Sight: Buildings, bars and restaurants along the waterfront, freighters floating in the port, public displays of affection, crop tops, people walking around with shopping bags, half full cups of iced coffee all with a black straw, every young woman wearing makeup and trendy sunnies, lots of taxis and city buses, street dogs lying in front of stores that are blasting their air-conditioning, some even lay down inside.
Smell – Smoke – everyone smokes like a chimney. Baked goods – there is often a wonderful aroma wafting through the air from something being made that is full of things that are bad for you. Feet – it is hot here and we walk everywhere so when we get back to our lodging, we suffer the side effects.
Touch – it is pretty warm here. It is in the Nineties consistently. Clean clothes – we found a laundromat with washers AND DRYERS. That is no small accomplishment. This is the first time I have had the privilege of using a dryer on the race. My jeans fit again for the first time in 7 months. I am also confident in their cleanliness for the first time in 7 months. Praise the Lord! Claustrophobia – I have been living in a 3 bedroom, 1 kitchen and one living space hostel/apartment with 16 people this month. Let’s just say it is has been stretching. Thankfully there are lots of places to go throughout the city.
Taste – Gyros – preferably without ketchup or mustard but with tzatziki please 🙂 Gingerale – there is a corner store down the street where we frequently stop in for a 90 cent can of Gingerale..or two. Triangles – they are a Greek pastry that is like a perfectly triangular taco but instead of a fried tortilla it is filo pastry and in place of taco filling it is buttercream. Needless to say those are almost as frequent as the Gingerales. Egg salad – we have self prepared meals this month so in an effort to stay in budget as much as possible we eat a lot of egg salad. It is easy to make and every one likes it.
Sound – People and sounds of the city – there are people everywhere. Many of them are in the middle of their summer holiday or their work day. The typical sounds of the city are traffic noises of squealing breaks, horns honking, sirens wailing…you know, the usual. Loud Music – In pretty much every coffee shop, juice bar, store, or establishment I walk into they are playing music. It is often played at a level that I cannot drown it out with my headphones without the fear of going deaf. Thankfully some places have better taste in music than others. It is not uncommon for me to have song stuck in my head and at the end of the day I think, “where did this stinking song come from?! It’s driving me crazy!” People Speaking to me in Greek before I have to ask them to speak in English – that is one of the most frustrating parts of traveling. I would like so much to be able to be instantly fluent in any language. If I could have a superpower, that would definitely be at the top of the list. Our squeaky front door – any time someone comes in or out or uses the bathroom (which is out in the hall) our door let’s us know someone has arrived. I never did get around to getting some WD-40 for that…
When you hear from me next I will probably be in Pomorie, Bulgaria!!
Until next time,
Gig’em and God bless
