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Weddings. Relaxation and the future
Sep. 11th, 2018 12:41 pmIt's a long time since we attended a wedding then suddenly they appear in convoy; two in less than a fortnight! They featured my niece Deborah and then Mick's niece Natalie: both marrying longterm partners, both very much in charge of the organisation of their event and both hoping for children. Both were also fortunate with the weather: it had rained during the week leading up to Deborah's wedding (and poured down the day after) but the day itself was wonderfully sunny, if a little chilly. The good weather on Natalie's Big Day was rather less of a surprise, given that the wedding took place in Greece, but the weather was neither excessively hot nor unpleasantly windy, both of which had been features of the previous few days.
As at most weddings I've attended, the wine and other drinks flowed freely plus an amazing diversity of wonderful food and the Wedding Breakfast morphed seamlessly into music, dancing and endless conversation. Both also featured a post-wedding party a day or two later. Deborah and Mike welcomed us to their residential Arts Centre for brunch, games, conversation and a variety of snackery (and drinkery!) through the dull and wet Bank Holiday Sunday. Natalie and Sam welcomed us to an alfresco dinner under the stars at a tiny village called Pigi, with music, songs and vigorous Greek dancing at which the British lack of facility with the steps was kindly overlooked.
Mick and I decided that we would treat our visit to Greece as our summer holiday so we arrived a few days before the Big Event and have stayed on for nearly a week, seeing relatives and friends arrive and having now seen most of them depart (Mick drove some of them from/to Kalamata airport) . We go home tomorrow, driving across the Greek mainland from the southern coast near Kalamata back to Athens then flying back to Manchester via Frankfurt. As well as the eating, drinking and socialising, we have done a remarkable amount of sleeping and do indeed feel distinctly relaxed. We've been doing a lot of work in the house and garden this summer so we were due some time off.
I have not so far taken the wheel in our hire-car, as I am no longer very confident about the speed of my reactions. Even though there is relatively little traffic on Greek roads, the ring of mountains from the coast to Kalamata mean that nearby roads are generally steep with plentiful hairpin bends....
However, I have overcome a different challenge. Since the car crash in 2010 I have been re-building my mobility and did little more than paddle when we were last here 6 years ago. With a fair bit of help from Mick, I have managed to get into the sea this time and swim, without any disasters and without feeling particularly at risk. The water is a bit cold, but much warmer than around the UK, and - as people persist in telling one! - once you get in and get used to it it's not so bad! I brought 2 tankinis, one new this summer in a smaller size, and have never needed to use the larger one.
Talking to local people about the economic situation here in Greece, although they are hardly blasé about things, most people feel they are past the worst of their economic recovery and that, although something like a million middle-class Greeks have left the country, those who remain are trying hard to work and make things work. Of course, they now have to pay tax, breaking a long, long Greek tradition, which means that the Government now has a regular income to pay for necessities. Interestingly, according to a young woman who works in the Greek Foreign Ministry, their analysis of Brexit - yes, everybody's doing one! - says that the consequent economic reconstruction in Britain will not be as painful as the Greek economic reconstruction. She and her husband were surprised at the level of pessimism expressed by us and our friends and relations. Well, in a few months we will all find out....
This isn't my last bit of travel as an EU citizen, we have a visit to Germany planned for November, but it all feels very provisional: something I have valued so much, something I thought of as a a basic necessity of my life is about to disappear forever unless someone in the Government has the balls to say "We have tried, but it is never going to work" and brings this whole ghastly charade to an end.
As at most weddings I've attended, the wine and other drinks flowed freely plus an amazing diversity of wonderful food and the Wedding Breakfast morphed seamlessly into music, dancing and endless conversation. Both also featured a post-wedding party a day or two later. Deborah and Mike welcomed us to their residential Arts Centre for brunch, games, conversation and a variety of snackery (and drinkery!) through the dull and wet Bank Holiday Sunday. Natalie and Sam welcomed us to an alfresco dinner under the stars at a tiny village called Pigi, with music, songs and vigorous Greek dancing at which the British lack of facility with the steps was kindly overlooked.
Mick and I decided that we would treat our visit to Greece as our summer holiday so we arrived a few days before the Big Event and have stayed on for nearly a week, seeing relatives and friends arrive and having now seen most of them depart (Mick drove some of them from/to Kalamata airport) . We go home tomorrow, driving across the Greek mainland from the southern coast near Kalamata back to Athens then flying back to Manchester via Frankfurt. As well as the eating, drinking and socialising, we have done a remarkable amount of sleeping and do indeed feel distinctly relaxed. We've been doing a lot of work in the house and garden this summer so we were due some time off.
I have not so far taken the wheel in our hire-car, as I am no longer very confident about the speed of my reactions. Even though there is relatively little traffic on Greek roads, the ring of mountains from the coast to Kalamata mean that nearby roads are generally steep with plentiful hairpin bends....
However, I have overcome a different challenge. Since the car crash in 2010 I have been re-building my mobility and did little more than paddle when we were last here 6 years ago. With a fair bit of help from Mick, I have managed to get into the sea this time and swim, without any disasters and without feeling particularly at risk. The water is a bit cold, but much warmer than around the UK, and - as people persist in telling one! - once you get in and get used to it it's not so bad! I brought 2 tankinis, one new this summer in a smaller size, and have never needed to use the larger one.
Talking to local people about the economic situation here in Greece, although they are hardly blasé about things, most people feel they are past the worst of their economic recovery and that, although something like a million middle-class Greeks have left the country, those who remain are trying hard to work and make things work. Of course, they now have to pay tax, breaking a long, long Greek tradition, which means that the Government now has a regular income to pay for necessities. Interestingly, according to a young woman who works in the Greek Foreign Ministry, their analysis of Brexit - yes, everybody's doing one! - says that the consequent economic reconstruction in Britain will not be as painful as the Greek economic reconstruction. She and her husband were surprised at the level of pessimism expressed by us and our friends and relations. Well, in a few months we will all find out....
This isn't my last bit of travel as an EU citizen, we have a visit to Germany planned for November, but it all feels very provisional: something I have valued so much, something I thought of as a a basic necessity of my life is about to disappear forever unless someone in the Government has the balls to say "We have tried, but it is never going to work" and brings this whole ghastly charade to an end.
