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!