Itisallgreek2me

Thespina and Katina - making Xerotigana

When I left Hania on the 1100 hours bus Monday bound for Kastelli, it was still raining.  Arrived at the family home shortly after midday to a warm welcome … I would never expect anything less.  A hive of industry as everyone here helped in the making of the traditional Cretan wedding sweet – Xerotigana.  Into their third day of labouring to make approximately 1,000 from 18 kilos of flour.  Once the dough (which contains no sugar, eggs or butter) is rolled out, cut into strips and formed into spirals, it is quickly fried in hot oil then set aside to drain.  Tomorrow the spirals will be dipped in a hot honey syrup and sprinkled with sugar, cinnamon and ground almonds.  500 will be taken to the church and the other 500 to the reception.

With everyone hard at work, there was no room for any quiet, sombre mood … to the contrary, much merriment and laughter. When the job was done, the table was set for a late lunch which included dolmadakia (stuffed courgette flowers) and kalitsounia (pastries filled with horta and sprinkled with sesame seeds) and as always, a glass or two of wine.  Such an abundance of wonderful food, you have a right to feel jealous of me.

That evening, among others, Vanna and Roma came to see me and naturally, another table full of yummy things to eat.  Vanna has been walking six kilometres every morning and spending time in the Gym.  As a consequence, she has shed 23 kilos to date and is looking great!  Well done Vanna.  They were very late leaving, however, I managed to hang in there.  Very grateful to finally get into bed, albeit an uncomfortable one.  It never ceases to amaze me how all the beds in Greece can be so hard and yet no one ever complains.  My body clock still struggling to adjust to the time zone change.

By yesterday the rain had left us.  Awoke to the bluest of skies that one only experiences in Ellada with bright sunshine and today is no different.  The hive of activity continues inside and out as the two Vasili’s work honestly to complete work on the external staircase.  The country is in the grips of a 48 hour strike – everything is closed and transport thrown into chaos … hopefully my travel plans on Monday will not be disrupted.  Yesterday I went to top up my mobile phone with a 20 Euro card only to learn I would get 12% less credit as there is a new tax on mobiles.  I guess the Government now have to do whatever they can to control and reduce the country’s debt.  All Europe is struggling, however, no more so than here in Greece … a pity they ever joined the European Union.

The long range weather forecast is looking good for the weekend and Saturday’s wedding.  Although 500 guests have been invited, this is not a lot by Greek standards.  Antoni and Johanna will marry at a church here in Kastelli at 1800 hours with the reception to follow at a function centre in Maleme – on the coast between here and Hania.  There is still much to be done to make ready for the happy occasion.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 at 9:39 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.