February 1

This morning we left the hotel at 8:15 so that we could load up the bus before heading to the higher site at Delphi. I’m so glad we decided to visit this site again because the weather this morning was beautiful and walking around in the crisp, but not too cold, air was refreshing – a wonderful way to greet the morning. We had plenty of time to take pictures and meander around the site. My favorite structure was the theater. It has been restored, but is still very impressive. One day I’d love to see an outdoor production like the originals.
Then we got on the bus to head to Thermopylai and Dimini. Thermoplylai is the location of ht efamous battle between the Greeks (including the 300 Spartans) and the Persians, but the only “thing” to see are the monuments that have been erected to commemorate the event – one constructed in the 50s and one in 1997. The landscape has vastly changed, so it was harder to visualize the battle. So, all in all, we only spent about 20 minutes here. Because traffic was so light, we did make it to the Neolithic site, Dimini. We still had to spend 2 hours on the bus to get there (after having spent almost two hours getting to Thermopylai) so everyone was a bit loopy and just ready to get to the hotel. Dimini is interesting in that it dates back to 4800 BCE, but this doesn’t lend itself to being impressive visually. Still, we had a few discussions about the possibility of its being fortified, and whether or not there was architectural evidence for the people’s having lived in separate sections.
The hotel for tonight is the Hotel Diomidi in Makrynitsa. It is a very small town on the side of a hill and all the buildings are on different elevations. The only street is in the lowest level of the town, with the rest of the town accessible by stone walking paths. It is the cutest place we have been. It also seems to be quite the romantic spot, as everyone seems to be holding hands and smiling. We stretched out our legs by checking out the shops and getting some coffee. Apparently, the biggest tourist gifts are marmalades, spices, and this particular liquor. The spices include herbal remedies, the best of which was “Loise,” and it is for headaches, menstrual cramps, and weight loss (I wonder which gender this herb is intended for?).
Krentz suggested we go and try this special liquor (it has some name that begins with an “s,” but, from what I understand, it is like another liquor that begins with an “o” that tastes like licorice). I have no knowledge about liquor, so bear with me. Anyway, about 5 of us went to grab a drink and we ended up spending over an hour just chatting and having a good time. I had a coffee only an hour earlier, so I just joined for the conversation. And I had already finished my homework, so there was no reason not to go.
For dinner we went to one of the two restaurants in town. Their menu was very limited and only one of the servers spoke English and it was pretty poor. We were also a group of 11, and I got the impression that we not entirely welcome. We weren’t mistreated by any means, but with the language barrier and the large number in the party, I don’t think they thought we were worth the trouble. So that kind of bothered me. It seems that American restaurants are much more desirous of customers, and go to greater lengths to make them comfortable. The soup I ordered was delicious, and the glass of wine was a nice accompaniment.
The hotel tonight is the smallest one we have been to, and we fill up every room but one. Therefore, we are the only guests for the night. This hotel is very old. We have actual keys to the rooms and there are fireplaces in each room. We are divided between the second and third floors and each floor has its own common room. The third floor’s common room is larger, so there are several people congregated there now. My favorite part of this hotel is the dog. His name is Poco and he reminds me so much of Bud. He is slightly smaller than Bud, but looks exactly like him, except that Poco is all white (he even has a long tail!). Poco is also skiddish like Bud, but once he warms up to you he is just as friendly. So now Poco is my friend and he gets happy to see me. He actually made me a tiny bit homesick, so I decided to call home on my cell phone and spend some of my minutes talking to Mom. (It will be a while till this place gets wireless).
And now I am about to read some of my fun reading – The Yacoubian Building – and go to bed. We can smell something delicious baking in the kitchen downstairs and we are all hoping it will be served at breakfast. I’ll post this next time I get internet!