Thursday, July 5, 2012

Bouzoukis, Bikes and off to Vaterra

John, George and VanGellis Bouzouki!
Dancers at Right of Picture
In Full Voice!!
Hell's Angel Sweet Lorraine
View From our Window at the Sea Horse Hotel in Molivos
Two things you absolutely must credit SL (Sweet Lorraine) with are: a sense of humour, and being a good sport. We have discussed the possibility of something happening to me while we are trekking to some remote monastery, and we agreed that she should learn how to drive our motorcycle – not the 1200 pound behemoth that we have at home, but our little 150cc scooter we rent here in Greece. It would be nice to think that she could get us back to civilization in the event of an emergency.
She gamely took on the challenge, and apart from one scary moment when she forgot to back off the throttle when she was trying to stop, she acquitted herself very well.
Our music night was very successful, and I played guitar till the wee hours with George, and a bouzouki player named VanGellis. At one point, children, men, and ladies were all dancing.  It was a great deal of fun, a great deal of ouzo, and a great deal when I was presented with the bill to find that most of it was paid for by the owner.
The next day we discovered a restaurant in Petra called the Reef on a beautiful, sandy beach.  The owner, Kosta, was an Australian who moved to Greece 31 years ago and never left.  Absolutely a great guy!  He owned a Harley Fat Boy and was very proud of his state of the art TV and Music systems, connected to the Internet, You Tube, and integrated into his stereo.  We got on like a house on fire. After I told him the error of his ways in purchasing Samsung, not LG products (You getting this Melissa?),  we found the Youtube video of  “Lend a Helping Hand” the song that Klaude Walters and I wrote and recorded.)  He was MOST impressed, and called the kitchen staff to come see.
When we came back about 30 minutes later, he was still playing it to customers and staff, and when I came in, he pointed excitedly to me just as my face came on the video.  I am now a minor celebrity in Petra.
We now leave Molivos for Vaterra. It will be hard, if not impossible, for any place to live up to the beauty and the ambiance that was Molivos.

1 comment:

  1. Speaking of guitar virtuosos, you MUST watch Alex Chadwick's YouTube '100 riffs: A Short History of Rock and Roll." It's awesome. Reminded me of you...

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