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.