Back in Greece

Though we've been in the country for two weeks, I haven't written about Greece yet because I haven't found a way to do so without sounding like I'm bragging.  "Yeah, I saw some really cool monasteries and then hopped a ferry to one of the islands.  No big deal."

That said, I love being in Greece and want to share what we've been doing.  Here are some photos from the past couple weeks of adventures with limited commentary.

Eric and I took an overnight bus from Istanbul to Thessaloniki before taking the train to Kalambaka.  The mountains and valleys of northern Greece provided beautiful landscapes for my daydreaming as we chugged past. 

Kalambaka and the mountains

Kalambaka sits in a valley while mountains loom overhead.  Centuries ago, Eastern Orthodox monks built monasteries in the mountains, living as hermits to protect themselves from persecution.

Agia Triada (Holy Trinity), one of the monasteries available to visit

Kalambaka was bigger and busier than either of us expected.  The nightlife was bustling and we found a great outdoor restaurant where we sipped wine and played chess for the evening.  (I am slowly getting better at chess.  Very, very slowly.)

My wine came in its own pot!

We also found a delicious bakery and visited daily for those sandwich pastries on the second row.

After two short days in Kalambaka, Eric and headed south through Athens to Naousa on Paros.

The harbor in Naousa

The apartment we're renting has a patio and is great for picnic lunches.

An Italian restaurant here - it's almost to pretty to be real

Greece celebrates the Assumption of Mary on August 15 with nine days of festivals.
On the ninth day, Paros reenacts a pirate raid on the town.
There were fireworks and pillaging.  Amazing.

After watching the pirate raid, Eric and I got dessert.
I changed my mind at least seven times before we ordered.

We've settled onto Paros for the rest of the month of August while we try to plan out what will happen in January.  Searching through job boards is much more pleasant with a good view.  For both of us, this is the definition of "living the dream" - someday I would love to live on a Greek island a few months per year while writing.  Two weeks is a short taste of that dream.

 For once, a question not especially related to the post:
got any tips on job hunting?