Venezian Beauty!

Canal Shot!

              The last few days in Greece were relaxed and uneventful. I have to say that with alot of the excitement that was going on it was nice to just have those days like that. The 24 hour return trip however did knock alot out of me. this time around there was no one our age to hangout with, talk, or well... in all words there was nothing to do. The only remotely funny thing that happened was I slept on the deck again. This time only in shorts and my ultra thin yet warm sleeping bag! I was fine! Apart from the noise there was not an uncomfortable moment. I woke up around seven and when everyone saw me (especially them smokers huddled and frozen in the corner) everyone gasped and I am sure the Canadian Stereotype was reinforced. Getting into Venice was terrific!

Tom and Me!

              Now Venice is something that I believe is both underrated, and overrated. It is gorgous and striking, and blah blah blah.... All they sell are carnival masks.... Pizza... and Food... (which is great but there is no variation!) I will admit that I have not taken nearly enough pictures or gone to any great muesums. So I am staying an extra day or two! I figure I now decently know my way around, it should be easier and alot more fun. I met Ingemar also and the last two days it has been great to catch up with him. I cannot tell you how great it is to see a familiar face and hangout with a friend. We went to an Opera together (Weird eh??) but it was great and the classical music was awesome! We spent most of our time just touring the city and looking at all the crazy masks as he really wanted to find the perfect one for himself and a friend. Happy to say he did! We also met a group of people (From the US and UK). They are loads of fun! Tom is from the UK, Cate and Jen are from the US. The sights we have seen are gorgous!!

Wow!

        Other then that I made him do a stop over at the Venezian Fire department. I have to say it is one of the coolest I have seen yet! No trucks (Of course) but all boats! We even got to go into one and I am shocked to say my water legs are nearly none existant on such a small craft. Anything a little bit bigger and I am sure I could have done relatively fine. I also found out that in the districts that are inaccessible by boat, they have to carry all of their equipment! Imagine the difficulty in that! Also due to the salt water they use they have special limits and rules on house fires as they do not want to add unnessisary weight to the buildings or damage any paintings, ceramics, or anything that contains value/history. Sheesh! Talk about a difficult fire department to get into!

           As for plans those two days in Venice were suppose to be it, however Ingemar and I decided that we are going to part ways. It was great meeting up but we both have absolute different agendas!

That is it for now :) I will keep you posted. I am currently have a struggling bit in figuring out what Iwill be up to!

Best Easter Ever!!!!!

Greek Porsche!

                 Butchered Lamb and Chicken, Slow roasted with lemon, paprika, garlic, and other delicious spices. Jealous? You should be! It tasted amazing The Greek celebrate Easter through the Orthadox Church’s calendar. This year being unique  along with the last as it is on the same date as the easter we celebrate! (Next year is in July woa right?).  But god am I happy that I was able to experience this. But before I get ahead of myself I will fill you in on what happened on Thursday, as it will be easier to tell of the celebrations in chronological order. 

             Thursday was a typical Zak day. I walked about an hour to find a fire department, found it and stayed there for a few hours as it was WAAY too hot to walk back. The two guys working there were great and a lot of fun to talk to. They loved my visit so much that they put the two patches I traded in a display case, and the picture of us (and the Lakeland college shirt) on their computer desktop. I am really happy to announce I have made yet another great impression on a fire department! The photo is also going to be a bigger memory then most as we had no 4^th person to take the picture. We ended up parking a car in front of the trucks, used it to make a tripod along with a pen and fire-glove. After about 4 attempts at a picture we got one that we were all happy with! (I will show you all the pics in the “anticipated” slideshow when I get back home).  

Band is Marching in!

           That concludes Thursday and brings us into the easter celebrations. I find it really cool that I am able to be in Greece for easter. Greece is one of the most religious countries in Europe. The whole week I have not eaten meat, except for one dinner that had no vegetarian options (Possible one of the reasons why I loved the lamb and chicken so much). Friday was a lets sleep in and go on a hike day. We went to the tallest mountain on the island of Corfu, were a monastery is located. Sadly a giant radio tower was built on top of the monastery (I later asked and it turns out until recent times the monastery was vacant, thus the tower was built). Nonetheless it was still a significant sight with the view and history. You could literally see everything topography wise! It was great! We returned home to eat then all got haircuts! Mine just being a bit shorter then before. The evening of Friday was great as well! We went to a neighbouring village that celebrated the bringing of Christ to the grave through a marching band and mass. The marched up and down the hill several times until there was a small gathering at the church were everyone paid their respects.

Right Before it shatters!

Cooking the Food!

          Saturday was a different story. Up and out of bed early with no time for a small breakfast and headed to Corfu’s Capitol. Mathis, myself and his family found ourselves thrusted into a huge crowd of people! To start several bands marched through the city in honour of Christ. Priests and mobile masses tailed after them along with alot of over excited tourists. After an hour or so the parade stopped and the cities were cleared of people (for the most part) and what has to be one of the coolest traditions started! Everyone went to the roofs and threw clay pots full of water off! I am talking about HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of pots! Flower beds that decorate the city were destroyed! It was both amazing and a serious cause for concern. Now. Way over due here are teh details on my amazing opener. It is traditional greek to not eat meat the week before Easter Sunday. But on easter Sunday you literally have a feast. There were potatoes, salads, fruits, rices, cheeses and a variety of meats. It was terrifc! The only hot plates were that of the lamb and Chicken. Everything else is traditionally served cold or cooled. Preperation of the food was the most fun though. (Even though my part was minor). Aki (My host) Had us skewer the whole animals while he seasoned and prepped them. NOT a pretty sight hahaha, but nonetheless a good experience. The outcome was more than amazing. I ate so much with everyone that I could barely move!

Skewring the Damn Lamb took forever!

     That is all the interesting stuff! Other then that I have been going to the beach like crazy! I is GREAT! i miss you all and I hope everyone is having a grand time! Until next time!

Zak

Having a blast in Greece!

A Molson Would be Good in this Weather

                             Wow! I am sorry that I have not been able to keep you updated over the last couple of days! Like I said previously I do not have any internet! Greece is great! But before I get ahead of myself let me fill you in on the road trip, as well as the ferry trip. Now the 11 hour, 1060 Km road trip to Venice consisted mostly of sleep, the odd stopover at burgerking (Whom by the way is waaay more popular in Europe than Mc Donalds), And passing a fire department that was deemed not important enough for me to see (STFU MATHIS). Other than that it was smooth sleeping and nothing important. The other HUGE journey on this trip was the ferry boat. 

After being tickled to Death!

                 The “luxurious” crossing of the Adriatic Sea took another 24 hours. Now that was not as bad as it sounds. The sea and landscape was beautiful! I was also able to snatch up a new friend on the ferry ride named Jackie! She is from Austria and was a ton of fun! If I cannot figure out what I will be up to I think it might be a good idea to go and visit her J. So, here comes the fun part of the trip. To save money I bought myself the cheapest ticket available... yes I was sleeping on the deck. Now the good ol Canadian in me did not mind the cool wind, or cold night (especially with my sleeping bag) but the Canadian really did mind the never ending fog horn and random lurches that could have tipped my gear overboard. Maybe I will upgrade my ticket on the way back.... maybe....... I think it is also important to mention that Mathis and his family invited me on this trip- and have also provided me with food and a place to stay! Thank you!!!! You have no idea how much it means to me!!!

BEAUTIFUL!

                         Now, I can easily say that Greece is one of the most beautiful places I have seen in my entire life. We have only been here two nights and a bit and during that time we have toured the Regions Capitol and gone on a hike. Both are absolutely amazing and all the mythology I have ever learned has literally sprung to life. The Mythological story of Homer and Oddyssee took place on the island and I cannot begin to describe how cool that is!!!! The other but simple thing that has blown my mind is Olive, Lemon, and Orange trees. I have never seen these in my life and they are every were here! You can pick them off and eat them! The lemons are even sweeter then the ones we can buy and you can eat them like oranges! It is really really cool!! I am also trying to format my life as greek as possible for my stay. I have only been havin a biscuit and coffee for breakfast (But the coffee is kept with all the grounded beans! It is really weird but good). I am also not eating any meat as it is custom not to eat it the whole week before Easter! Were we have a whole Lamb that is going to be cooked!!! Talk about awesome! While at the beach and on the Hike we took alot of fun pictures. Here is a little background: Mathis and I met two years ago and have not seen each other since, I find the fact we have such a strong friendship and can hit it off like this is great! It’s going to last forever! Hopefully we can cross paths again! Maybe Mathis can come back to Canada when I sort everything else out with work and future.

 

Cooky Road trip!

                  As for living conditions I am currently wearing shorts and going to the beach at Plus 25 degrees!!! We are staying at Mathis’s friends place. It is literally a villa that has been passed down from generations. It is huge and amazing! I feel very privileged and lucky to be here and experiencing all this. The only thing I have left to report is a very fun fire department! In Corfu town I searched them out and they were extremely happy to have me as a visitor. We exchange patches, got the photo, shared some really fun stories and then they gave me a ride to Mathis and his family! Talk about AWESOME!!! Such a good trip <3

I will put all my pics on facebook to share when I have the time!!!

I hope everyone is having a good one!!!! Until next time!

P.S Here is thee only pic I can find of the Bad taste day.. I am lying up front... It's not a beer it is a coke...