Hurry Up and Wait

Editor’s note—this new device will not allow me to post our wonderful photos, which is an enormous disappointment...courtesy of Apple.

Luddites everywhere unite!

Hurry Up and Wait

Earlier today we experienced a seismic evident—an earthquake measuring 5.2 on the Richter scale. We were swimming in an isolated cove and didn’t even notice the shaking, which lasted 15 seconds.

Greece’s third world qualities diminish with passing years—toilets flush, oil lanterns are replaced by electricity, the dowry for girls is a thing of the past—but it is alive and well in the banking system.

As Peter explored Homer’s “sandy Pylos,” with special attraction to the yacht harbor, Jonathan endured the agony of the bank lobby, where thirty or so folks waited for their turn with the one bank teller. Greece may be the sole EU nation where withdrawing one’s own .money becomes an ordeal of epic proportions.

Here is the routine. Enter the bank through the double foyer, which is separated by a bullet-proof/blast-proof chamber, then take a ticket as one might at the delicatessen counter. Mine was number 124; the screen read a disheartening 84. The enlightened bank patron then leaves the bank itself and orders a coffee at one of the many cafes that line the town’s oceanfront. From this  handy vantage, one can glance through the blast glass to ascertain the progress—or lack of progress. Many of the other cafe patrons are also bank patrons. An ambitious soul (I count myself among this  group) also gets a ticket from the line of the phone office, the water company, and anywhere else with a similar system.

Two hours and ten minutes later, I emerged with my 400 euros, the maximum amount allowed under austerity’s capital controls, the EU’s attempt to avoid capital flight from this beleaguered nation.

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Peter was pleased with his mini adventure in Pylos (me less so) and stood ready for the primary object of our sojourn to Pylos: a visit to the “new” castle (Neokastro), which was built by the Ottoman Turks in the 1500s. We had visited the “old” castle—the Paleokastro—which was constructed in the 1200s, a few days earlier.

Peter and I spent most of the afternoon hiking within the castle’s inner and outer walls. We also viewed the incredible collection  of archaeological finds from the Early Bronze Age settlements that litter this region, including fabulous underwater finds, and the artifacts from tholos and shaft graves. 

We headed back to the big beach in Finikounda, setting up beach camp in the relative shelter of Mavrovouni, at the west end of the beach. The early effects of a massive Mediterranean cyclone were being felt, with rolling waves and gusty winds. The storm is due to hit us tomorrow and it looks massive, bringing the first significant rains since winter.

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