Taking a Break in Stavros, Part 2

After we had a look around his farm, Ioannis brought us cold water and cookies, plus a bunch of grapes.  The grapes are ripe now, and so is the pomegranate and the quince.  We sat under a huge tent behind his house, at a table where he told us 30 people had sat this past Pascha.  

Painted gourds in Ioannis' tent.

We made ready to go and Ioannis slipped into the henhouse and sent us away with a dozen eggs.

Next to be visited was Leonidas' sister, Soula.  We found her raking in her garden, a large, yellow apron over her widow's black.  She greeted us warmly, removed her apron, and led us into her little apartment, on the ground floor.

I had in mind, as I took these photos, giving you a sneak peek at her home, as well.  That's her bedroom, behind Leonidas.

As always,  I greatly admired her handiwork.  That tablecloth on the coffee table is hand-embroidered and  trimmed with crochet.  Here is a crocheted doily I have admired for years. I once spent quite a while trying, unsuccessfully, to "translate" the pattern into knitting.  I suppose I'll just have to crochet it some day.  It's hexagonal pinwheels, as you can see by looking at the edges.

This one she swears was knitted on pins, and by 'pins' she does not mean knitting needles, as the English do.  She means those things you use to pin up a hem!  Straight pins, we call them in America.  She showed them to me.  Yikes!

We told stories and jokes and she made us take home little bottles of her homemade liqueur in two flavors:  wild cherry, made with brandy, cloves, and cinnamon; and tangerine, made with ouzo, if I understood her correctly.  Haven't yet tasted that, but the cherry is wonderful.  Years ago, Soula's wild cherry liqueur was the first I had ever tasted, and I've never since had any better.

We then went home with all our treasures, for a midday meal and a nap.  In the evening, we went for a snack supper in the village and were joined by Leonidas' sister, Freedom.  More on that in the next post.