Night Life Along the Aegean...

The summer schedule, at least here on the island, allows for very late evenings. The library is open each day from 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and it looks like the other government office keep similar hours. The cafes are open from 8 in the morning until the wee hours of the next day. However, most of the other shops and the little what-we-would-call grocery stores are closed from 2-5ish in the afternoon and then open back up for the evening until midnight or so. I’m assuming everyone goes home and naps, because it appears that the whole town, from the oldest to the youngest, are out and about in the evenings. Nobody seems to be sitting at home watching TV!

From one end...

The town square becomes alive with people; small children play pick up soccer games, ride bikes, use skateboards and run and climb and jump. All the encircling cafes are full of extended families and groups of friends eating and visiting together.

...cafes along the side...

...past the government building...

...to the other end...

...with little rented motored cars for kids...

...and skaters.

It is fun, and feels perfectly safe, to wander the town streets and alleys. They are laid out kind of in a semicircle with the harbor at the bottom. You can’t really get lost. There is absolutely not a square of wasted or empty space. Yes, somehow it all works...haven’t heard any of the fussing and nastiness so common at home when people rub shoulders.

Shops downstairs and apartments upstairs.

Solar drying is the way to go! Lots of balconies. 

Little wavy marble block lined streets are everywhere.

Sometimes they change from flat street to steps or a series of stairs.

I know that we eat very eclectically at home, and really in the USA generally. We eat "regular" food, yet often have Mexican tacos and salsas full of spices our grandparents didn't even know about. Phil and I eat Chinese take out and Rice Bowls, we like Italian sauces and, of course, pizzas with an almost endless array of topping possibilities. I enjoy the local Thai places and enjoy a Pho bowl now and then. My palate is used to variety.

I'm assuming it will be different in Athens, but here on Syros there is Greek food. Not surprising, you say? Of course not, but after a week our good, though rather bland, repetitive breakfast buffet has gotten old. (What would I give for bacon?? Don't ask!!) 😀

The middle eastern meat flavorings are a constant in everything we eat. So I was pleasantly surprised to run across this spot which offered a hamburger on its menu. I asked if it was beef. "Yes, yes. Beef," replied the man at the grill. "Shall I order or go sit?" "You sit, I cook," came the reply. So I went outside and sat. A lady came out and said, "Hamburger part beef, part pork. Okay?" "Okay," I replied. She brought me a glass of water, which is a bit unusual...usually you have to order and pay for it.

I should have ordered the chocolate crepes like the girls sitting beside me. They looked yummy!

Then out came a plate with a large "hamburger" and French fries. (Everything comes with French Fries!) It had a mustard type sauce on it...very light in mustard taste...not being a mustard fan, I scrapped most of it off, but what was left was not at all offensive. (Apologies to my mustard loving family and friends). There was lettuce and tomato, too. I took a big bite with anticipation...RATS (not the mammal)...it had been mixed with all the same Middle Eastern meat seasonings I had been getting in my pita gyros and kabobs. It tasted like a kabob-burger! Very disappointing!

Looks can be deceiving! And the ketchup was that strange tomato stuff called ketchup here. My dining companion was the little boy of the couple sitting next to me. They parked him with mom's phone across from me when he had finished his dinner. 

Of course whatever disappointment one might experience in the meal department, one can always redeem the evening with gelato! There seems to be a gelato shop on every block. Amazing flavors...this was a banana with a dark chocolate ribbon and bits of almonds. Very yummy!

Shops are shops the world over, I've found. Pricey ones, stuff from China (labeled PRC here meaning People's Republic of China), jam packed ones. Vendors here have overall been nice, helpful and very respectful. I found this shop and really like it. It's a combo of local sausages, cheeses and olives, along with a nice assortment of Greek wines, candies, teas and coffees. Outside are various locally made soaps, live snails in a glass container for viewing before choosing, and a nice selection of Greek produced olive wood spoons, bowls and salad tongs.

And loofahs of all sizes. One thing to know about traveling out of the USA is that no one--not even hotels--provides washcloths. So you need to bring your own or buy locally. 7-11 in Thailand had small thin washcloths for sale...lots of folks use the net things that many US folks use. But here on the island, at least, people must use loofahs. They are for sale in all sizes everywhere. They are called sponges, but actually they are grown from a plant related to the cucumber.

Not far from our hotel is this open door with the Bike Rental sign over it.

Here are some of the possibilities for the younger set.

One evening I even saw scooters of various sizes-little kids to adults.

Or for two or three to pedal around in...

...or to load up your whole family or group of friends! Fun-but still pedal powered!

Like every town/city, there are street musicians of all types, traditional to classic to modern, and other street performers. This was a particularly unique one. Yes, there is a person inside there...it was about 8 feet tall and lit from the inside.

And the occasional kitty...this one snoozing by the town square.

I've seen two computer shops around town.

Other than the words "computer" and "software", it's all Greek to me! (I've been dying to say that!

And back home for the evening view from the steps of our hotel......and the night view from our balcony. The sea is still beyond and will be there waiting and blue in the morning. Amazing!