Greek oddities

No matter how large the bedroom or bathroom, it's simply a given that the shower will be no bigger than a phone booth. There will be more towels than you will ever use, all crammed onto one small rack. There is no place to hang wet towels--no hooks, no other racks. The shower will have a handheld nozzle but no place high on the wall to hang it. Thus it must be balanced above the spout while soaping up or washing one's hair, all the while shivering because the warm water is only spraying your toes, not the rest of your body. It is also a given that the entire shiny tile floor will be puddled upon departure from the shower, regardless of the level of care taken to keep the spray from said nozzle aimed inside the shower. A drain sits in the middle of the tile floor, presumably to help solve the aforementioned puddle problem, but for some reason, the water never seems to reach the drain. Step in the puddles on the slick tile in the middle of the night, and anything might happen.

Greeks have a unique way of speaking with one another. Their language is not a gentle or lilting one; instead, it always sounds contentious and combative. The Greeks are so direct and strong in their speech that I'm always dying to know what they are saying. Unfortunately, I cannot even pick up a word here or there. The only time I have witnessed any softness or tenderness is in some of the music on the CDs that Nikos brought along. Kostas believes that it is silly to not demand what we want in life, and it certainly shows in his conversations. I think he usually gets what he needs.

Today we drove about four hours from Papingo to Ioannina to Meteora, a bit on a new superhighway, but for the most part on winding mountain roads. I sat in the middle of the front seat, and still my stomach barely survived the tortuous trip. If a car in front of you is too slow, you pass going around corners, down hills, or just whenever you're feeling brave. Never mind that oncoming cars always feel the need to have a tire or two on the wrong side of the double white line. Did I mention that most of today's drive was in torrential rain?

Lesson learned: In Greece, it is "bak-LA-va," not "bak-la-VA," as it is in Turkey or the US. Ate some of the best ever at lunch today. Must go looking for good Greek food upon returning to Seattle.

Settled into a hotel in Meteora now, the fascinating town of towering rocks capped with monasteries and nunneries. The sun has returned. Tomorrow we explore, and then we head towards Mount Olympus.