Stone work, family, and panagiria

Stone Work

What does a Greek homeowner do with 15 tons of rock? It is sufficient stone to build a small house. Since Jonathan’s family already has a small house, the answer is simple: build a stone wall. To that end, he met with Petros the Albanian master masonn several days ago and negotiated the construction of a 21-meter-long (70 centimeter high) stone wall, mortared and with a double face.

Petros and his Bulgarian mason’s tender began work just a few days earlier—chipping rocks, mixing mortar. They will have completed their task in just under a week’s time.

The master masons in southern Messinia build extraordinary house, archways, walls, and lesser effects, demonstrating a level of craft and skill that is as rare as it is beautiful. The economic crisis that plagues Greek, now in its sixth year, makes negotiation for such work a possibility. (Jonathan succeeded in knocking one hundred euros off the original estimate.) The cost is made less by the fact that an enormous pile of rocks, which would  have cost about 600 euros, is readily available.

Panagiri and Pruning

Father roused daughter early on Tuesday, at the urging of her village friends, so that she might attend that day’s panagiri or religious celebration (saint’s day) at a tiny ancient chapel located deep in the agricultural valley. The feast was for Αγιος Γιάννης Ριγανης (St. John Rigani, or St. John of the Oregano). At such events (because of the size of the chapel and also the building heat) the celebrants generally remain in the shaded outside courtyard while the priest performs the liturgy.

At 9 a.m. a pickup truck appears ceremoniously with a whole roasted pig on a wooden door in the bed—complete with head—which is promptly cleaved into pieces and devoured by the masses from sheets of wax paper. There is beer and wine and blessed bread, and what follows is the kind of fellowship that only a Greek village can express.

Every village in this region and throughout Greece has its respective panagiri and one can spend a season at such events (which are always free and open to all)

Earlier in the day, Yioryio loaned Jonathan his small chainsaw following a short lesson in how to prune a tree. The object in question was an ancient χαρούπη (carob) that marks one corner of the property and provides the potential more much sought shade. In an hour’s time, while the mason’s worked on the wall, Jonathan completed his task. Gradually the property takes shape.

Yesterday Jonathan and Yiota set off at dawn for the weekly tree and shrub market in Petalidi, just over the mountain. They arrived too early and continued on to modern Messene where the two filled his diminuitive Fiat Panda with the following: three organges (two Valencia and one Navarino), two lemons, one fig, a half dozen cypress, oregano, sage, and a large δαφνή (bay tree). In a few days these will be supplemented by pomengrantate, avocado, and some large table variety of olive. All of these will be planted after sunset tonight, the small trees supported by bamboo harvested from Yiota’s house.

Welcome to Our Village

Jonathan’s sister Dyan (Lucia’s nouna or godmother) arrived in Greece with her daughter Zoe a few days ago. The found their way to Finikounda and will visit for a few days before setting off for the northwestern Peloponnese with Lucia. Jonathan will have some “quiet time” before meeting the three on the island of Spetses, the home our Jonathan and Dyan’s beloved grandmother Evstathia.

In the meantime, they have been introduced to so many more villagers than whose names they can possibly remember, enjoyed some beach time, and nights out in the village—copious quantities of food, late nights, and daytime sojourns: to the towns of Koroni, Methoni, Pylos, and several of the nearby villages. The four capped their Koroni visit (where they toured the town’s medieval castle and the Old Calendar nunnery that lies within its walls) with a swim at the little settlement in nearby Tapsi—where there is little more than a beach and two tavernas.

While in Koroni, Jonathan obtained the certified copy of the deed to the family’s property—all of those Greek stamps, signatures, and officialdom are a welcome sight. He met Dyan and the girls at the nunnery located within the ruins of the Venetian castle. The nuns remembered Jonathan and Lucia from previous visits and demonstrated their usual hospitality, offering the visitors homemade loukumia and directions around the compound.

The four took the winding road down to the secluded cove called Tapsi, where everyone swam and enjoyed a lunch of chicken in lemon sauce, meat balls, salad, fasolakia (green beans in tomato sauce), and tzatzikia.

By 2 p.m it was too hot to even walk on the beach, no less lay there under the intense sun. The four retreated for siesta hour.