Happy New Year!

I'm bursting at the seams, I have so much in my head that I want to write down. I'm in Greece now, Volos to be specific - a town by the sea in Thessaly. It's a beautiful day, but to be honest I haven't been out in the sun for days, pathetically. I'm alone in Efi's flat - and alone for the first time since I arrived here. There is a home for people with heart problems across the way out the window and in the summer you can see them lounging on the balcony, but it's too cold now. People don't have washing machines here so I have some socks and a tee shirt soaking in the sink, and I turned on the hot water a few minutes ago in preparation for a shower. Us Americans are too indulgent with our energy - you only really need hot water a couple times a day - why do we keep the boiler on all the time?

I arrived two weeks ago to Thessaloniki - the second largest city in Greece. It's a pretty city, flanked on all sides by the ruins of a Byzantine wall and abutting the sea. The symbol of the city is a tower built by the Turks called the White Tower - so named after a Jewish prisoner gained freedom by whitewashing the massive tower. The weather was beautiful there and Efi and I spend some days walking around. One day we took a bus up crazy winding streets to the Byzantine fortress on the hill high in the city to admire the view.

Frankly, my vacation here is nothing more than pure indulgence. We eat great food at Tavernas and Tipperathicas, lounge around on Efi's floor playing cards and backgammon and drinking wine, and sleep late. It's more indulgent for me, however, as she is at her school now while I relax at her abode. Haha.

Now for a couple quick observations and I'll wrap up for now and continue my missive about Greece later - while we were in a fast food place in Thessaloniki, gangster rap was blasting unedited to the ears of families - but no one noticed because Greeks universally cannot understand the lyrics of rap. We sat in a bar a couple nights ago drinking brown ale with one of Efi's friends and he emphasized and re-emphasized to me that men should not trust women except for their mother, and every time I looked out the window of the bar I saw the same lorry going by. I felt as if I were trapped in a dark, smokey and slightly inebriated loop.

MUSIC - Smoking Popes