So we have been hanging out in Patras waiting for our official US Coast Guard boat documents to arrive. Even though we filled out our renewal forms well ahead of time, the official document just arrived at our US mailing address, one month after expiration. The Italians didn’t notice, but the Greeks did. “FedEx Overnight” means something different here in Europe. We don’t mind.
Although there isn’t a ton of touristy things here, we have been having a great time. The Greeks are incredibly generous with visitors. Our new friend Demetrius drove Greg in his personal car to a hardware store so Greg could buy parts to make a passarelle, and later that night he drove us to his wife’s clothing store, where they bestowed on us gifts for our children and about 3 shots each of tsipouro, which packs quite a punch. We also learned about the colorful people at the marina, including a guy who walks the docks in a different shade of bandana every day, matching his shirt and shoes, whom everyone calls, “Uncle.” We came back to our boat in time to catch a concert by one of Greece’s greatest singers, Eleonora Zouganeli, right outside our boat at the marina. The next morning, Demetrius bestowed upon us some of his hand-pressed olive oil. “Just a little bit” apparently means 5 liters! Mel may have to revise her description of the Mediterranean Diet for her patients…
Anticipating future requirements to med-moor, Greg assembled a passarelle, which is a ramp you put on your boat to get to shore, out of a ladder and laminate flooring. Cost of parts to make a homemade passarelle: 110 Euros. Not getting stuck buying something really overpriced just because it is part of the marine industry: Priceless.
We have been hitting the books hard with our homeschool. For the curious, an update on our homeschool curriculum for the next year is here. Didn’t want to put it on the regular post page – it’s not as fun as the other stuff!
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