To those who might care,

It rained today! Our second full day in Greece and we were greeted, at about 5 am, to the sound of water droplets hitting the plastic zip-lock bags we had put out to dry. It was really more of an on again-off again shower that persisted until mid-morning, then the day brighten up and was really quite nice from then on.

We continued to “settle in” (how many times have I used that phrase?). WE spent a little more time with Ingrid as she has the morning duties, providing breakfast for those who want it and taking reservations etc. Yorgos, her husband, oversees the evening hours. Those of you considering a B & B, be warned, it is a full time job and you are tied to the place nearly all the time.

After coffee and my first blog, we straightened up the bungalow, with a little help from various four-legged friends. This cat and dog are the best of friends and the cat is constantly flirting with her canine idol.

From this photo, you can see that he can take just so much and must somehow manage to fit his frame into the tiny doghouse. This is the same one the cat was in yesterday!


WE took off about 11:30 to pick up a few more things from the store. As you “settle in,” it is an evolving process of discovery. This morning it was paper towels, a bar of soap and some detergent for hand wash. I am sure that by tomorrow, there will be a cry for more cat food!

After a little time in Drepano, the weather had cleared so nicely that we planned to stop at a little taverna we fondly remembered that sat right on the sea, on what we referred to as the “rocky beach” (there are a number of “sandy beaches” as well). Sadly, the little place, that had the best Tzatziki this side of my own, had gone out of business. In fact, everyone is complaining that business is slow. Like Mexico, things are down as much as 30%. Anyway, with one taverna gone, we headed toward the little beach town of Tolo. There is a nice little place, still operating, just as you head into Tolo, near the Acropolis of Ancient Assini . WE stopped there and had a half liter of white wine and just enjoyed the view.

Following that stop, it was back to the bungalows for lunch. We finally had the opportunity to try the local cheese, salami, bread and olives. They were delicious!
Siesta, of course, comes next and it is clear that we are still recovering from our long flight. It was nearly 5 when we awoke. We read for a while before going down to see Ingrid and Yorgos at the bar. Have really been out of touch as we learned of the killing of Osama Ben Laden. This news vacuum we were in reminded us of the first time we came to Greece in 1994 and were one of the last people to know of the OJ Simpson Bronco Chase. Now that I think of it, we also missed 9/11 and didn’t hear about it until getting to school.

Anyway, after the fellowship at the bar, Polley and I took in one of our favorite little restaurants, Chez Gille, located in Tolo, the little beach town about a mile to the west of Ingrid's.

Gille is French, but it is a very Greek restaurant. His wife, Maria, is a delight. She is fluent in Greek, English, French and Italian. She was amazing as we watched her flit from us to a Russian woman and her child, to a French family across the way. All of it with humor and without effort.

We had a wonderful Vegetable Plate for 2. It was stuffed red peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, beans, zucchini and potatoes. All swimming in olive oil. Very good.

We also had, despite Maria’s hesitancy, some retsina. Retsina seems to be disappearing from Greek life. As the older generations die off, the younger ones have little or no interest in this very distinctive flavored wine. Anyway, we enjoyed it and then Maria gave us little after dinner treat of Mastica. It was quite sweet, but also quite refreshing.

Then it was home for a drink with Yorgos who was on night duty. Another very relaxing day in Greece. No need to do much more.

Ed and Polley