This blog will give you a little rundown on the month of January 2010 and the things we have been doing. The farmers are protesting again this year, as they did last, so you can see their tractors lining the highways in many places. When they choose to do so, they block the highways and stop traffic. It might be an hour or it might be all day. It does disrupt the country and call attention to their complaint---prices that are too low for the cost of their commodities.
We took my sister, Ronda and her husband, Neil to Meteora. We had a winter experience this time, as you can see from the snow in the garden.
The three mountain sheep were visible on the rocks across from hotel where we stayed and it was fun to watch their sure-footedness on the slippery rocks.
Barbara, Ronda and Neil at St. Stephen's Monastery. Ronda and I especially liked the really chunky look our attractive wrap-around skirts gave us over top of our layers of shirts, sweaters, and coats.
Ronda and Barbara at the Great Meteora with a very wintery scene behind us.
Dennis at the Great Meteora with all the snow. We thought those of you that have been there with us might enjoy the contrast in seasons.
Maria Ganatsis, a member of the Branch who was baptized in June, just had a baby girl. We visited her at the hospital with two of the elders. The hospital was a pleasant surprise--very bright, clean and modern. Maria told us it had been built by Americans. The baby was born early and was in a different hospital receiving special care.
The olives going through their first washing to begin the process of making the olive oil. These olives were quite small and green and purplish. Leaves, pits and all go in together. Most of the leaves get washed out, but the pits are processed with the flesh of the olive. The residue from the pits is made into something like presto logs and used for heat in stoves and fires.
The man who owns the olive groves and has part-ownership in the processing plant took us to lunch in this little village. Then he wanted to show us his house. This picture was taken from the balcony of his house. In the upper center just a little to the left is a lighthouse. Tradition has it that this bay is where Leonidas amassed all his ships before setting sail. (Lakonikos Gulf)
Our host, in front. President Charles, Sister Taylor, Sister Charles, Dennis, Barbara and Elder Taylor. This was lunch in the little village of Githio. Only another 25 or 30 kilometers down the road is the southernmost tip of the continent of Europe.
The bags of olives stacked and waiting to be processed. The oil is best when the olives go right from the tree to the processing, ideally within 24 hours. The night previous to our visit they had produced 75,000 liters of olive oil. And this is just a tiny little operation.
President Charles on the left holding a bottle of the olive oil. They gave each couple a bottle. I took the picture just because I thought the men looked so Greek. The man on the right was supervisor of the plant and the one with the mustache was a relative of Tsakis, our host.
We were amazed to drive down into the Peloponnese. It was very rugged and mountainous and the high peaks had snow on them. Tsakis told us we were there during their two weeks of winter.
This is the fire boat along the seashore in the center of Thessaloniki. The day was January 6th, the day the Greek Orthodox Pappas blesses the waters. He throws a cross out into the sea and swimmers dive off a boat to retrieve it. The one who returns it to the Pappas gets some sort of a blessing and is supposed to have a good year. As you can see from the way the by-standers are dressed, it was a cold day.
All the swimmers in their scanty swimwear and less than photogenic bodies getting ready to dive in and swim for the cross. After the cross is retrieved, the boats all sound their horns, the fire boat shoots off water (previous picture) and they set off flares, so they make a real spectacle of the day the commemorate the baptism of Jesus.
This blog will give you a little rundown on the month of January 2010 and the things we have been doing. The farmers are protesting again this year, as they did last, so you can see their tractors lining the highways in many places. When they choose to do so, they block the highways and stop traffic. It might be an hour or it might be all day. It does disrupt the country and call attention to their complaint---prices that are too low for the cost of their commodities.
We took my sister, Ronda and her husband, Neil to Meteora. We had a winter experience this time, as you can see from the snow in the garden.
The three mountain sheep were visible on the rocks across from hotel where we stayed and it was fun to watch their sure-footedness on the slippery rocks.
Barbara, Ronda and Neil at St. Stephen's Monastery. Ronda and I especially liked the really chunky look our attractive wrap-around skirts gave us over top of our layers of shirts, sweaters, and coats.
Ronda and Barbara at the Great Meteora with a very wintery scene behind us.
Dennis at the Great Meteora with all the snow. We thought those of you that have been there with us might enjoy the contrast in seasons.
Maria Ganatsis, a member of the Branch who was baptized in June, just had a baby girl. We visited her at the hospital with two of the elders. The hospital was a pleasant surprise--very bright, clean and modern. Maria told us it had been built by Americans. The baby was born early and was in a different hospital receiving special care.
The olives going through their first washing to begin the process of making the olive oil. These olives were quite small and green and purplish. Leaves, pits and all go in together. Most of the leaves get washed out, but the pits are processed with the flesh of the olive. The residue from the pits is made into something like presto logs and used for heat in stoves and fires.
The man who owns the olive groves and has part-ownership in the processing plant took us to lunch in this little village. Then he wanted to show us his house. This picture was taken from the balcony of his house. In the upper center just a little to the left is a lighthouse. Tradition has it that this bay is where Leonidas amassed all his ships before setting sail. (Lakonikos Gulf)
Our host, in front. President Charles, Sister Taylor, Sister Charles, Dennis, Barbara and Elder Taylor. This was lunch in the little village of Githio. Only another 25 or 30 kilometers down the road is the southernmost tip of the continent of Europe.
The bags of olives stacked and waiting to be processed. The oil is best when the olives go right from the tree to the processing, ideally within 24 hours. The night previous to our visit they had produced 75,000 liters of olive oil. And this is just a tiny little operation.
President Charles on the left holding a bottle of the olive oil. They gave each couple a bottle. I took the picture just because I thought the men looked so Greek. The man on the right was supervisor of the plant and the one with the mustache was a relative of Tsakis, our host.
We were amazed to drive down into the Peloponnese. It was very rugged and mountainous and the high peaks had snow on them. Tsakis told us we were there during their two weeks of winter.
This is the fire boat along the seashore in the center of Thessaloniki. The day was January 6th, the day the Greek Orthodox Pappas blesses the waters. He throws a cross out into the sea and swimmers dive off a boat to retrieve it. The one who returns it to the Pappas gets some sort of a blessing and is supposed to have a good year. As you can see from the way the by-standers are dressed, it was a cold day.
All the swimmers in their scanty swimwear and less than photogenic bodies getting ready to dive in and swim for the cross. After the cross is retrieved, the boats all sound their horns, the fire boat shoots off water (previous picture) and they set off flares, so they make a real spectacle of the day the commemorate the baptism of Jesus.
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