Day 5--everything from olives to salt to mud

There’s nothing better than freshly squeezed orange juice in the morning. Love it. Love it. Love it. Highlight of my breakfast and morning! We’ve packed up to move on, and somehow I must be getting better at stashing stuff, since my suitcase had more room this morning. Way to go, girl!It amazes me how well Jane and I travel together. Seriously, I love you all, but I’d probably drive some of you crazy, and visa-versa, as we’d discover the world. Being in such close quarters, there’s a sort of magical dance we do. No sunglasses? Here, use a pair of mine. Forgot deodorant? I’ve got extra. We have a routine we go through when we get to a new hotel room. We stage it--her suitcase and “area” here, and my suitcase and “area” there. Somehow, with humor and patience, we stay sane, laughing and chuckling along the way. Traveling with Anna, one sees, hears, feels her passion for all things Greek--the food, the wine, the language, the culture. Her daughter and husband (along with their two sweet daughters) live in Athens. It must be so fun to see your kids and grandkids embrace and become part of the world community. Having been born in California, Anna married a Greek and that culture has defined her since. It’s a treat to be part of her “Anna and Friends” tour. The drive to Messolonghi took us 2.5 hours and we again tackled the heat. Today’s high point was over 46 degrees C, or about 115 F, I’d say. This city is along the salt flats, and harvesting of salt and therapeutic mud is a big draw and industry. The city was at the epicenter of the Greeks ousting the Turks, primarily with the help of Lord Byron who wrote over 900 letters imploring generals and soldiers from over 15 countries to join the the battle against the Ottomans. Two sieges here lasting seven years finally ended with the Greeks winning their freedom, and much is attributed to Byron’s influence in drawing over 20,000 troops to assure this liberty, though thousands died. Only two cities in the world have been designated as “sacred” cities, due to the loss of life in defending their freedom, the Alamo, and Messolonghi. The heat of the day zapped us and we dripped as we stood under young olive trees, only 200 years old, and learned about olive groves and olive production and harvest. We then went to the processing center where we saw the machines used in the making of olive oil and tasted oils. A huge parallel exists between the making of wine and the production of good olive oil: altitude,  temperature, light, blending, etc. Very fun. We bought oil and oil products. Delicious.

We then toured a cooperative salt flat (learned of the salt harvest) and there ate a prepared picnic lunch consisting of good, hearty bread; salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, onions, and feta; as well as Spanakopita; a cheese bread; olives; and wine. Because the day had gotten so warm, we elected to spend an hour or two back at the hotel before heading out to...the mud.

So the mud...it’s similar to that of the Dead Sea I’d experienced a year ago January. One wades out into the salty water, sinks into the muck (the therapeutic mud), scoops up a handful of it, rubs it all over oneself, waits about 20-30 minutes for the mud to dry, and rinses thoroughly. Truly, your skin feels wonderfully smooth afterwards, though you can’t help but laugh at how ridiculous you look adorned with the stuff.

Then? Well...onward to a restaurant where we enjoyed local Greek yogurt with local thyme honey and candied orange rind, as well as Greek coffee. Delicious.

Since it was around 8 pm I figured we’d be heading back to the hotel for a shower (still had on my suit), but...oh nooooo--on to dinner at one of Anna’s favorite places. So there we were--all sort of disheveled--eating wonderful Greek food, drinking beer, wine, eating salads, cheese, chicken, pork, potatoes, sardines after the mud bath. But heck, it was fun to be so carefree.

Finally arriving at our new hotel about 10, I quickly showered and then ventured out into the street to see day one of a three-day festival celebrating the Greek Orthodox Pentecost. Tonight the Romas (gypsies)--all men--marched through the streets to the sound of drums and flutes sounding like bagpipes. They affectionately hugged one another, their joy very apparent. I guess there is a pilgrimage to a local monastery tomorrow, followed by partying galore.

Then Monday also is a holiday, so the locals are enjoying a three-day weekend here. Tomorrow we move on again, taking a 2 hour trek to Lefkada, and since we’ve been so busy, we’re having a relaxing beach day--the Ionian Sea is gorgeous, according to Anna. So adventures continue, and I’m getting used to the unstructured nature of the trip. Our group has "jelled,” and we’ve slipped into an easy camaraderie. We laugh, poke fun at one another. There’s nothing like suffering through the heat to feel as if we’ve survived as a team!

Again, no photos load.  Have posted some directly from my phone to Facebook, but they aren't transferring to my ipad  or onto blog site.  Ho hum.

Update:  Now in Lefkada, things are looking up!  Better connection, so some photos are actually loading.  Woohoo!