Sat 29.Dec.2012
Rhodes, Greece
As in most of Europe, Christmas in Greece is a two-day legal holiday. For me, that
meant that I needed to make do when the laundromat, like everything else, was
closed for Boxing Day as well as Christmas itself. The holy-day season has been
disruptive to my clothes cycle.
Anyway, this is a second page of pictures from that sparkling Christmas Day.
As usual, I was treated to a delicious turkey and pilaf Christmas dinner,
a gift from my hosts' sweet mama. A generous portion by any standards, it was
a full-tilt holiday pig out for this season of dieting.
Frustratingly, the scale at the farmakeio is broken -
the one I have been using to track my weight. I have learned how
"out of service" reads in Greek, but I miss the feedback.
Interestingly service is the same word (leitourgei)
as in "church service", a similar quirk to English, and an insight
to the etymology of "liturgy".
I have abandoned my intention to see The Hobbit again in 3D.
I'd have done it for more Hobbit, but I can't work up the enthusiasm
for this Indiana-Jones-in-Shire-clothing.
The breakwater of Mandraki harbor runs north from St Paul Gate,
ending at the doe-on-a-pillar that, together with it's stag counterpart,
frames the harbor entrance where the Colossus of Rhodes is said to have stood.
St Nicholas' Fort is out here. Boatloads of cats live among the rocks
on the ocean side of the breakwater. The harbor side is lined with docks and
yachts.
Back on shore, square - i.e. old - towers frame the Liberty Gate.
The gate itself was added by the Italians to connect the Mandraki and
Kolonna harborfront roads through a corner of the old city. They deliberately
kept the gate design in harmony with the medieval architecture around it.
So here we are in The Week Between; the old year is effectively past,
the new one not yet here.
Happy Moment Out Of Time to everybody!