There once was a Canadian who began turning Greek

On my first official day in Pylos, wake up call was at 7am --- No sweat.
We had an orientation of the site and headed back into town early in the afternoon.
My roommate and I went to the Plataea -- the town square which is 2 mins from the hotel. We got ice cream --- BEST ICE CREAM EVER--- and a frappe (cold coffee with foamed milk and sugar --- SOOO good.)  Across the street from where we were sitting was CALICO cat sunbathing underneath a table.. Oh my word,  we were both THIS close from kidnapping it!!!!!!!!!!!  sniff sniff.. sadly, I didn't. I see cats all over the place and gosh darnit:  I want them all!!!

After I was initiated into the wonderful world of Greek delicacies, we stepped into a touristy shop where the owner said, "yia sas."
I thought that that was what I heard, but I wasn't sure, so I just smiled.
Then she said, "I said hello!"
I respond, "I thought so!"
So then she said, "if you want to say this...and that...."
Then I said, "and thank you is 'parakalo'?
She said, "YES!!!!"
She was all into teaching us words, it was so cool --- To this day, I visit her everyday after dinner and buy one postcard from her shop --- It gives me a reason to go visit her.  She loves it!

Later in the evening, two friends and I (all Canadians) discovered a small shoe store filled with SHINY SHOES!!! OH LORD.
I did not buy anything, but God knows I will eventually... It's just a matter of time... Everything is so close by!

Dinner is served: Greek style

Dinner here is something that is out of this world.
Four course meals that include an appetizer, a salad, an entree and a dessert. IT IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!

On the night I arrived, we had a cheese pie to start us off.  This delicacy consists of hot cheese --- presumably Greek cheeses sandwiched between layers of flaky pastries --- Can I have a OMG anyone?
Afterwards, a fantastic Greek salad full of...yes... olives, were served, followed by chicken and potatoes.  A fruit salad finished off the night and holy cow, was it ever good!

Our dinners are served out on the terrace --- directly across the street from the hotel --- the roads here are pretty narrow so you just have to walk (without getting hit by a car! haha) about 15 metres to your table.  By the way, did I mention the terrace is right on the water????  Yeah man, I'm eating seaside!

Other dinners have consisted of various other salads, but ALWAYS with huge tomatoes and CUCUMBERS!!! --- olives of course.  And yes --- I've tried the olives --- I'm not a huge fan, but I can say that I've tried them in Greece!  We've had pork, beef, chicken...or should I say kotopulo?! 

This past Saturday, the hotel hosted a BBQ for us and roasted a lamb. 
Now this was a grandest buffet that I have ever seen:
Our server told us that whatever she brings out will be put in the middle of the table for anybody to dig in.  And the food kept a coming.
Salads, cheese pies, sausages, tzasiki, Greek beans in saltsa domatas(!) it just kept coming until we were stuffed!  The thing is, our dig director then announced to us all to keep some room for the main course: LAMB.  Oh my goodness.  Every laughed --- yeah right, like there's more food coming.....
And the lamb arrived.  It was very good! But we were so stuffed at the end, dear god.... And then the dessert came!

Oh Lord, CAKE.  I couldn't resist --- the cakes here are mostly mousse style with little actual cake like we have in Canada --- IT IS DELICIOUS.

Last night was seafood night and I finally got my seafood fix I've been waiting for sine I got here:
First, smoked salmon
Second, seafood salad which included crab, clam and squid
Third, octopus
Fourth, fried fish and potatoes
FIFTH, fruit salad

DEAR GOD WAS IT EVER GOOD.
A friend and I were so scared to try the second dish, but we dug into it together and mmmmm --- it was GOOOOOOD.
When the octopus dish came to our table, we both stared at it and the tentacles and we weren't really sure what to do.  When in Greece, I suppose!
"On the count of 3: 1,2,......3, EAT"

It was VERY tasty and delicious... But the minute I felt the tentacles .... I couldn't do it anymore.  It grossed me out more than anything else....

At least I tried everything!!!

Stairway to Heaven, From Hell

Once we got to our hotel, we both went to our own rooms and settled in. The hotel's elevator was interesting:
I had never seen an elevator with a swinging door before.  I couldn't clue in for the life of me that that I was on ground 0. I waited, and waited, and waited, until the owner at the desk finally said, "You can go in! Open the door!"
...Oh.

I drag my suitcase of bricks, my cement carry-on and my "purse" which is the size of a bag, really and barely had enough room for myself in this TINY elevator!
I noticed my roommate had left the itinerary on her bed and saw that the first class was in progress.  I went down to the reception desk and asked where my Professor was, or anybody for that matter.  He directed me to the meeting room where our class are held and caught the end of orientation.  I spotted my roommate and we went back upstairs to our room, before heading down for dinner.

Now, the hotel consists of five stories, four of which are actual guest rooms.  However, the "1st" floor is where the meeting room (and where classes are held) is... So technically, their "1st" floor is actually the SECOND floor.  Does this make any sense?  The room numbers end in the 400's, but really, they end on the FIFTH.  Therefore, every single time we have to go back to our room, my roommate and I curse those damn stairs --- a never-ending spiral staircase.  UGH.

These stairways do indeed lead to heaven, but they are from HELL!!

The upside though is that we are gonna have wicked legs after this month with all this climbing up and down --- SUPERWOMEN!!!