Things I Like About Greece

My Favorite Things About Greece (So Far)
For this blog entry I wasn't exactly sure what to write about, so I decided to make a list of the things I find particularly enjoyable in Greece so far and why!

1. Going to the Farmer's Market- I love going to the market every Wednesday and Saturday in Kalamata! All the food is so fresh and most of it is organic. There are so many varieties and you see things you would probably never see in the U.S. It is completely crowded too. Everyone and their mother goes to the market. I literally have to hold onto my dad, Jelly or Sylvia so that we won't get separated because the hordes of people are pushing from all sides.
2. Biking in Kalamata- Jelly and I rented bikes here and now we are able to go to cafes or the center of town regularly. It is really easy to bike here because of the bike lanes provided by the city that have made a route from the beach to the center of town.
3. The Olives- The olives here really are just the most amazing thing. The Kalamata olives are so fresh and rich with flavor, I haven't tasted anything like to them anywhere else in my entire 19 years of living.
4. Relatives- So far we have only met some of the relatives here in Greece. The ones we have met though, Patty and Nikki are so amazing. They were so welcoming and hospitable. Both of them had amazing stories about the area where they live (Pakia) and WWII. I really enjoyed staying with them for a few days and learning more about my family history in Greece. The best thing was getting to know them and hearing their opinions about the current state of affairs in Greece.
5. The Beach- Here in Kalamata and all over Greece the ocean and beaches are so beautiful. The water is clear and you can see everything at the bottom. It is a little cold when you first get in, but once you swim around the water is perfect.
6. Learning Greek- Although I haven't been as studious in my Greek studies as I'd like to be, because I am always engrossed with loads of online homework, I hope to concentrate on it more. Every Tuesday from 1-3 we go to Greek classes with our teacher Katerina. She and another woman run a language school to teach Greek kids how to speak English in Kalamata. So far, we have only gone twice, but I have learned a lot. Our teacher is really kind an patient with us and she is a really interesting person to talk to. She like many other Greeks is very vocal about her opinion on the current political/ economic situation, so it's interesting to hear about it from a true Greek.
7. Going to Cafes- Something that I don’t really do or have time for in the U.S. is sitting in cafes and doing work on my computer and just watching the people go by. In Greece you see so many people sitting in cafes outside, just enjoying their day and company. They sit for hours on end just talking, smoking and drinking coffee. The only reason I really go is to use wifi and do my online schooling, but it's nice to see how other people socialize and spend their time, especially when its so different from the United States.
8. Visiting the Ruins- So far we have visited the ruins at Messini and Olympia and they are so amazing. It's really astounding to see ancient ruins here that I hear about in my history classes. Many of them are pretty well preserved and really show you how people use to live. Some of them date back to the 1st and 2nd century AD and just amaze me every time that they are over 2,000 years old and have survived through so much war, conquest and change that has taken place over the centuries.
9. Eating New Food- Even though I am a pesco-vegetarian, I still find some really great new food that is Greek. My favorite is tiropita, which is feta cheese inside filo dough. It's so good and is usually eaten at breakfast. Plus, it is a nice alternative to spanakopita, which is like it, except it has spinach and has been my least favorite food since I was about 4 years old.
10. The Nice people we have met here- Sometimes when traveling you are lucky enough to find people who are genuinely nice and make your time that more memorable. Patty and Nikki definitely go under this category. Along with our Greek teacher who is really informative and gives us good advice about where to go for good bargains. Then there is Maria, who owns the cottage we are staying at. Even though, she doesn’t speak very much English, I see her everyday and she always has a smile on her face and a warm welcome that never gets old. Hopefully there will be more people to add to this list, but as of know those are the few I can think of!
Hope you enjoyed my list and that it gave you some insight into our life here in Greece and some of the things that continue to make this trip awesome!

- Vita (: