some were already there. It was mainly Tony’s relatives and some friends came later in the day.
Markos set up speakers outside and they put on loud Greek music. We picked at the lamb when it was finished and the guys let off firecrackers. Markos brought his gun out too and was shooting it off and he let me try; it jerked me back when I shot it! This is a very loud day as you can tell; I’m surprised I can hear today!
At lunch time we had a meal at a table outside. The kokoretsi was sooooo good by the way; I think it was my favorite. But it was all so good because it had been roasting for so long. The surface was crispy and the inside was tender. In the evening, the dancing started. It was so much fun and it helped to work off the pigging out we all did! I got my practice in for next weekend when the baptism happens.
We were so full and tired by the end of the day! At about 11 most people left and we cleaned up a bit. And that’s the end of Easter. I’m glad I got to be here for Easter, it was an experience!
M
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Working and Shopping
This week has been crazy at work! I have so many projects to work on. At the moment I’m working on a big brochure for a scuba divin/kite boarding/boat tour company; It’s a fun one because I get to start from scratch and be as creative as I want. I’ve also been printing and cutting and designing tons of business cards and menus. I’ll be working extra hours next week and will probably go in on Mon just to finish up some things. I’m a bit of a work-a-holic so I like it when it’s busy like this; the time flys and it’s a fun job that I like. The only part I don’t like is when the client is here when I’m working on something of theirs, like a business card, and they literally stand behind me and watch. It doesn’t happen often but when it does, it’s soooo annoying!
Anyways, besides working like crazy, in the evenings I’ve headed out to the clothing shops with Linda. We were in search of some frocks to wear for Easter and the baptism. Last night we went shopping with Linda’s friend Gillian. After searching since Monday we finally bought a dress each. Linda got a nice black dress with a diamond pendant in the front of it and I got a cute silky minidress for the baptism dinner. I probably won’t wear it to the church as it’s a little short for that but it’s soooo cute with black leggings and these vintage suede boots I bought in London.
Today is the start of the Easter celebrations and on this day you are supposed to dye eggs red before the sun goes down. So after work, I’ll head upstairs and we’ll dye the eggs. After that, we’ll head back into town in search of accessories/jackets to wear over our dresses. It’s kinda fun going on a shopping mission. I’ve never shopped for clothes here because it’s quite pricey but why not! I got a little Easter bonus, might as well treat myself to something a little more fancy than the old jeans and black fleecy that I wear to work everyday.
I won’t be near the internet till after the weekend so have a good Easter everyone! And I’ll try to get photos of all the Easter celebrations here and post them next week. I definitely want to get a couple of the lamb roast. Yesterday, while we were walking along the market street, a man had a skinned lamb in a see-through back over his shoulder. It scared me because he turned all of a sudden and the lambs eyes were looking right at me. Yikes! Poor lambs but I bet they'll be good eats on Sunday!
M
Anyways, besides working like crazy, in the evenings I’ve headed out to the clothing shops with Linda. We were in search of some frocks to wear for Easter and the baptism. Last night we went shopping with Linda’s friend Gillian. After searching since Monday we finally bought a dress each. Linda got a nice black dress with a diamond pendant in the front of it and I got a cute silky minidress for the baptism dinner. I probably won’t wear it to the church as it’s a little short for that but it’s soooo cute with black leggings and these vintage suede boots I bought in London.
Today is the start of the Easter celebrations and on this day you are supposed to dye eggs red before the sun goes down. So after work, I’ll head upstairs and we’ll dye the eggs. After that, we’ll head back into town in search of accessories/jackets to wear over our dresses. It’s kinda fun going on a shopping mission. I’ve never shopped for clothes here because it’s quite pricey but why not! I got a little Easter bonus, might as well treat myself to something a little more fancy than the old jeans and black fleecy that I wear to work everyday.
I won’t be near the internet till after the weekend so have a good Easter everyone! And I’ll try to get photos of all the Easter celebrations here and post them next week. I definitely want to get a couple of the lamb roast. Yesterday, while we were walking along the market street, a man had a skinned lamb in a see-through back over his shoulder. It scared me because he turned all of a sudden and the lambs eyes were looking right at me. Yikes! Poor lambs but I bet they'll be good eats on Sunday!
M
Monday, April 02, 2007
Hiking and Walking Around
On the weekend I ventured out to the Marathi caves. I followed the zigzag path up one of the mountains to the top. At the top are a few little churches and more mountains and a valley (pictured below). There are a few caves on the way up too.
On the way back to my bike, I stopped at one of the biggest caves. It looked nice with all the green growing around it. I went down into it and once your eye gets adjusted to the darkness you can see quite far. It’s steep inside and goes in a straight line down and at the bottom there is a labyrinth of smaller caves you can go into but you definitely need a flashlight!
There were a few goats and a pony hanging out around there too (ignore the goat peeing in the background). The pony has a rope connecting one of it’s front feet with one in the back so that it won’t get very far if it runs away. A lot of goats and cows get a rope like that one their legs too.
A few days before, I went for another walk close to home. There is a mountain with a great view of Paroikia. At the top, it’s called the Delion Sanctuary of Apollo and there are some old rock walls and what look like old rock houses? Here are some pics from that - I look scary in the last one!
On the way back to my bike, I stopped at one of the biggest caves. It looked nice with all the green growing around it. I went down into it and once your eye gets adjusted to the darkness you can see quite far. It’s steep inside and goes in a straight line down and at the bottom there is a labyrinth of smaller caves you can go into but you definitely need a flashlight!
There were a few goats and a pony hanging out around there too (ignore the goat peeing in the background). The pony has a rope connecting one of it’s front feet with one in the back so that it won’t get very far if it runs away. A lot of goats and cows get a rope like that one their legs too.
A few days before, I went for another walk close to home. There is a mountain with a great view of Paroikia. At the top, it’s called the Delion Sanctuary of Apollo and there are some old rock walls and what look like old rock houses? Here are some pics from that - I look scary in the last one!
Also, this week is a short week because I get Friday off (and next Monday so it's a 4 day weekend)! I'm going to shop for a dress or skirt to wear for Easter and the baptism coming up the next weekend. Tony is on the boat mission and is at Leros right now and will probably be there through Easter.
M
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