Day 4 Kalamata

Since we stayed up late the night before we finally got up around 11am.  We figured today we would spend the day at the beach, but first, coffee!  We got dressed and headed to the centro.  It was relatively quiet in town.  It was nice being able to see the hustle and bustle of fellow citizens.  For most Europeans, they were still on vacation.  We went to visit a friend who ran a coffee shop and I had my first Greek pie for breakfast.  Filled with cheese, the pocket was made of a croissant flaky bread.  You had your choice of ham, chicken or spinach.  Those things are filling!  We went to take a walk around the "old center" of Kalamata and I browsed through a couple of boutiques.  I must say, I was very impressed with the retail I encountered there.  Me and my friend discussed the differences between Italian and Greek style, but for the most part, Europeans DO have a "style" when it comes to dressing.  Since Kalamata is next to the sea, the look around town is more relaxed beach wear.  We chatted at a pub nearby while we people watched.  A couple of gypsies were working the corner and were harassing people taking money out of the ATM machine, as well as stopping patrons outside the cafe.  It's hard to watch especially when they involve children, but Simon assured me it's a bigger problem for them to solve.  Sometimes panhandling leads to petty theft, and eventually it grows to serious theft as well as the selling of weapons.  Yikes!



Hot Greek pies ready for breakfast!  I saw these everywhere at cafes.

People enjoying their morning coffee at the café.

Strolling around at il centro...

Retail therapy

We visited an old church at il centro.

One of the surprising things I found in Greece is seeing a variety of ethnic restaurants.  Here a Greek who use to live in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood opened a Mexican restaurant in Kalamata.

A shot of masticha at a bar.

We headed back and grabbed our swimwear.  The beach was waiting for us!  We settled at a beach club and were escorted to our umbrellas.  I wasn't aware the Brazilian bikini was a huge favorite among Greeks.  I people watched for the most part during my time there.  When I finally had the nerve to dip in the water, the waves were consuming me.  I do not know how to swim very well, but the water felt great.



Time for some sun at Secada beach bar.

Since we spent most of the day there, we opted to checkout the sunset.  I took my time getting ready since I knew we were going to have dinner and stay out the rest of the evening.  Once I showered up we headed back to the old part of Kalamata and I had my first souveki.  It was delicious!!



Had my first souveki at this gem...

More fries!

Now to head back to Kastraki for the sunset.  Unfortunately it was not opened yet so we decided to take a quick drive back down to a nearby beach.  That's when we heard some dance music.  We stopped in a beach bar to checkout the action.  The sun was beginning to set but we had some clouds that ruined our view!  Oh well!

Panoramic view up at Kastraki...



Checking out another beach bar during the sunset.  The music was awesome!

We drove back to town but first we went to the bus station to checkout the schedule.  I was planning on leaving the following day.  We headed to his place to check on his mother who lived upstairs.  She was a handful!  Right away she handed me an ice cream candy bar and started pouring me a glass of orange juice!  Apparently she thought I was too thin.  She was a riot!

We met up with his sister who just came home from work and discussed the bus schedule along with the schedule for the ferry heading out to Santorini.  Looks like I will be catching the 8am bus.  

It's Friday night and we had the itch to go out.  Since his sister worked all week she wanted to unwind as well.  We headed back to the centro for a glass of wine.  We talked about everything which I loved.  It was a change of pace for me.  

The next day we got up early and Simon drove me to the bus station.  I am happy that my friend is doing well back at his hometown.  He's a good man who loves his city and is now getting involved within the community to help improve the conditions in Kalamata.  I am confident he will be fine.