View from Mount Parnasas looking out onto the world! Hello world it is us the Airharties.

When in Rome, do as the Romans. When in Greece, do as the Grecians. We are learning the differences and similarities between these two sets of cultures with our trusty educational tapes, they are a bit geeky but still good. Indeed, there are many things that the Greeks do differently than us as well as the Romans. For example, both take a long siesta in the middle of the afternoon. We seem to have lost this wonderful work-free two hours somewhere in England or with the onslaught of trying to get ahead in the colonies. I am convinced we would do much better to recognize this nap as healthy and make it the national standard. This would mean a two-hour release for school, of course, that would give us a chance to go home, eat lunch and proceed with our nap.

The Greeks also have very nice okra, which we are currently cooking ia a soup. It has been in the sun in vinegar this morning (a trick we learned from our Greek neighbor last year). Some other Greek cuisine practices are the Moussaka, a layered dish of pasta, meat, and potatoes which everyone loves but me, and the habit of adding honey to the boiling pasta, creating a very interesting flavor.

Yesterday we went to Arahova and climbed on what are the ski slopes in the winter time. It was beautiful. The air was much cooler and we saw many examples of Greek wildlife, like butterflies, lizards, and bear poo. We thought it would be a nice place to visit in wintertime when it was covered with snow and the lifts were open.

It is an amazing thing to be able to be at the beach and then in fifteen minutes be at a ski resort. I am starting to believe this is the best place in the world to be and am surprized it is not a more major tourist spot. This is truly a wonderful land!

-Ellen