JUST A LITTLE PREVIEW...

 Bachelorette party day 1: 8hrs after my arrival

BAZOUKIA!!!  Bachelorette party part II

 My cousin's wedding:  Zaharoula & Giorgios

 Shades: Me, Yiota & Eleni in Kifisia

 Mom and I in OIA - SANTORINI

 Shades II:  Roy, Me, and Eleni 

 Rooster in Santorini

 Oia, Santorini sunset

 Too much...

The Bride and her parents (my cousin Zaharoula, Uncle Andreas, and Aunt Athina)

RADAR RADAR RADAR.. ... ... ...

Our flight was a few minutes late, no problem.  We were surrounded by a school of kids that were screaming and rough-housing over gate seats, no problem.  They patted me down and opened my luggage, no problem.  The look on my mother's face when the airline gate agent announced that our flight was cancelled due to technical difficulties and rescheduled for the next day, BIG PROBLEM!  I was reminded of our recent stay in Santorini when we paid the bus and walked up a dirt hill to get to the archaeological site of Arkrotiri to find out that it was closed due to "technical difficulties".  We later find out that it had been closed for 4 years due to a feature you'd never want to hear in the same sentence with technical difficulties: roof failure followed by tourist fatality. Like you'd never want to hear technical difficulty, radar, and plane in the same sentence before you fly. Tourists have been coming to Arkrotiri for four years and no one tells them it's closed probably indefinitely?!!  What the fudgesicles! You pay the bus, you get off, walk through the village as locals stare, you watch other tourists WHO SAY NOTHING as they pass you bewildered, you pay the local cafe for water and or food since you're stuck there until the next bus brings the next group of unsuspecting tourists, ok idiots...idiotas...yes...lets just say what they're thinking. Now back to the plane's technical difficulty.

There I am trying not to look at my mom's priceless expression, wondering what kind of technical difficulty would delay us for a whole day?  Did the engines fall on a cargo attendant?  No, that would probably take more than a day to fix..hmmm...before I could imagine other funstuff...the pilot made an announcement at the gate:
"Believe me there is no one that wants to go home right now more than I do..."  I thought..had he looked at my mother's face or the little girl balling her eyes out across from us?  "...the reason the flight is delayed until tomorrow is due to a faulty radar system which we need". You don't say?! I mean, come on you can fly blind can't ya?! Lets have some fun, oh come on...just rely on the instruments, who needs RADAR! These thoughts dance around my head. Mom is agitated and all I can do is try to provide her with some comic relief. If I can just get a hint of a smile, I'll know I've eased some of the tension and get her to relax a bit so I can get us to where we need to go. We were put up for the night and made it home safely. So the next time I hear technical difficulty, I will have a parachute ready and my finger ready for those Arkrotiri swindlers!

Bad girl...

I've been a naughty girl unbeknownst to me.  As my cousin, Christos, led my mother and I into the Metropolis store, I received a big smack on my bum.  Naturally, I expected some greek god, preferrably Adonis, to be smiling back at me when I yelped and turned my head.  Instead I saw his decrepit, crazy eyed great great grandfather smiling back at me as he hobbled away.  What was I going to do besides laugh hysterically? Was I suppose to chase the little old man in the busy streets of Athens?!  What would you have done?  He OBVIOUSLY thought I was a naughty girl.  

Thira

I'm in Santorini!  We are leaving tomorrow... :-(   I can't write much since I had to pay to use the internet for a short time.  I will blog when I have a chance this weekend in Athens and hopefully upload pics.  It is magical here....

filakia
Athena

Krevati - Bed

I'm not able to fall asleep until around 3-4am every morning and I usually wake up at about 11am or 12noon.  Oh sweet jet lag let me be!  Anyway, my cousin Zaharoula (bride) told me that her and her mother needed my help with the toulye (tulle) to decorate their house where they were going to have this party, called the Krevati.  The krevati means bed in english and it is tradition to have this party before the wedding hosted by the bride, the groom, and their parents.  It is held in the bride and groom's new home that they usually spend a year purchasing, renovating and furnishing.  The wedding won't happen until that is done.  They don't live together even if the home is finished before the wedding date.  The party is usually catered, and may resemble a miniature wedding reception.  There is a lot of food, music, and dancing - you know....GREEKSTYLE. What is special about this party is the krevati.  The single girls gather around the bed and try to make up the bed of the bride and groom, while everyone watches, especially the groom.  Once they get close to finishing, he fights them for the sheets and messes up the bed.  A struggle between the bachelor to be no more and the single women ensue.  The bride and family are spectators.  Money and flower petals are thrown onto the bed for the bride and groom- GREEKSYTLE.
Back to the reason why I mentioned lack of sleep...
Zaharoula told me to be at her house at 10:30am even though I've been sleep deprived and running back and forth from one relative to the next - GREEKSTYLE.  Then it was moved up and up as I found out from another cousin. Three hours of sleep barely, I nibbled my toast and cheese, gulped down my nescafe frappe (ice cold coffee with foam) like no one's business and headed off to Zaharoula's house.
There I was greeted by my exhuberant Thia (Aunt) Athina (Not my namesake) who enlisted me to help with decorating. I got this Thia! I love challenges! What I had to work with: 1.  orange and white tulle that was segmented every 2 feet with orange ribbon.  What?? That's all we have to decorate? As I am saying this I see vases of flowers. Perfect! With their permission I took some white and peach roses and attached them to the orange ribbon that segmented the draped tulle. I also made bows and placed some roses on it to put on the door. Then I found garnet/orange colored whiskey glasses that I put candles in to serve as tea lights which I used to frame the walkway up to the front door. I helped my aunt clean the house after helping with the decorations.  Where was my cousin Zaharoula during all of this you may ask?  Getting her nails done :-)  I told her...smart girl...smart girl...getting your nails done so that you'll get out of doing work! Well why should the bride be put to work?! I came home about 4pm tired!  While most spent the day getting their hair/nails done professionally, I did my own. It's a thing I guess to get pampered before an event. Eh, I'll do my own and hers and hers and hers...and...you too?!
I believe about 48 people were invited to the party, but from what I could see, only about 20-30 showed up.  Not bad.  The caterer to our great surprise had brought beautiful lanterns with orange tulle, and candles!  Phew!
My cousin Zaharoula, was beautiful!  She wore a medium blue a-line short dress with an ivory wide belt and ivory open toed heels to match.  Her hair was loosely french braided to the side and it fell over her left shoulder, with wisps of hair framing her neutral/bronzed face. The groom wore summer light brown linen pants with a light blue button up, well groomed...the groom had been :-)  When we arrived, most of the guests were there.  The party didn't really get started until 10:00pm when the women got up to dance!  I struggled with wanting to film the event or dance!  I was being yelled at a lot to put down the camera and dance...lol!  I couldn't argue with that as I love to dance!!!!!  We did some greek traditional dances, some belly dancing (well the belly dancing was mostly my cousin Yiota who takes those classes and myself) and improvisation...lol.  The men watched, as usual.  Halfway through the night I ceremoniously ripped off my heels and threw them aside as the ladies cheered me on. Why didn't they follow suit, I wondered.  CRASH!  Before my barefeet was a bountiful array of white shards...shards of plates - GREEKSTYLE!  My crazy aunt Thia Athina (mother of the bride) threw plates down at us while we were dancing!  It is a greek traditon to break plates at parties.  The shards just grazed my right foot (luckily no cuts).  The only problem that stood before me at this point was that I couldn't move!  My shoes were up on the balcony.
I think this is a good note leave on.
Filakia (kisses)

Syntagma square

I think it is more appropriate to blog about what is happening in Athens, today rather than where I'm going, what I'm doing, and what I'm wearing..
Syntagma (means constitution) square here in Athens today is being showered with fire, gas and rocks.  It's hard to watch the violent turned protest against the greek parliament over the latest austerity.  People here are angry over the many cutbacks that have taken place, and many more that will take place.  It is expensive to live here with the Euro in place and now that cuts are being made, and taxes raised, how can one support their family?!  Pensions have been cut, retirement given early or taken away. Even still, the spirit and resilience of this people endure.
Here is a bit of history about Syntagma square.  In 1843, the turkish King Otto was forced to grant a constitution to the people after an uprising, and so the name of this square was annointed.  Many political demonstrations take place at this square, fittingly since it houses the Parliament - Greeks will be heard!  Syntagma square was also where the first shots of the cold war took place.  Also, notably and something I remember my mom talking about, the military junta fell here in 1974.  These are just a few historical events that have taken place at this square.  After learning about these events, I understand how the square was given it's name and why the people of Greece have chosen this place to be heard.
I know my descriptions aren't that great and I'm sure I haven't given it justice, but I hope this will ignite some curiosity to learn more about this square, about this culture, about the people of Greece, and in general, this country - Hellas.

ElectroniK FAIL

Sadly any attempt I have made to upload pictures has failed!  You probably believe I made this whole trip up and there I am still in Charleston sipping an sweet tea instead of enjoying a nescafe frappe at an outside cafe in Greece...
Funny thing is, I brought so many backup memory cards, my netbook, usb cords, extra batteries..etcetera etcetera and my stupid netbook won't detect the memory card that houses ALL OF MY PHOTOS. I've even tried to find locate the drive, reformat, make sure the card's lock was unlocked, and finally the cord for my camera doesn't work - ultimate fail!  Oh, did I not metion that not even my cousin's computer will accept my memory card..sigh.  I will find a way, I DON'T GIVE UP - I'M RELENTLESS....mwahaha...sorry too much coffee :-).
Back to the trip...
Friday, upon arrival we dropped our bags at my uncle Leonidas house, next to the Olympic stadium :-), and immediately phone calls, relatives dropped by and I found out that my crazy cousin, Zaharoula (bride to be), changed the bachelorette party to tonight!!!  Who needs sleep?! BRING IT! Keep in mind, because of the excitement of visiting my family here, I didn't sleep well the previous two nights prior to my arrival.  I took a nice bath (not a mounted shower head) squatting and showering myself - I missed this, kind of tricky not to fall and bust your a**.  I got ready to visit my other cousin, Hara, her husband Nikos, and her new baby Diamondia.  The baby was PRECIOUS!  I came back to my uncle's house and tried to take a nap before the party.  Power nap one hour -check!

W (name of the club), we walked effortlessly in, which I wasn't surprised being that my cousins and their friends enhance Greece's beauty.  We danced for hours and hours and hours.  I couldn't stop dancing!  I danced until jello-legs!
After the club, my cousin wanted to go to a bazoukia, which houses live music from well known greek singers. The stage is surrounded by tables of flower throwing,whistling admirers - GREEKSTYLE. At one point, a crowd of people ran the stage and danced with the singer.  Greek people, passionate, beautiful, expressive...are just a few words that barely describe what an extraordinary people they are.  I will write more on this later.  I need to let my cousin Yiota nap.
Yiasou (bye)

Rollercoaster

On Thursday...
I crawled into bed around 2am after the busted suitcase fiasco.  I wasn't looking forward to re-packing my suitcase, but the upside is that this didn't happen at the airport!  Finally here I am in one of the oldest cities in history and something has come over me.  I'm home.  I can't say it any better than that.  I'm home.
Most of my life I've moved around from one state to another and from one country to another. I feel very fortunate to have experienced this nomadic way of life, but the one disadvantage of having grown up this way, is losing the bond, the connnection, or the feeling that you belong somewhere.  Sometimes I wonder what it would have been like to know someone besides my family for most of my life or longer than five years.  Still at this point in my life, I still don't regret the experiences I've had with having the priveledge of becoming emmersed into different cultures.  There is nothing like it!  I wonder if I was born to be a nomad, or have evolved into one.  My thirst for meeting people from around the world is great. If I could backpack  with one other person and travel around the world, I would in a heartbeat!  For now, I've planned to visit one country every year.  My start is Greece, back to where I was born.  Next year, It could be one of these places on my bucketlist:  Costa Rica, Galapagos Islands, Peru, India, Ireland, Italy, France, Spain, Australia, Egypt, Japan, China, Portugal, Switzerland, Scotland..and more :-) !
Sorry, I can't help my tangents...
Mom stayed the night and Dad picked us up to take us to the airport.  He came to the rescue with another suitcase - thanks Dad!  I got a kick out of the RED siren suitcase with the "AMERICAN TOURISTER" label!  Target be known!  Why should I complain?  I have suitcase, thank god!  Plus, I  love how quirky my parents can be.  This needs to be passed down.  I imagine one day I'll buy my nephews, niece or if I am lucky to have children one day, a fluorescent orange suitcase with lime green polka dots, plaid would work as well but in that case they would have to wear plaid golf pants to match!
Sorry...another tangent!  I need to post about my travel!
The first flight from Charleston to Atlanta was a little turbulent.  It was turbulent enough to make a grown man put his head between his legs and for me to succumb to eating airplane peanuts.  For those of you who don't know, the smell of airplane peanuts triggers the gag reflex - for me!  Yes, I became a little nauseated.  It's like do what you can with what you have if necessary.  It's like crash landing in the snowy alps and there is no rescue in sight and you must either starve to death or eat your fellow neighbor.
Stayed tuned for more...a little preview....below
Enter Greece, bath, baby, relatives, club, bazoukia, 7am...look what the cat dragged in...yours truly lol.  The ride has just begun....

Don't go!

Busted...

I had everything packed so nicely...
Mom met her limit on her suitcase so she asked me to add her blowdryer (texas size), flat iron, and makeup bag to my tightly packed suitcase :-0
Ziiiiiiii......riiiiip!  Yes my suitcase busted and it is 11:00pm and all the stores nearby are closed, yay!  Solution:  asked dad to pickup a suitcase on his way in to pick us up so I can..yes....RE-PACK!
My parents "suggested" I not spend money on a new suitcase right now and use one of theirs.  I told them that I wanted to have my own good set, but finally they convinced me after much debate to take theirs for now and buy a good set later.  Hmmm...I wonder how old their suitcases are?  Are they as old as the kitchen instruments and untensils from 1980 that my mom refuses to throw away??!!
I could just take some duck tape and bandage my suticase all the way around :-) .  

iBlog

Virgin Blogger no more...
Blogger's block after four words...sigh.  It is Tuesday night and I recalled a conversation I had with Jess the other day.  She advised, yours truly, to conjure a blog about my trip to the homeland, Greece, much like Sara & Shawn blogged their travels.  Brilliant!  What have you unleashed..mwahaha.  My namesake sprung from Zeus's head in full armor in all her glory and then there's my blog erupting from my arse...
If this blog fails much like Poseidon's gift of salt water spring, then I shall take my olive tree and stick it somewhere else :-) .
Purpose of trip: 1. Wedding of my cousin Zaharoula to George on June 18 (My Big Fat Greek Wedding fans..bring it!)  2. Spend time with family I haven't seen in...ashamed to say...but yes...sadly...13yrs.  3.  My cousin Haroula is expecting a baby girl  4.  Yia Yia  5. Yia Yia  6.  Yia Yia is greek for Grandma fyi  7.  Act surprised every time my mom introduces me to cousin number 1, 000,001 (there's a funny identity story in here somewhere - later blog I promise :-) ) 8.  Only place where all my senses become so overwhelmed that I actually see the mythical Trojan Horse materialize amongst pedestrians in modern day Athens, hear the cries of batttle, horse, and spartan men, feel the heartbeat of an ancient civilization ever present, smell the aroma of beauty that emanates from a rich culture, and taste the decadence of...ELLAS!
9.  Read #8 again 10.  Mom - you are the reason I am ( Yes Dad, you helped :-) ) and there is no better reason to visit my birthplace with the greatest woman I've ever known, Mom.

καληνύχτα (kalinichta - good night) - Athena