Paros Shepherd Newsletter - April 03
Published 7 May 03 Please subscribe by sending an email with Subscribe as subject.
Hello,
I promised to make this season's
newsletters different, but frankly, I have been so busy moving into
our new quarters (hotel) that no thought has been seriously given to
it....so I will just be spontaneous.
April was a month of continued cold,
dreary, windy weather. Not typical for April at all. And very
tiring for all of us who have experienced the worst winter in 70 years!
We were not used to fighting strong headwinds just to walk from our
apartment to the office! It is always interesting getting settled
in a new building, not always favourable. Many were the nights we were
woken up by very loud banging and exclaiming, "WHAT
(blankity blank) shutters are banging NOW!" The
rains continued, destroying some of the efforts of the flood cleanup
going on. However, being used to a winter of unsettled weather, we
tried to take it in stride. Somedays we felt a bit depressed as did
all the Greeks. Easter was fast approaching...and customarily
those days are spent outside barbecuing lamb! And outdoor processions
with candles! Would the weather change in time?
The spring flowers grew anyway! In
abundance! Our hotel overlooks the sea, but in front of us are fields
and fields of waving flowers....giving us enjoyment and hope.
Then one evening the heavy skies started to break-up and form clouds, and by
sunset time...it was looking very promising! In fact, that night was
one of the most spectacular sunsets I have had the
privilege to witness. Michael said if it were possible to
"bottle" it and "sell" it, we would be millionaires!
From that evening on, the weather improved; Good Friday was chilly but
clear, and by Easter, well, it was a real blessing! Full sunshine,
bright blue skies, and lots of happy Greeks! Tourists, too!
We have been busy planting geraniums
and petunias in pots for the entrance to the hotel. For myself I bought
some pretty bright orange daisies for my balcony. We have
been busy painting, re-arranging, changing, cleaning - all those tasks to
get our hotel up and running. So far we have been quite busy with all
units filled with Athenians who celebrate Easter here on Paros. Some
are still here - suppose it is hard to go back to Athens after
experiencing this laid back life here - even for a Greek! So far
we have had Canada and England represented, with the promise of Belgium and
Holland, Croatia, Ireland and France, soon. What fun to meet all
these people. I have been busy making up Welcome sheets, and Breakfast
Menu sheets. Not a lot of time for reading and knitting! But
this is more fun, anyway.
A neighbour below us is marrying off his
daughter. They live in a big house with lots of land and olive trees.
On the land is their personal little church. This one is not typical
Greek architecture (white with blue dome), but made of stone. The
young bride has asked to book our hotel at that time; putting some of
the wedding guests into all our rooms. I expect there will be a
lot of coming and going with wedding hoopla and excitement! If it is
true about Greek weddings, we might want to stay indoors, as it is customary
to shoot guns into the air! Some wedding parties go for a couple of
days! Lots of food and music with dancing. I imagine our guests
will be dragging themselves to bed in the wee early morning hours. I
wonder if the neighbourhood will be able to sleep? It will
definitely confuse the roosters!
Speaking of food, here is a recipe for a
delicious Tzatziki (pronounced: tzaught tzeeki). It is traditionally
served with fresh bread from the bakery. (French bread type.) If
you are in Greece you would go to a taverna on the beach - it is
served as an appetiser with an ouzo, or as a snack.
TZATAIKI
5 -6 servings
1/2 kilo (1 lb. 2 oz.) plain yoghurt
(full fat)
4 - 5 cloves garlic, finely grated or
crushed
1 cucumber
4 T. olive oil
2 T. vinegar
Salt and Pepper
Grate and drain cucumber - (leave on
skin). I usually squeeze it as well, to get all the juice out.
Mix the yoghurt and the grated cucumber in a bowl. Add the finely
grated or crushed garlic. Finally, pour in the olive oil and vinegar.
Mix well. Season to taste.
(from The Best Traditional Recipes of
Greek Cooking, by Editions D. Haitalis)
(It is even better
the next day! (Can be kept in the fridge for quite a few days.)
It is also enjoyable as a dressing on a fresh green salad.
Finally, here is a spring flower bouquet
just for you! I had a hard time choosing, as all the photos are so
pretty:
Yassis,
Karin
Briefly from Michael:
As I too have been busy cleaning,
painting, weed pulling--around here the weeds grow faster than I can pull, I
have not worked on our web site as much as I would have liked. Yet I
slowly add content to the Paros, Greece and World pages. So please go
back and check it out monthly if you want to learn more about travel.
One of our most interesting
affiliates is Greek Shops. com. They are fun to browse--just like
wandering through shops in the Plaka in Athens. They ship Olympics
2004 gear from a USA location.
Would you like to buy something Greek without paying the air fare?Click on Greek Shops. They have authentic, quality goods. |
Our Book Recommendations
For Europe
After much research we found Amazon consistently had the lowest prices as well as the lowest shipping costs.
For America
We are justly proud of our home town "City of Books"
Best Wishes,
Michael
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