No this wasn't Cybele being sacrificed to the gods; it was the Fire Jumping festivities on the eve of St. John the Baptist Feast Day. All the saints have one, those lucky ducks. We arrived around dusk, and there was traditional dancing, free open grilled octopus, free drink, and culminated with live traditional Greek music. The fire jumping is a yearly tradition. If one jumps over it three times, it brings them good luck for the year. Of course most of the college students did it, and Cybele summoned up the courage to do it all three times, first with Cathie, then with me, then with one of the students. Aran decided he was too clumsy to risk tripping face first into the flames, so he didn't try it. It looks much more dangerous than it actually was, but then again, some kid, maybe 10-11, landed a little too close and fell backward into trailing coals. He was immediately dragged away and patted down. He was fine, just freaked out. That minor mishap didn't do anything to dissuade anyone else, as there was some dude who did a handstand flip over the flames 3 times, a bunch of little kids going crazy running around, through, and over. Most of the time the flames were not as high as in the pictures, more like a smoldering fire that one could roast marshmallows on. Someone would stoke it by throwing dried herbs on it. There was also dancing to the traditional music just off to the right beyond the frame of the picture. We certainly are immersed in the local culture. What an experience!

I forgot to add this picture to the earlier post. Cathie thought maybe that I'd been stuck with Dmitri with no hope of escaping, so she walked slowly enough so we caught up. He was very opinionated about politics, WW II and the Greeks, the environment, etc, but I found it all very fascinating. In fact, I did manage to use my iPhone and record a lot of his stories and facts related to what he knew of the history of the area. When I told her I was fine, she moved ahead to catch up with the group, which included Cybele and Aran. They, by the way, were great about keeping up and staying interested. I think they had a good time. We were all pretty exhausted upon arriving into Lefkes. The paths were pretty rugged.

One of the history lessons I learned from Dmitri related to how old the walls along the paths were. Many of the stones were black, and he said they were the real ancient stones, dating back almost 20 centuries--2000 years ago. We were walking on paths that old. Isn't that awesome?

Getting primed for the upcoming days of walking, and cleaning some of the ancient paths in the hills of Paros, near Lefkes.

Yesterday, the group, with two guides, was bussed into the hills and dropped off to walk one of the paths back into Lefkes. The day was a prelude about the flora and fauna that grow wild. There was a plethora of herbs, including thyme, oregano, and sage all along the paths. The scents were amazing.

As you can see, the paths wind along the hillsides. Dmitri, one of our guides, was quite an interesting character. I walked with him the entire way back into Lefkes (seen in the distance), and was regaled with my own personal history lesson. He is a municipal police office for the island during the day, but is an amateur actor/historian in his spare time. You'll notice we got so far behind that the group was no longer in sight. It didn't matter as I knew I'd catch up eventually as I was with someone who knew where he was.

Inconsequential-but-cool-nonetheless-Tom Hanks-in-Parikia-sighting yesterday. Attsa right. Tom Hanks was in a car pulling out of a parking spot just as Cathie, Cybele, Susan, a couple student and I were walking past. No one noticed him but me, and that was by accident. I heard the car start as I walked by, glanced over. His wife and son were with him. He had a ball cap on and sunglasses, but looked as normal as anyone. We were nonchalant about it, didn't yell out or say anything to respect his privacy. Susan said that he bought a house over in Antiparos, the next island to the southwest, a short ferry ride and that they love coming to Paros and Parikia. We had heard from a reliable source that he was in town. Tom actually participated in a dig with Susan's husband Bob a few years ago on Antiparos while vacationing after filming The DaVinci Code.

As Curly of the 3 Stooges so aptly put it, woobwoobwoob!

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Last night (Monday) we were lucky to witness an usually beautiful sunset, courtesy of a southern wind coming off the Sahara Desert! When winds come from the south, according to John Pack, the local area resident artist, it sweeps in off the Sahara, bringing with it sands from the desert. In turn, these sands get mixed in with the clouds, producing breathtaking views at sunset. Denise, who owns the local gelatto store that faces the west, told us that in the seven years she's been here, she's never seen it look that beautiful. So we were very lucky to be here.

Plus, it's romantic as hell!

OOPS! Angie reports that Bele's YouTube link I gave you isn't the right one. Try this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7zyAZXr0Bw

The opening was supposed to begin about 7:00 or so, but for reasons unknown to me or others with us, it didn't start until almost 8:00. It began with one of the local priests blessing the people, including the dignitaries, musicians, bldg., etc., but it lasted a good 15 minutes. Speeches abounded after that, all in Greek of course. The shot of the white bldg on the hill is the monastery that overlooks the bay. You can also see how long we were there waiting for the good stuff--food and drink.