Natural Farming in Edessa, Greece

Thessaloniki

Well, basically there is no break from the point where last night ends and this morning began.  

I awoke on the train as the conductor announced 'Thessaloniki'.  The three remaining passengers in my berth all got up and collected our things.  I spoke with the young man who had been using English as a conversational tool through the night and learned he was from Slovenia.

The Thessaloniki train station first struck me as

 being rather decrepit when compared to the

 travel system I'd seen in Athens.  The trains bore removable/replaceable printed signs on 

their sides that announced their stops along the journey rather than the flashy LEDs that are co common today.

After descending from the platform though I was greeted with a clean and pleasant modern station (at least modern in the 60s/70s sense), just starting to open up for the morning (it was 7am).

I sussed out the surroundings, peeked outside to get a better feel for where I was and could clearly tell that I was in a city of a scale very different from that of Athens.  Five to eight story apartment buildings dotted the horizon with a full bus terminal around the periphery.  I chose to retreat back into the station to catch up with some coffee and relax time before I was to be 

picked up by Kostas at 8.

Kostas soon had called to announced he'd arrived and was waiting near the taxi terminal.  I went to meet him and was greeted by a warm, friendly man with a large frame.  We go in the car and set off for the university as I thanked him for coming to get me.  

On the way he gave me a quick orientation to the city and briefed me on the day's activities as planned.  Aristotle University is the largest school in the country with 60,000 students!  The

 Rangeland Ecology Lab had managed to secure a location on the periphery of the campus to house their program and the 60 or so students involved.

He works as a reserch rather than professor/lecturer.  Our plans were to stop at the lab, meet members of the faculty, share my presentation and then explore agroforestry systems in the surrounding countryside.  I had no expectations of us actually doing this and I was elated to learn of their willingness to so actively share their time and experience with me.

We arrived at the lab and there I met the program head Dr. Papanastasis.  He seemed 

interested in my travels and what I had to offer.  I was again impressed with the treatment I received and the willingness to drop their work so as to receive me.  They gave me a work

 space to set up at and I used the time to catch up on some e-mail and journaling.

At a few minutes before 11, I went to set up for the talk.  We started off with some technical difficulties and were about to export my flashy, precious keynote document to powerpoint for use on the resident PC when the projector miraculously read my computer's signal.  Whew!

The audience was compact - four researchers and another 3-4 members of the department.  They seemed to receive my message with stoic reserve.  It was quite difficult to read their faces.  As I described the process of forest garden design,it appeared to me that this was 'old news' and I learned that they teach many of the same characteristics in their program - though their efforts are geared more towards research and management, not design.

I was thankful I'd saved keyline for last as I knew it had a lot to offer their country and was something they had yet to be introduced to.  I concluded the presentation and we took some time for discussion and Q&A.

For the most part, Dr. Papanastasis was the only one who really engaged and seemed skeptical of the potential here.  Not so much skeptical but rather he just proceeded to spend several 

minutes describing all the reasons why he thought keyline wouldn't work here.  I think he brought up some very good points - shallow soil (like non-existent in some places), erosion

 concerns (as if that's not already happening everywhere anyways), steep inaccessible landscapes in many places and very complex land management logistics and relations.

Needless to say, folks did seem appreciative and he was interested in ordering several of the resources I'd shared - namely the Introduction to Permaculture and Edible Forest Gardens.  His curiosity was also peaked by my interest in visiting Panos Manakis - the student of Fukuoka's who is practicing natural farming techniques in Edessa - northwest of of Thessaloniki.  He even went so far as to arrange a meeting with him for me.

After this, I got my things together and Kostas and I set off for a tour of the countryside north of Thessaloniki.  I met him with a barrage of questions and he did a fantastic job fielding them 

in his English.  I was delighted as his willingness to share in the giddyness of a fellow 'plant geek'.

We covered three or four different management regions during our tour and this was very evident in the changing landscape and land use patterns.  After reaching the outer edge of the plains surrounding the city (dominated by field crops), we entered a hilly region covered in scrub oak - public forest lands subject to

 frequent burns and steady grazing pressure.  He explained that this area is extremely biologically diverse and we saw oaks, wild rose, poplars, wild pear amongst just a few overgrazed and fire-adapted species.

After passing beyond this range of hills - very reminiscent to me of southern California, we entered a much more rich zone, populated by and home to an impressive array of integrated tree crop systems.  We saw cherries, peaches, walnuts, almonds (some pollarded), grapes, chestnut, black locust, mulberry, figs, olives - which he explained were outside of their typical elevation range there.

Many of these areas were managed as silvopasture with sheep/goats grazing in the understory.  We talked about the use of pollarding to extend the productive life of a tree - olives for examples with an average life span of 30-40 years could be modified to produce for 300+.  this is due to the removal of dead wood and other energy demanding growth, essentially acting to keep the tree young.

We left this rich area and entered into another zone with rolling hills and large tilled fields that was used for cow dairy.  Kostas explained that cow dairies were almost exclusively confinement operations.

Agricultural management is challenging in this landscape.  Most farms are only 2-3 hectares (5-7.5 acres) so many farmers do not have the space needed to apply these design practices.  Shepherds often own their own land but also graze public land (by leasing) as well as the stubble that remains in harvested fields of other farmers.

We wound about the ascending hills, through an extremely eroded range and there on the other side of the ridge, a substantial lake came into view.  Also on the horizon, irrigated field crops could be seen, sprinkler systems blazing, probably giving up 30% of their water to the 

hot afternoon air.

We stepped at a lovely lakeside cafe and dined in the shade of a vine covered pergola surrounded by foraging geese, chickens and cats.  wine, salad, french fries, bread, spread and an impressive fish caught in the nearby lake.  It was really wonderful - surrounded by sweeping views on all sides.  

I got a chance to learn more about Kostas personally and his ideas and vision for his work.  He is a very kind man.  I'm grateful to have made his acquaintance. 

We took our time and then headed back home.  I think both of us tired from a long day.  Kostas had arranged for me to stay at a hostel-type building managed by the University.  He dropped me off, set me up and we said our goodbyes.  

I was stylin'.  My own room in a larger suite with bathrooms, kitchen, common room and most specially, a wrap-around terrace with seaside views.  All for 20 Euros/night.  Again, it all comes together.  I'd chosen to stay for three days - until Thursday when I'll leave for Lefkas.  They had helped to arrange a meeting with Panos the natural farmer for the following day, Tuesday, and they had also been interested in meeting once again and taking me to see other parts of the surrounding countryside.

I used the afternoon to decompress, catch up on computer work, post my first very amateur video on youtube, shower and read up on my trip for the following day.

In other good news, we've decided to go ahead and run the coppice workshop on the 10th-11th in Mass agreeing that we will likely be able to make it work economically.

After barricading myself indoors for hours, I got out and took a walk to explore the streets of Thessaloniki at around 10pm.  The air was cool and I kept picking up delightful scents in the air - I never did figure out why.  Life felt good and there was something that seemed so much more manageable about this city - about 1/4 the size of Athens (population wise).

I took a nice long walk, found a pedestrian promenade and explored it.  Crepe shops and other small cafes were in abundance.  I strolled past a massive walled off archaeological excavation with brick arches and domes and was amazed at how casually the locals walked by without even paying notice.  I know all about taking the things we're surrounded by for granted though.

I picked up a savory crepe on the way home - probably one of my best food values to date and was in bed by 2 to make sure I'd get enough sleep by morning.

Agroforestry in Thessaloniki - notes

Agroforestry notes - Thessaloniki Greece - 9/28/09 with Kostas Mantzanas

In Greece, 95% of forested land is public 

Thus much is managed by the State Forest Service

anyone is allowed to graze public lands

this makes management oversight and coordination very challenging

The average precipitation in this part of Greece is 500-600mm and is generally distributed during the winter and early spring

This year to date, they’ve received 700mm and it’s been much more evenly distributed

The general grazing system has changed over the past 20 years

graziers have begun to supplement diets with grain to increase milk production

goats are not grazed intensively while cattle and sheep are

The Legadas Valley is the area north of Thessaloniki

it has deep(er) soils that formed from ancient lake bottom sediment

here, crops include maize, legumes, hay and cereal grains

In this area, the first frost generally comes around the end of November or late December - highly variable due to elevation and microclimate

The area around the ring road that surrounds Thessaloniki burnt in 1996

This area had previously been planted with Brutia and Aleppo Pine to help control erosion

This forest is managed for its ecosystem services

It has since been replanted with hardwoods which are less susceptible to fire

The community called Solvos is dominated by diverse woody perennial production including grape, walnut, cherry, peach

In the village of Askos the economy derives from livestock husbandry

In Sagarada, near Kissos, there is a 1000 year old plane tree (Platanus orientalis)

The EU today does provide subsidies to farmers to plant tree crops - started in 1992

As a result, you’ll see black locust and walnut plantations that have been established for timber

Generally, plantings are done in the winter months and trees are not provided irrigation

Kostas did his doctoral research monitoring the productivity of grass crop in the understory of pine forests.  He compared the productivity of a native grass (Fallares aquatica) when fertilized with nitrogen fertilizer with that fertilized by legumes (Trifolium subterraneanum and Medicago lupulian)  He found that the grass supported by legumes actually performed best

He also found that spacings of 500 trees/hectare were the most effective - often 3x6m apart with some open blocks

Also, Kostas revealed that his ideal agroforestry system would be a walnut-maize biculture 

They had done studies that compared the productivity of walnut intercropped with maize and/or wheat and found that the walnut trees responded dramatically better when grown with maize.  This is because the wheat is a winter crop and is not irrigated whereas the maize is grown in the summer and is irrigated at the same time that the walnut also needs water.  They actually found that at spacings of about 100 trees per hectare (10x10 m spacings), walnuts grown with maize attained heights of 7 meters and diameters of 15cm in (I forgot how many) years while walnuts growth with wheat only grew to about 4 meters and 6 cm diameters.  These systems ideally provide a 35 year sawlog harvest.

In areas used for silvopasture, the typical spacing is about 300 trees per hectare

There are approximately 18 species of oak found throughout Greece

Oaks are often managed by pollarding

For a tree with a typical life span of 80 years, a pollarded tree may attain 300 to 700 years 

Germes Oak (Quercus coccifera) is a multi-stemmed shrub oak

it is valuable for livestock feed - especially goats who browse the leaves

it stays low to the ground and is often grazed down to a height of about 1/2 meter

this species is adapted to fire and would typically burn every 50-60 years

it’s growth is renewed very quickly after fire - about every 10 years

ideally there would be no grazing during that 10 year period but this is not the case

Quercus funeto (spelling?) is a favored tree for shredding and feeding to goats

Quercus pubescens - has a tree form

Olive trees are generally tolerant of sites at 300 meters or less

Some of the trees still under production can be up to 500 years old

Under typical conditions, these trees would average 30-40 year life spans

Olive trees in western Greece were planted by Venetians during their occupation

Trees were typically pollarded a 2 meter heights so they were out of the range of grazing goats

Chestnut Castanea sativa can generally be found at elevations about 500m

Juglans regia - the black walnut is prevalent throughout Greece

It is commonly known that walnut and grapes grow well together 

In fact, many say that wine made from grapes grown amongst walnuts is more flavorful

In northwestern Greece, many old walnut trees are integrated with grape culture

Wild Pear - this is a native species with a small fruit that is often used as rootstock

When managed as such, almond trees are pollarded after 25-30 years

?Honey Locust - is more or less not present in Greece though they do use it in France

‘Caratonia cilica’ or something is a species native to south Greece that bears similar fruits and is adapted to the dry climate

Populus ligna and alba are the two primary native poplars

There is also a hybrid of the two

These are often planted in lowlands because they are faster growing and used for pulp production

During the last decade, the paper industry collapsed so the poplar market has dried up

Today they only use it as fuel

Phragmites is occasionally grown as a bedding crop for cattle

There are about three or four areas in Greece where apples are grown as a crop - the Pilion Peninsula is one of them

Ailanthus - common throughout Greece

planted as a soil stabilizer and for its fast growth

it’s not shade tolerant so tends to die out as a canopy develops

Acacia - legume with tiny pinnately compound leaves

Kissos Video

Attica - from Ruins to Reconstruction

A solid night's sleep left me feeling somewhat refreshed, but I definitely could've slept in considerably later considering the comfortable bed and cozy, cool dark room in which I spent the night.  

Nicos and I began to discuss the day's events over breakfast.  The events more specifically refer to an introductory permaculture workshop I was to give followed by a field walk at a derelict site that once served as a US military installation during the Korean War in the town of Nea Makri on the outskirts of Athens.  

Even more complex about the history of this place, commercial development in the not-so-distant past had uncovered ruins from approximately 200 AD - a temple built by Heroditus Atticus (I probably got a good bit of the spelling wrong here) who was inspired by the 'island' of land formed at this site between two rivers before they reached the sea.  Reminding him of his travels to Egypt, the benefactor chose to erect a temple in honor of the Egyptian goddess Isis. 

 So this historical monument added yet another facet to an already complicated 

management issue.

The former military base has been more recently used as a municipal dump - a place for construction debris and other trash to be deposited until a recent court intervention put an end to it.  While it is public land, there is still considerable development potential along this beautiful coastal lot and so a significant motivator for our work was to help bring more community awareness to this resource so that it didn't slip out of memory only to be developed some time down the line.

Nicos' sister Elena came to meet us.  She was incredibly kind and I felt very welcome and comfortable in her presence.  Already cutting things a bit close time-wise, we quickly gathered up materials, snacks and other food for the day, hopped in Elena's car and made our way 

towards the community center adjacent to the former base where the workshop was to be held.  This center, complete with cinema, public pool and other community resources was built with EU(?) funds to reconstruct the otherwise abused site.

It was a gorgeous morning, strong breezes with clear blue skies.  There was no doubt it was to be a good day.  

We set things up for the presentation and as I've come to both hear and learn, we prepared for a leisurely 'Greek'-style start - exactly 35 minutes after our announced start.  This was just fine with me - it gave me time to soak up the sun and also meet some of the very interesting people who came to join us.

Elena Gogou, with whom I'd been in touch with prior to my arrival, greeted me warmly with a touching gift - a very Greek package of crocus tea (with spices).  She was to be my translator during the day and I learned that she had a strong command of the English language having 

spent much of her youth studying in Britain.  I made many great connections with concerned 

locals that morning - far too many to recount but what I can say more broadly was that I felt 

touched and inspired by the kind, intelligent people who shared the days activities with us.

When it finally came time to begin, I think I counted nearly forty people in attendance - far greater than I had anticipated!  Nicos gave an introduction to his organization TREE, a brief overview of permaculture and then introduced me.  I spoke for about an hour, providing those present with an explanation of the theory and practice that is permaculture, how it can help

 transform our lives in a positive way and how we can apply design principles to the regenerative work we do.  I can say that speaking through a translator is far more challenging than I'd anticipated and left me with much less time to share what I'd originally thought possible.  Either way, it seemed as if we made a good connection with the audience and the message is well received.

I was approached afterwards by Theodore - a marine biologist who works monitoring the health of coastal lagoons who was interested in knowing how permaculture could be applied 

directly to his work.  We talked about how design principles might be implemented on a policy level and that starting high in the watershed would have the most leverage in the long term.  He already seemed to be on the same page, but I'm hoping that the conversation helped broaden the scope of my presentation so that he might have grown more clear as to how to make it more actively useful in his life.

From here, we set off to explore the site on foot.  We assembled an impressive team, exploring this severely degraded landscape and every now and then, stopping to make observations, discuss ideas or offer up solutions.  One of the first and most powerful things we saw were multiple melon plants growing up from the piles of rubble and trash and producing large, beautiful fruits!  It was definitely a sign of the potential that even abused landscapes still retain.

Nicos had also arranged for a brief tour of the archaeological site which is not something that is often available.  We were able to explore the site with a guide and learn more about its historical significance and rediscovery.  On our way there, we noticed a mass of turtles (like 30+) sunning themselves on a concrete bank at the edge of one of the small rivers that emerged from the former base.  It was lovely to see their healthy population and engaging behavior as many of them swam over towards us, propping themselves up on the wetland vegetation to get

 a closer look.

We wrapped up our site tour about exploring some of the abandoned buildings - many of which were formerly home to the base's fire brigade and still held the historic, antique vehicles.

The day's events concluded with a discussion amongst those present as to what their 

impressions were and what next steps might be.  We didn't reach any real resolution but it did seem like this activity was a very positive, coalescing form around which for this disparate group of individuals to begin to organize their efforts and vision.  Ideas ranged from Fukuoka style seed ball natural farming techniques to setting aside a year of observation to truly get to know the site before acting.  What ultimately was resolved was an interest to organize another meeting where they might further discuss these

 ideas for site restoration, group organization and permaculture application.  Afterwards we shared a potluck meal with typical light fare - salads, bread, olives, cheese and of course, wine!

I left feeling energized by the experience but also hoping that this intensity and interest remain strong amongst those present so that their actions and impact continue to grow more effect over time.  I felt reluctant to share my thoughts to any considerable degree - both because the need to translate them made me feel slow and inept but also because it's ultimately their group, so the decision and development really should be decided by those who choose to activate.  I hope to continue to hear positive reports about the effects these people have on their urban community in such dire need of care.

After cleaning up, Nicos, Elena, Eva and I went to a beach another few kms up the road for a quick swim.  The water was that gorgeous Mediterranean blue but it was fairly breezy and I found myself growing quite cold after 20 minutes or so in the water.  Nevertheless, I know I need to make the most of my Mediterranean water time while I can so I was grateful for the

 opportunity.

We headed back to Nicos' to unpack, eat dinner, reflect and head to his office in Athens.  Our journey was made easier by Elena's car and we were unpacked and relaxed at Nicos' office by 8pm.  I used the time to start catching up on computer work, though that lasted only about 45 minutes when Nicos remembered that I needed to find out about ticket availability for the overnight train I'd planned to take that night.  

His call revealed that few berths were left on the night train and the only option I had was to run to the station to try to purchase a ticket before the train sold out.  Well, I almost had a chance to relax.  Fortunately, there is a Metro stop just blocks away from Nicos' office so I set off for the train station - about 40 minutes over two Metro lines, reached the station and bought a ticket.  It surprised me to get my ticket for only 20 Euros (from Athens to Thessaloniki).  The week before I'd paid 24 to travel half the distance by bus.  A few hours later I learned why.

I ran back to Nicos' and got back to work, heading back out the door to the train station with just enough time to stress myself out and rush to catch the midnight train.  

When I got to the station, I found a train that was overflowing with people.  I couldn't find a seat or car number on my ticket so I wasn't sure where or how to access the train and even if I did, I wasn't sure how to get on because the entry areas were literally overflowing with people - folks standing in the aisles and sitting on every available square foot of space.

I found the train conductor and asked him where to go and told me that I didn't have a reserved seat!!  Holy shit.  Of course.  Like, I guess it was silly for me to think that when I went to buy a ticket for an overnight train, the ticket guy would've told me that my ticket came with standing room only space (for a seven hour train!).  Well, I've definitely learned my lesson now.  The only redeeming realization was that I couldn't complain that much because there were literally dozens of us in the same boat (or aisle for that matter).  

I took a spot in the very narrow 'hallway' at the end of one car in between two other young fellas next to the swollen entrance to the cars' toilet.  There were five other people sitting on the floor in this area.  We were in a very high traffic zone with people continuously making their way back and forth between their seats, the dining car and the toilet.  I did my best to stand up straight and relieve the soreness in my ever-sore right shoulder as much as possible.  I tried to look at it as a zen opportunity - to remind myself of all of the people throughout history who have faced far worse in their lives and look to it as an opportunity to build character - and not look at my watch at all costs!  I broke at 12:30 and realized that it was going to be a very long night - that it was really going to be a challenge around hour four or so.  

I really needed the sleep.  Especially as I was to give a presentation to professors at the forestry department at a university the following morning.  Well, I knew it'd make for a good story.  

After about 1.5 hours of standing, an announcement was made over the train's loudspeaker (in Greek) and the people around me began to quickly pour out down the aisle towards unknown cars beyond.  I waited, afraid to give up my standing space in case it was a false alarm, but eventually curiosity took over and I went to see what it was all about.  I passed a conductor, asked if he spoke English and what the issue was.  He said that a new car was available and that it'd be very nice!  I couldn't believe it.  The question I was wondering all along had been answered - namely, why don't they just add another friggin car to this thing?

This car contained 6 person enclosures and I eventually found a space that I shared with four teenagers.  As we all had upright seats with two rows of three opposite each other, it didn't make for the best sleeping conditions, but my standards had been whittled down to nothing at that point and I was elated to have a place to sit.  

I enjoyed very interrupted sleep until we arrived in Thessaloniki and have been up ever since (now it's twelve hours later and I just enjoyed a beautiful sunset from the balcony of my hotel).  But it's time to put this thing away.  I'll recount today later!

Whew #3+

Saturday! Evia!!

I slept right in this morning (Saturday the 26th).  And I definitely needed it.  I awoke at 10am to a phone call  from Stella.  She said she had served breakfast outside on the patio and I was welcome to join.  We ate a light breakfast in the pleasant, overcast morning air and then took a quick walk around their 6000 square meter site.  

They essentially live amidst a wetland.  It can be quite clearly read from the vegetation on-site.  But also her comments about dealing with standing water in the winter months even more directly supported this - that along with their location in a level area along the shore of the sea.  Apparently they have a heavy clay soil and there is considerable ponding in the low areas around their property.  

They have established 2 small plastic lined ponds on the north side of their building.  She remarked at the 'if you build it, they will come' effect it has had on frogs, turtles and other semi-aquatic life.  The plastic apparently has been torn so it is not full to capacity but it was a nice touch they've added to an otherwise clean slate of a yard.

Both Stella and Vasilis had also expressed interest in developing some type of biological wastewater treatment system there.  Due to the swelling population of Greek tourists during the summer months, they deal with considerable wastewater effluent with their septic system needing to be pumped on a weekly! basis at some points in the season.  To me, this was absolutely mind-blowing and through conversation I was able to gather that their 'vothros' - what I imagine to be a septic tank, does not overflow into a leach field.  It's simply a tank that collects all 'waste' - both liquid and solid and thereby must be emptied quite frequently.  I'm not sure as to the historical significance of this, but it seems to me that this is a grossly inefficient system.  We talked about the potential of putting on some type of constructed wetland workshop the next time I return.  That's right, I've already over-committed myself for my return trip to Greece.

I took a much needed shower and we rushed off to the store to assist Vasilis.  As Stella needed to be available to work during the day, she had arranged for another couple - Rolandos and Penelope to collect me and share the remainder of the day with me.  In the mean time, I made copies of some of the permaculture literature I had brought with me for them to keep.  We said our goodbyes and I gave thanks for yet another very generous and warm relationship.

Penelope and Rolandos own a small farm on the east side of Evia.  As we drove across the island, we discussed permaculture, the state of agriculture on the island and throughout Greece, their farm operation and visions for the future.  Their 6 month old daughter was an absolute delight - and an incredible waver.  Apparently this morning was the first time she had taken to it and she did an amazing job.

Our conversation supported what I had already heard - that chemical agriculture was far and away the norm throughout Greece - so much so that many farmers don't believe it's possible to grow food without them.  In fact, they question Penelope and Rolandos when they say they are growing their products organically.  They have begun a small medicinal herb farm and intend to make cosmetics and other herbal preparations from their produce.  They will need to develop a certified lab in order to do so, so Rolandos has decided to complete his medical training so that he might serve as oversight of the lab's operations.

As we reached deeper into the island, the pine forests grew more and more dense and the hills even larger in scope.  I was deeply impressed with the beauty of this landscape - I had not anticipated such a wilderness on this 'island'.  Along the way, they pointed to the predominant pine trees, the majority of which had 1/2 full plastic bags affixed to a scarred trunk, used to collect the pitch that is sold for use in a number of products - one of the more interesting being the resin flavored wine called 'retsina'.  Penelope and Rolandos spoke actively against

 this form of silviculture, pointing to the aggressive wounds that had been created and also mentioned how it was only due to agricultural subsidies that this activity was able to be 

sustained.  

They had mentioned previously that it was agricultural subsidies that had sustained much of the annual agriculture throughout Greece.  Apparently, the landscape does not support very healthy production of many of their field crops - notably cotton.  Farmers receive money from the government to keep land under cultivation and for many this is the only reason why they continue to produce them, sometimes choosing not even to harvest the crop after receiving the payment.  Apparently, these subsidies are to be lifted in 2013, and R & P believe this will result in the potential for a widespread transformation of Greek agriculture.

In the midst of deep valleys and steep hillsides, we stopped in a small village and picked up Susie and Al - both expats now living in Greece.  Susie had grown up in Germany and had come to Evia in her late teens while traveling and essentially hasn't left for 25 years - full of energy and with a very kind nature and friendly smile.  Al is visiting Greece from Argentina and was incredibly bright and kind in his manners.  With Greek and English conversational abilities

 similar to my own Greek skills (or perhaps a bit stronger), Al and I spoke in Spanish as we made our way towards R &Ps homestead.  

He had come to Greece and worked with Fukuoka's near famous student I have now heard so much about.  He was very well versed in plants and had eagerly studied permaculture and other forms of natural living.

Penelope and Rolandos home was lovely, set on a gentle, south facing hillside, completely off the grid.  Probably one of the most striking features of their home for me was the prevalence of birdsong.  Even during the middle of the day, avian life appeared abundantly.

Rolandos and I vigorously discussed the transition approach to cultural evolution that Rob Hopkins advocates.  Rolandos, a longtime activist, argued that we need to actively oppose cultural domination and multi-national development to bring about true change.  That community based transformation will never be more than just that - a community changed.  He felt that without dismantling the overarching system, we will forever be subject to the injustices that now ring far and wide.  I agreed with his points, but expressed that this is also an important part of transition and at the same time there is a critical need to build community and enhance our respective skill sets and networks.  It was an interesting conversation that never really came to resolution though he did express interest later in reading the handbook in depth.

We walked their small fenced in production area, looking at the range of plants growing in their gravelly soil.  Soon enough, we realized there was very little time for me to reach the bus back to Athens, so we shared a very hurried pasta and salad lunch together and said our 

goodbyes.  Rolandos kindly drove me to a village about 20 km from their home to leave me at the bus stop.  Our conversation continued and he expressed the challenges of moving to a tight-knit conventional community and experiencing life as an outsider.  While they have developed strong ties with some community members, others have proven reluctant to provide them with support or trust.  This is a significant challenge in building community he argued - there will always be some who will work against the change.  I had little to reply but absorb it and hope for the best.

The bus arrived about 40 minutes later than we'd expected so we hung around the village main street and continued our discussion about life in Greece.  He explained that utility bills are very high - as much as 300 Euros per month, making it even harder for individuals and

 families to scrape by on a salary that is often little more than 1000 Euros per month.  This recognition led my deep gratitude for the generous support I'd received from hosts to run even deeper.

Soon the bus arrived and I hopped on.  This bus seemed much more 'used' than many of the others I'd been on to date.  I struggled to keep my eyes open but caught glimpses of the breathtaking scenery along the way.  Some of the more memorable points came as we passed through a dense market in a small village at the foot of a valley.  It was dominated by rug merchants - I couldn't see how they were able to compete with one another in what appeared to be such a small community.

The road snaked along with river for some time, with riparian sycamore-dominated forest on the opposite side of the bus and small agricultural holdings along my window.  I continually drifted in and out of sleep but recall struggling to stay awake as we began to the incredible set of switchbacks that lifted us up and out of the valley, affording breathtaking views of the countryside below.  The villages in this area struck me as being remote and impoverished in a way that I'd yet to see in Greece.  Much more what I would have expected to see in less developed parts of Eastern Europe.  It was very interesting to absorb these observations.

We arrived in (I can't recall the town name) but a place to transfer buses to Athens.  There was a slight delay before we took off and another 2 hours or so until we reached the city.  My phone had nearly run out of credit and I needed to coordinate my arrival with Nicos in Nea Makri.  He was concerned that I might miss the last bus to this town about 45 minutes outside of Athens proper and that helped build my level of anxiety as we reached standstill traffic in Athens proper.  What ensured was a very intense process of transport from the city bus station to his home across town.

I had intended to take the metro to a bus stop I knew would bring me to his place.  I rushed to the nearest metro stop only to find it closed for repair work.  From there, I hurried north to the next metro stop and it too was closed.  I spoke with a security guard who said the entire line was down and I'd need to take the bus.  Being completely unfamiliar with the bus lines and where they might take me, this was not an appealing option.  I rang Nicos and told him I was worried I would be unable to make it to his place that evening.  He told me to take a cab and described the location of the bus terminal where I could catch the last bus of the evening to Nea Makri.  Before we'd hashed out the details, my phone credit ran out.  

Fortunately, as I then learned, incoming calls are free and he called me back.  I hopped in a cab in a dramatic fashion and he spoke English very well.  He ushered me near the bus terminal and left me off, though I was still unsure exactly where it was located.  After some frantic asking around, I rushed to the kiosk where my bus was supposed to leave from and waited.  Unfortunately, it's one thing to be in a country where you don't speak the language - it's another to be in a country where they use a different alphabet.  Nicos said to look for three different possible destinations on the buses as they passed.  I didn't see any of them as several buses came and went.  About fifteen minutes after my bus should have arrived, I again heard from Nicos and he told me to be more active about searching for my bus.  There was to be another at 10:30 - the real last one of the night.  

I took his advice and went and asked a driver and incredibly, he told me that his bus, the one that was stationed along the roadside was heading for Nea Makri.  I had trouble believing him, but nonetheless boarded.  I can't express my elation when the ticket collector nodded and told me the price when I said I was going to Nea Makri.  Now the only challenge was that I couldn't clearly remember my stop.  

As I fought off sleep (it was well past 11 at this point), I heard him call Nea Makri but the stop looked unfamiliar and I missed getting off anyways.  As confusion set in, another passenger signaled for a stop and here I clearly recognized the drop point.  I made my way towards Nicos' house from memory and got damn close but couldn't recall the side street on which he lived. 

I dejectedly turned back towards the stop, hoping that retracing my steps would help my memory and was luckily greeted by Nicos on his bicycle, looking for me on my way.  I was so grateful to be in his company.  We made our way back to his home.  Shared a light meal of pasta, salad and wine, briefly discussed my travels and our plans for the workshop the next day and went to bed!  Whew #2.

Destination - Revision

It was still dark when I awoke on Friday and I spent a good five minutes in bed deliberating the relative importance of getting up at 6:30 to take advantage of the early morning bus to Kissos.  Eventually, I found myself up and at it, and the rising sun on the horizon was enough compensation for this decision.  

Still somewhat sleep deprived as a result of personal habits more than anything, I seriously struggled to stay awake on the ride which was unfortunate as I was looking forward to another 

exploration of this impressive, rich peninsula.  We wound back and forth along the sharply curing mountain roads which had soon enough lulled me into a deep sleep.  Natasha from Australia had also chosen to move on from Kalikalos on this same bus.

After what seemed like a far too short 2.5 hour ride, and after passing once again, the monstrous industrial development that I still do not know its function, we arrived in Volos to

 sunny skies and another beautiful day.  (Regarding the industry, massive distribution and processing facilities loomed immediately over the highway, with covered conveyors transporting this product over the highway to a small port on the water.  The hillside behind

 the factory bore the scars of decades or more of service to this development - with dozens of crisp terraces carved sharply into the bedrock.  It 

was obviously some type of mineral extraction/processing - cement was my best

 guess, but that's little more than an uneducated guess.

In Volos, my lack of a plan/destination became even more clear - I knew that the re-working of

 my plans drew me back towards Athens, where I would need to be late the following day but I did not feel drawn or aware of any places to go in between to spend the day and definitely did not want to spend another full day in a city I've already explored.  

I sat with Natasha and we chatted for a bit before she took off for the next leg of her journey and once she was off, I headed into the city of Volos to explore.  One possibility was that I find a cheap hotel/hostel and spend the night in and around the surrounding hills.  The port there is substantial and I walked along the main promenade along the water, soon passing by the zone inhabited by local fishermen who had set out displaying their recent catch.  It was quite a scene - incredibly small in scale.  

I wandered through the city streets but had little to do except look for a small streetside cafe to enjoy breakfast but found this to be a tedious task after some time so I headed back

 towards the bus station.  On the way I did pass a few small plant and tree nurseries selling cabbage and lettuce starts (apparently the start of autumn is a good time to plant cold season crops here) as well as a number of young fruit trees including citrus, clementine, lemon, and olive.  I failed to notice if the trees were grafted but they were all about 3/8" in diameter and 5' high, some of them already bearing fruit and planted in approximately one gallon black plastic bags.

I found a cafe with overpriced coffee (at least in my mind) and a miscommunication with the waitress left me with a cup of tea and coffee.  The streetside atmosphere was nice nevertheless, soaking up the sun and letting the time pass.  I had called Nikos in Athens some time before to ask him if he had any suggestions as to how I pass the day and it was while I was at the cafe that he called me back with an idea.  

I was to go to the long island of Evia, north and east of Athens, to visit with several of his back-

to-the-land friends - urban refugees who had escaped to a quieter life in the forested hills.  This sounded like a great idea to me - it brought me closer to Athens and also allowed me to explore a new part of this compact but vast country.  

I stopped off at the train station bought my ticket and then went back to the seaside promenade to bide my time reading Perennial Vegetables on a bench in the sun.  

It seemed as if our bus progressed at a far slower speed than I'd become accostomed to here.  About an hour or so into the journey, I received a call from Stella - one of my hosts for my short visit to Evia.  She explained that I should revise my destination and head for the next town along the highway - Arkitsa - where it would be much more convenient to catch the ferry for Evia.  The bus dropped me off at the highway exit and it was about a 3/4 mile walk to the ferry terminal which gave me a chance to check out some Sea Buckthorn up close along with some clearly coppiced black locust trees.  I arrived at the ferry about ten minutes before the ship was to leave, took a seat on the upper deck and was able to relax and enjoy the 45 minute trip across the sea.  

When we docked in Evia, Stella and her teenage son Spyros arrived to pick me up and I soon learned that they only peripherally knew Nicos.  I was amazed that these people were so ready and willing to go out of their way to host me, despite the fact that they had little if any connection.  We spoke about my trip and their lives in Evia, permaculture and the work that I'm doing while traveling and she brought me to their furniture store where I met her husband Vasilis.  

Stella explained that they needed to keep the store open for another couple of hours and that they had arranged for two of their friends - Kostas and Katarina - to stop by and pick me up, take me to their place and entertain me until they were through with work.  So within a half an hour my newER hosts arrived and we set off for their humble and beautiful home in the surrounding hills.

They were both very kind, Kostas happy to communicate but untrained in English and Katarina doing a great job dusting off her English speaking skills unused for some time.  They told me how they had come to find the village where they now live about fifteen years ago.  Having decided to give up the grind of city life, they were exploring the country in Evia and learned of a house for sale with water, trees, etc.  They stopped to visit, fell in love and soon had transformed their lives.

Dusk had just begun to arrive when we reached their home and we unpacked before taking a lovely walk through the village and surrounding countryside.  Their neighbor had an expansive fig harvest out in trays on a slab across the driveway drying in the sun.  We discussed trees, 

forest composition and the ecology of the place.  I saw what I believe to be the 'tree of heaven' which they explained was rampant in its colonization of cleared landscapes.  We didn't get into the opportunistic species discussion, but it was on the tip of my tongue.  It was also here that I learned about one of the primary reasons for the pollarding of the mulberry trees - the leaves are fed to silkworms for silk production (as well as stored as winter fodder for livestock).

Apparently their village is shrinking in size as goes the classic story of youth flight from the countryside to the city.  It is now down to only about 20 individuals, with farming traditions continuing, albeit a largely destructive, chemically based 'tradition'.  

When we returned to their home, we started to prepare for dinner.  They had a lovely seating area outside under their fig tree.  We lit candles and enjoyed wine and spanakopetia in the cool evening air.  They were also very interested in permaculture and so we discussed the concepts and application.  We ended up engaging in an in-depth discussion on the potential economic applications of permaculture and Kostas seemed a bit unsure of how this would integrate and function but I could tell the conversation sparked some deep and critical thought about financial organization.

An hour or so later, Stella, Vasilis and Spyros arrived and we made room inside the house for a veritable feast.  It was a truly joyous meal - I wish I had captured it in photograph, but the memories will remain clear for a long time.  With a table full of food and wine glasses that never ran dry (of very local wine - so local it was served from a refilled old plaster water bottle!), we shared in vigorous conversation and I felt truly welcome and accepted by these fine people.  Again, their interest in permaculture and appropriate, conscious ways of living rang true throughout and we made connections on many levels including economic organization, water collection and treatment and overall theory and design.  Soon enough it was nearly midnight and I collected my things, exchanged addresses and said goodbyes to Kostas and Katarina, and headed back to Stella and Vasilis' home for the night.  Kostas and Katarina gave me a lovely gift of dried figs to take with me on my travels.  I'm sure it will come in handy somewhere along the way and I'll save it until then.

We arrived at Stella and Vasilis' home around midnight.  They live very close to the sea and actually own a 'hotel' of sorts.  There must be at least a dozen rooms in the structure and so they gave me my own personal room for the evening - it was an amazing surprise!!  And along with that, a bottle of water, grapes and a spanakopeita snack.  Whew, what a day

Behind

It was bound to happen.  Life has gotten in the way of the blog and I now find myself four days behind

 but I'm going to do my best to pick up where I left off - which actually was Thursday the 24th.  There are likely to be several posts in the next day or two so that I might begin to re-vision the past few action packed days.

The morning began again somewhat cool and hazy at the Kalikalos community in Kissos.  We enjoyed breakfast as a group as the fog began to break.  I had some catching up to do computer wise which turned out to be not so interesting, but it needed to be done.  Primarily, I spent the morning hours preparing a slide show for the lecture I was to give to members of the forestry and rangeland ecology department at Aristotle University in Thessaloniki on Friday.  After finally creating something I felt good about, I began to plan my trip there for the following day.

Unfortunately, as I searched for my options for either bus or train travel, I realized it would be virtually impossible

 for me to get there before 1 or so in the afternoon - not an ideal time to offer a presentation to University professors and students on a Friday.  After much deliberation and some challenging back and forth conversation with taxi companies and bus schedules, I decided to delay my trip until Monday the 28th.  In many ways this was a more desirable situation in that Thessaloniki is 3 hours to the north and Athens is another four hours to the south and I would have to return there late Saturday or very early Sunday for an event I'd scheduled for Sunday afternoon.  If this is confusing to you, you're not alone.  Needless to say, complex travel plans have been one standard so far during my trip.

We shared another light Greek style lunch of bread, tomatoes, grapes, feta and salad and I made the decision to get out and make the most of the rest of the day.  I chose to head to the beach once more (it seemed virtually inexcusable for me to do anything but) and I had to more or less retrace my steps from the previous days journey.  This time, the path was far more familiar and I found myself developing an even greater insight into the character of the land.

I chose to finally use the video option on my digital camera to document the ecology I observed as I descended from the mountain ridges to the sea (approximately 1600' drop).  This was my first time doing such a thing, but I hope that it will provide an interesting resource that I soon plan to upload to youTube.  

As much of the trip is far better captured in images, I'll spare the details for now.  Some of the highlights included the ripe pomegranate, figs and nuts I enjoyed on the way down.  I saw my first medlar tree and probably one of the only lowlights was my foolish decision to do something I already knew was a bad idea - taste an unpickled olive - whew! do not try that at 

home.  Or if you do, hopefully the taste and feeling will stick with you long enough so that you remember never to do it again.  It's a wonder that ancient people ever learned how to make such prolific use of this crop that now absolutely dominates the landscape.

I reached the sea and took a dip but the sky had clouded 

over lightly and it proved very difficult to warm back up afterwards.  Fortunately, several friends had driven down earlier in the afternoon and we were able to share a ride back up the mountain.  I returned and learned how to use Mac's iMovie by trial and error and put together 95% of the 7 minute video that chronicled the days adventure.  

We had a delicious community pizza and wine dinner and then followed that with their annual Thursday 'cabaret' night tradition with willing participants sharing songs and other skills.  Ekkehardt read several German poems in English and German, Natasha from Australia serenaded us with original songs on guitar and vocals, Rob entertained us with spoken word theater he'd penned, Richard sang as well and Adam sang acapella, shared some original 

spoken word poetry and a song on his home made 'feta-can' bass!  I polluted folks ears with a couple of my tunes and soon thereafter we retreated for the night.

I decided to take the early bus to Volos (at 7am) the following morning which meant another 

short night for me.  I keep reminding myself though that I can sleep when I'm dead!, right?