Greeks Bear Gifts

It seems to be the way of Greeks.
At our first lunch stop in Athens we were ushered to a table which was placed near a fan. The greeter then made sure we had a glass of wine as a welcome gift from him. He delivered a basket of bread and we ordered lunch. After lunch he brought a plate of sliced and peeled watermelon, no charge.

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In Kos we went to dinner at a place recommended by Howard and Polly. When the drinks were ordered, several who had red wine noticed that it was cloudy and not good tasting. Polly very kindly asked the waiter what he thought of the wine and, after he tasted it, he said it definitely was not good. He brought another carafe of good looking red wine and said he wouldn't charge us for any of the drinks – and he kept his word! I had a wonderful sample dinner of moussaka, stuffed tomato, dolmades, and meatballs.

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The little grocery store next to the marina is handy for picking up supplies. It is run by Kostos, a typical Greek, tall and dark (greying), gregarious and fun. He greets each customer and acts busy while we shop. When I got to the till he came rushing up and then request that I just give him a couple of minutes because he is under so much pressure. I kindly say that would be no problem, I'm not in a rush. So he busies himself but a few seconds later he has a bottle of ouzo on the counter and 3 small glasses. He says we're such lovely ladies we should have a moment with him. Marg declines but says she will have a taste of mine. So he pours a small supply for me and a larger one for himself, adds water and we salute each other. “Yammis”.

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Next morning Jim and I go to the grocery store. I am in the next room and I hear him tell Jim that he's lucky to have such a lovely lady. Jim agrees, and Kostos wonders how Jim got so lucky, and then suggest that maybe Jim is a lucky catch too.

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One afternoon Marg and I thought we'd go find the plane tree under which Hippocrates was supposed to have taught his students. We found one sign but couldn't tell which way to go when we got to an intersection. Nearby was a cafe so I asked the greeter for directions and he pointed us up the hill. On our return down the hill we decided we'd better return the favour and have a coffee there. Then we had to ask him which kind of cold coffee was the best. He showed us the billboard with several types, and said the Frappe coffee was the Greek national coffee drink. Okay with us. Of course our secondary reason for coffee was to also use the restroom. When I returned from the restroom Marg was sitting there with 2 tall glasses of coffee with heavy foam on the top (and a shake of cinnamon), a little bowl of small biscottes, and a bottle of water which he had thrown in for free.
From our vantage point we could sit and chat and watch the activities of the waterfront.

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One morning, Marg and I walked to a grocery store about 4 blocks from the beach. We bought 75E of groceries. Marg asked the grocer lady to interpret the instructions on a box of crepes. I also asked for help selecting feta. When we were checking out she asked us if we had an ice box and we replied yes. So then she said 'just a minute' and rushed to a freezer and brought us a litre of chocolate and vanilla ice cream – as a gift. Maybe not many people spend so much money there? We thanked her, ' efhcaristo' and happily rushed home to put it in our freezer.

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Our last day on Kos. (that rhymes with boss)
We walked down to old town again, it is always full of interesting shops and people.
We had a few items to purchase before we sail off to Patmos. One item we hoped to find was a piece of fabric that would be good in the bottom of the dinghy. The dinghy floor is getting very tacky from sitting in this southern sun and it wouldn't be good for feet or shoes. We asked at a few stores and were directed up the street until finally we walked into a shop with big old sewing machines and some fabric. I told the man what we wanted and it took a while for him to understand but then he pulled out a fabric that I thought was okay. Marg and Jim looked at it too and thought it would be a good choice. We asked 'how much'. He said 'nothing, just take it'. We were amazed, and then he pulled out another piece of fabric that was sail cloth with grommets around the edge. Now we thought that would be good too – and he said 'take it'. We said we'd be happy to give him something and despite his protests gave him 5 euro. (He laughed and said he'd go buy some Canadian ice cream). So his generous gesture went for naught but we will remember the tailor who supplied us with fabrics for the dinghy.

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A visit to the island of Lefkata and another experience. We strolled down the street of our little village by the bay. A small pickup stopped and we noticed two Greek ladies go to the vehicle. In the back of the truck were fresh vegetables. Jim went to investigate and indicated his interest. I followed and the handsome young driver handed Jim a cucumber to 'take, take'. Marg came along and was impressed with this simple way of shopping for fresh food and she pick up 4 large, fresh potatoes. They cost 50 cents. We did all this without really communicating in either language but we had fun – and now we add cucumbers as a gift from a Greek.

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I know the saying is 'Beware of' but we have enjoyed their generosity.