Vance #10 a quick ferry from galatas on the mainland to the island of poros which we see from the house

From Vance's email. a quick ferry from galatas on the mainland to the island of poros which we see from the house. 10/4/2014 9:54 AM

the island is much larger than i had thought, mountainous, dramatic, winding roads high above the water then dropping to sea level... here we had a little mid morning ouzo with a tomato, cucumber and tatziki (yogurt-cucumber dip) and bread (meze). it was calm, quiet and just lovely to sit and watch the water and boats, some huge yachts. quiet and satisfying, really vacation-like.

a bit more driving, through the hills, gorgeous light green of the pines painting the hillsides

 

 

 more coversation about along the way we passed many places to eat and yes, after an hour stopped for lunch...a huge shared salad of greens, shaved parmesan, light dressing, tatziki, rabbit stew, moussaka, fried calamari and dessert. in greece it is taken for granted there will be a simple dessert, perhaps apples like last evening dusted with cinnamon or today green grapes and red apple surrounding a mound of thick greek yogurt drizzled with honey and sprinkled with walnuts...and thats all included in 36 euros for four! amazing. very little tipping here...perhaps a few dollars, none of the 15, 20%!

a special receipt for octopus from matina, the owner. thaw the frozen octopus in warm water, put it into a pot with a bit of water, a bay leaf, a chopped onion and a bit of vinegar. simmer on low. when tender (hr or so) cut in strips, add a tomato and a glass of red wine. the wine adds flavor and turns the octopus red. charlene and i will give it a try. tonight our last dinner on the island of poros. im sure it will be extraordinary. matina speaks 5 languages, married an engishman, lived in so africa, speaks
afrikans and zulu.