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Greek Adventure, Part 9: The Black Plague

In the mid-14th century, The Black Plague diseased and killed one-half to two-thirds of Europe's population. (Paolo has a history minor!) We may not be dealing with sickness to that degree, but my family is dealing with its own European health issues.

Dad's had a fever for the past couple days and has basically been chilling (literally having chills) in bed the whole time -- and isn't happy about it. Who would be? Yesterday I contracted pink eye in both eyes. Mom calls it "conjunctivitis," which I think better describes one's tendency to use too many conjunctions (and, but, or) in writing, rather than creating seperate sentences. Either way, my eyes are itchy.

I'm doing my best Ray Charles impression over here, trying to walk around with my eyes closed (so basically I'm breaking shit) and tuning into my other senses. Taste is such a worthless sense for all intents and purposes of basic survival. Thankfully we're in a "social medicine" country, so Dad went to go see a doctor today and it's not costing us a dime. Pharmicist's don't need perscriptions here so I'm heading to the pharmacy later to get some drugs. You literally just walk up to the place and say, "I want that," point to what you're talking about, and the pharmacist hands it to you. It's a sweet deal.

To end on a happy note, here's picture I took around the corner from my aunt's house...

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Greek Adventure, Part 8: Random Notes

Earthquake!: Last night I experienced my first Cretan earthquake. My sixth sense was in tune because I was dreaming about watching fireworks and, right when one of them exploded, I woke up to the island rumbling. I felt the earth move under my feet. I felt the sky falling down, tumbling down. The last time I was in an earthquake I was in the cafeteria at Stadium High School. I vividly remember the thud of bricks hitting the ceiling and diving under the table. Ally pushed Nick Snapp out of the way to get under our table, causing Nick to scurry across the room to another table. I had to question Ally's priorities thereafter.

Strength in Numbers: I've discovered a new alcoholic beverage here that I like. It's called raki and weighs in at about 40 percent alcohol if you buy it at the store. However, the homemade raki I've been drinking is basically moonshine, and I'm guessing 50 percent alcohol would be a conservative measure of its potency. If not raki, I'll drink homemade red wine, which weighs in at 25 to 30 percent alcohol and does not give you a hangover because of the lack of sulfites. At the beach I often drink Amstel beer, which is the most popular beer and inexpensive beer. Budweiser is the most expensive beer you can buy -- often double the price of an Amstel. What's water?

Karma: The Washington State Supreme Court upheld the ban on gay marriage. Mel Gibson got a DUI. The prophecies held true. Mel Gibson was the Chosen One. He's brought balance to The Force.

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Greek Adventure, Part 7: A Tale of Two Cities

For Sergio's 16th birthday, we went to Star Beach Village in Hersonissos in the morning. It was a resort reminscent of an MTV Spring Break. Look at that picture. Sergio couldn't have seen more topless women if I took him to a dozen strip clubs in the States. I told my parents, "Just leave me here."

Admission was free and we got on all the slides for $10 a person. The place had a bangin' sound system and the DJ played contemporary hip hop. It was a step up from other places that played George Michaels all day. The women were all 20-somethings and plentiful. The pools were amazing. I can't say anymore. I'm still recovering, and I'm subject to post-traumatic Star Beach Village syndrome. Look for my "Unfair Greek Advantage" blog about the women on Crete later.

Despite my request, my parents wouldn't leave me at Star Beach Village, and we went up to a mountain village called Avdou in the evening. This was the old Greece you see in the postcards and National Geographic magazines. Men smoke at the cafe, fiddling with worry beads. Old women wear black dresses and shawls, carrying groceries with one hand and leaning on canes with the other. Of course, I didn't bring my nice camera to the most photogenic place on this whole trip. I intend to go back on Monday to take pictures.

My aunt and Emmanuel have a stone house in Avdou where his father and grandfather grew up. The house was tiny, but cozy. Some neighbor women competed with each other, giving us baked goods they made. One woman gave me some blessed bread, which is supposed to give me good luck for the next year. That's a good thing considering the year I've had.

In conclusion, the two destinations couldn't have been more different. I'm crossing my fingers that I can go back to Avdou with my camera. And next time I'm at Star Beach Village, just leave me there.

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Happy Sweet 16 Sergio!

The numbers don't translate here too well so he got a "17"on the cake. It was a damn good ice cream cake.

Watch out everyone! Sergio will be on the road tearing up the streets of Fircrest, Tacoma and University Place when he gets home. Look for his white Honda Prelude.

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Greek Adventure, Part 6: Here's the Pictures, Stop Your Whining

By day I'm doing the tourist thing, but at night I'm working with my photo assistant Sergio on processing hundreds of photos. We figure we'll have well over 100 framable pictures by the end of this trip. Here are a few of my favorites so far...