And Opa went the night...

Mom sure was on to something when she woke up at the crack of dawn and ensued to wake the entire household up. As a result of this ‘training’ I’ve become an early bird…I’ve been accustomed to waking up with the kuku’s and stewing in bed for about two hours especially over the weekends. Lately I’ve taken to getting out of bed as soon as I awaken and seizing the day. Saturday found me at the library bright and early to get some reading down while my mind was still fresh…whatever that means. I was finally driven out by the freezing space…tell me, what is it with people and bloody AC…it was soooooooo pleasant out on this perfect fall day – low 60s in the morning and it probably peaked to 75 in the entire day…why then blast the AC…wusaaaaaaah. Went to one of my fave restaurants for lunch with two friends and then off to the Greek Festival we ventured, not knowing what to expect.
WOW my experience was absolutely out of this world. I love to travel and meet people and learn aspects about their culture and this was one seemingly such occasion. The Greek are very fun loving people as portrayed in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding”…actually that was an understatement. We were treated with warmth from the moment we entered the shuttle that ferried us to the venue to the moment we left. Why did we indulge in a copious lunch before coming here we wondered. The food oh the food…there were tables upon tables of Greek cuisine and the smell permeated over the expanse of the venue and beyond in oh so subtle ways…DARN why did I have to eat before coming here… I tried a few desserts and though delectable I found them to be way too sweet for my liking. The food, accompanied by live performances by Greek bands and dancers and tours of the cathedral and history lesson, created a sense of actually being away but for a moment in the great land of the philosophers. The cathedral…WOW…breathtaking and the photos I took can’t even begin to capture the magnificence…the intricately designed iconography…amazing and brilliant are but insults in describing the mosaic dome of Christ and several other featured pieces that add to the ambience of the cathedral. Some of the jewelry on sale, esp. the beaded pieces were very similar to Kenyan beadwork and they also must have imported wood curvers from the motherland for the similarity in the art is almost indistinguishable.
Done with the learning and discovery here comes the fun…opa opa opa we chanted through the night. We were under the stars and the full moon illuminated the stage creating an almost romantic environment. Finally after a couple glasses of divine Greek wine, we dared to get up from our seats and learn some dances. Yeah it seemed extremely easy from over yonder…LOL…my arms and shoulders are still hurting. The dance is very inclusive and we held hands and locked shoulders and kicked our legs and twisted our waists and yes all that felt like a being at one of those overpriced gyms…my friend and I even dared to teach the newcomers a few moves of what we had learnt in that short moment…LOL…opa some more and that quick the night was over…BLISS!