Keramoti, Greece A Photo tour

If God wanted to devise a great and perfect plan to humble us, He would probably send us to a foreign country where we know no one at all, don't speak their language, can't read their signs, watch their TV or even read the labels on their packages and cartons. I've never, in my life, done so much pantomiming, arm waving, pointing, and gesturing as we have in the last week or so. We've found it to be quite true that speaking slower and louder is no help at all when the one you're speaking to has no clue whatsoever as to what you are trying to say. We're trying to learn the language, not always getting it correct. We get a lot of quizzical looks! But those folks who do speak English, and there are quite a few, are very helpful. Being in the Northern region, we see a lot of Bulgarians and Germans who vacation here as well. You would think this would only add to the language confusion but it actually makes for a community that is quite accommodating for foreign visitors.

With all that, this town is a charming place with two personalities.

Keramoti by day seems to be just another sleepy little fishing village in Northern Greece. It is surrounded by quiet little neighborhoods with colorful homes and ornate lawns and gardens and has a main street that is lined with shops and cafes on one side and the waterfront on the other.

We walk from our apartment to town at least once a day. There is a bakery that sells fresh home-made bread every morning, a butcher shop, a few "Super Markets" (more like what we would call a corner store), a number of coffee shops, snack shops and gelaterias (gelato is a lower butterfat, lower sugar version of ice cream made with non-fat milk. It's very popular in Europe). There are also quite a few restaurants and a ferry landing for the boat over to Thassos Island, a large island/vacation destination just off the shores of Keramoti. Here are some of the sights we encounter on our way into town.



There are numerous gardens throughout the community. Olive trees (left) are quite common, dotting the side streets and accenting the gardens. I haven't tried eating a raw olive yet but this is what they look like (right).


Nearby to our apartment is this:

which, at first glance appears to be a tennis court....
until you see it being used...

as a football court, "Don't call it 'soccer' over here!"

Here's our local Wegman's. It's not a large store but has a surprisingly wide variety of merchandise. The folks are helpful and it's only a block or so from our place, Bellevue Apartments, a beautiful apartment building run by Julian and Genee Genov. Not only does the supermarket have a lot to offer (Frozen Octopus, filo dough and LOTS of olive oil), it provides ample parking space for the predominant modes of travel, bicycles and scooters.

By night, the downtown area comes alive as everyone leaves the beaches and moves into town. There are folks strolling along the waterfront, congregating in the sidewalk cafes, shopping, fishing of the docks and just enjoying the stunning sunsets. Dinner hour is late by our standards, between 7 and 9 PM. The shops stay open until after midnight and the streets remain full until late into the evening.

We have plenty more to share about this wonderful little town. Keep your eyes on this blog as we chronicle this once-in-a-lifetime trip and huge blessing from our Father in heaven.

Tomorrow morning, Sunday, we will go to church over on Thassos. We're really looking forward to worshipping with Dimetris Pelides and his congregation, Thassos Christian Fellowship. Then next week, we hope to begin touring Biblical sites. First up...Philippi!