Fun story #1: You all should check out the video of my dad dancing. I'm bummed there's no sound recorded as I have an older model digital camera. This was filmed on the beach where my family and I cooked lamb on our scrub fire (see "Mountains of Thyme").
Fun story #2: Readers will, perhaps, recall that one of my first posts was about the excitement travelers can experience when boarding a Greek ferry boat to the islands. Our particular experience, though harried at the outset, was remarkably civilized when we reached the boat. Plus, the boat was empty, I think we were the only ones on it. Maybe a few more people, I think I might have seen one or two other travelers. So I wasn't able to treat my friends to a real, Greek altercation. That is, until our last day as a group, when we reached Knossos, in Crete.
Carrie and Neena were leaving that afternoon and we wanted to spend the morning at the Minoan ruins. We stood in line, like all polite tourists, to get our tickets from the booth. It was my turn, I bought my ticket. Then it was Neena's turn. She got jumped by some people cutting in front of her. Not an unusual affair in Greece. Then the line-jumpers got jumped by a Greek (I'm guessing he was a Greek from abroad as he seemed to prefer to argue in French). The jumpers started arguing about who was first. Well, that was it. The first jumpers hustled and got their tickets, whereupon this Greek, who claimed to be a tour guide, tried to muscle in. Um, no. I told him to back off. Neena tried to shove in front of him. He started getting mouthy. Um, no. Clearly he hadn't met me before that day, or he would have been more careful. At one point I thought we might reach an arrangement, but he threw his "tour guide" status in my face and actually said that he had priority and it wasn't his problem if the tour guide ticket office wasn't open, but he got priority. Um, no. Gloves came off, Neena took hers off too, initially in English but when things heated up I brought it in Greek. Neena kept inching toward the ticket box. She'd got it down, she might not speak Greek, but a line cut is a line cut in any language and she wasn't shy about playing that game. Elbows were sharpened as were tongues. Neena gave as good as she got. Once I figured out the guy and I were not coming to an understanding and he wasn't backing off, I let him have it. We ended the "discussion" with him telling me "you are definitely a Greek". It was intended as an insult but I took a bow and thanked him profusely for his compliment. The Greeks in the box office were rolling on the floor. A few of them actually "bravo'd" me when I thanked him for his compliment that I'm a real Greek. You got it Buck-O, wanna try again? You seriously don't want to mess with tired, overheated, underwashed tourists, especially when one of them is Greek.Fun story #3: One of my favorite things in Athens is to go see the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This tomb is guarded by an honor guard, much like Buckingham Palace. The guards are especially selected from an elite corps of the armed forces called the Ebzones. They wear the traditional costume of the northern Greeks. Pictures:
Fun story #3.5: Captain of the Guards. He deserves his own entry:
3 comments:
Oh, Hank 1.0...how we miss you!
Okay, this may be dumb - but of all of the pictures, your front door is my favorite. I mean, THAT'S a front door.
TWM, you should see the key that unlocks that baby. It weighs about 4 ounces and no one ever carries it around in a purse or pocket unless it's really windy and you need a ballast. You could pick the lock with a tree branch but I'll never, ever change it. It makes me feel like a pirate unlocking my treasure chest every time I use it.
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