After much persuasion on my part (!) we became members of the local
senior citizen group and attended our first trip with them. We explored parts
of Halkidiki on a cloudy but mild day.
We first visited the village of Arnaia but despite the efforts of our patient, adept driver our large coach could not manoeuver the narrow, cobbled streets so we went on foot. We marvelled at the beautiful, brightly coloured stone buildings. Our driver was, indeed, excellent!
Our planned visit was to the Saint Kosmas Nunnery outside the village where the nuns offered us coffee and biscuits. One sister related an interesting account of the sanctuary history while another gave a talk of a more ‘spiritual’ nature: extolling the Orthodox faith, she pronounced that only those believers would be admitted to paradise - in one sentence banishing the 2.5 billion Christians to hell fires, claiming divine security for the 280 million Orthodox followers. :O Clearly, she had not got the memo explaining that those of the Jewish faith believe they are the chosen ones. Scenes I’d like to see: representatives of those groups debating the issue and, for good measure, we should throw a Free High Scottish Presbyterian into the mix. 😊
What did impress me there were the lovely stained-glass windows with the peacock design.
Another wee visit we made was to the richly embellished St Stephen Church.
The original one had been burned down in 2005, and while it was renovated, they retained some of the original features, clearly visible through the partial glass flooring – fascinating.
Our lunch stop in Stratoni allowed us to see the loading bay for exporting ore concentrates – mainly silver, zinc and lead – to European markets. The mine, non-operational for a few years, was re-opened in 2006 by Hellas Gold.
Here is our cheery band of co-travellers who entertained us on our return trip with ribald jokes and lusty singing! May we enjoy other such well-organized outings in future!
Zissis and I wish you all a happy festive time
with health and peace. 😊
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