Topic: USA/World_Trips
Greece's Hotel Greca
Here are a few thoughts about this country and its people: HOTEL GRECA is continuing to give great service to folks who visit Athena. The morning manager and bookeeper is Yiannis. Every morning when I come down to the reception lobby he is playing card games on the computer (that is the only program that this computer has!) and he, of course is smoking. He can speak at least 5 languages-Greek, English, French, German, Spanish. He is a very kind person but has an intention tremour that makes his writing a bit difficult to read.
The afternoon manager is Spiro-a very happy fellow and a very expressive personality who is married and has one daughter, accountant, who was married for 2 years-no children. Spiro is very worried about her because she has indicated that she is afraid to attempt marriage again. He is very concerned about Thea Maria's health and advises her when he thinks she is too tired togo some place she is considering. Thoma is the night manager and he is married man with 3 children from 12-19. He spends lots of time with them when he is not playing tennis. He is a soft spoken man who hasan easy way about him.
Athena is the maid who cleans all of the room in HOTEL GRECA! She is Roumanian and her husband who is Russian was arrested yesterday because he was born in Russia and doesn't have the proper "papers." She has been making and receiving many phone calls trying to find an attorney who specializes in these affairs.
All 3 of the managers work 7 days per week and are all retired from previous jobs. Many people here retire at age 55to release their jobs for the youth. Most of the young people in their 20s have finished the University but there are no jobs available for them. Some of the people here are abupt in their manner because I believe that they suffer from sleep deprivation. Athens is a night city. People don't go to sleep until 2-3 am but they take an afternoon nap of about 2 hours.This would really be compatible with my body clock. I am able to stay up until midnight but not much later.
Last night was my first shift with the Paralympics. I worked from 4 until 8:30 welcoming people at the gate and then watch the dress rehearsal for the Opening Ceremonies-beautiful. I highly recommend watching it on TV. I hope it is carried in the U.S. There are 120 countries represented-the most that have ever attended the Parolympics which has been in existence for about 12 years. To make it more accessible to more people they did not ask for an entrance fee. The opening ceremonies are sold out! Because of the success of the Olympics I believe that more people will attend the Paralympics than they expected. Hopefully this will make up for some of the debt incurred because so many people didn't attend because of the fear propaganda especially in England and the USA.
Santorini was everything we had expected and then some. Our hotel with breakfast included was centrally located in the capitol city of Fira. Chris and I took a a 7 hour archeological tour of the island which is a volcano. There are hotels on the side of the volcano with magnificent views. The sunset into the sea is beautiful. The fresh fish is delicious. We met an iconographer working in the large church. He paints beautiful images of the saints. I took a dip into the sea at the red (iron causes the redness) beach. Wines are delicious. Many grapes and fig trees. Rai sins were drying on the ground. We attended a concert featuring a quartet from Prague. Flute, violin, cello and piano-many nice selections and they ended with excerts from Bernstein's WEST SIDE STORY." What a treat!!!
This was part of a series of summer concerts created by Athena Capodistriou, pianist.She was there and introduced the quartet. During intermission we were treated to cheese, wine and bread cubes. The catamaran ride was 5 hours to Santorini. Movies on board, gift shop and snack bar with crunchy delicious spanakopita (spinach & feta pie.) It is like a plane ride with stewardesses who are very helpful and polite.
More later.
Me polli agapi, Eleni
