We had the opportunity to join our local friends for a picnic in the forest on Orthodox Pentecost Monday (the day after they commemorate Orthodox Pentecost day, which is on a Sunday, so they get the next day off of work/school as well!). Throughout the summer, locals head out of the city and relax with friends, family, and BBQ.
The all-day affair started with some hiking in the hills where I stumbled upon some beautiful wildflowers.
Throughout the day we saw this man walk his horse across the meadow- he was cutting down trees and the forest and using his horse to drag the logs home.
We had plenty of time to relax as a family!
We went on another hike later on in the afternoon and ran into this woman and her sheep, goat, and sheepdog. She didn’t speak English but was able to communicate that the goat goes crazy sometimes so watch out.
She stopped and chatted with Kayla for a while- Kayla was obviously ecstatic.
The afternoon ended with a few games of volleyball.
We then headed down the hill to a friend’s home where we ate birthday cake (it was a little boy’s 5th birthday!) and they sang some worship music.
It felt like a day spent with my church family back in the States. I’m finding that, while every people has it’s own culture, we are all more similar than I had ever thought. Everyone loves a nice picnic with friends on a beautiful early summer day!
XOXO
