Along the roadways here in Greece I am noticing little shrines. They are unique and elaborate and I had been wondering about their meaning. We traveled by taxi from Napflio to Mycenae and I took the opportunity to ask our driver what was the meaning. He explained that at every point where a shrine is located that is the place where someone had died. He said the roads were very dangerous in Greece and that Greek drivers will do any and everything. I was not very comforted to hear this as we were zooming down the rural Greek road. The little churches are beautiful but now sad to me when I see them. I liked them better when I did not know what they represented. (We made it to our destination safe and sound)
Gasoline in Greece is very expensive. We have seen as low as 1.60 euro per liter and up to 1.895 per liter. That translates into between $8 and $10 per gallon! People use the metro and buses heavily here and I can certainly understand it but there are plenty of cars on the road. I just love the buses here because they remind me of giant insects moving along the roads. The drivers just amaze me with their talent for negotiating the narrow roadways and streets and doing it without hitting anything along the way. Some of the bus driver seating areas are adorned with religous items, good luck charms and gifts from loved ones which I have found touching and unsettling at the same time.
Speaking of good luck charms, protection against the Evil Eye is on sale everywhere in Greece. It comes in the form of a simple round blue glass charm with an eye painted on it to elaborate bracelets and other jewelry. I learned today that it is considered an appropriate first gift to give to a newborn baby. You can bet that I have bought one.
One can't help but notice the little beads on a string that you see Greek men playing with. They are called worry beads or Komboloi and they are used for relaxation and concentration. (Think beads on a rosary) The beads come in all sizes and many types of materials but the most prized are the amber beads because of their light weight. We saw many shops that specialize in selling only worry beads. One shop in Napflio even had a Komboloi museum. If one pays attention you can start to recognize the sounds of the beads clicking in shops and in the streets as you pass by men who use them. I am told that women are starting to use them also.
There are many, many cats here in Greece and a fair number of dogs and they are just roaming freely.
Our innkeeper in Napflio explained the reason that town had so many and I expect it is the reason other towns have so many also. She said that a few years ago Napflio was over run by snakes. The town council decided to bring in some cats. The cats have proliferated and the snakes inthe town are gone and so are the mice. They love their cats and I expect that is the reason they are allowed to roam in other towns and cities as well.
The food here in Greece has been just wonderful and I have personally taste tested the olives in every place we have been. So far, the olives on Crete are the most outstanding and I understand that the olive oil here has very low acid so it is delicate. So far my favorite dishes were the stuffed cabbages and zucchini in Delphi, a dish of pork cooked in a lemon sauce in Athens and just today I had stuffed tomatoes and green peppers for lunch that were amazing. I probably should have been keeping a food diary on this trip. Some of the best meals we have had here have been the breakfasts served by our hotels. I have learned to enjoy cucumbers, tomatoes and olives for breakfast and Greek yoghurt is amazing. They don;t do a bad job with ice cream either:)
I have more to say and more photos to share but this software is driving me crazy. I can't seem to make it do what I want.
Carrie
Gasoline in Greece is very expensive. We have seen as low as 1.60 euro per liter and up to 1.895 per liter. That translates into between $8 and $10 per gallon! People use the metro and buses heavily here and I can certainly understand it but there are plenty of cars on the road. I just love the buses here because they remind me of giant insects moving along the roads. The drivers just amaze me with their talent for negotiating the narrow roadways and streets and doing it without hitting anything along the way. Some of the bus driver seating areas are adorned with religous items, good luck charms and gifts from loved ones which I have found touching and unsettling at the same time.
Speaking of good luck charms, protection against the Evil Eye is on sale everywhere in Greece. It comes in the form of a simple round blue glass charm with an eye painted on it to elaborate bracelets and other jewelry. I learned today that it is considered an appropriate first gift to give to a newborn baby. You can bet that I have bought one.
One can't help but notice the little beads on a string that you see Greek men playing with. They are called worry beads or Komboloi and they are used for relaxation and concentration. (Think beads on a rosary) The beads come in all sizes and many types of materials but the most prized are the amber beads because of their light weight. We saw many shops that specialize in selling only worry beads. One shop in Napflio even had a Komboloi museum. If one pays attention you can start to recognize the sounds of the beads clicking in shops and in the streets as you pass by men who use them. I am told that women are starting to use them also.
There are many, many cats here in Greece and a fair number of dogs and they are just roaming freely.
Our innkeeper in Napflio explained the reason that town had so many and I expect it is the reason other towns have so many also. She said that a few years ago Napflio was over run by snakes. The town council decided to bring in some cats. The cats have proliferated and the snakes inthe town are gone and so are the mice. They love their cats and I expect that is the reason they are allowed to roam in other towns and cities as well.
The food here in Greece has been just wonderful and I have personally taste tested the olives in every place we have been. So far, the olives on Crete are the most outstanding and I understand that the olive oil here has very low acid so it is delicate. So far my favorite dishes were the stuffed cabbages and zucchini in Delphi, a dish of pork cooked in a lemon sauce in Athens and just today I had stuffed tomatoes and green peppers for lunch that were amazing. I probably should have been keeping a food diary on this trip. Some of the best meals we have had here have been the breakfasts served by our hotels. I have learned to enjoy cucumbers, tomatoes and olives for breakfast and Greek yoghurt is amazing. They don;t do a bad job with ice cream either:)
A Taverna Lined Street in Nafplio I have more to say and more photos to share but this software is driving me crazy. I can't seem to make it do what I want.
Carrie
A food blog/log is a wonderful idea even if it could be considered extreme torture to those of us eating toast this morning!
ReplyDeleteThe roadside memorials are so elaborate! We see simple crosses and flowers here - nothing like the mini temple you photographed.
Fascinated by the the worry beads and the variety of choices. Interesting that the Evil Eye is blue in what is largely a brown-eyed group of people.