OTHER SIDE OF THE BAY

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Yesterday I walked around to the other side of the bay. A big distance!

I had already walked a couple of times the same route. However, I stopped where the concrete roadway ended. At the end of the line were two junk cars and a dirt path. The end of the civilized world for me.

From where I sit on my terrace, I can see directly to the other side the bay. What I see is a Church of sorts. All of one inch high to my vision because of the distance. There is also a minimal scattering of homes. There had to be a way to get to the Church and homes beyond the junk cars and concrete road.

There was. I found it. Three hundred feet up the dirt path was a narrow paved road. I followed the road to the Church. Unfortunately, it was locked. That is the second Church I have tried to enter on Amorgos that was closed. The Last Supper Church in Milan said I had to leave minutes after I arrived. The Church was closing. Amoros’ two churches closed. I am never going to be redeemed!

Later in the evening., I was discussing the trip with some neighbors. We were trying to determine how far across the Church was. How wide the bay. Someone mentioned it was farther than Tiger Woods could drive. The consensus was at least 2 miles.

The other side of the bay was interesting. Beautiful goes without saying. Besides the tiny Church, there was a taverna. A tavern in English. Also scattered homes, small coves, a lot of olive trees, and a man on a donkey. A donkey being the reliable and cheapest mode of travel on the island.

A big walk for me! Definitely at least 3 miles. Probably more.

When I returned to my rooms, I was exhausted. Nap time. When I woke, it was too late to catch the bus to Chora.

I was chatting with my neighbors and we decided to have a party on my terrace. The biggest spot in the complex.

We were American, French, Australian, and English. We chipped in and had take out. Take out exists everywhere.

The menu was vine leaves stuffed with rice and gyros. Pork and lamb. Followed by a series of Greek cakes. Plus alcohol, of course. Wine, beer, and gin.

A good time!

I only spent two nights in Athens. Five in Santorini. My total time on Amorgos will be a bit longer than three weeks. What I am about to convey, I did not notice in Athens or Santorini. The people are not the same as last year. The exuberance is gone. People are quiet. They will speak when spoken to. However, they are not as engaging as last year.

Who knows.

Spyros has become a friend. The internet guru who owns the internet store I am working from. He commented this morning that he did not see me last night. The cafe area/nightlife in Kapatola is small. An absence easy to note. I am glad Sypyos missed me.

Enjoy your day!

AMORGOS THE KEY WEST OF GREECE

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Amorgos is the Key West of Greece.

It is not the night life that compels that judgment. There is no night life on Amorgos. It is the laid back atmosphere that Key West is so famous for. The locals here have the same laid back attitude.

The observation was arrived at last night while I was having dinner at Mythos.

The view from Mythos suggested a further similarity. The feeling, not the actual eye view itself. The same feeling you get at the Reach Restaurant’s back porch and the Pier House deck.

The wind is back. Blew last night. It was a cold wind. I had to wear a sweatshirt. This morning the wind is even stronger. You can hear it whistling. There are small whitecaps all over. The sun keeps you warm by day. A t-shirt suffices. The nights are another story.

Tonight, I intend to visit Chora. The oldest city on Amorgos. There is a Chora on every Greek island. Always the oldest town. Always on top of a hill. Always old white buildings. Always with Greek seniors sitting in front of their tiny white houses dressed in black.

The top of the mountain means cold. Colder. Definitely a sweatshirt or jacket.

I did Chora last year. The steps are steep and too many. Up, up and away! For me, it was no fun. We shall see if I can handle it better this year. My plan is to have dinner somewhere in Chora.

I carried through yesterday morning on my plan to walk immediately on arising. Forty five whole minutes. Up and down, some steep steps included. I thought I would try for a whole hour this morning.

Good luck! I never made it out of bed!

My computer system is now generally working. No thanks to Verizon. It still goes in and out. I am told the problem is with Vodaphone. Vodaphone is Verizon’s partner in Europe. The Verizon signal is strong. I have to get Verizon first. The Vodaphone signal weak. I cannot understand.

I sat and talked with Flora yesterday afternoon. The cleaning lady. Her story is fantastic! Guaranteed you will enjoy. I will do it as a blog one morning soon. We in the United States do not know how good we have it. Even the least of our citizens are in a better place than Albanians.

Cats have never been a favorite of mine. One appears to have adopted me yesterday.

All of a sudden, there was a cat curled up under one of the terrace chairs. Escaping the sun. I said get out. The cat apparently did not understand English. The cat stayed with me the rest of the afternoon. Later, I went inside to nap. I leave the door open so the ocean breeze runs in and cools the apartment. I forgot about the cat. No, the cat did not come in. However, when I woke the cat was laid out sleeping in front of the door stoop.

My visitor was nowhere to be seen this morning. I have a feeling he/she will be there when I return in a couple of hours.

My choices were twofold for dinner last night. Fried smelts at Dimitris’ or grilled vegetables at Mythos. Mythos won out. I wanted a drink. Dimitris has no hard liquor. Mythos has gin.

Grilled vegetables were an appetizer. My main course was fried calamari. Not like in the United States! Here like big pieces of octopus. Not what I wanted. I was hoping small breaded pieces as in the States. Still good, however. My problem was vision. Big pieces of head, tentacles and body. Affected my enjoyment.

My pants are staying up. I am not sure why. Either I lost weight or gained. At first, I thought lost. Now I am not sure. I am not drinking that much. Eating big time, however. Whatever, I no longer worry about losing my drawers.

Enjoy your day!

SHEEP AND YACHTS REVISITED

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What a vacation!

Yesterday, I explored. Took the bus to Aigiali. The bus was expensive this time. 2.5 euros each way. A bargain! I was the only one on the bus both ways.

Aigiali was one of the earliest settlements on Amorgos. Came into being around 500 B.C. A beach town. Old, yet more modern than Kapatola. I spent a couple of hours walking around. Sat at a couple of outdoor cafes talking with the natives.

I learned a lot. Discovered I was wrong regarding some things.

I have been of the opinion that lamb was really goat when served in restaurants. The underlying reason being that I have seen hundreds of goats, but not one sheep.

Turns out I have not visited the right places.

The reason I have been seeing goats all over the place is that they are not penned in. They are permitted to roam freely. Sheep on the other hand are penned/fenced in. Sheep have a value and cannot be permitted to wander off.

I have yet to see a sheep. However, I believe the gentlemen who told me about them. If it is advertised as lamb, it generally is lamb I was told. They were a bit offended to think I thought a Greek might pass off goat as lamb.

I was wrong. We live and learn.

Dined again last night at Mythos. Enjoyed a special Greek lamb dish. The owner Vangelis insisted I order it. Was it lamb? I think so. However, I do not know if I ever will be certain.

I enjoyed the dako salad again. Bean bread, diced tomatoes, and crumbled feta covered with a light olive oil. Just as tasty as the night before.

Drank cappuccinos with some locals afterwards. The yacht issue came up. There seems to be a yacht every evening in port. The real big ones. Each evening a different one. Drugs, I inquired. Learned something new again. I was told the economy is very bad in Turkey. So, what is new? Perhaps the worst ever.

Yacht rentals are big business in the summer months. People do not have the cash flow they once did. The yachts were not renting. The rental price dropped dramatically in the search for business. It worked. People are now renting yachts and their crews for their summer vacation. Cheap. Offers a different vacation at a cut rate price.

So much for my druggie thought.

The Greek Isles are not like Key West. Key West is flat. Here every island has several high mountains. Most taller than Santorini’s volcano that I could not climb. The tops of the mountains are unusual. They are huge gray rock formations. Comparable to the top of a glacier covered Alp. Rock instead of ice.

The locals are always trying to figure out a way to attract tourists. That is their econmy. Same as with Key West.

A few years ago someone came up with the idea of rock climbing. Put the mountain tops to good use. Rock climbing is now big time.

I was sitting in a bar when the issue came up. The owner showed me a video of rock climbing on Amorgos. Real big time! Scary! Definitely not for me.

The wind came back last night. Cold! Cold this morning when I walked. If I have been told correctly, last night began another three day phase of cold wind over the island.

Two ladies and a little girl showed up at my apartment this morning. Amwericans. They heard there was another American on the island and wanted to meet me. We had coffee and chatted a while. We are going to become good friends.

Rita is formerly from Los Angeles. She and her husband live on Amorgos full time. Rita runs a dress shop here in Katapola. Her husband is a contractor.

Jean was with Rita. Cousins. Jean brought along her young granddaughter Sofia.

Jean is a physician’s assistant in urology at the Veteran’s Hospital in Washington, DC. She is visiting. Her husband is an attorney. A Syracuse law graduate, also. Once an unsure Catholic, he now is a Deacon. Very much into his religious work and the Catholic Church. I told Rita I had deep concerns about the path the Catholic Church has been taking. She says her husband would enjoy talking with me. And I said, I with him. We exchanged e mails.

Enjoy your day!

SUNBURN / NO WATER

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I did good yesterday. Got sunburned. Then no water when I returned to the apartment. No water till this morning.

After an interesting lunch with some Amorgos businessmen, I decided to go to a beach. The businessmen had educated me further on the economic crisis. I would not be surprised if the Greek people at some point end up in the streets as the citizens of Egypt and Turkey recently have.

Greek isles have tons of hidden coves and beaches. I decided to spend the afternoon discovering one. I opted for Saint Anna Beach.

A twenty minute drive away. Cab or bus. Cab driver wanted 20 euros to deliver me and another 20 to pick me up. A rip off. I decided on the bus. 1.6 euros each way. The bus drops you off and picks you up four hours later.

Saint Anna Beach turned out to be two coves. Just for swimming. No boat activity. The bus dropped me and the two other passengers off. Canadians. The bus driver said business is terrible this year. They are considering cutting out some bus lines.

The road to the beach was up and down. More up than down. A narrow road. Only wide enough for the bus. I wondered what would happen if some one came driving the other way.

There was an immediate and direct drop down the mountain on one side of the road. A couple of inches to the wrong side and it would have been all over. The bus driver was a jockey of sorts. A rough rider. He had the steering wheel in one hand and a cell phone in the other. I got sufficiently uncomfortable at some point with the speed of the bus and the drop down the hill that I yelled out to him…..Two hands! He replied with a smile…..No problem, I do this every day.

We finally arrived. The beach was down a dirt pathway. Rather steep. I made it without falling. The beach is close to the monastery I visited last year. The water was clear. Very clear. Pure. Colored blue and green. Shades changing constantly.

The beach is dedicated to Saint Anna. Called therefore Saint Anna Beach. A small church was nearby bearing her name. I tried to enter. The door was locked.

The water is so crystal clear that back in 1988 a major French movie was partially filmed here. Le Grand Bleu. A diving film. Much of the filming was done at Saint Anna Cove because of the clearness and unobstructed view below the surface. Many underwater scenes were filmed. The movie has become a cult classic for divers world wide. The film was in English with French subtitles.

Le Grand Bleu won several major European awards. There is a restaurant on Amorgos called Le Grand Bleu. It shows the film twice a week for free to entice business.

I went in the water. The glorious Aegean. For the first time this trip. The water was cold. Though the days are hot, there is a constant cold, not cool, breeze running over the water. Once I adjusted, the water was fine.

I noticed a lot of little fish gathering around my feet. I was told later that they actually eat the top skin off. I could not tell.

I was in the water and then flat out on the beach. Back and forth. The sun was getting to me. I looked for some shade. No trees. Ho ho! I was in trouble!

Four hours later, the bus picked us up. As soon as I got into the apartment, I stripped and looked in the mirror. I was lobster red all over, except for the area covered by my bathing suit. I assumed I was in for a painful night.

The sun had tried me out. I spread a large towel over the bed and took a nap. Did not even bother to shower.

When I woke two hours later, it was time for dinner. Had to shower first. No water. I was still covered in sand and sun tan lotion. Waited a bit and tried again. No water. Eleni, help!

Eleni was no help. The water was off on the entire island. She did not know why. She did not know when it would return.

Screw it! I put some clothes over my sun tan encrusted sand body and headed out for dinner.

It was Mythos again! The food that good.

I had a dako salad to begin. My first. Fantastic! Small diced tomatoes on top of a thick slice of bean bread covered with crumbled bits of feta cheese. A light oil accompanying the dish.

Bean bread was a fist for me. It is dark. Hard. Before being placed in the salad, it is soaked in water to soften it. Then everything loaded on top. I cannot tell you how much I enjoyed the salad.

My meals have been outstanding. The Greek food on Amorgos the best. Sometime however there is a need to revert. I had a desire for pasta. Mythos had spaghetti bolognese on the menu. I ordered it. Another delight!

The pasta was more like perchetelli. A bit larger than spaghetti with a hole through it. The ground beef was tasty. The presentation top shelf. An inch of parmessan cheese spread around the outside of the dish.

What a meal! Enjoyed two gins and a large bottle of water with it. Total cost, including tip, 16 euros. $21 American money.

There was a table nearby of Swedish women. Two mothers and what appeared to be three daughters. The daughters college age. What beauties! Each dark tanned. Each with long flowing blond hair.

There still was no water when I returned to the apartment. I slept on the towel. Did feel grimy. Nothing I could do about it.

The water returned about 8 this morning. The shower felt terrific!

Yesterday, my computer set up was supposedly all fixed. Turns out it was not. What worked yesterdasy afternoon, did not work last night. I brought everything back to Spyros this morning. He cannot understand. It is getting confusing. I am doing this blog on one of his computers in his internet store. He just advised the tablet and data port were talking. The laptop was not. He will continue working on it. I refuse to let the situation bother me. However, I am occasionally compelled to mutter under my breath…..F__k Verizon!

Enjoy your day!

TOILET PAPER SAGA

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Before I get into the down and dirty, let me tell you how happy I am! No, I did not get married nor did I meet a lovely new woman. My data port connection is talking to my computers! Took two years. A shame.

I blame Verizon. I go into their Key West store and all the staff really do is sell. They know from nothing. They make like they do, however. Even Verizon’s alleged telephone professional staff is wanting.

I am on a little island called Amorgos in Greece. I keep saying the island is a hundred years behind the times. It is. On this tiny out of the way place, I discovered Spyros. Spyros Tsimelas. He lives on Amorgos all year long. He operates a small five computer internet store. The only game in town. I have been arriving at 10 every morning when he opens to do my blog and take care of other matters.

We got to talking about my problem. He asked to take a look at my equipment. Said he enjoyed working things out. Twenty four hours later, it all works. He figured out the two major problems and corrected them. He made a couple of other adjustments.

I label him a great man! He succeeded in less than 24 hours where Verizon failed over 2 years!

His bill was 15 euros. I said no way. I gave him 50. He was reluctant to take it. He finally did. Things are not valued as highly on Amorgos as back in the States.

Toilet paper has recently been in the news. Venezuela has a shortage. A real problem. They use 125 million rolls a month. They are coming up 40 million short. People are without. They are having to make do in other ways. It took one woman two weeks to find one roll of toilet paper she could buy.

Toilet paper on Amorgos is a problem, also! Though not in the same way as Venezuela.

I went into the men’s room at Mythos’ restaurant yesterday. Over the toilet was a sign: DO NOT THROW TOILET PAPER IN TOILETTE. Back at Eleni’s pension where I am staying, Eleni herself told me not to flush the toilet paper down the toilet.

There is a waste basket next to a toilet. The directions everywhere are to place the used toilet paper in the basket.

I suspect the problem has to do with the overall antiquated sewage system on the island.

There are some things I cannot do. Man has only one orifice requiring the use of toilet paper. I could not, I repeat, I could not, open the waste basket and drop my used toilet paper on top of the other tainted toilet paper. Gross!

Instead, I do it the usual way. I flush it down the toilet. If a disaster occurs or I am caught, I will say I did not see the sign, I forgot, I did not know, or what have you.

We all have limitations.

My yesterday was pleasant. I am doing basically nothing every day. Floating along.

I enjoyed lunch at a cafe on the port. Drank an ouzo afterwards. The view was spectacular. Magnificent probably a better description. The mountains, the clouds below the top of some, the white houses with blue trim, a blue sky, and water equally blue. I enjoyed!

Took a walk. Not 3 miles or anything close. About one mile. That was all I felt like doing. Then it was a nap for me. A two hour one.

Flora has come in to my life. She is the cleaning lady at Eleni’s where I am staying. She saw my clean but unpressed clothes on the couch. Maria washed them one last time, but could not get the ironing in. I have been wearing shirts and shorts out of the wash. Crushed also in the suitcase from the trip from Santorini to Amorgos. Wrinkled is not an apt description. Worse.

Flora said she would be happy to iron. She needed the extra money. Go to it, I said. I told her I was going to bed for a nap. Wake me when you are finished.

I woke two hours later. She was still at it. Finally, finished. Total time 2 1/2 hours.

We had made no deal as to how much. I handed her 20 euros. $30 American money. She said too much. I said, no. Keep it. She said no, again. Finally, she relented. Her eyes were tear filled as she did. Turns out Flora is from Albania. She is a college educated woman. 41. Teaches school. Single. Owns a home. She has a mortgage. Her teaching earnings are 300 euros a month. $400 American money. She does not get paid while not working. So she came to Amorgos for summer work. Ended up as the cleaning lady at Eleni’s. She is happy to have the job.

With the tears starting to slide out of her eyes, she said you have no idea how much money this is to me. My teacher salary amounts to 10 euros a day. Twenty euros represents two days’ pay. You have given me two days’ pay for 2 1/2 hours work.

Sometimes we do not know how good we have it.

Dinner was at Sunset. Mythos. I enjoyed the finest meal I have had thus far on the trip. Started with steamed greens covered with oil. Then the very best…..Roast lamb with potatoes done in the oven. I was told I would have to wait a half hour as it was cooked fresh. Where was I going? The meal was worth waiting for! Wow!

Of course, the meat was not lamb. It was that other little animal. Goat. I did not have the heart to confront the owner with the issue. I have become knowledgeable. I can tell the difference. It is not in the taste. It is in the form. The bone structure accompanying the meat is different.

There were five people sitting nearby. Early 20s. Four young ladies and one man. They caught my attention. They were all laughing and talking in sign language. Two of the ladies were apparently deaf and dumb. The two were talking everyone’s ears off, so to speak. The two were also absolutely beautiful! Hair, make up, attire all perfect. These were today ladies on an Amorgos holiday.

Another experience evidencing we do not know how good we have it. I was enjoying a conversation with two Italian ladies sitting at the next table. We were idling the time over coffee. Mythos gave us a dish of fresh watermelon on the house. Black seeds galore.

I mentioned that we have watermelon without seeds available in the United States. They were surprised. No seeds? Italian watermelon comes only with seeds.

I told them about seedless grapes. Again, surprise. They had never heard of them.

The conversation stayed on food. They told me they now have egg whites in bottles. New to Italy. I told them we have had egg whites for years.

An interesting world we live in.

Enjoy your day!

A QUIET DAY IN ANOTHER PARADISE

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Yesterday…..

Not all days are exciting and new. The thrill of discovery not always there. Some are quiet and laid back. My yesterday was.

Did my duty for God and country. The blog! At Spyros’s internet store. Spyros runs a pleasant operation. A clean updated store. Five relatively new computers. His personality helpful. The store is located on a lovely narrow walkway. Attractive stores within my view. I work looking out the window. Immediately across is the international book store. American newspapers expensive. Generally a week old.

Lunched at Mythos. An octopus salad. Octopus, lettuce and tomatoes in a light oil sauce. I do not know how Greeks would survive without oil. If olive trees ever get sick, Greek restaurants are in trouble!

The octopus was cooked. Delicious. Tender. The texture of sponge cake.

I walked after the lunch. A downer! I learned that my 3 mile walk from the day before was really 1 1/2 miles. Still better than nothing. I will get to 3 miles on this trip. I am committed.

Actually, I got to 2 miles yesterday. In the evening after dinner I walked a half mile. It was a half mile.

I keep referring to one of my favorite restaurants without naming it. I finally learned the name last night when I had dinner there. The Mouragio Restaurant. Dimitris is the owner and cook. A few days ago, I mentioned he wears crocs, also. Black ones. Unusual since Greece is not croc country.

Stuffed vines and mousaka for dinner. The place was empty when I arrived. When I left, there was not a table to be had. Mostly local customers. The two items for dinner, bread, a large bottle of water and one ozou. They charge for bread in Greece. Cost: 13 euros. About $17 American money.

Kapatola is empty. The festival guests have left. It is like Key West after a big weekend of some celebration or other.

Turkey is represented here by several sailboats and a very large vessel. The flags tell me the country of origin.

There was an exceptionally large power boat. One hundred feet plus. A yacht. Bearing a Turkish flag.

I paid attention to the yacht. There were three 30ish fellows on board. Dressed very casually. Drinking beer.

I suspected at the time that they were too young to have such a magnificent vessel. The boat probably cost $20-$30 million. They were either captaining the boat to wherever the owner might be or were drug dealers. It takes big money to own a boat like that.

After dinner, I walked by the yacht again. A magnificent table had been set on the rear deck of the boat. White table clothe and several types of fancy glassware. The three guys were sitting down having dinner. One was puffing a cigar. The three were being waited on by what was obviously the boat’s waitress/servant. A lady dressed in a white blouse and black pants.

My vote is they were drug dealers.

I loaded six novels in my tablet before leaving Key West two weeks ago. Yesterday, I finished the sixth and last one. I love reading so it did not bother me.

I want to briefly review the books with you. I do so in the order they impressed me.

Eisenhower in War and Peace by Jean Edward Smith was by far the best. As mentioned a few days ago, the author exposed Eisenhower’s warts. If you think about it, every President has had them.

Then Paris by Edward Rutherford. Two years ago I read another Rutherford novel. It was entitled New York. Loved it!

Rutherford writes in a strange style. He takes a person and traces the lineage/descendants from the start of the community to present day. That is how he tells about the city. The personal interrelationships keep you glued to the book.

The next was Burt Bacharach’s Anyone Who Had A Heart. His autobiography. Loved it! His ups and downs. Told in some places with humor, in other sadness. No punches pulled. He was once married to Angie Dickinson. They had an autistic child. A sad story. Autism was not a known disease/problem back then. So the daughter was never effectively treated. When she could be treated, it was too late. She committed suicide.

Thomas Jefferson – The Art of Power by Jon Meahcam. I am a history freak. The facts were interesting. I learned much. However, the writing style encumbered me. The sentences were too long. Sometime 5-6lines, compounded, etc. For me, not smooth reading.

The book was obviously the work of a scholar. It reminded me of a legal brief or educational treatise. Everything documented.

Meacham is a popular media person. He was editor of some big time weekly magazine till about two years ago. Now he is most frequently seen on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

I had a hard time enjoying the book.

Next was Best Kept Secret by Jeffrey Arthur. Strange, but I cannot recall anything about it. Obviously the book made an impression on me (said with tongue in cheek).

The last novel was No Easy Day by Mark Owen. Do not bother reading it. Boring.

I selected the book because the author was one of the super duper Seals in on the raid that killed Osama Bin Laden. He was on the steps in back of the Seal who actually shot Bin Laden in the head.

The Bin Laden story came at the end of the book and was quite short. Most of the book was dedicated to what it took to be a Seal and the category above which required even more from an individual. Seal training was not my interest. Bin Laden’s demise was.

The cold wind is gone. I was up at 7 this morning sitting on the terrace. Glorious. Me, the sea and a mountain. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and just sat taking it in. The only sound was the water rushing towards shore. No other. Not even a bird.

Around 8 in the morning, the locals and some visitors walked by the terrace on their way to the beach. The path is immediately to my left. The same people swim every morning. All ages. Not for long. It is their exercise time.

I have yet to put my feet into the Aegean Sea.

The salt must be heavy in the water. Everyone seems to be floating on their backs with ease.

I am into cookies. They looked good in the bakery I frequent. I enjoyed them for breakfast yesterday morning.

I found another bakery last night. I bought their cookies this morning. Good! Like you would not believe! Texture and taste outstanding! I ate the whole dozen in one sitting. I do not feel guilty. This is only the second time on this trip that I have pigged out. Actually, I am eating less than normal. I even believe I may have lost a pound or two. My pants are more difficult to keep up.

Enjoy your day!

NOT A BAD BIRTHDAY

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Yesterday a good birthday. Spent the day selfishly. Doing what I wanted. No wife, friend or foe to accommodate. Just Louis.

Some observations to begin.

This morning was the best yet in Amorgos. I sat outside on the terrace reading till I left for the internet store at noon. The sun warm. Comfortable. It was impossible to sit out early morning till today because of the cold winds.

The locals tell me the winds come three days at a time from the northwest. Then they are gone. This is my fourth day on Amorgos. The natives were correct.

Bikinis. I have never seen a woman in a bikini that I did not like. The thought recurred to me this morning as I was walking to the internet store. With such great winds, sailing boats frequent the area. There were nine docked this morning. Each with one or more women on board. All in bikinis. Whether tall, short, slender bodied, heavy or what have you, a woman in a bikini is a sight to behold. All lovely. All sexy.

I have been on this trip two weeks. I loaded six books into my tablet before I left. I figured it would take me two months to read them. I am on my sixth and last book today. I will need to reload.

I finished Jefferson this morning. Terrific! I started Burt Bacharach’s book thereafter. Bacharach is the famous composer. What a book! I am only about fifty pages into it and love it! This guy has a sense of humor! Read his book!

I spent 4.5 hours yesterday at the internet store. Two tasks confronted me. I had to do next week’s KONK Life column. I called it Reflections. Commented on some events world wide. Then the blog. It’s a good thing I enjoy all this writing!

Lunch was Mythos. The restaurant has become another favorite. On the port and water, also.

Mythos’ owner is Vangelis. His first name. He and his family run the place. Vangelis, his wife, 15 year old daughter, and 10 year old son. There is also a 14 month baby daughter who walks around. Yes, she walks. Toddles. To the entertainment of the customers. A hard working family!

Why, I do not know. I ordered a huge glass of draught beer! I hate beer! A gallon jug! Not really that big, however. Though almost quart size.

Felt a bit bloated afterwards. Decided to walk.

My health has been so so. My fault. Stopped exercising in any fashion ages ago. Have been trying to get back into shape.

I said Louis, you are 78 today. Lets see how good you can do.

I walked around the bay. Three miles. I have not walked three miles in years. Did it. And felt no anguish afterwards.

I was proud of myself.

Back to Mythos for a moment. The bread on Amorgos is great. Thick cut with a strong hard crust. Not crispy, however. I have difficulty biting and chewing the crust. So I have taken to breaking away the soft portion within the crust and leaving the crust.

Vangelis came by with the baby. He said excuse me and took a piece of crust from my table. He gave it to the baby . She chewed it easily with the few teeth she had. I thought I have $35,000 teeth and cannot do what the baby does.

I have noticed that people of all ages sit around tables at the cafes playing a game. Looked familiar. It was. They play backgammon! Call it tavli.

Backgammon was popular back in the 1970s. I can remember playing it all the time at the Jockey Club in Miami. I guess it took a while to reach Amorgos. The observation is consistent with my thought that Amorgos is from another time.

Ran into my British widow friend Alice. If you are doing nothing, join me, she said. She had rented a car and wanted to show me the goats.

We drove up a mountain. There were clouds. First, we were below the clouds. Then in the clouds. Then on top of the clouds. Just like in an airplane. The only other time I had this experience was last year in Courmier. My chalet was half way up Mont Blanc. I woke one morning to a cloud bed below me.

We came upon the goats. She was correct. Had to be at least 200 of them. All beautiful, short, brown and black, and short in stature.

I was back to the Mythos Restaurant at 7. I had reserved a table. The stage for the music festival was right in front of the restaurant.

A great show. Young people from adjoining islands singing, dancing and playing music. Violins were the primary instrument. Some guitars. A small drum or two.

Dancing was in native costumes.

The Greek Orthodox priest I had seen earlier in the day was on stage playing with the teenagers.

Music loud. Very loud. Big time amplification.

The show most enjoyable! A pleasant way to spend the evening. Eating, drinking and being entertained in that fashion.

Spyros Tsimelas owns the internet store I am working out of. He was there last night. He had an important role. Spyros is the computer/internet guru on the island. The entire festival was being ustreamed on the internet. His responsibility.

I ordered stuffed calamari for dinner. Not what grandmother made. Hers were small and thin stuffed with bread crumbs, eggs and what have you. This was one calamari. Huge. Four by three inches. Thick walled. Stuffed with feta cheese, tomatoes and peppers. Delicious! I could not finish it. I left half the meal on the plate.

Vangelis came over and asked if I did not like the food. I learned later that in Europe people clean their plates. Not to do so is considered an insult to the cook.

To my Italian readers, although the walls of the calamari were 1/4 inch thick, the meat was tender. As tender as if it were as thin as the calamari prepared in the United States.

Time for lunch. Then, I do not know.

Enjoy your day!

I AM 78 YEARS OLD!

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Happy birthday day to me. Seventy eight years!

I remember when my father was 40, I thought he was old. When he was 78, I thought he was really old!

A mistake. Now I feel badly that on occasion I treated my Dad as an old man. He probably never was. Even though he lived to 98.

The mind stays young. I peg mine at 35. The body is the problem. It breaks down. Hopefully, slowly. You keep seeing the doctors and fixing things. I worry about the day something may not be fixable.

The last time a birthday bothered me was when I turned 50. This 78th is bothering me. Why, I do not know.

Spent four hours yesterday in the internet store. Had two days to report on. There is only one internet store in Katopolis. Charges 3 euro an hour. Expensive. I was only paying 1 euro in Santorini. I suspect the differences in prices is that there was competition in Santorini. An internet store around every corner. Here there is only one internet store.

Lunch was interesting and enjoyable.

I was dying for ham and eggs. I settled for bacon and eggs. Every now and then I need a shot of American food.
I was at an outdoor cafe. Nearby were 8 men and a woman. By the time three hours had expired, there were at least 25 persons.

There is a festival here today or tomorrow. The group was from another island. They were here to sing and play music. All ages. Guitars and violins. Even a priest. A Greek Orthodox one. Gray robes, black tall hat and a long black beard. He sang, played the violin, smoked and drank beer. Good for him!

Occasionally, some would stand and start dancing. Other times merely sitting and waving their arms.

Happy people! Getting ready for their concert. It was obvious they enjoyed singing and playing. I doubt it was their lives. After work, perhaps. These were ordinary people.

A happy, exuberant bunch. They spent the afternoon eating and drinking, doing what they enjoyed best.

I plan on watching whatever type event they perform. It is right on the port where the boats come in. In front of my favorite restaurant.

It is windy! Day and night. Sun is hot. At night, another story. Cold! I need a sweat shirt. The outdoor cafes are all wrapped in plastic drapes to divert the wind.

I met a British woman yesterday. Her name is Alice. She lives in a place called St. Albans which she told me is just outside London. She has been visiting Amorgos for 27 years.

The conversation got into lamb chops. She said no, goat chops. I was right. The lamb chops are really goat chops. She said if I went to the northern point of the island and up the hill, I would see hundreds of goats. Short in stature. Long haired. Dark brown and black. Beauties.

I had dinner last night at my usual restaurant. Went for the egg plant, zucchini, tomato and potato in oil as a start. Delicious! Ate it with thick slices of bread. Cleaned the plate!

Dinner was veal. For some reason, I opted to avoid the lamb chops. The veal was terrific. Cooked in a red sauce. A cheap cut. However, boiled long enough that the meat fell apart as soon as my fork hit it.

Six of the men singing in the afternoon showed up for dinner.

Smelts are small fish deep fried. The fish are really tiny. You eat the whole fish. Head and all.

Someone two tables away was served a dish of smelts. I went crazy. Love them! My grandmother and mother made them. Even my former wife. I asked the waiter if they were smelts. He did not understand. The Greek gentleman who ordered them did. He spoke English. He walked over to my table with the plate of smelts in hand. He said, eat. And walked away. I filled a small plate and returned the dish to him. With a smiling thank you, of course.

The confusion was the name. What I know and call smelts in Greek are called aferina. I hope I spelled it correctly.

I was grossly disappointed this morning. I have not been able to find Google news on the computer the past few days. This morning, I found out why. It is no more. Google has discontinued the service. Facebook and Twitter took too much business from them. I feel bad. Used the Google news service everyday.

I have to get out of the internet store. It is close to 2, closing time. I have been here 4.5 hours. Did next week’s KONK Life column first: Reflections.

Enjoy your day!

BELATED JULY 4TH GREETINGS FROM AMORGOS

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It’s not easy sometime!

Another 2 for 1 blog. I could not do yesterday’s blog. Two things are to blame. Verizon #1. They sell. However, the service leaves much to be desired. Second, I arrived in Amorgos yesterday afternoon at 3. The internet store closed at 2. It is only open 10-2. What a life!

Yesterday was July 4. Happy Fourth of July everyone! Hope you all enjoyed.

I am into my fourth book. Jefferson by Jon Meacham. A good book to start reading on the 4th. A smart, deceptive, cunning man. Just like Eisenhower. Maybe that is what it takes to be President. Especially a great one.

Wednesday was my last full day in Santorini. There is another side of the island. A side I had never seen. It was time.

Santorini cannot be more than 2 miles wide at Oia. The other side, totally different.

Oia is perhaps the most beautiful place I have ever seen. The natural result of a massive earthquake some 3,600 years ago. Made the Oia side dramatic colorful cliffs overlooking several islands which broke off from the main island at the time of the earthquake. Man has taken advantage of nature’s work. Business booms because of the beautiful view. I sometimes think Santorini as a whole is becoming too commercialized. I hope it does not become a Mykonos.

The other side of the island was nothing. Zip. The volcano did not affect the area. It was flat. The sea looked as any sea. The waves roll onto the beaches. No cliffs. No people, either. A few homes here and there. Most of Santorini’s development has been on the volcano side.

Greek houses come in two color combinations. White with blue trim, tan with white trim.

After my other side of the island trip, I sat on my terrace overlooking Back Street. Finished reading Eisenhower. A good book. I recommend it. It is a no holes barred revelation of Ike’s life.

I was out for the night early. Stopped at Mezzo for a drink. A necessity. Few restaurants carry liquor. Just beer and wine. I drink neither. So I stop where I know I can get what I want before going to a restaurant.

Mezzo is a small place. Only two servers. One male, one female. The female represented Greek beauty to me. Stands erect, lovely legs, a bit of an accentuated butt, lovely breasts and the face of a goddess. A Greek goddess. Topped with streaked gold and brown hair.

Her name is Andomaxi. She is Greek by birth. Lives on a different Greek isle from Santorini. Comes to Santorini for the summer to work.

Her English is perfection. Since it is a learned second language, each word is clearly enunciated. It was a delight to hear her speak English.

I treated myself to a Greek shirt. They are made of light flimsy cotton. Very cool to wear. Very cool to be seen in. Did not make me Greek, however. My crocs give me away.

I discovered a new tiny Greek restaurant. Off the beaten track. Taverna Kasteli. They had lamb chops! The kind I like. The kind my grandmother used to prepare. The cheap fatty bony cut. Delicious! One of my favorite foods. Lamb is big with the Greeks.

We are now into yesterday. Friday, the 4th. I left Santorini for Amorgos. Another island.

Amorgos is really nothing! Mountains, but no dramatic cliffs. Very few people. No airport. Very few cars. No tourists. The boat till this year used to come in once a week with supplies and people. This year, two times a week.

I enjoy the quiet, the simplicity, the nothingness.

I had to take a ferry boat to Amorgos. The Greek islands are connected by ferry boats. The ferry boats are their buses and subways.

The port was packed. I would estimate 2,000 people at least. All waiting for three boats. All due in at the same time. All came in at the same time. One hour late.

Most of the passengers were going to Mykonos. A celebrity haven 50 years ago. Everyone wants to experience the flavor today. I was there last year. I did not like it. Too many people, a tourist trap, everything expensive and generally not worth it, everyone hustling you. Mykonos is also the place where I got hit by the car and thrown into the air. Where the driver never stopped.

I was on what is called in the Greek isles a high speed hydrofoil. Reserved seats.

This boat had five stops. The first was Amorgos. Everyone seemed to be carrying a big suitcase weighing 40-50 pounds. You bring it on. An ordeal. When on board, you are shouted at and asked where you are going. Your bag is grabbed and thrown into a pile with bags going to the same place. Finding your bag afterwards is a task.

You have to hustle to find your seat. Once everyone is on, the boat moves. No lost time. If you are not in your seat, you are going to be on your ass.

The ride was ok till the last 15 minutes. Then 15 foot waves. Bumpy.

Arrived in Amorgos! Maybe 20 of us got off the boat. Lined up in front off the boat were representatives of the various homes that rent out rooms. No hotels as such in Amorgos. Some homes they call pensiones. Nothing upscale and today. These representatives are actually home owners trying to get some business. They hold up signs try to get your eye, and yell at you for your attention.

I am staying in the town of Katopola on Amorgos. Santorini’s Oia is very upscale. Katopola the other side of the spectrum. Very downscale. I would bet Katopola has not changed one iota in over a hundred years.

Maybe that is why I like it so much.

I was settled in my apartment. Elini’s. Ground floor. My own entrance. My own terrace. The terrace sits 12 feet from the ocean. The views nowhere as spectacular as Santoriini, but good never the less.

I heard a loud thump. Then another. And another. I looked to my side. There was an old man in a bathing suit. He apparently had caught with his hands a large squid. About two feet long. He was beating the squid on the rocks. Up and down many times. Obviously killing it and thereafter would take it home for dinner. Amorgos’ version of the old man and the sea.

My favorite Amorgos restaurant. I still do not know its name. There is no sign. It sits on the port off the water where the ferry boat dropped me off. An old 2 story house. The downstairs has been turned into a restaurant. Tables outside. A roof built overhead. The restaurant is typical Amorgos.

The owner and waiter remembered me. Handshakes all around.

I ate there almost every night last year. My grandmother’s cooking.

Last night it was lamb chops again. Two nights in a row. The same, the cheap cut. The kind you eat with your fingers. I also had a dish of egg plant, zucchini, tomatoes and potatoes in oil. The kind of dish you clean with the bread. The bread was De Vito bread. My Utica friends will understand.

As mentioned earlier, lamb is big in the Greek isles. The only problem is I have never seen a sheep. I see goats. Many of them. I suspect the lamb chops are goat chops.

This morning I was up early. I was standing on the terrace. Down the path/road to my right about 500 feet was a pickup truck. I saw a man come out of the house holding what I thought was a dog. As the truck drove by, I saw I was wrong. Two goats. “Lambs” being lead to the slaughter.

Enjoy your day!

FIRA

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Cash money can be a problem in Oia. The town I am staying in on Santorini. No one takes credit cards, with one exception. Car rentals. Restaurants, bars, hotels, stores, etc., do not. I am not sure it is the same in the other towns on Santorini. I assume it is.

I initially thought cash only so the merchants did not have to pay the 1 or 2 per cent to the credit card companies. Not the case. The purpose/reason is to beat taxes. Tax avoidance is a major sport in Greece. This is one of the reasons why Greece is broke. The government does not take in enough money to operate.

Arrests for tax fraud are rare. If so, the court process takes 10 years to complete. No one worries.

Obviously, you must carry many euros around with you.

Yesterday, I was down to 20 euros. Not much I could do with so little. I went to the ATM. It was broke. I went to the other ATM. It was broke. There are only two ATM machines in Oia.

I was sort of desperate for cash. The nearest ATM outside Oia is in Fira. Fira is the capital of Santorini. About 15 miles away. I took a bus.

The bus ride was pleasant. Took all of 20 minutes. A crazy curvy drive on a very narrow road. Many Americans on the bus.

The ATM in Fira was working. A relief!

I walked around Fira a bit.

The town was very crowded. Many tourists.

Cruise ships feed Fira with tourists just as in Key West. Four of varying sizes were sitting in the Aegean some distance off shore. As I stated yesterday, there is no dockage. The water is not deep enough for the cruise liners to come into shore. All use small shuttle boats to take the cruise ship customers back and forth.

This bugs the hell out of me. If Fira can get the cruise ships to come in and deposit their passengers in this fashion, why can’t Key West? This is a current problem in Key West. There is a push on for millions to be spent to deepen and widen the channel so the big boats can dock and drop their passengers off.

Fira sits high on a cliff. Just as Oia. A steep cliff. The passengers have to get to the top. They have options. They can walk up. A path exists. Generally stone. Over 500 steps. There is a cable car to take them up and down. Finally, donkeys and mules.

No one seems to mind.

Fira is different from Oia. I would describe Oia as more update. Fira a hundred years behind.

Whereas Oia’s walk is marble, Fira’s consists of lava, stones and pebbles hardened together. The walkways reminded me of a Chora. Chora is an old Greek section. Though Fira’s was improved.

Fira’s walk ways are 4-8 feet wide.

Enjoyed a sandwich and cold drink and returned by bus to Oia.

I have not spent much time laying by the water. I did yesterday. By the pool sitting halfway up a 2,000 foot cliff. The view of the bay before me.

When I returned to my room, I decided to sit on the terrace. My terrace on Back Street. I read the Eisenhower book for a while. Eisenhower was a crafty individual. He had warts. The book describes both the good and bad of the man.

Last night, I returned to Taverna Katina. No screwing around. I wanted to be sure of a good meal. That is exactly what I had. Basically, the same meal as two nights ago. Except this time I added egg plant salad as an appetizer. My entre was some fire red fish broiled. Tasted terrific, though a bit boney. Dessert again was baklava.

It finally happened! I saw a man with a beard!

He was sitting at the table next to me. We smiled at each other at the same time. We talked. He was from Australia. No beards here, he said. He also said he was beginning to feel strange having one. I laughed and agreed.

Earlier this morning, I was sitting on my terrace on Back Street enjoying a cup of coffee. An elderly woman was on the porch across the way. The porch on the flower/shrubbery covered house. White haired, pudgy, a black dress. She was sweeping the porch. She looked up and smiled at me. I said “ya sou.” Not spelled correctly. However, I have learned to pronounce it properly. It means hello, good day. She responded with the same Greek hello.

Ya sou is the only Greek word I have learned thus far.

After sweeping, she brought her coffee out and sat outside sipping and smiling at me.

She reminded me of my grandmother. My grandmother would rise, sweep the floor and then sit down for a cup of coffee. The same routine every day for many years.

My apartment is on the second floor. I have a next door neighbor. A young lady. In her early 30s. Other than a hello a couple of days ago, we have not seen each other. Our terraces are joined.

She came out in her night gown. I said hello. She said hello in English. Then tied her undies to a chair to dry. She had apparently just washed them. She then walked downstairs to the common area where there is a clothesline. She returned with black pants and a blouse. I have to iron these for work, she said.

Everything is easy in my Back Street complex. Everyone interacts like a family. The fact she was only in her night gown bothered her not at all.

I speak with the locals as much as possible about the economy. It is the same with everyone. Germany is no good! Merkel a rotten woman! We never should have gotten into the euro! We have been down and out before! We shall survive!

They will.

Enjoy your day!