Day 4 – Greece: Hopping Around Chora
Another night of no sleep even though I was exhausted when my head hit the pillow. My sleep schedule has been horrible, and it’s truly my first time being unable to adjust to European time while on a trip. Is it because I’m approaching 30? Or maybe because I napped the first day and we had such a late night the first night that it threw me off the rest of the trip? No idea but we may as well go out tonight if I can’t sleep anyway.
Stelios had gone to the bakery earlier that morning and left me a large piece of Spanakopita for breakfast. I sat on the balcony out back to enjoy my breakfast, sip on some coffee, and catch up on blogging. Then I got ready for the day. Today was cloudier and cooler than earlier in the week so I threw on my linen pants, white tank, and brought a sweater with me. I walked out to the front balcony to see what the boys were up to and watched them play 2 on 2 basketball – Stelios and Leo vs. Mike and Anastasi.
After the boys finished their game Leo said he was hungry and craving a club sandwich with the special Greek orange sauce (which is really just mayo and ketchup mixed together). So the three of us plus Mike walked to Chora, but it was so hot out that I stopped at A La Creme bakery on the way for ice cream to cool off on the walk. Once we got to Chora we grabbed a table at Pura Vida. Mike didn’t care for the menu, so he left in search of souvlaki kebabs. I ordered an Espresso martini but it wasn’t very good. Sorry Pura Vida, the name enticed us but I won’t be back.
After Leo finished his sandwich Stelios & I were craving gyros so we walked around to find a gyro place. The first 2 places we tried going to were closed, but we finally ended up at a place called Steki. I ordered a glass of white wine which they interestingly served to me in a small metal carafe, and Stelios got a beer. They ended up serving us two pork souvlaki platters instead of 2 gyros even though Stelios ordered in Greek? oh well. The meat was delicious and the tzatziki was extra creamy. I took half of mine to go for a midnight snack later.
On the walk back to the house we popped into an electronic store so I could buy a European curling iron. This was on my list of to do’s while we were here. I have the US power converter for my own curling iron to use when we’re abroad but it doesn’t get hot enough and takes me twice as long to curl my hair. We go to Europe often enough that it was time I invested in a curling iron with European plugs and voltage. #JustGirlyThings
By the time we got back to the house it was 6:45pm and we had plans to meet up with Stelios’s friends at 7pm. Leo was tired from the walk back and decided to stay at the house with Stelis parents. I grabbed a jacket since it got cooler once the sun started to go down and I hopped in the car along with Stelios & his brother Mike as we drove back to Chora to meet up with Stavros and Aleko.
Parking in Chora at this time was a nightmare. We circled the main loop 3 times and finally found a spot to park. Luckily the other guys were also running late. We quickly walked to Sueno, a coffee and cocktail bar that seems to be the most happening spot on the waterfront because the outdoor tables are always full no matter what time of day we walk past it. We grabbed a front row table inside but close enough to the open doors you could still catch a slight breeze.
Mike and Aleko were best friends growing up and hadn’t seen each other in 30 years so they were ecstatic to finally see each other and hang out. Everyone but me ordered coffees — I opted for a Mastiha Mojito which was both refreshing and delicious. Because I ordered a drink the waitress brought over complimentary fruit – banana and apple with cinnamon. A nice touch & we love a free snack!
The guys all caught up with each other and Aleko, who was sitting next to me, spoke pretty good English so we were able to carry a conversation and talk about travel, different places we’ve been, and where we want to go still. Aleko actually lives in Rhodes now but was back home in Chios for the Easter holiday. He says he loves Rhodes and that it’s fun, has a great nightlife, and excellent beaches. Contrary to what Georgios said, Aleko told us that Rhodes has great food, but Chios has better tavernas. I guess we will have to go there one day and experience it ourselves to really find out!
At 9pm it was time to meet up with Stelios’s cousins Markello and Virginia for dinner. We said our goodbyes to Stavros and Aleko, and I thanked Aleko for speaking English with me so I could be involved in the conversation. It seems that everyone here does know English to some extent and can speak it, but they don’t think they speak it well enough or don’t want to, so everyone just talks in Greek. Regardless, their English is much better than my Greek! I only know some words and phrases, while they can speak sentences in English. Also most of Stelios’s friends do admit that Greek is a difficult language to learn. I finished 26 lessons on Pimsleur Greek level 1 before coming here, which is definitely an improvement compared to our last trip but I still have a lot to learn and absorb. I’ll get there one day!
Over at 44 cafe, Markello and Virginia grabbed a table inside in the back of the restaurant to keep the baby away from the cigarette smoke (a hard thing to avoid in Europe). They ordered some wine and appetizers for the table and we chatted over drinks and food. They also unexpectedly brought gifts for Stelios & I – how sweet! We reminisced about the night that Stelios and I met because that was also the night I met Markello and Virginia. That night Markello and Virginia were on their honeymoon staying with Stelios and he took them to Teak in Red Bank – if they hadn’t been staying with him that weekend he likely wouldn’t have gone out that night and we would’ve never met! Markello was also an excellent wingman that evening for Stelios. It was a nice full circle moment, because now the four of us were out to dinner with their newborn son Costantinos. Stelios held the baby for a bit but then it was time to put him to sleep in the stroller. Even with the music quite loud he slept right through dinner. Around 11ish we called it a night and headed home. Overall an excellent and fun evening out in Chora with family & friends.
