Follow-up post: Duncan's marble carving and our last day

Well, the winds have somewhat subsided, which means they have gone down to a semi-manageable 45-50 kilometers per hour. Our friend, Annette, whose husband Petros, is the master marble carver Duncan has been working under, says that sometimes you think the winds have slowed, only to realize that they have simply changed directions. Still, we've experienced rain all of two times in the 20+ days we've been in Greece, once for a summer-style rain shower in Athens for about 20 minutes--and it was WARM rain, mind you--and another sprinkle for all of one hour of one day on Tinos, so it's been paradise as far as us Upstate NYers are concerned!!! Right now we're sitting at a VERY euro-chic beach bar, and the kids are yet again having an ice cream at dinnertime (so Lili, our "parenting" is less than stellar, but if it buys us a sunny moment with a iced frappe and the Mediterranean sense of time then we are willing to let the potential cavities slide!). The techno is pounding and the smoke is thick but the wind is carrying it away...and Duncan just remarked that he is worried he's going to have trouble getting back to a routine that's time-based--as we have not had a watch for the entire journey...

Below are photos of the games made by Nina and Angus that inspired Duncan in his carving, and below that, the in-process carving  itself. (I don't think it's difficult to discern who made which game!!! LOL. Clearly Alex P. Keaton made the capitalist's dream! But it was Miss Crafty who came up with the whole idea of her own board games to begin with and the found marble and snail shell pawns.)

Duncan wants to call his own game board Donkeys and Goats, but Nina may not share her trademark...

Tomorrow our ferry leaves for Athens at 12 noon, and the next day our plane departs for Toronto at the same time. As much as we loved it here, we are homesick, and look forward to seeing everyone soon!!!!  Angus and Nina REALLY miss their friends!!!! Thank you so much for responding; it meant the world to the kids to check who was checking in on them, and it gave Duncan the chance to drink more Nescafe!!!!  And me, to drink more Mythos!

 

EF KHARISTO PARA PO LEE!!! A DIO! YASSOU!

Goats Gone Wild (and a few other notes from Alisia and Duncan)

Hi family and friends who have been reading this blog!

We apologize for the inconsistent postings over the past two weeks. Due to the powerful winds here, called the meltemi, which come from Turkey and reach ridiculous speeds, the wifi at our house was broken and so we had to come into town to use the internet cafe. As you can imagine, even the best 8 and 10 year-olds only tolerate sitting at smokey coffee joints for so long before they'd rather be at the beach.

We have eaten some fabulous food, especially the small fish that is on many Tinos menus. Sadly, the Mediterranean and Aegean are devoid of bigger fish now, due to over fishing, so sardines and bourburaki, which is a yummy fish that Cycladeans fry and eat whole, are the only fish that are both fresh and affordable. Above is a picture of Angus and the bourbaraki we had on Mykonos, and below are the scrumptious sardines we ate in Panormos. You can tell how thrilled he was by it. Angus has, however, discovered the Greek equivalent of both the hamburger, which is a pork gyropita, and  queso, which is skillet fried cheese called SAGANAKI, that you then sprinkle lemon over.  He loves both of them.

The best restaurant we have visited was Aiolia Gravvi (in Panormos), which more or less translates to the navigational line less traveled. It was an apt name, as it was owned by a  wonderful woman with wild curls, skill in the kitchen, and a great sense of humor. When we sat down, her goat started bleating and Nina ran over to see him and pet him through the fence. The owner went inside and pulled the goat by his horns right through the window and brought him out so he could eat dinner with us. Here is a video the antics. Beware that the last few minutes of the goat shows him in all his priapic glory. As Nina was shooting the video, so this was obviously inadvertent.

After one week of hand-tool, marble carving boot camp, Duncan was handed the air equipment and began a project inspired by Alisia and the kids. When Duncan was at the studio, they would spend their down time making board games. So, Duncan decided to carve a relief that is also a board game of sorts, that was loosely based on our trip.  It is true that Tinos is the  marble capital of the Cyclades;  literally the streets are made of marble and everywhere you look there are beautiful reliefs. You can also find pieces of marble on the beach!!! Here are some photos of Angus and Nina carving marble at our house, and also of some of the MANY MANY MANY carvings we have seen (and photographed) here.

If we have access on Sunday, we will try to do one more post before we leave. Otherwise we will see you all when we are back Stateside!

This is a short post (Angus)

Here is a funny picture. We actually saw a donkey on the roof of a house the other day on the way to the beach!

Also, does anybody know who my teacher for next year is? Post back if you know. Thanks! Angus

Delicious desserts by Nina (Part II)

Here are some of the photos of the gelato shops we have been to.

In Crete we also ate a very good dessert called Boughatsa. It was made of phyllo dough with honey and ice cream and cream. Some just have walnuts and honey. We tried both kinds. My mom still thinks this was the best dessert we have had so far.  Angus thinks caramel gelato was the best. We also ate sundaes at the beach. Many times people here just give you free desserts after you eat.  Like pound cake with soaked on honey and sugar, and lemon rinds frozen in sugar water (which I actually liked!)

Delicious desserts

Hi it's Nina. While I've been in Greece, I have tried lots of different desserts and I'll tell you about some of them. Well, some of you guys probably know what gelato is, but if you don't, I'll tell you what it is. It's like ice cream but it's made with milk and not cream. It's from Italy but for a long time people from Venice lived here in Tinos and on Crete. So, they probably brought gelato here. There are some gelato places near where we live in New York but they don't have as many flavors. The other day I went to a gelateria and there was a lot of flavors, about 50! There was one that was toffee and cocoa and a lemon and dulce de leche. But that was just three of them--there was way more! I have also tried strachiatella which is vanilla with chocolate shavings. I have also tried strawberry and toffee and cocoa. Maybe by the time I grow up I will try them all!

We have some photos to show you but they won't upload so we will try later.

Somethings I've Seen on Motorscooters by Angus

In this post I'm going to tell you about some of the things I've seen on motorscooters and motorcycles. People carry strange and dangerous things on their motorscooters and often they don't wear helmets:

1) In Athens, I saw a women carrying a huge mirror on a motoscooter, and a person carrying a ladder.

2) On Crete, we saw babies without helmets being carried on motorscooters and motorcycles, and a whole family with two adults and one child on a motorcycle, all without helmets

3) On Tinos, we have seen babies once again without helmets, and a person carrying a microwave as they drove.
This is my last post. See you this summer!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (My sister and parents will post more.)

Snorkeling by Angus

Over the past few days we have gone snorkeling at the beach. We have seen some pretty cool fish. There will be some videos posted of us underwater. You may think snorkeling is like scuba diving but it's not even close. Snorkeling is when you have only a mask and a tube that you breathe through that sticks up out of the water. Scuba is when you have two tanks filled up with air and a mask and breathing tube, a wetsuit, and flippers and gloves. I saw a school of tiny fish, a fish that looked like it was plaid, and a flat fish that blended in with the bottom sand.