Sea Bath

Yesterday we went for a "Sea Bath," or what we commonly refer to as "going to the beach."  It was a little beach called Lekopetra about 35km South of Patra.  It was a perfect day and I relaxed and read in a beach chair, under an umbrella, while Brian played volleyball in the water with his coaches' kids and paddle ball with his team manager Fotis.  The water here is calm, no waves, and it is the perfect temperature to just relax and float along.  It is not the crystal blue clear waters that surround the islands but it is still wonderful.  I could really get used to this.  I think it is a common Sunday excursion until it gets too cold so hopefully we will get to enjoy the beaches for a few more weeks.  People in Greece really know how to relax.  After the beach we went to an adorable restaurant overlooking the water.  We ate a ridiculous amount of food, again, and then headed home to relax some more.  Fotis joked that the Greeks invented so many things because all they did all day (in ancient times) was lay in the sun, get fed by their servants and come up with things to do, like build the Acropolis!  You kind of had to  be there but the way he put it was hilarious.  

The eating patterns here are quite bizarre.  Nobody eats breakfast (or at least we have not witnessed it nor been able to find a restaurant that serves anything but coffee and toast in the morning), then people have coffee in the afternoon, a HUGE lunch around 2 or 3, and maybe a light dinner around 10pm.  By lunch time Brian and I are starving and about ready to pull eachothers hair out but are either out of groceries (our refrigerator is about the size of the one I had in my 12x12 dorm room freshman year of college) or cannot decide on a restaurant to go eat (or the one we want is closed!).  (Side note - I might get this wrong but Mon. & Wed. everything closes around 2pm for the day.  Tues. Thurs. Fri. everything closes from 1:30ish-5ish and then re-opens until around 8 or 9.  Sun. everything is closed.  As you can imagine, you have to be really on top of when you are going to go shopping).  We have begun to sincerely appreciate the availability of food in the States, from giant super markets with everything imaginable (including pre-made meals) to our quick favorite eating spots, eating here is either a 2hr social event or a private cooking bonanza at home.  Neither one necessarily suits either of our personalities yet and we are amazed that there are not EVEN MORE obese people in the states, what with all the amazing available food at their fingertips WHENEVER they want it!