From Dec. 25, 2006 till next entry Christmas comes, comes and comes, slowly, here. No great fuss. The commercial aspect is almost totally absent. It feels so good! In the afternoon, in Aptera, the Christmas table is laiden with a stuffed turkey - according to the receipe handed down by Aristides' mother, and superbly prepared by Ari's wife, Arja. The small Staffordshire (?) dogs, Romeo and Juliet, amuse us, or make an amusement of us for them. Either way it feels good. Inkku and Pekka on the sofa, by the table - that's good. A very pleasant afternoon with great food and conversation. And an interesting possibility to see and hear the Greeks enjoying Christmas in their casual and noisy way. Later, in the darkness of the evening, a white owl passed our abode. It was flying low in the olive grove, circling the olive trees with great speed, and in absolute silence. Dec. 27, 2006 In the evening at Nikos' home for a Nikos-special raki (or two, three...). Good, sincere talking in short sentences, and a very good feeling of being there and then. Nikos is a dear friend. Kostas came home only briefly because he had an important appointment concerning his family affairs. We wish good luck, so that all things work out well for all parties. And a small to Hannu who had his nameday (according to the Finnish calendar). Dec. 28, 2006 The morning brought us sunshine from a totally clear sky, after a cloudy, windy and rainy Christmas time. So, another trip to Aptera / Megala Choriafia was a must. Above the habitation of present Aptera, on the highest point, are the excavations of Ancient Aptera. Our layman's eyes may not see any special beauty there, but the knowledge of viewing a site that was founded 3500 years ago gives us a feeling of deep respect. Some centuries afterwards Aptera was the seat of a mighty power with its own coinage and diplomatic relations with other Hellenic states. The stronghold met its fate when an earthquake destroyed it after centuries of glory and power. The high and technically advanced culture of Ancient Aptera can be seen when looking at these large cisterns which made fresh water available to the inhabitants and animals such a long time ago. Today the sheep are the inhabitants of that peak. And when they are on the move, its good that one of them acts as a traffic instructor. The last of the sheep seem to manage by themselves, just going lazily the same way. And it's time for the cat to go her way, too. On the way down from Ancient Aptera we were stopped not only by this beauty, Anemone coronaria, but also by... ...the new church of Megala Choriafia, with its inevitable monument commemorating heroes of wars. Without a translation: "Kirkko ja kivääri!" Another view of the church. When stepping out of the fenced church area, we once again wondered should we go and see, if Inkku and Pekka are at home, and should we try to visit them. We were sure that on such a beautiful day they will be out walking somewhere. And then, ofcourse, we spotted them coming down from the opposite direction, and met them in the centre of the present Aptera / Megala Choriafia. They, too, had been thinking of the possibility of a meeting. So, it was more than a great reason to enjoy a delicious lunch with them in a nice, small taverna in their village. A very tasty rabbit stifado for Inkku and Pekka, an equally tasty lamb for Kiti and Hannu, plus a tzatziki and a horiatiki for us all. With our minds and bellies quite content, we went for a goat-skull hunt. Inkku had spotted one some time before, and wanted to show it to Hannu, to satisfy his weird photography. Unfortunately the skull was not found this time - but that means only that there will be another time! Though the day was joyously sunny, and the warmth of the sun was in, every spot in the shade was cool, exceptionally cold according to locals. Since the evening sky is clear, speckled with stars, the temperature seems to get very low during the night. Our "all-time" low was +2C (right after the big storm), so we may make a new record during this night - it's now +2,7C at 10.30 p.m.! - Fortunately we have some big hunks of olive tree to burn in the fireplace. During the night there was a brief moment when the temperature dropped down to 0,5C. [ If you see only this frame, click here to see the complete diary ] |