*** Novella alert! *** OK, folks, strap in with a big glass of wine, ouzo, grappa, retsina....your beverage of choice! Yamas/Cheers! This is one exceedingly long entry. This is a compilation of emails I sent from Greece when I moved over in 2006. Many people who received these then passed them along to people I don't even know, so I guess they were enjoyable and somewhat entertaining. The crazy American girl in the Greek isles! I will start in order from arrival in Oia to my return to Charlotte, NC. Just some of my very casual and raw writing. Happy reading!
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Prequel email 2006
Ginger's moving from NC
across the ocean...
Hello all,
Well, here's the email I
have been hoping to put out to everyone since October when I went to Oia
village on Santorini island in the Cyclades Islands group in Greece, and fell
in love with the place!
Barring any unforeseen
circumstances, the two dogs and I (with, get this, a mere two checked pieces of
luggage, a carry-on bag and a small personal item) are slated to fly out of the
US to Santorini in April. I plan to mail over a few boxes of personal and
sentimental items to make my home there more "homey." I won't have a
Greece cell phone number until I get there to set it up.
If any of you in the
Charlotte area knows anyone looking to buy a wonderful townhome in a great
location--this market is moving for my townhome community right now--let me
know at xxx. Mine is up For Sale By Owner, but I have a fabulous real
estate friend handling everything. He will offer a great deal to the buyer,
too, assuming the buyer is not represented by an agent.
The deal is I will be
managing and marketing a small boutique hotel (nine rooms) in the renovated
museum in Oia village (the northern point of the island renowned for the
world's best sunsets off its western side!) and the spa, which is the village's
first true spa. Anyone who saw my photo album online from the October trip: Oia
village within about a one-mile radius, if that, was where 98% of those photos
were taken.
Here's the hotel link, but
the Web site is currently being revamped, and a spa Web site is being built. It
was a fluke I got the job; I stayed in touch with a few people I met there and
sent over a resume in January just for the heck of it. This particular property
draws mainly Americans, Canadians and Australians. Thus, me the
English-speaking American with an extensive marketing background. Of course, my
Greek employer and I will attempt to obtain a work permit (which is NOT easy
for Americans or foreigners because the European unemployment rate is so bad
now; they are supposed to put Greeks/Europeans in as many jobs as they can),
etc. I have a foreigners-assistance consultant in Athens who specializes in
cutting through red tape there, so...we shall see. I have an attorney friend
there also who has been wonderful researching different portions of the law
from her end (Many thanks to Maria! We will now be working on your marketing
with me actually in Greece instead of the US!).
I think that is all for
now; it has been a difficult decision because it is such a big move, but a
wonderful experience I cannot pass up for however long it may last. At the
moment, I am looking at it as a possibility for a good while, perhaps traveling
a bit or whatever comes along in the low season (winter months) but keeping a
home base on the island. High season (major tourism, great weather, higher
prices for hotels etc.) runs April to October. Of course, I am trying to get my
own photography (mainly of the Greek Isles) gig going on the side...
I expect visitors!!!!! :)
Cheers,
Ginger
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| Caldera view off my cavehouse's patio in Oia village |
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Interior of cavehouse facing caldera off patio through door |
Travel
Hi everyone,
How are ya'll? Ti kanis?
Saturday:
First of all, until I am
able to get my laptop connected at the office to use skype.com for phone calls,
my mobile is (from US) 011 30 697 868 0953. Went with my American girlfriend
Tracy to Fira (capital city) today to get a mobile phone, TV, DVD, more groceries.
Read on because it has been a long haul getting to this point and feeling
somewhat normal and settled. The best news is the dogs seem to have adjusted
(see below) and did not bark and disrupt Oia's tranquility while I was away
today. I guess they have realized this is "home" and mom WILL return
every time I leave. :) They weren't so sure in the beginning. Plus, I brought
home peanut butter this time!
This afternoon right now
is siesta time from 3 to 6 p.m.; I am FINALLY sitting on my veranda drinking a
little wine and enjoying my caldera view! The rest of this e was written last
night...it's a synopsis of the journey thusfar...yes, I think I am going to
write a book about this experience and try to get it published, not to mention
the photography aspect. Extremely excited about my opportunities for writing
and photography here, alongside my regular job, which should be a beautiful
opportunity because Tracy is linked in to Alex's hotels here as an investor and
will probably buy the entire thing out within 5-7 years!
Job-wise, I believe I am
working (during high season) 10-ish hour days. Alex and I have not had a chance
to discuss any business yet, but I got this info from Tracy today. I get
Sundays off (it is RARE to get any days off in high season because it is SO
busy here then but she told him as an American I am going to demand a day off,
so he agreed already....scuba diving, winery, hot springs time!), so I am
thankful. Then on the other six days, I take siesta time from 3 to 6, so I can
come sit in the sun, eat, play with the dogs, whatever. Basically, I will work
from about 8 or 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.; do siesta; work from 6 to 9ish...then play
and eat dinner. Dinner is usually 11-p.m.-ish. Yes, I am a night person, so
this works for me! :)
Friday:
Well, where to start?!?!
Let's see...it's a novella. I am a writer by trade, remember?! This is a bit
verbose because many of you have asked for that. For everyone else, speed read!
:) I AM the Greek version of "Under the Tuscan Sun" and my cavehouse is
literally on the cliffside above the pier etc. of Ammoudi Bay and the small
pier from "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" (all the Greek scenes
in that movie are in Oia, my home village, which is about one square mile).
Here I am with two Cocker
Spaniels living in my cavehouse on the cliffside of Oia village. For anyone who
saw my photography from Oia last October, I am as far down the cliffside as you
can get (last section of houses) from the three blue-domed roofs on the famous
chapel shot. I am two cavehouses over from the three bells and also the
cross-on-top shots in which I had zoomed in on the bells and the cross, then
shot a solo cross. I would say I am about 500 or 600 feet down the incredible
1,100-foot cliffside living at the bottom of the most and TINIEST stone steps
you can imagine. I will develop outstanding calf and thigh muscles. Count on
it! The steps right on down to my cavehouse are about 10 inches wide. I will
say, alas, it is amazing being right here, and not for vacation only...
BUT, for the first 24
hours here, I was convinced this is the craziest thing I have ever done. Was
very shaky on my decision. Tonight, my second night, after spending three hours
in the main Ecoroma Holidays office (it ain't the W Hotel) using the computers
to access the Internet while surrounded with others who work for Alex including
about six young girls from Holland doing tourism internships, a German, one
Aussie, several Greeks, one South African, my American girlfriend who is here
from Chicago (Tracy rents a home here year-round and is over about 4-5 months
annually), a Bulgarian, etc., I started feeling it! :) Plus, my office won't be
in Ecorama, but will be in the Hotel Museum and Santorini Premium Spa...a world
of difference from the very small and VERY chaotic Ecorama office (it is in the
small bus-stop [read tourist] hub of Oia). But these folks from all over the
world surrounding me at all times...this is why I am here. Besides being
completely intrigued and enamored with the Greek lifestyle, particularly on the
isles, I have all this world culture at my fingertips. These people are all
great. The only complaint they have is when Tracy and I speak English, we talk
too fast. What did we say?! Well, of course, when we hear all these foreign
conversations, we think the same thing...triple-fold!
Let me back up regarding
the trip: I left NC at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Arrived in NYC at 8:30 a.m. Both dogs
in separate crates had obviously had accidents even though they had been out to
potty several times before the flight. It was their first flight. Ugh!!!!!
Well, I spent an hour in the Delta office's ladies' room cleaning crates and
sheepswool padding for the crates with (luckily) Nature's Miracle cleanser
which I had hand-carried. Otherwise we would have been screwed because the dogs
had to use those crates and those paddings for another 10 hours of flying,
bless their little confused hearts. After getting everyone and thing cleaned
up, we had to get from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1 at JFK and NO ONE would take us...I
could see it 500 yards away, but I could not humanly on my own manage to pull
two baggage-cart thingies over plus manage the dogs. I ended up paying $30 US
to a guy who roams JFK to help with odd baggage requests...so two dogs, me, two
dog crates, and five pieces of luggage made it to our terminal. No cabs would
take us because the fare was not high enough to bother; no porters as promised
by Delta on the phone a month previous because they are not allowed to go from
terminal to terminal...NOTHING. We got to Olympic's terminal and sat from 10:30
a.m. until 1:30 p.m. (couldn't leave my baggage unattended as a solo traveler);
checked in with Olympic, let them keep the dog crates, took a one-hour stroll
outside the terminal; turned the dogs in at 4 p.m.; finally ate food in the
airport and had a well-deserved beer; boarded to depart the US at 5:20 p.m.
Wednesday. Olympic Airlines was awesome helping me and the dogs; MUCH better
than Delta.
On to Athens. We arrive
after nine hours. Again, as soon as I entered the terminal to exchange money
right there which is where I always do and where anyone visiting should do so
on your right at the currency exchange, right before you pick up luggage, the
dogs were already off the baggage carousel waiting on me (with Koal barking to
assure I would find him. He IS a momma's boy!). I found a porter in Athens
Airport instantly and for $10 US was treated like a queen. We gathered all my
five luggages and dogs, cleared customs, took the dogs outside to play and do
their business, got them water, took the dogs to the guys to put them on the
flight to Santorini, checked me back in, and got on our way. The dogs were
actually right behind the passengers' seats on this tiny plane to Santorini
and, of course, Koal was barking incessantly. He had a VERY hard time with the
stress from flying; Klaire did rather well. The flight attendant agreed to let
me come back to sit with him and feed them ice on the 50-minute flight to the
island. She literally pulled open a curtain in the back of the plane and that
is where all the flight's luggage (the MAJORITY of which was my luggage; if you
stay in Athens first and then come to Santorini on Olympic you are only allowed
44 pounds of luggage total including carry-on weight; since I came internationally
from NYC on Olympic I was allowed two 70-pound bags and two carryons; remember
that if anyone comes over to visit) and my two dog kennels were stacked.
Anyway, we reached Santorini after 25 hours of travel (counting nearly nine
hours in JFK). Ah.....we arrived! Ecorama had two co-workers there with a van
to meet me. Lovely girls!
Luckily, the two guys from
the Ecorama office lugged my luggage and dog crates WAY down to my cavehouse.
There is NO way I could have managed it, literally, where I am located. I am
taking the guys out for ouzo (drinks)! Two Albanians who had no clue of
anything I was saying...but loved my dogs! So, the Holland girls and Marga from
Switzerland--they all hold the dogs, walk them etc. Besides the barking (read
on), these dogs are royalty in this village!!!
I got settled for an hour
Thursday and went to the small and very expensive market in Oia at the bus
stop. If anyone comes here, use the markets on the inner village streets or
better yet, in Fira...less expensive. Anyway, to my dismay, when I returned,
the Greek neighbor in the cavehouse above me informed me (not particularly in a
nice tone) that Koal had barked the ENTIRE time I was gone. Not good! I am sure
it's because they were in a new place and had no clue what was going on; I PRAY
as they get used to where they are they will let me out of their sight and not
bark. Anyway, it was bad news for the day and very stressful because Oia is
known for its peacefulness. I am trying to figure out how to work this out
since it is the only caveat at this point. For now, I am taking them with me
everywhere which means I am not eating out yet at tavernas which I
love...although the most delicious patisserie allowed them in tonight for me to
get take-away (to go) lemon pie (which was out of this world).
OK, so I stayed up my
first night here until 2 a.m. cleaning the house a little before I unpacked my
luggage. It's probably 400 square feet, if that, but the view is AMAZING! It IS
the pictures you see from Santorini. There is NO storage here, and I still have
nine 30-lb. boxes en route with all kinds of goodies...toiletries (expensive
and hard to find here), dog food and toy box, candles (expensive here and I
LOVE candles), other clothes/shoes, photos etc. I'll make it work!
I finally got 11 hours of
sleep, which means at this writing moment I have had 15 hours' sleep out of 85
hours.
I was frustrated because I
brought my iPod, speakers, electric stuff, etc. for the house; I bought all the
converters etc.; got here and found recessed wall outlets meaning my converters
with two prongs European won't QUITE reach into the outlets. Scott is sending
me these additional pieces to make this work. What this means is my first night
I felt TOTALLY cut off from the world--no music on the iPod, no TV in the house
yet, no Internet, no cell (mobile here, they have no idea what the term
"cell phone" means), no home phone....veryyyyyyyyyy quiet and
veryyyyyyy remote. My boss gave me one adapter piece tonight to use for the
converters. Made me quite happy! I have music!!!! It's all about the simple
things in life, which is what I expected here!
Tonight after hanging out
at the office and checking email there and using the phone for 3-4 hours, I
came home at 10 p.m., turned on my iPod speakers, lit the candles, and poured
the wine (island "house" wine, which I love comes in about a gallon
for $5 US). Delicious! Bottles of wine are pricey here. (Oia is not cheap; it
is known as the most ritzy, sophisticated village of all the Greek Isles.)
Anyway, I was sitting here by candlelight with the view eating my pasta and
lemon pie (yummy, did I mention from the patisserie), drinking wine and
listening to my iPod shuffle when "Phantom of the Opera" came on
along with my favorite songs from Sade amid the mix of the 2,600 songs I
downloaded from my CD collection, when it hit me...I am feeling this!
Tomorrow, Tracy is taking
me to Fira (capital city about 8 miles away) to get a mobile phone (I will send
along the number). If I get a home phone line and Internet at the cavehouse, it
will be a LONG and tedious process, I have been told. My boss suggests I bring
my Apple laptop into the Spa office daily, write and answer e's, and use
Skype.com there, which is what I will be doing for a while. Not to mention I am
turning all the foreigner coworkers here on to Skype.com; they love the idea
and did not know of it. Plus, my InDesign, Photoshop etc. for marketing is on
my Apple computer.
As for the
cavehouse--interesting...
1. The doorways into the
house and my bedroom and the ceiling in the "water closet" which is
just that (a large closet-type area with a window off my veranda enclosing a
sink, mirror, hand shower nozzle, and toilet [which you are not supposed to
flush toilet tissue down in Greece, but I do--I'm American!] are about 5'6''. I
cracked my head pretty good entering my bedroom the first day...not used to
doorways shorter than me.
2. Note: I am going to
have a hard time with this water closet thing! Weird.
3. Everyone around keeps
telling me what an awesome house I have! I guess for a Greek isle it's a good
one! Huh!!!!! It is cute! AND it's growing on me! The view is truly amazing,
which is what I wanted. And I will get in awesome shape climbing up and down
the stairs daily! And if I am carrying groceries from the market, heaven help
me. I found that out yesterday! :(
It's strange but
satisfying walking down the streets in the daytime among tourists and hearing
everyone talk about how amazing Oia is, how it is everything they have dreamed
of...I get tons of attention from tourists and residents who see the dogs
walking with me...it's like a billboard saying I live here, they hear me
speaking English, and start talking...no Americans live here hardly and it is
surprising to everyone that asks to find out that I indeed do...it just isn't
done! I did go meet Chris in person in www.atlantisbooks.org
(or .com, can't remember and I can't check on the Internet from home yet where
I am wriiting this e) right across from my Hotel Museum from Memphis,
Tennessee, yesterday because we have been emailing a month or so...so, I have a
somewhat Southerner here with me. He is very nice.
That's about it for
now...that's more than enough for 72 hours, right?! :) Please all...stay in
touch. I am living for phone calls, snail mail, emails, and visits!!!!!!! I
will send photos of the home, spa and view in the near future...
Yamas (Cheers),
Ginger
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My dogs Klaire and Koal on my patio in Oia |
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First week
Hi all,
It's Tuesday night Greek
time. I hope you don't mind that I send group e's for now. I'm writing these at
home in Text Edit and then using Hassna's USB stick to transfer them to a PC in
the office to send off as e's to you. You become very innovative when need be!
:) My dear friend Louise is sending me a 1-GB USB stick, which I should have
bought prior to the trip but I figured I could plug right in somewhere. NOT!
Let's see. I have not yet
started work. I should start as soon as my computer is set up in the spa
office, maybe in two days. My first priority is to do basic fliers promoting
the spa to put in the village street box out front. It is so different here; I
went today to the spa to offer to help unpack boxes of supplies, candles etc.
The masseuses etc. and the office guys are all there working hard putting the
furniture together, but my boss told me not to. I guess I am
"management" and I don't do that. I decorate, socialize with clients
and advertise. So, as soon as they unpack everything, I get to decorate. It is
going to be a helluva spa for Santorini and really for any Greek isle.
I adore Tsveta, the
Bulgarian masseuse. She and I will be best buddies, I think. She will not be
here in the winter though. She is about 38 or so, beautiful and sweet. In the
photos if I get to send some, she is sitting next to me at dinner with long,
dark hair. There is also a masseuse from Greece, Joanna, who is great. All the
Greeks everywhere are teaching me Greek, and I help with their English. I am
learning about 5-10 words daily. And the people are all so nice. I can't walk
through the village without getting stopped numerous times and given food and
drinks and coffee and you name it. I feel horrible when I am in a hurry and
can't stop because you are to always stop and accept this and chat.
My walk to the spa is
about 3-5 fast minutes upppppppp the steps to the village street; to Ecorama's
tiny office at the bus stop is about 10 minutes without stopping to chat. I
went to sunset today and met two ladies from Kentucky and two Calgary folks to watch
it with. The dogs were along and that is always a spectacle. Everyone loves the
dogs. I have found out the veterinarian here is supposedly not so good
according to my Cuban friend from last October with an English Cocker Spaniel
and Sofia, my Greek friend from October. The island dogs sometimes bark at Koal
and Klaire who are on leashes while the island ones run free -- heaven help us
if we get a dog bite, so I try to be very careful with mine. I was not happy to
hear the vet is not that great. I also have to order grooming shears after all
from the US and learn to cut their Cocker coats. That is going to be a chore.
Klaire hates having her hair done.
Tonight, Tsveta and I were
going to go to dinner to get to know each other. I mentioned it to Alexis
(pronounced Alexi), our boss. Next thing I know at 9 p.m., he had arranged for
20 folks to go to dinner and picked up the bill at a cute little
restaurant--Santorini Mou--with walls decorated with all types of memorabilia
and photos of folks with the owner, including one with Jennifer Aniston. This
is the band Green Day's hangout when here. We had a ball. I will send some
photos. Mainly, it's all the girls and the few guys who work at Ecorama. Every
year about 10 students from Holland come do an internship; about 7 of them are
already here. Plus, all the others who work for Alexis such as myself.
Tracy is taking me to Fira
in the morning again to pick up some other items for the house. At some point,
I will try to get a very cheap, old yet dependable car here most likely. Going
to Fira is excitement! :)
I hope everyone is doing
well...
Cheers and yamas,
Ginger
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Little shrine inside my cavehouse |
Ongoing
Hello, yassou,
Here we are again. Tell me
when you guys get tired of reading these. If I do start work tomorrow, at least
with the marketing aspect, I won't be home and writing so much as night. For
now, it's a relief to do so. I still have mixed feelings daily, it seems. This
morning I awoke at 6:30 a.m., and the first thought was what have I done. I go
back and forth. It's just hard being here alone because it is a very romantic
place! :) I knew that would be very tough. So, again tonight, I came in early
for here at 9 p.m., cooked pasta with fresh tomatoes, garlic and onion. Hanging
out with the dogs! There is always someone to go to dinner with etc., but I
needed a night off. :) Now it's midnight.
Well, when I went to Fira
today, I went by the vet's office, if you can call it that. I was NOT
impressed, and that depressed me even more this a.m. There was a stainless
steel table in the middle of the room; that is the examining (and I assume
surgical) table. Lord help us if the dogs get sick or hurt in any way here.
Seriously. I could not believe it. Then I bought dog food there--a 15-kilo bag
(which I think is about 45 pounds) of a better brand than that at the
market--for a mere 59 euros which is about $70 US. Unbelievable! I have since
heard there is a decent-sized pet store that is cheaper. It had better be! This
will probably last 3-4 months, I hope, but never again will I buy their food at
this vet's.
On top of that, the vet
was not there but her assistant was; I have heard the vet is even less nice to
humans and less compassionate to animals than this assistant. It's a shame
there is not a good and true vet here. The assistant was not even nice after I
spent that kind of money there for food. I inquired about whether they groom
dogs' hair. "Yes, but if you want anything special besides us just shaving
them, you should not come here." And it costs an arm and a leg. I was also
told by the assistant, as my friends had told me, that if the dogs are not
perfectly still (and they have no grooming tables nor the harness apparatus),
they put them out with anesthesia when they shave/cut their hair. Well, that's
not EVER happening, so I will learn to cut their hair even if I have to do it
with scissors. Incredible!
Then I took the bus home
from Fira for 1.10 euros. Quite the trip! The view is awesome but you are up
there on some high and treacherous cliff lines. I did meet a lovely older
couple from New York to share the ride, standing room only.
The good news, and there
is some on two fronts:
1. A businessman I was
introduced to through a friend and whom I saw again today who lives here used
to be a member of the Foreign Press. I haven't had a chance to Google him, but
he is supposed to be an awesome photographer and journalist, although now he
mainly paints, watercolors etc. He has photographed the Cousteaus when they
dive here, scenics, you name it. Now he only does scenic photos mainly for fun,
if any at all. Now he works at the airport in Santorini and does VIP charters
for celebrities, royalty etc., who visit here. He wants me, for my side job if
I can swing it with the day off occasionally to do so, to host these folks and
show them around the island. First up would be Stephen Spielberg and his family
in two weeks. They come here every year, and he does movies here for
Dreamworks. Next might be Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines and Records. So,
that would be a nice side job. I think it would pay handsomely, most likely
more in a day than all week otherwise. I have to figure out if I can work it
out for the day off when needed to do so. So, that might be interesting! :)
2. Then I showed him the
approximately 18 8x10 photos I had matted and shrinkwrapped that I shot here
last October--my batch of favorites. He says he is astonished and never
expected to see what he saw. His only critique of that batch of photos--the
color of one mat I had chosen. Then I showed him about 30 more on my laptop. He
says he can get me rolling for selling them and using some of them as
backgrounds for posters and ads done here such as for perfumes etc. He is also
going to show me some of his work soon. If he is being sincere, he was
impressed. We will see. Some of the girls, including Tsveta from the spa, also
saw this batch of photos, as well as my landlord and his mom etc. Tsveta chose
four or five to frame and place in the spa; my landlord's mom who speaks nearly
no English was jabbering away in Greek about the shot of the three bells and
then the one of the cross on top which is next to our houses. Apparently, she
owns or has access to that very small chapel which no one can get into and
wants to unlock it and let me in to shoot more shoots there inside which no one
ever gets. It is THE small chapel for Saint Irini (namesake for Santorini). I'm
not sure if she has a family connection to my landlord and his mom or
what...but mom rules the locked chapel.
It's hard to adjust here
for basic stuff like changing a light bulb outside for the patio and coming
down the stairs. I have no screwdriver, and the fixtures are ancient. The
office guys come do it at night after work around 8:30, but talk about feeling helpless
and frustrated when used to doing this in the US in a nice townhome. C'est la
vie. And you need lights coming down to the house for sure. I have a tiny laser
flashlight on my keychain from Brookstone which has been invaluable. I do need
to get hold of a good flashlight from the US for when the power goes off here,
etc.
People are still stopping
me constantly to give me stuff...food, coffee, ouzo, you name it. The dogs were
allowed in the "fast food" restaurant today owned by the landlord and
his mom, and were bought French fries. I let them have about 5 each; they love
it here!
I forgot to send photos
with the e I sent out today. I will try to do so tomorrow. I am trying to think
of more good stories; there are so many....more to come. All the photos I will
send are either taken right from my patio, or at dinner with the group. Nothing
that outstanding yet photography-wise; I have not even pulled out the Nikon D50
yet...but soon. I found out today from Sofia that those two puppies in photos
with me last October (one black and one white) got adopted. They are on the
island, and huge now. One is with her sister; I was so glad they found homes.
I hope everyone is doing
well...I think that is all for tonight...
Cheers and yamas,
Ginger
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Ammoudi Bay, Oia village, Santorini island, Greece |
More Oia goings-on
Hello, yassou,
It's me again...your
little Greek correspondent! Let's see...I've been through the gamut since last
writing...had a nice dinner and night out with my American friend, Tracy, on
Saturday; burst into frustration tears many times Sunday until an older female
(substitute mother here) friend from Sweden who now lives in Copenhagen set me
straight and informed me I need to stop thinking like an American (organized,
non-chaotic, on-time delivery) and start thinking like a Greek (not so
efficient) or else I will drive myself completely bonkers...since then, I am
trying to stop and smell the roses...or better yet, here, stop and soak in the
view every which way I turn. Went to gorgeous Ammoudi Bay right down the hill
(steeply down the hill from my house) Monday. Ventured out with Tracy to Kamari
Beach last night to see my Greek friends from last year, and here we are on
Wednesday night...
I have a shrine in my
cavehouse; I am not sure what to do with it, but for now I cleaned it up and
put a new small lightbulb in it. It's cute! I am not fucking with it not
knowing what it represents here although it would be a nice place to display
some of my photos. Eventually, I will send some photos from tonight of the dogs
cuddled up and sleeping by it.
A minor health issue:
starting last night, right above my right female chest part (I am trying to be
PC!), I have a pain. I was worried with all this stair climbing and cardio; the
two masseuses (Tsveta has a nursing background) assure me this is not the heart
side, and it is probably from carrying my heavy beach bag with laptop inside up
and down my nearly 100 steep steps daily thusfar. Anyway, the pain scared me
somewhat...you all have no idea the stairs I am climbing here three to four
times daily.
The spa is not yet open;
although I am managing two masseuses/beauty technicians who are worried. It
will be fine. Progress on the spa is being made. I say in two weeks at the
longest we will be completely open. BUT, it is very different here. I expected
to walk in and the spa would be ready to go, so you can feel my pain. Yes, it
is nice to have two weeks to fiddle around on God's favorite place on earth,
but there is only SO much fiddling an American (ahem, now Greek American) can
do when used to being highly organized and on target AND busy. Anyway, we will
survive! I know a busy-ness such as I have never seen is coming. The island is
bustling already in early May now more than any season previously, according to
everyone who lives here permanently. It will be a high and lucrative season.
For now, until the
Internet is up in my spa office (let's hope within the week so I can get on my
skype.com account and call worldwide for next to nothing and check emails more
conveniently), I am still going once or twice daily to the tiny and busy
Ecorama office to check e's. Pain in the arse! So, if you e me and don't hear
back from me for a day or so, that is why.
I am starting to shoot
photos. It's wondrous that every way I turn and with the different natural
lighting every moment of the day here I can get phenomenal shots. Tonight, I
prepared a CD of about 150 of my shots from last year that are going on my Web
site at www.greekislesgallery.com
to give to a publisher/photographer here who is returning to the island in 16
days and requested to see my work thanks to Stelios, my foreign-press
correspondent here (whose dinner party I am attending on Friday). So, the
creative juices are starting to flow, which keeps me sane. Be patient with me
for sending photos; it is hard right now until my computer is stabilized. Then
I can better manage sending photography (God, look at my phraseology; it is
very easy to start speaking English grammar and syntax like a European when
here).
Speaking of which, I am
learning my Greek, of course; some Bulgarian from Tsveta, a touch of German,
you name it!
The dogs seem to love it
here; right now until I get in the spa office I am home more working on my
laptop for print designs of fliers, business cards. etc. Then I lug my laptop
way up to the office, transfer the files to an office PC using a friend's USB stick;
not handy at all. The dogs and I have awesome walks through the village during
which everyone oohs and aahs over them and gives them attention and would give
them every kind of human food imaginable if I didn't stop that...souvlakis,
french fries, hamburgers, pistachios...you name it.
What is horrible is there
are four cavehouses on my little "row," three of which are owned by
my boss as part of his Residence Suites hotel. When there are guests there, I
have NO privacy. I need to put up a privacy fence/bamboo curtain or something,
at the very least. When the dogs hear people on that terrace constantly (it is
RIGHT next to us), naturally they bark. And I am starting to bark about it
myself; by Greek standards, I pay a pretty penny here to live where I do and I
want my OWN privacy, and peace and quiet. Not to mention my damn water closet
(bathroom) is outside my cavehouse and off my veranda, so there is NO privacy
really, even with the door shut. Have I previously mentioned how much I HATE my
water closet?! :) Ugh...the thorn in my side...and God knows what people think
I am doing in there at night when I use my battery-powered toothbrush! You can
hear a pin drop on the caldera side at night when all is quiet.
Here's good news...there
is a new cinema (indoors) in Kamari Beach (30 minutes away) and two outdoor
theaters there. Last night, Tracy and I drove down to see the US "Failure
to Launch" and had the time wrong for the indoor theater, but I could tell
from the lobby it is a nice facility. We went to eat dinner at my friends'
bar/restaurant (Nektarios and Flora, whom I visited in Athens for the holidays
in December). The weird thing is even here there is a class difference: Oia
village where I am is the artsy, ritzy village of all the Greek isles; Kamari
is more for families and younger college kids with less vacation money. So, I
can feel the tension from them, my friends, which is sad and uncalled for. But,
of course, I am doing nothing to perpetuate any feelings of inferiority; I am
inviting them to our upcoming spa day for locals for free treatments so they
can pass on word-of-mouth advertising to their customers, but...it is a weird
situation. I even met an artist with a shop there from San Francisco; Tracy
seemed to set him off on a wrong note just by asking his "price
points" on his very original art in the gallery. Not sure what is going on
with all that except I know Oia is "ritzy town"...so, I am just going
to be my usual humble self when I meet folks from elsewhere and welcome them if
they will come to my village and spa. Best I can do.
The food here is
wonderful; it's not just the Greek food, but also what you can buy here in the
market. I really like the German barrel pickles (Gundelsheim brand is what I am
getting) and Holland's gouda cheese. Of course, the Greek honey and yogurt is
what I mix for breakfast, both of which are very good. I cook at home for
dinner about five out of seven nights thusfar...usually pasta with arrabiatta
sauce or fresh tomatoes/garlic/onions/olive oil sauce, or else packaged
soups--had ABC soup for two nights...odd, but tasted OK here. Haven't had that
in a while, since as a little child! I did eat (as a vegetarian) moussaka last
night at Nektarios' restaurant because they were out of pastitsio (another meat
dish his mother made us for Christmas here, which is very tasty); it was good
moussaka, but heavy for a non-meat eater. I plan to eat seafood, but rarely
meat here. I needed a protein lifter-upper last night because there is no soy
milk and no soy crumbles (which I love to cook with in the US) here on the
island. BUT, there are at least two Mexican restaurants and one Chinese
restaurant). I was stunned! :) And happy! We do eat for free at Thomas' Taverna
in Oia, which has awesome food. The deal is we eat for free and we send
customers of ours to Thomas. Great set-up! Free food and drinks for us, always!
They won't even allow us to tip.
Tsveta and I took the dogs
for a (longggggg) walk down the regular road to Ammoudi Bay two days ago. That
is the small fishing bay with seafood tavernas and small pier you see in
"Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," which I hear is now on HBO in
the US. I learned that Angelina Jolie also loves Katina's Taverna there (which
is where I will eat because I get a locals' discount there), saw the very small
interior room she dines in for maximum privacy even in this tinyyyyyyy sea
village which amazes me that she needs privacy there, and that in real life she
is MUCH shorter than she appears in photos. Ammoudi is adorable! The Katina's owner
gave the dogs so much water and ice (which Koal loves!!!!) that Koal could not
even eat all the ice...unheard of. Then, of course, Tsveta and I (and other
co-workers) get fed and watered :) everywhere we go, then friends came down and
then thankfully Hassna (friend) drove down and drove us back up the hill
because it is either a VERY steep, curvy road or we could have taken 300 very
steep, very sloping steps down and up....relief to have a car ride back up.
Beautiful, tiny and quaint Greek fishing village...no wonder it is a US film
locale.
I just put my own sheets
from the US that I had crammed in my luggage on my bed here, which made a world
of difference sleeping last night. They are nice Bed, Bath and Beyond sheets;
my bed is not so good, lumpy mattress etc. I put a blanket down underneath the
fitted sheet, and that helped quite a bit.
I just had an "ah-ha
moment"...realized how much I love to write...I just go and go and go...as
y'all can attest to...which is good because I plan to work on two books this
winter...one for me and one for Tracy, for which she has laid out the plan in
her head and we will make it happen...possibly with Harper Collins. Very
interesting! The book is not about this part of her life, but her background in
the US is highly political...Google "colleen rowley" or "coleen
rowley", which is the FBI whistle-blower for 9/11. That is her cousin, and
that is just the start to her family in politics...
Can't think of much more
for this writing foray...stay in touch...I love hearing from everyone...it's a
BIG adjustment here....much more stressful at times than I let on in these
e's...just very different...but good and bad as in any life situation...Greece
is known as the land of irony and opposites...I love that it makes me question
myself every day...and trust me, it does do just that!
Cheers and yamas,
Ginger
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In the spa's bar area -- yes, bar area…oy! |
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Outside spa right off Oia village's main walkway; Grand Opening night |
Cha--cha--changes
Hello and yassou,
Well, I am making progress
here. Today was my first full day at the spa--10 hours--8 a.m.-6 p.m. My
schedule is sort of up in the air. I may take a 12 noon to 10 p.m. schedule,
knowing the spa most likely will not need to be open until 10 p.m. We're just
not sure yet until we see how busy it gets. I do have a replacement who can
work from 8 a.m. until noon in the spa in my place, and then noon until early
evening she needs to help out in the Ecorama Holidays office.
Anyway, joy of joys we
have wireless Internet in the spa (wireless is still rare here). When you walk
into the spa area, there is a small wine/drinks/coffee bar on the left and 10
Dell computers for an Internet cafe on the right. You walk on through and enter
my area and the complete spa area as you exit to the pool and the treatment
rooms all around the pool. So, today I was working on my Apple computer all day
completing pricing for services, Web text etc. Tomorrow is design day for
fliers, business cards, etc.
The spa has a
100,000-euros cabin called Raxul Cabin from Italy. Amazing unit! Self-contained
Roman bath, vapor, chromotherapy, sound system, aromatherapy, misting, tropical
rain, you name it, and a shower within the unit.
I also can now use skype.com--the
caveat is I am 7 hours ahead of the US East Coast, so when I am in the spa and
able to use it is EST 1 a.m.-11 a.m. But, hey, I'll take it. Phone cards are
damned expensive here. You use a different phone card for your cell phone; and
another one called Talk Talk for pay phones to call internationally.
I am changing rental
houses as of June 1. Actually I got the key last night, so I can start moving
when I get a small car. I am probably taking over Tracy's little car, she is
buying my boss' BMW Z3, he is probably getting a Porsche. Anyway, I think I am
getting hers for sure. The new (brand new as in finished on Sunday) little
apartment house is on the other lower side of Oia in Baxedes Beach, which is
much more private with houses set far apart from each other. I believe there
are 5 or 6 "apartments" in my building; this is also Tracy's
building, which is who found it for me. Anyway, it's about 4 kilometres out of
Oia, thus the definite need for a vehicle. I really need a car here regardless
though.
The bathroom in this one
is nice for Santorini standards, and it's actually inside the house! :) The
place I am in now with NO privacy and the horrendous bathroom but the awesome
view is 450 euros monthly; the new place is 300 monthly for high season
(May-October) then 220 euros monthly the rest of the year. Even though I had
the option of staying in one of my boss' hotel rooms for free November through
March, I do NOT want to pack up and move twice a year.
We have not found a renter
for my current cavehouse yet, and my boss had promised the owners I would be
here through October in this one. Alex is going to keep it and pay for it
himself even without me in it; on the other hand, if he rents it one week a
month in summer, he will more than make up his money. I feel sort of bad he is
paying it, but on the other hand, the photos I received of it prior to moving
made it appear private and it's not at all. So...
Mainly I go to dinner with
friends a few nights weekly, or else everyone meets up spontaneously around the
Ecorama office around 9 or 10 p.m. and grabs a drink or dinner somewhere here.
I did go to Fira to clubs on Saturday night. That is the capital and the
island's hot spot. We had fun at Murphy's bar and a place we walked into called
Enigma is a bit more upperscale.
The dogs are fine; I am
proud of them for how adaptable they are. They still attract a ton of attention
every time we walk through the village. Everyone thinks they are show dogs, but
they won't think so after I have to cut their hair with regular scissors, I can
assure you!
There is a shaggy dog whom
I call "Shaggy" who has followed me home two nights; he or she sleeps
on my terrace above the patio. I know if I let him or her inside, that's it. I
see the dog every day, and really wish I could adopt it, but I cannot...so, I
feed and water the dog when he/she is at my house. Very cute dog in need of a
little haircut, but adorable. Has on a collar, but I can't tell if it is a flea
collar or regular. I have not seen the dog in anyone's shop as a pet etc. yet.
I am going to try to
attach photos totaling about 1.2 megabytes to this e...some of the photos some
of you might have seen earlier, but maybe not. If the file is too large, I
apologize in advance if the attachments do not work.
I think that is about all
for now...
Cheers and yamas,
Ginger
 |
Me with Klaire in Oia |
We're US-bound from
Greece
Hi everyone,
What an experience! The
dogs and I are coming home. We arrive at JFK in NYC on July 4 (pretty
appropriate as American Independence Day!). No US airlines will fly dogs in the
hotter months, so Scott is flying to meet us in New York and we are renting an
SUV for the drive to NC. It will, AGAIN, be a helluva journey, but it's time to
come back. I will never be so happy to see US soil! :)
I have stories to tell.
Basically, I love the island, the people, the food, the lifestyle. I do not
care for the way business is done here, nor my housing situation nor the
situation for the dogs.
The dogs: These poor dogs
look like bears now with such long hair; there is no one to cut their hair on
the island and it is so HOT here. I trim their hair with scissors and try to
keep the mats out so their groomer in the US will not have to shave them
completely. It is a hand full. The veterinarian here can shave them down
completely, but I was told if they squirm she gives them anesthesia. NOT IN
THIS LIFETIME!
They are little troopers,
and have adapted as best as they can. The wall off my patio to about 7 feet of
sand before a sheer 600-ish foot drop off the cliff is a wall Koal can easily
clear. Twice, once in the day and once in the night I have had to fly over the
wall after him to retrieve him on this cliff line with sand literally shifting
and falling down the cliff under my feet and rocks falling like a mini
landslide; I was clinging to weeds that were not even secured in the sand. VERY
dangerous! So, since these two episodes about a month ago, the poor dog has to
be leashed on the patio at all times. Klaire has free run of the patio and
terraces and loves to tool around up and down the stairs etc.
On business: I arrived in
April as I was asked by my boss to be here by the end of April. Of course I
assumed I would be going to work in a completed spa within two days of arrival.
The spa grand opening was this past Saturday, June 17. Yes, you read that
correctly. For eight weeks it has been nothing but chaos with construction and
noise and people in and out and all around me as I have been sitting in the
open reception area (main trafficway through the facility) in the midst of all
this trying to be creative and create marketing. I cannot even describe how
unorganized this has all been on the Greek end.
My boss: I did at least 25
hours of Web site text and planning and logo coordination in the US in April
while still working full time, trying to pack for here, trying to pack to store
my household in my spare room in my townhome, etc. I knew there was going to be
trouble when I billed my boss for the freelance work when I arrived and he
haggled about it...as if freelance means free. Hello! He paid me a minimal
amount. Then I only got paid from May 10 on because I was not able to work
before May 10 because there was nowhere to work. I came in the "spa"
on the Saturday (April 29) after I arrived and to my complete dismay,
construction had not even BEGUN. I was pissed about the pay situation because
it was not my fault I could not start work immediately. I think this is bad
business. Then are two masseuses here who have been here since mid-April
counting on their base salary (minimal), commission and tips since April.
Imagine their situations...they have just started to get busy since Sunday, finally.
My boss could be sued for
sexual harassment every day, and would be in the US. His answer to everything,
if you are stressed or sick or bitter or whatever, is always "you need to
have sex." Charming!
There is a good deal more
to the work story that I will share later.
The house: a cavehouse
attached to three other "hotel" cavehouses, literally sharing my
patio with a small wall between my cavehouse and the hotel units. NO PRIVACY at
all. Worse yet, my toilette is outdoors off my patio...it is tiny with a very
low ceiling, I try to only shower when there are no tourists five feet away on
the other patio, Unreal. Plus the actual water closet conditions. You cannot
imagine. I cannot even take a photo of it to show you all because there is no
room inside to get the photo...it's about 4 feet by 4 feet.
One thing I did not know
is cavehouses are extremely damp. My allergies and asthma (which I have not had
an asthma bout in the US in two years) have been off the scale. Luckily I had
thrown my asthma inhaler in my luggage without looking at the expiration date
which was August 2005, and it has saved me these last two weeks here.
The good part: the
exercise going up and down 90 steps at least twice a day (360) and often three
times (540)...very steep, very slanted, many marble which are slippery even
when dry, and all this in the extreme heat. I have taken off the pounds
here...27 pounds to be exact and toned as toned can be, including arms from
carrying groceries and water down to the house! And I eat like a pig every
night around midnight...wine, big bowl of pasta, tons of bread...
Anyway, that is the
nutshell version...even trying to get ticketed and the dogs confirmed for the
flights was a 7-day process. The flights from Santorini to Athens this time of
year are booked solid with tourists. I managed to get my seat after trying for
three days. Then they said they could not confirm the dogs' space for days (7
to be exact with me calling them every day to get an answer; obviously I was
not buying my ticket for July 4 not knowing if they are confirmed. Then if they
did not and I did not travel July 4 then who knows how long until I could have
gotten a flight off the island. July and August are the highest tourism months
here. I finally emailed Olympic Air in Forest Hills, NY, to try to handle the
dog issue and they did within two days. Unreal! I have the paper ticket in my
hand as of this morning which I had to go to the airport to purchase because
there is no e ticketing here. I pay for the dogs and my excess luggage the day
of the flight. Koal does not fly well, and I worry about him. He barks the
entire time. Klaire seems to be OK. I just want to get us home!
I will be in touch when I
get settled back in at home. I will be in my townhome as of July 15, then have
to set everything back up there. I will try to get a cell phone around July 5
or 6 and try to keep my old number, but stay tuned for that. I will also be
looking to lease a car on July 7 in Charlotte. Then it's job-searching time for
something to ideally start around August 15 at the latest. If anyone knows of
any openings in Charlotte in my expertise areas of writing, editing, graphic
design, marketing and/or branding, please let me know ASAP. Thanks!
I hope all is well with
everyone!!!! Happy early July 4th!
Ginger
 |
The world-renowned Oia, Santorini, sunsets -- gorgeous every single day! |
 |
Was fortunate to capture the elusive "green flash" on this photo |
 |
Oia sunset afterglow |
 |
Oia sunset |
Ginger from Santorini to
North Carolina
Hi everyone,
Well, I am back on US
soil! :) Happyyyyyyyy to be home! :)
First of all, my new
cell/mobile phone is xxx; home phone will remain xxx but I
use the cell 99% of the time. For anyone calling me from Greece etc., dial 001
in front of the number, such as xxx. Remember, I am 7 hours BEHIND
Greek time, so 12 in the afternoon in Greece is 5 a.m. in North Carolina, for
example.
Home address is the same:
Ginger Sprinkle
xxx
Charlotte, North Carolina
USA 28226
I met some incredible
people in Greece. Of course there are the bad with the good, but 99% of the
folks I met were so very, very nice and kind!!!
The work experience and
housing (besides the amazing view from my small patio)...now those two issues
are a very different story and were quite the (expensive) learning experience.
But, I did it...accomplished a dream and lived in Greece for awhile. Never
thought that would happen. I still swear Santorini island is the most
stunningly beautiful place I have ever seen, and Oia village is the best!!!
Very quaint and charming. I still very highly recommend Santorini for a
vacation destination. If anyone is heading over at any point, contact me for
hotel information etc. I am much better versed in that area now than I was
prior to living there. There are some wonderful hotels on the island.
I already miss the
friends, food, amazing beauty of the island, exercise (90 stairs down to my
house multiplied by 3 round trips a day on average for 540 very steep stairs
daily...exercise that you cannot buy on any equipment, not to mention doing
this climbing in the extreme heat factor), and the lifestyle in general! It was
literally like living in a sauna 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The dogs and I
both lost weight without trying. It was unavoidable with the stairs, heat and a
nice Mediterranean diet. I am trying to put 2-3 pounds each back on the dogs'
small frames. I am trying to keep off the weight I lost! :) I say this was a
very costly weight-loss camp for me! :) You literally melt away there. Sounds
good for the weight loss, but it gets a little scary when you are eating tons
of food and still dropping.
What I don't miss from Oia
and am loving having again in America...air conditioning, indoor bathrooms and
plumbing in my home, privacy in my home, Thai cuisine, Mexican food, and good
ol' regular salads, chocolate soy milk (which is what I craved the most on
Santorini because I could not get it and was really hurting for protein while
there).
That's it for now folks.
The BellSouth phone company guy is heading over to fix my home phone line. No
dial tone since Friday night; no Internet either (except I am tapping into some
wireless signal in my home which is not my wireless right now to type this
e)...
Stay in touch.
Yamas and cheers,
Ginger
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