Gíthio, Lady on a Donkey

Just outside Gíthio we passed an elderly Greek woman sitting sideways on a donkey that was loaded with several bags of goodies. She had a babushka, with a small switch in her hand. When Emmy smiled and waved, the lady did likewise. We wave to people in every country, just to see their reaction. Many smile and wave (most everyone in Greece), but in some countries, many people (old and young alike) appear shocked, and just stare, or glare.

The water’s edge in Gíthio is lined with restaurants with tables and chairs on the sidewalks. We talked with a restaurant owner who had lived in San Jose, California for 15 years. He recently visited with his brother who still runs that restaurant, but he prefers living in Gíthio. He said if all the Greeks came home, the Americans would starve because all the Greek restaurants would be closed.

His restaurant, with tables both inside and on the sidewalk, was about empty this night. That was also true for several others, while other cafes were busy (mid-week, out of season). This man said the empty chairs would be cause for concern in San Jose, but his Gíthio restaurant will be filled tomorrow, or some other day, and that’s all that matters. He said, “Here I am sitting at a sidewalk cafe talking to my friends, and what could be better!”

Near the end of the pier in Gíthio there was a large private yacht with eight or ten obviously hefty and apparently wealthy men and women on board. They had a crew of several, and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.