GREEK CULTURE

PART III: Celebrating Our Differences

One thing I have realized over and over again as I age — there is still so much for me to learn about the world. I’m so thankful we had an outstanding tour manager to guide our awesome Gate1Travel group. Have you ever felt like you were in the company of royalty? Well, everywhere we went, restaurateurs, shop owners, other guides rushed to greet our guide with hugs and kisses. Constantino made everything fun and interesting no matter where we went — from learning traditional Greek dances to watching the magnificent Evzones, an elite infantry, changing the Guards at the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier and the Presidential Mansion in Athens.

There were 30 other amazing people in our tour group. Most were from the United States, but a few were from Australia and Canada. Since the rest were couples, Kathy, Sheryl and I were soon dubbed “The Golden Girls.” Ha! Astonishing to me, most of them had been on MANY (like 8-10) Gate1 trips before this one.

Photo Credit: Nan Leider

One night Constantino and I had fun signing & exchanging our books. I’m thrilled knowing my lighthearted stories about aging made him laugh and might be traveling around Greece somewhere now.

One of the things I enjoyed most about the people in Greece was their carefree attitude. Whether you lost your luggage like we did or were nervous about eating lunch on the beach under incoming jets, you were greeted with “No Worries.”

“Is it okay to sit here?”

“No Worries.”

“We’re Americans.”

“Yes, I can tell. No worries.”

“In America they tell us ‘You should worry.’”

“Here we know there’s always another hole to fill.”

But if one does find themselves worrying in Greece, they can always pick up an Evil Eye on pottery, t-shirts, jewelry, hats, purses, scarves for protection . The 4 concentric circles in the shape of an eye are believed to ward off evil intentions, the negative energy caused by someone else’s jealousy.

They say the Evil Eye symbol has increased in popularity recently because of New Age religion and the debt crisis in Greece.

The Evil Eye bracelet I bought myself as a souvenir.

Attention cat lovers! Another unique thing about Greece and the islands is the number of feral cats roaming around. Although the Aegean cat, a medium-sized, long muscular cat with green eyes, is not an official breed in the world, it is a national treasure in Greece.

Photo Credit: Sheryl Pfeifer

I couldn’t believe it. I am known for a “funny” tummy here at home, but in Greece I felt great. The Mediterranean diet of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, hummus, cheese, olive oil, and pasta must be just what I need. Whoa! Dinners were at least 4 courses long, however. I found out I love Greek salad topped with feta cheese. Others loved beginning their mornings with Greek yogurt, fresh blueberries and honey right from the comb. I did have to laugh one night when one tour member covered the face of her fresh fish with a tomato.

I understand a lot of other European countries don’t display their national flags as much as the United States does. But Greece might raise theirs even more. Their blue & white flag with its white cross and 9 stripes flies over churches, stores, boats everywhere. The white cross in the upper left corner symbolizes Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the 9 stripes represent the 9 syllables of “Freedom or Death.” (e-le-fthe-ri-a iThe-na-tos)

A row of flags stands in front of The Marble Stadium, where the Panathenaic Games, a religious & athletic festival, was held honoring Athena in 4th C. BC. The Summer Olympics were held in the refurbished stadium in 2004.

When I was a child, I loved listening to Roger & Hammerstein’s musical South Pacific, fantasizing about the mystical island of Bali Hai where they sang “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught To Hate and Fear…” But as I was walking in the Aegean Sea a couple weeks ago, I heard a new verse crashing against the rocks — “You’ve Got To Be Carefully Taught To Love and Trust…” I thought to myself, “We can do this.”

It’ll Be OK.

~~~

“ 1 Universe, 9 Planets, 204 Countries, 809 Islands, 7 Seas — and I had the privilege of meeting you.” ~ Anonymous

COMMENT: WHAT IS SOMETHING YOU’VE LEARNED FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY?