If there’s one thing that Greeks love, it’s yelling for no reason. Even a cordial discussion can be mistaken for a spiteful argument. If there are two things that Greeks love, they are yelling and feta cheese (but I’ve talked enough about feta). If there are three things that Greeks love, they are yelling, feta, and national holidays. Tuesday was yet another national holiday. November 17th commemorates the day in 1973 when student protesters in Athens staged a lock-in protest, which led to the overthrow of the military dictatorship.
In honor of the national holiday, classes were cancelled and Klearchos, the student life director at the college, planned a trip to the thermal springs near Pellas, the hometown of Alexander the Great. Approximately 40 of the college students and I boarded a charter bus after lunch for the two-hour ride to the springs. Before departing, Klearchos got on the bus microphone to take attendance and make a few announcements. Klearchos is the man. He works extremely hard and does an excellent job, however patience isn’t his finest attribute. Once he started roll call, it wasn’t long before a handful of jesters got under his skin. It went something like this:
Klearchos: “Arthur?”
Arthur: “Here.”
Klearchos: “Please speak up so I can hear you. Olsy?”
Olsy: “Etho.” (Greek for ‘here’.)
Klearchos: “Shpendi?”
[Inaudible response from the back of the bus.]
At this point, Klearchos raises his voice beyond his usual yell.
Klearchos: “Where is Shpendi?!”
Ivan: “He’s here but his throat is busy.”
Laughter erupts around the bus, Ivan high fives his neighbors, Shpendi punches Ivan in the arm, and Klearchos blows a gasket.
Klearchos: “Do you want to go to the springs or not?!?!
Stella: “You don’t need to scream, Klearchos.”
Klearchos: “I scream?”
Everybody: “Ice cream!!!!”
Klearchos: "Ice cream?"
More laughter. This time even Klearchos acknowledges the humor, submits to the jokers, and completes roll call amidst a barrage of puns in broken English.
The bus ride was smooth and we arrived at the thermal springs with about two hours of daylight remaining. The natural amenities are amazing. The springs are located in a valley between two picturesque mountains and the autumn colors were in full effect. A large creek with numerous waterfalls runs between the mountains and the water is a pale greenish-white. I explored a few mountain trails and was blown away by the views.
After climbing a few hundred meters, I found myself alone on a steep precipice. In front of me was a mountain featuring trees with intense yellow, red and green leaves. Behind me was a steep mountain face with dozens of large caves. Below me was the creek. It was unreal, but before I could get swept away in a spiritual moment, a pack of eight wild goats appeared about five meters* to my right. They were ascending the steep mountain but halted when they spotted me. I was frozen in place and at their disposal. If they charged, I could attempt to run down the jagged rock path that they navigate daily but probably wouldn’t make it too far. After a thirty-second staring contest with the lead goat, he decided to mosey along and the rest of the pack followed. I decided to breathe again then headed back down the mountain to rejoin the others.
The manmade facilities at the springs include naturally heated pools, hotel rooms, and a few tavernas. We swam and relaxed in the warm outdoor pool for a few hours. It was a brisk night, so the pool felt amazing. I dominated an Albanian guy and a Romanian bird in a who-can-hold-their-breath-the-longest competition then went to check out the thermal waterfall; it was ‘the nice nice’**. Mother Nature is mystifying. Somehow there is a warm waterfall directly next to a cold waterfall, so the custom is to stand in the cold one for 5-10 seconds then rush over to the hot chute. The experience is phenomenal. The temperature change was shocking, and the water pressure felt like the world’s greatest 10-handed, untiring masseuse going to work on my entire body; I have never felt so clean and relaxed. When I win the lottery, my first purchase will be a pair of waterfalls: one hot, one cold. Does anybody know a good waterfall dealer?
So the trip was awesome and I hope to go back. If any of you schlubs*** or floozies**** ever visit me, we can definitely hit up the thermal springs.
For those of you (if anyone actually reads this other than my mommy) who are in desperate need of a Shimosh update, fear not. I promise to deliver exactly that in my next post.
Kisses,
Jacques
* 5 meters = 5.468 yards
**the nice nice : adj, informal. superlative of NICE, most pleasant, agreeable, or satisfactory, better than just nice but one notch below the ‘nice nice nice’
***schlub : noun, informal. a talentless, unattractive or boorish person.
****floozy : noun (pl. –zies) informal. a girl or woman who has a reputation for promiscuity.
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