Our flight went smoothly, all except for the last leg. We flew to Chicago and then caught a non-stop Lufthansa flight to Munich, each leg right on time. The glitch was in the last leg, from Munich to Athens. It was delayed about 45 minutes so it meant we were about a half hour late into Athens, but we did get our luggage and met the fellow who had our rental car. It is a cute little Fiat, but it was just big enough (barely) for our luggage. It took us about 2 ¼ hours to motor to Assini where the bungalows are located. Of course, we had to sit up for another 90 minutes as we unpacked the car and enjoyed a ceremonial first ouzo with Yorgos. By the time we hit the bed, I figured that between the time we got up in Portland and the time we hit the sack in Greece, it had been 35 hours. We did manage a couple of catnaps on the various flights, but we were very tired. However, Polley and I both commented that it was amazing, but there is something about the country. We could both almost literally feel the cares of the world drop off us as we set down in Greece.
A good sign of how tired we were, for those of you who know us really well, we slept until 9:45 the next morning. Unheard of! The next couple of hours were spent unpacking and figuring out where to put things. While Ingrid’s is lovely, it is not really set up for people to stay a month. So we had to be creative with the space available. While we were looking for places for clothes and shoes, the cats at Ingrid’s had already begun to make themselves at home in our room.
This little girl is one of the oldest of Ingrid’s family. She planted herself on the bed within 30 minutes of our arrival has hardly moved since.
There are also a couple of pregnant mama running around, so the family could increase dramatically in the next few weeks. I caught this mama sleeping in this little hut.
These two were challenging each other over the food bowl. One, as you see was willing to wait his turn.
I should take a moment to introduce you to Ingrid's. We initially discovered it in 1995. Here is a photo of how it looks from the road
A view of our bungalow
And one of two terraces, one in front (this one) and another on the back
After unpacking, we headed to the little village of Drepano, about half a mile from Ingrid’s. We went into the market for supplies and a very nice little lady, Maria, took us around, making sure we got the locally made or grown vegetables, cheeses, meats, wines and breads. And, last, but not least, cat food!
Back to the bungalows to unload. However, before we could make lunch, Ingrid invited us to share a couple of pizzas. We are truly like family when we come here. After a little wine and pizza, it was definitely siesta time. And, if it is necessary to show you how tired we were, we slept for another nearly 3 hours!
After a bit of reading, we joined Yorgos at the bar that is a part of the complex.
It is the regular gathering place for guests, usually before people head off to dinner and when they return. We had a glass of wine and then headed back to Drepano for dinner at a place called Nikos, located just off the village square, across from the church.
Following an ouzo, Polley and I shared a Greek salad and an order of calamari. Niko provided a half liter of wine on him. Actually the salad was so large that we brought most of the calamari home with us. All for less than 20 euros!
It was then home and back to the bar. We had a last glass of wine, we thought, but a nice Albanian fellow insisted on buying us another. That meant we had had more than enough and it was time to say good night! More to come, hopefully on a nearly daily basis.
Ed and Polley
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