Visit to a Greek Island (Pyrogas)

NOVEMBER 16—We were up early to meet Lateras , Barbara, and Chrysanthus at 9:00 a.m. after breakfast in the hotel. We drove in a van along the highway through a modern city. We saw rocky mountains, red soil like southern Utah, and blocks of marble for sale. We passed bushes with orange flowers, alfalfa fields, and vineyards. My favorite scene was a little Greek village in the hills with houses made of white stucco and red tile roofs. We caught a ferry to an island where Lateras’s parents lived. They lived in a small home with a garden with peppers, grape vines, a pomegranate tree, celery, and peppermint. Strands of colorful beads hung over the entrance. Lateras’s mother showed us her beautiful crocheted work. Next we saw the vacation home for Lateras. They had a small farm with a garden of cabbage and lettuce. Large roosters and sheep were in pens. The island had small dirt roads and seemed peaceful and quiet. We walked along the beach to the restaurant and collected shells. Dave skipped rocks on the ocean. Lots of trash was washed up on the beach. Many Greek families had a boat in their yard. At the restaurant we ate a lunch of spinach in olive oil, crusty bread, coleslaw, olives, calamari, a small whole fish (white meat with tiny bones). The bones were hard to remove, but it tasted fresh. Lateras’s father loved eating the head. (He thought it was the best part.) I had French fries with catsup. We saw an orange and lime tree outside the restaurant. We rode the ferry back at 4:00 and I fell asleep. Barbara knew some shortcuts so we got back at 8:00.