food, and more

A few days ago I posted something on facebook that alluded to the fabulous-ness of the food here: the cheese, the fruit, the donuts. If you like cheese, then the deli counter at any mid- to large-sized supermarket (in Greece or Italy) is pretty much the best place on earth; even though Alana is the most fanatical about cheese in our family, Hendrik enjoyed checking out the goods (and sampling) at the Carrefour on Monday:

just a few types of cheese on offer | feta, in barrels | feta, in barrels!

I think I bought six different cheeses? One of which is my new favourite Greek cheese, Manouri. The feta, I love - and it'll be something we always have in our fridge here (avec tomatoes and cucumber and olive oil? the best!), but having Manouri all the time would sort of be like having a freshly made cake ready to slice and eat (or just eat) on the counter at all times (self-control = nil). So, once this chunk that I purchased is gone, I won't buy any... right away. I will definitely look for it at home in Canada - it's a cheese to remember for me.

The fruit (and vegetables) are fresh. And good. I suppose we arrived at just the right time; winter, chez nous, is not the season for fresh, local produce, so the sight of market tables overflowing with greens and real food..... was (and is) perfection. The market just outside our place was this morning, and I actually kept track of what I spent (just because); here's a collage:

Nik suggested a small, unassuming bakery down the street (aren't those almost always the best?) for bougatsa, and we ventured there as a family yesterday... and then again today. Yesterday we bought three different phyllo-stuffed pieces of heaven, two stuffed with cheese, one with beef and tomato (lunch pig-outsa). And then today... bougatsa! I didn't need to buy an entire piece.... but I did. Next time I'll just make do (!) with half a piece (the picture shows an eighth of an entire piece, a big enough serving). I might have to put my homemade bougatsa project on hold (I bought ingredients to try making it at home), to recover from two days of pastry bliss. The people at the bakery were so kind - cooing at the kids and offering a bag of fresh eggs (from their own chickens, of course); there's no doubt we'll be back.

Okay, and now to the donuts. SO! If you know me, you know I like donuts - but good donuts.... not the variety that leaves a film on the roof of your mouth so easily obtained at Timmy HoHos. So when I saw a shop called "Mamma's Donuts", you know I had to try 'em out; but here's the problem: every time I'm in the neighborhood (the shop is a 10 minute walk from here, along cobbled patched-together sidewalks along a fairly busy street), it's closed! Until... until a few days ago, and I couldn't resist buying a few. They were good good good. And so was the donut we ate after our trip to Carrefour. The moral? Fresh is best; all donuts sampled were still warm, and made from scratch (I'm sure) the same day. Yum. Yum. Yum.

The things I left off my original I LOVE FOOD facebook post include the phyllo goods, the wine, the Tentoura (see here), the souvlaki, and the restaurant food.....

We met a Czech woman at the park last week and have gotten together with her and her husband and two kids a few times, and this equals fun for all. We usually rendez-vous at a park, and on Thursday went out for lunch with them; the kids, even with the language barrier, played and had fun together (yay!). Hopefully we'll get together with them tomorrow, and then again this week.

Hendrik and Sarah (and Alana) - blondies!

A family update post is coming, so I'll leave you with a few photos - no more blahblahblah. However, I do have one last thing I must say before I forget. This afternoon we went for a walk (me and the kids - Steve is away, returning tonight), and on our way to a new playground just down the street from our place, we spotted a mid-sized, yard/orchard with sheep, little lambies and chickens all wandering around. After a few comments about the sounds and sizes of the creatures, Hendrik said, "I wish I were a sheep." Me: (!!!!) "Why?" "Because I'd like to do that." And he points at three teeny tiny lamb babes all cuddled up together on a patch of scruffy grass. So I told him that he could cuddle up on grass any time, by himself or with me or Alana, and I'm glad he didn't take me up on the offer right away, since the grass we were standing in looked, well, frequented by animals. It was funny, and cute. Kids say the darndest things, right?

top: yesterday, at the beach, fleurs!, with her new hat, pile-on-mommy
bottom: just outside our place, flowers on the lawn, a dinosaur house, pile-on-mommy :)

short + sweet

I'm due for a family update blog and a 15-minute a day blog too, but for now... you get the Greek Revolution. Today was a national holiday, for two reasons (I believe): firstly, to celebrate Greece's independence from the Ottoman Empire under which they were ruled for nearly 400 years, and secondly for religious reasons: in the Greek Orthodox Church today is the day that Mary heard from the angle Gabriel that she was with not-just-any-child. The revolution, as it's referred to, took 10 years to take hold and involved multiple other nations - on both sides of the conflict. There was a big parade in town, and sunny skies under which many, many, many groups did march... including the Greek Air Force. We were there to watch Nik in full suit, as part of the celebration. Hendrik had his Greek flag a'waving, and we all enjoyed being out and part of the big day.

Steve's team had an away game this past weekend, in Thessaloniki, and things didn't go as planned... for Panahaiki, anyways. Despite some pretty close set scores (28-26, 31-29, 25-21), they lost to PAOK and clinched themselves a spot in play-downs. We're not really sure what this means for us time-wise (ie when we are leaving this wonderful place), but it looks like we'll be able to make it back home for a wedding that's happening in Toronto on May 10th.... just when the weather is getting good here! Nah, I take that back; compared with the kung-fu grip that winter has on Eastern (and Central) Canada right now, the weather here is better than good, and I'll keep soaking up the sun while I can.

And speaking of soaking up the sun... the kids are loving it. Loving loving loving being outside, and it almost makes me reconsider where we are choosing to live. Well, we're choosing to live here, now, and in Canada in the summers, and that makes sense - though we are aware that this itinerant lifestyle is coming to an end sometime soon. The kids were outside all day long (actually, literally), and I know that my mood and the kids' happiness with all of the outdoor play and exploring can't be paralleled by March in Canada - at least not in the east's chilly climes. Can we just escape to Greece every year? It's food for thought...  but for now, I'll take it while I can get it (and so will the kiddies)!

living like a local + apt tour

Does it look late in this picture? Playground at 10pm? Living like a local, I say. We went to a team dinner last night and hit the swings on our way to the car after supper, just after 10:00. Hendrik and Alana weren't the only kids there, and the big square was busy with people. Life happens later here - lunch is later (2:00), and many restaurants don't start serving evening-meal food until after 8:00. I don't have a picture of my other living like a local moment, which involved a double scooter ride, in flip-flops, up to a cafe overlooking the city. A friend that I met playing basketball when we were last here (2005-2006) came and picked me up, and it was great to see her and catch up and get some time to myself. We saw a team manager this afternoon on our way home from a late lunch (after a sunny morning at the park) - he had his younger daughter (five or six?) in front of him - on the scooter - and his older one sitting behind him (teenager); it was a fully loaded little vehicle. I think I'll have to save my comments on the driving here for another post; Steve and I call it video game driving, as there's always something coming at you (pedestrian, scooter) or around you (scooter, car), and with the double-parking, narrow streets and drivers on cell phones, life behind the wheel is never dull.

Steve leaves for Thessaloniki tomorrow for Sunday's match-up against PAOK, and it's a must-win game. If only he could stop on his way back and bring me some trigonos..... man oh man, these little phyllo-wrapped, cream-stuffed treats are delish! They're a specialty of the area, so there are none to be had here - or, perhaps, there are, but when it comes to such specialties, the real deal is the only way to go. I still haven't gone hog-wild (harhar) at a bakery, but I'm on the lookout for a good one. Bougatsa and spanakopita are on my must-eat list, and I'm in search of something good. Why is the food better here? It is the novelty of it? Maybe... but maybe not. Anyways, I'm getting hungry... time to find a bakery! But first, our apartment, plus a few other videos I finally found time to upload:

goodness, all around

Kourouta

Life here is good. And so is the olive oil and the fruit and the people. And sun. The economy isn't good, and there are signs of that and talk of that too, but with how full the cafes are and how busy the shops seem, you wouldn't necessarily know. Well, let me at that one more time; coffee culture here trumps coffee culture in Canada - they know how to drink it, how to make it their own way, and, more than anything, how to take their time enjoying it. To-go cups? Nah, never. Here, you find a good spot, order up a freddo cappuccino or Nescafe or espresso, and spend at least an hour not finishing your drink. We did just this (though with the kids and with a restless mama (miles of beach were calling!!) it was a bit of a challenge) - yesterday, after a trip to Nik's parents' place in Kavasila, 45 minutes or so south of Patra. They have orange trees and lemon trees, they make their own olive oil, wine and tsipouro, and the first four things I just mentioned there we sampled, and man oh man they are good. Because the kids fell asleep on the way home from the beach, we didn't stop by the village to pick fruit or visit the chickens, pig or cow, so Nik brought us some bounty today: two huge bags of oranges, a bag of lemons, eggs, white wine, red wine, and four litres of olive oil - ! I've been trying to cook up some scheme in which we can bring a barrel of this stuff home with us, it's that good. No, it's not good; as Steve's coach said the other day as he was handing us a bottle of his homemade olive oil, "It's not good. This isn't good. It's great... the best." And it is. Dinner tonight involved fish (cooked in olive oil), rice, broccoli, beet and feta salad (with olive oil) and bread, dipped in olive oil. The best.

Hendrik with  lemons fresh from the tree

old buildings | for rent signs everywhere | city square
fountain | abandoned building | full cafe!
an act of kindness (!) | Alana and Steve | Hendrik and Heather

I could be writing a blog a day, and since I'm not, I'm missing things. Saturdays brings a market to our front door (literally), and it's awesome. There are fruit and veggies, fish, clothes, household goods, shoes - and things are the right price. We came home with bags of fruit and food and spent less than $10, and our haul included fresh strawberries. Are you jealous yet? They were delicious.

saturday market

We are slowly adjusting to the time change here, and with Alana sleeping through the night most nights (knock on wood for me), it's all good. We head to bed at the same time - 11ish - and wake up between 10 and 11, or at least that's been the norm these past few days. Steve's team plays on Sunday (I think) in Thessaloniki, against PAOK, and it's a must-win game for them. I have more to write about (how much things cost, what people say about the crisis, the weather this week (20s!), our neighborhood, our place, more on the food), but I need to get pictures up and get to bed....

story time, grocery go-carts, climbing a tree (!), apres shower giggles, sibs

Nik with fruit, Hendrik with wine

.... signing off from Patra!

Greece - we made it!

We made it! Here I sit, in our place in Patra, with warm sun coming in over our balcony and no winter coats in sight... it's the best! It's hard to believe that we're here, and that we spent the last six weeks in Gatineau and Bowmanville away from Steve - time flies. So, where to start? The beginning, I guess, which was two flights and three airports and three days ago...

We packed up the car on Tuesday afternoon and made a quick stop en route to the airport to pick up a keyboard for the iPad - with all the stuff I needed to pack in my carry-on (food, diapers, extra clothes), I wasn't interested in lugging my heavy, near-vintage laptop along; I ran in and ran out of Future Shop with this keyboard, which is so far so good. It'll take a bit of getting used to, but I'll get there. Back on the road, Hendrik lost his lunch, but thankfully he lost it all over himself - he got a quick change in the trunk of the car at the airport; it would be the first of several upchucks, but thankfully, they were all contained to his shirt or a barf bag, so it wasn't too bad - even for him (on the plane, he was sick, and immediately afterwards - and I mean the second he was done with it all - he was right back at whatever he was doing prior - colouring, watching a movie, or even "Mommy, I'm hungry now"... he seemed unfazed). Anyways! Check-in was fine, security was quick, and the kids were happy running around and then eating dinner at the gate... so far so good. Flight number one (from Toronto to Frankfurt) left at 7:05pm, and clocked in at just under eight hours; with the kids in their PJs, I was hoping they'd sleep and sleep and sleep. Alana moved non-stop for the first three hours, and Hendrik slept... and then woke himself up by barfing all over his dino jammies. Cue quick change and - ? I'm not sure what happened next, but I do know that there was no sleep for momsy ... think sad, tired face. We had two hours in Frankfurt, and everyone was happy to eat and walk around and watch massive planes come and go. The flight from Frankfurt to Athens seemed just as long as the transatlantic trip, but involved sleep for all and a happier ending: Steve! I grabbed the bags and manoeuvred the stroller and a cart (with Alana in the carrier - essential!) out into the waiting area; it was one happy reunion, the kids and their dad, me and my man. Does the trip end here? Oh no. Nope. Thankfully there was no more barf, but the two - or three? (felt like four) - hours on the road between Athens and Patra were long. Long Long Long! But we arrived and the kids were happy happy, and all was well.

"I love Greece!" says Hendrik. Dirt, grass, sunshine.... so do I :)

watching the guys in action

We've had a few good meals already; night one Steve ran out to pick up dinner from one of several restaurants that sponsor the team (souvlaki, greek salad, fries, tzatziki), and last night we ate a different, home-style restaurant... the food was amazing! In the afternoon we went with Steve to check out the gym, and the kids were in heaven playing in the dirt at the park across the street... even offers of ice cream couldn't lure Hendrik away. After an hour of swings, slides and dirt-play, we bought some snacks and took a walk - I was hoping we could make it to our old apartment, but it was just a little too far. The gym is on the side of town that we're familiar with - the side where we lived when Steve played for EAP five (six?) years ago. Now we live on the other side of town - and all that means is that we don't really know our way around. Or I don't at least... but with some friends and friendly people and the food and sunshine and warm weather, I'm already feeling more at home than I otherwise would, after two days in a new place.

city walk

last night's dinner... yums!

So now, on the agenda, is to get settled in and adjust to the time change. Night one saw the kids sleep almost 14 hours (really), and I was right in there, clocking 13 much needed hours of shut-eye. Because of the late start to the day yesterday, we couldn't coax them to bed until after 2:00am, but got them up a bit earlier today, and hopefully this means a better sleep tonight... we'll see! I'm hoping to get down to the water some time soon, and there's a flea market along our street tomorrow, so stay tuned for some pics from that (plus apartment tour). Then, exploring and culture and food... and sunshine - life is good!

reading | just back from ice cream! | grocery shopping duo :)

Greeceward bound

The kids packed on the pounds at dinner tonight, literally... and I'd wager that it was the milkshake's fault. Alana (18 months) walked away from the table weighing 31 pounds, and Hendrik did the same at 41 pounds. Sure, they enjoyed the rice and fish and veggies, but that second helping of vanilla goodness takes the cake; their combined weight is 70+ pounds!! This boggles my mind. And I do sometimes carry them both around - mmmaybe I should stop doing that. We had the scale out to weigh bags, as our trip to Greece happens TOMORROW! We fly at 7pm, and I'm hoping we have an extra seat and that the kids sleep; too much to ask? We'll see. I'm almost organized, and almost packed; umbrella stroller was purchased on the way home from a successful weekend/day-and-a-half-in-Ottawa (merci Jump volleyball for having me), and diapers and passports are carry-on-packed. Next post from Patras!

Hendrik's Stegasaurus, complete with head, legs, feet and H's name (spot it?) - and my fish :)

tada!

Today is World Book Day... did you know? I didn't, and I suppose that means I should get off the computer and stop doing work and get at one of the two books I hope to finish before we fly off and away (this one and this one). I know this only because I follow Phaidon (publisher) on Instagram, and they're having (/had?) a 20% off sale on all of their books - !!! today, in honour of thee day. I want to buy every single last one of the children's books in their store. Well, okay, not every last one, but near enough; their stuff is golden. If I weren't leaving in five days and if shipping didn't cost $15 and negate the whole save! it's a sale! thing, I just might indulge myself. Perhaps I'll browse Amazon if and when I find the time, and see if I can find any of the gems up for sale on the publisher's website.

So... who talked my kids into reading my last blog? Because they sure aren't sleeping; are they trying to condition me into needing less sleep? Doing me a favour are they? Hmph. Each night is worse than the one before it, and I'll blame teething or dreams... or ? the cling-factor? My fingers and toes and arms and legs are all crossed - tonight will be a good night, yes? YES! I drive to Ottawa/Gatineau tomorrow to meet and see family and talk volleyball and coaching volleyball before driving back here to Bowmanville on Saturday afternoon. Le sigh.... at least maybe I'll get a good night's sleep at home?  I hope so.                                   

no signs of spring here!

How great would it be, if your body and mind and all the rest of it only needed, say, four hours of sleep every night? I know someone like that, and she thought of it as a gift from God; that she had been gifted two lives instead of one, because she had so much more time. I'm thinking of this now because of a few things: I only posted six times last month (which seems a bit paltry), there are too many things I need to want to do at the end of the day (when the tank is near empty), and the week ahead will be busy and full. But the reality is that I dearly need some shut-eye, so I'll keep this on the short side, cross something off of my list, do some laundry and then either watch tv or read or look at a magazine.

there were some serious snowbanks in this town... spring has not sprung!

So! This past weekend was bu-sy. Busy busy busy, gym-busy. A bus picked me up in Newcastle on Thursday, and on we went to our Ontario Winter Games hotspot in Midland, waylaid by an accident that involved 96 cars (see here). This meant that the drive was a bit longer than it should have been (we had to take back roads and there were accidents galore there too), that the opening ceremonies were cancelled, and too, that we were able to be in bed at a decent hour in preparation for three capacity-full days of volleyball. How'd it go? We won one game and lost eight = it was challenging. The other regions were stronger and had bigger and better players, and watching the other teams warm up - especially on day one - was intimidating for our girls. That being said, on-court team play wasn't totally out of our league, but other teams made fewer errors, controlled their nerves (or didn't have any), and were able to capitalize on big kills and big runs and finish us off. We had some great moments, and it was a really good learning experience for everyone, myself included. The team saw stronger players and better teams and the exposure to next-level play was good, and I think everyone left feeling positive about the whole experience... thank goodness! I got dropped off last night just after dinner, and came home to two very happy children, who hadn't missed me much but have sure leached on since. I love them to bits, and I love them just as much when they are tucked in tight and sleeping away. Since Alana was up twice last night (ugh), I should join them here soon. Here's to hoping I can get more than six posts in this month; I'll have nothing to do in Greece but eat and blog, right?

how cute is this girl!?!

my welcome home hug - huge smiles!

how the latter half of the day went

more housecoat