A Winter's Morning

 Up early again for a visit to the Microbiologist for Ks blood tests

Maria, who draws the blood, is a good friend.  She's full of good cheer whatever the hour, has relaxing music playing, lightens up the atmosphere with her laugh and you hardly realise she's taken your blood.  Her nickname is Bloody Mary

 I don't know the name in English of the person who takes your blood and does the diagnosis.  A phlebotomist takes the blood.  Maria, and her assistants, do the diagnostic study of it as well.  A Clinical Pathologist maybe. In Greek she's a Mikrobiologist

She sends the results out the next day by email, to us and our doctor. 

This is the coaster on her desk

It's a bit of a climb up steep steps to reach her lab especially early in the morning

You can have a rest here and get your courage up before going inside

Afterwards it's coffee time.  The morning was chilly but we sat outside anyway to drink our coffees.  Greek coffee for K, Hot capuccino for me.  My fingers had turned white from the cold so I wrapped them round the cup

You can see the early morning Hellenic Seaways Catamaran in the background sailing down to Hydra

Brad Pitt is not on Hydra any more. The movie set has moved on to Evia and Athens. The film?  The Riders. 

On to the fish market.  K ordered some smallish snapper type fish and while they were scaled and gutted we went on to finish the rest of our tasks. We don't often come down to the centre of town 

Farmakeio

First on the list was the chemist.  K has a list of his monthly medecine. Nektaria at the chemists is another cheerful face. Quite often they don't have  a certain medication but it's ordered immediately and delivered the next day

Nektaria gives injections, takes blood pressure, gives advice and performs basic first aid

Then to the bakers for a kilo of sourdough bread.  It lasts all week.  K doesn't mind when it gets stale and hard.  It's what he was used to growing up.  His mother baked huge loaves which fed all the family for more than a week

One of the few tavernas open all winter

It's right on the waterfront

Euro jackpot!

It was up to 73,000,000

We played .............

And will have to play again

Most of the cafeterias and the tavernas are closed for a couple of months for cleaning and refurbishing

Easter is coming up fast

The Orthodox Easter Sunday is April 12, one week after the Catholic Easter (as it's known here)

They'll all be up and running by mid March in time to catch the european holiday makers.  Hopefully.  This year the easter tourist traffic is a question mark

One souvenir shop is always open.  He's a school friend of K

The other shops open when the tourist '3 Island Cruise' boat comes in.  During winter they only open for the cruise boat and close an hour later when it pulls out for the next island. 

One of the half dozen ATMs.  We only use the ones outside the National and Alpha Banks.  If something goes wrong or it eats your card you can go into the bank and get it sorted. Only during working hours.  8am to 2.30pm