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.    

Day 3 Kalamata

Of course the night before I had to checkout I had bad insomnia.  I woke up at 3am in a panic and I couldn't fall back asleep til 7am!  My mind wouldn't let me rest.  I started to get nervous because I was going to take a bus out to Kalamata.  A million thoughts rushed to my head.  Luckily I got up in time to catch my free breakfast at the restaurant.  I drank my coffee so I could be focused on packing my things.  I seriously need to stop shopping.  I'm having a hard time closing my luggage!  Regardless, I got my 2nd wind once I got out of the shower.  Time to be on full alert because I was going in unknown territory.

Don't get me wrong.  So far Athens was great to me and that's what I think my problem is.  Because of how my mind works, I worried that I was going to have a bad experience at the bus station.  Since I was messaging my friend from Italy and Simon at the same time, I calmed down a bit.  Simon assured me that the bus station had free wifi, and thank god he was right.  The hotel ordered a cab for me and off I went.  Of course, the cab driver didn't speak a lick of English.  It's terrifying trusting someone you can't speak to drive you somewhere.  We tried to exchange some words, and that's when I got a good vibe from him.  I assumed he was asking me where was I going, and I answered Kalamata.  His eyes lit up.  He was the 2nd person who did that to me so far.  The 1st guy was a man working at a souvenir shop.  He told me most tourists would not head that way but he also reassured me that it was beautiful.  So far so good.

I walked into the station and found the ticket booth for Kalamata.  I walked up to the guy and paid for a return ticket fee.  That ticket was good for 3 months.  Not bad for 40 €.  The ticket man circled the station where my bus was going to pull into.  Station 30-31 was where I was suppose to go.  Luckily a priest walked up behind me and asked for a ticket to Kalamata also.  I knew to follow him since he was going to where I was heading.  

Our bus was not there yet and we both sat by our stations.  There were gypsies everywhere trying to sell us pens(?) and wouldn't leave people alone.  I was very nervous.  The bus station did have wifi and I kept messaging my friend in Italy.  She warned me that gypsies usually work in packs and to watch my belongings.  I never saw any staff walking around.  No assistants anywhere.  Again I'm assuming most tourists don't travel via bus and usually head to the port to visit the islands. 

I asked a mother and daughter if this was the bus to Kalamata and the girl replied back yes.  She seemed young, like a teenager.  Her English was broken but at least she understood me.  

A man helped me find my seat on the bus and off we went.  Luckily no one sat next to me but there was a shady character that did managed to get on the bus.  He had no luggage and was very skinny and dirty.  I think he was homeless.  He wouldn't leave these two guys alone.  Even though they spoke Greek, I think he kept asking them where this bus was heading to.  He had some screws loose.  In the end it turned out to be more of a joke with people laughing at him.  I just continued watching the show.  The bus driver intervened when he started coming up to him and disrupting the ride.  This bus was an express and was not stopping anywhere but Kalamata.   

I did managed to knock out during the 3 hour bus ride.  As we pulled in I saw my friend waiting for me.  I was relieved.  I made it to Kalamata!

I use to work for Simon.  I've known him since I was 16 years old.  We worked together at a parking company and he was my boss.  He eventually moved back to Kalamata back in 2009.  He drove me around and was excited to show me his city.  But first, let's eat!

Kalamata!

He took me to the coastal side of town and we went to a friend's restaurant to have lunch.  Again, since I was arriving late in the afternoon, it wasn't the ideal time to eat.  We had the restaurant to ourselves.  Staff were in the midst of changing shifts.  It was a good time for us to catch up to where we were in our lives.  The last time I ran into Simon was back in Chicago at the Iguana Café with my ex.  So much has happened since then.  I ordered lamb for lunch and it came with a side order of fries.  I wasn't aware that Greeks love fries.



Catching up at lunch...

I was craving meat so I ordered lamb. 

Afterwards, we took another drive around the city before we settled back at his place.  There was a big soccer game in the evening and we decided to sneak in a siesta.  I finally took a shower as well.  That bus ride had no air conditioning!
Kalamata is very humid because of the sea, more so than Athens!  Although my friend Simon does not smoke, smoking among Greeks is everywhere.  I suspect that 70% of Greeks smoke. 
We made our way to a café along the beach to watch the game.  I was still pretty full from lunch so I passed on dinner.  The café was packed of men, and I was the only woman present.  It threw me off but Simon reassured me that most women just aren't into soccer.  Women do socialize but would rather be at another type of bar that would cater to their needs.

I have to admit, I was a little intimidated being in a room full of men who looked so serious, but this soccer game was a BIG deal!

The game was intense.  The Olympiacos defeated Portugal's Arouca 2-1.  I enjoyed watching the crowd's reaction to the game.  I felt I had witnessed a huge passion of theirs.  Afterwards we took a ride up to a Kastraki, a castle-built restaurant and lounge that overlooks the city and sea.  The view is amazing!  We continued to have drinks but then I was tempted to try the infamous Greek yogurt.  Since I skipped out on dinner I decided to indulge.  They served it in a big bowl (of course) with shaved almonds and a side jar of honey.  It was delish!  It was whipped thoroughly and very cold.  We stayed for a while.  So far Kalamata was gorgeous!

Our seats for the evening!  This view was breathtaking!!

My friend Simon mentioned that certain places in Greece will not kick people out even if it's after hours.  They consider it rude...

 

GREEK YOGURT!!