Travels to a Different Time :July 1970: Our Trip to Orthos : Otherworldly and Conservative

We took the bus to Dino and Poppy’s town Orthos. We waited a couple of hours in a café before Poppy came to pick us up. As soon as we arrived at her house Dino, Mom and I took the bus to a beach called Finiki. We had an early supper then went to bed tired from the sun and salt water! The next day we visited some springs a couple of kilometres from Orthos and upon returning home I felt sick. Perhaps too much sun. I felt better the next day and took the bus to a quiet beach not far away. The next day we said goodbye to Dino and Poppy and returned by bus to Pigadia.

Letter from Margaret Mary Stephen to daughter Barbara Stephen: You wouldn’t believe the setting I am in sitting in a café in the town square that only has two tables. At the next table there is a fat Greek lady clothed in black from head to toe with a black scarf around her head and neck. We have been invited by a lady called Poppy to visit her house in this small mountain village of Orthos. We dropped off our luggage at her house and went to a peculiar place called Finiki to swim. The women were on one side of the beach and the men at the other. The older women were behind some rocks fully clothed and sunbathing. This is simply another world and I love it.  I just prayed that we would make it! It was a terrifying ride here with sheer drops on the road to the ocean crashing below. We saw a man with an octopus who was smashing it against the rock to tenderize it. There is simply too much to see in Greece! Before we came here we went to a party in Pigadia full of young people. The girls were sitting in one room and their watchful mothers in another. Do the men think North American girls are bad? There are only a few men at the party and most are not good looking but they all have neat, tidy and short hair. Some are university students. We are going to leave Karpathos soon. I shouldn’t stay in the water long as I have a terrible sunburn on my legs. It really hurts so much in the sun I start to cry. My back has given me no problems in Greece. I need this dry heat so Greece and Spain are for me in my old age. Anything to avoid back pain. They are very slow in the restaurants and I have been overcharged a few times. I just hate that. They must think all tourists are millionaires. But a few bad eggs should not spoil this. Greece is a fabulous country both people wise and geographically. Its s beyond belief! Love Mom.

RKS Wine: Is It Time to Escape Italian Pinot Grigio?

The immensely popular Pinot Grigio Santa Margherita from Italy is a huge seller at the Liquor Control Board of Ontario. I seem to face walls of it. I have no idea why it is so popular and at $20.95 given its poor overcropped and dilute quality I just shake my head and say it is part of an illogical craze like Fuzion Malbec from Argentina was in yesteryear. Yes you are entitled to drink what you like and I can live with that provided you get off the treadmill of conformity and comfort and try a few others. The Okanagan in British Columbia, Lake Erie North Shore and Niagara in Ontario can do better. There are also plenty of Pinot Gris from Alsace so you want to try like a much cheaper Joseph Cattin at $14.95.

It is golden coloured with a tinge of pink. The first characteristic you might notice is its spicy nose. Add to that some apricot, pineapple, pear and apple crumble. On the palate some peach, tangerine, honey, mango and guava. A short finish. Sum it up with the word lively and expressive and that fits the bill.  Why not get some friends together and put 3 Pinot Gris/Grigio in a bag to cover the label then pour and see which one is the winner?

It will suit roast pork or chicken with roast potatoes and asparagus.  Alternatively, when May arrives with fresh local asparagus try it with grilled asparagus or a vegetarian Umbrian Carbonara made with asparagus instead of pancetta or ham. Thinking ahead to Thanksgiving a great accompaniment to turkey or Cornish Hen.

(Joseph Cattin 2019 Pinot Gris, AC Alsace, Cattin, Haut-Rhin, France, $14.95, Liquor Control Board of Ontario # 196956, 750 mL, 13%, Robert K. Stephen A Little Birdie Told Me So Rating 90/100).

Extortion and Robbery on My Hospital Visit

Off today for a 6. A.M appointment for an MRI
small consolation at least there was no radioactive dye
strapped in like a self harmer at a psychiatric institute
a cruel bar on my chin made me mute
this procedure can be a real brute
my parking ticket says thanks for supporting research dreamt up in the hospital marketing department by a suit!

$14.45 for less than an hour
the extortion and robbery made my wallet take a scour
rather leaves one in a victim mode
like a helpless toad

Robert K. Stephen

Travels to a Different Time: July 1970: In Pigadia on Karpathos: The Incredible Friendliness of the Greeks! Getting Invited to Our First Party! Anti-Greek Riot in Toronto

As a 12-year-old my travels have been in the New England States and in Canada. I will say the Greek people are incredibly friendly. Why is this? In many of the smaller cities and towns there are so few tourists I think we are a novelty and Greeks are very proud that we have come to visit their country. They want the world to know how hospitable they are.  Also there are so many Greeks here that have family members in Canada, The United States, England, Australia and South Africa and they want to know more about life there. Perhaps they feel they are repaying Canadians like us for accepting so many Greeks? There was a big civil war in Greece a few decades ago and times were rough. Also during the Second World War Greece had its Jewish population decimated by the Germans and its brave resistance fighters paid a terrible price for their resistance. In some cases whole villages were murdered by mass executions and in a couple of cases families of resistance members were locked in churches and the churches burnt. Yet there are so many German tourists here bringing in lots of cash to what still is a poor country.

A Greek told me about a big anti-Greek riot in 1918 in Toronto where some scumbag Canadians rioted after a Greek disabled war veteran struck a waiter in a tavern and that sparked an anti-Greek riot as there was jealousy amongst the sum bags about the hardworking Greeks and their success in the restaurant business. There was also a rumour that Greeks were pro-Nazi a terrible insult to the bravery of the Greek resistance against the Germans and a dirty lie. I was so embarrassed hearing this story and the person who told me could see how bad I felt but offered comfort and said that I had nothing to do with it and I would grow to love the Greek people the longer I stayed in this country. The fact that he had tears in his eyes made me feel so very low Canadians could act in this shameful way. My mother then told me a story about my grandmother Relyea who had taken my Mom out for an ice cream in Toronto when she was a child. There was a Greek scooper who put the scooper back in a container of water that was cloudy with ice cream remnants. My Nanny said that Greeks were unclean! I just shrivelled up like a raisin when I heard this story. My own grandmother.

The fisherman dropped us off in the main city of the island of Karpathos called Pigadia. We went to an outdoor café for a “portocalada” which was carbonated orange juice. We did find a small and very clean hotel. Mom and I had a room and Flick and Bruce stayed on the rooftop with their sleeping bags, The owner’s wife was a real nag about sand in the rooms. The next day a real jackpot for a Canadian boy used to a big breakfast. Fried eggs although they were swimming in olive oil of course which I took advantage of and dipped my bread in it! We stayed another couple of days with delicious fried eggs for breakfast. While we were sitting in a café a couple Dinos and Poppy were at the next table and out of the blue asked us to a party at their house in a mountain town called Orthos. So that day we hopped on a bus and went to the party. We ate so many delicious snacks. I think a Greek hostess is proud when you compliment her food and if you do well “have another” is the result. I found the party a bit boring but when you don’t speak Greek it is hard to be part of the party. We left at 1 a.m. and I think the party was just warming up. The Greeks seem make the most of their summer! When we left Poppy asked us to return and stay at her house for a few days. How very nice and hospitable. When we go walking in the evening in these smaller towns people sitting outside their houses come out and ask us to join them. Mom will have a coffee and of course cookies and I have a special treat which is vanilla I think on a spoon in cold water. So I spent a few evenings outside on a terrace watching the world go by connecting with other human beings who I am beginning to see not as Greeks but fellow human beings. This is what travel can do to a young mind.

Travels to a Different Time: June 1970: The Right Boat Wrong Stop: Putt Putting Along the Coast With Jumping Dolphins (will the Greek adventures ever end?)

We took the ship from Rhodes to the island of Karpathos. We disembarked at what we thought was our destination. We met a couple of Brits named Flick and Bruce kind of hippie types who were travelling with very uncool people like us on deck class. We found rooms at a hotel called the Diafani Palace. Very clean but sparse. We went for a swim with Flick and Bruce and had an omelet for dinner and went to bed early. We found out the next morning we got off the ship at the wrong town Diafani as opposed to Pigadia! So we had a big fish lunch and managed to hitch a ride with Flick and Bruce on a fisherman’s boat. The fisherman stopped to haul in his nets and I heard a huge fish thrashing in the net. It was a beautiful ride hugging the coastline! Beautiful clear water. And there was a school of dolphins chasing us for part of the trip. I have seen them jumping on television but to see them up close was a real treat. After three hours we arrived at Pigadia. I suppose the mistaken town led to a memorable ride with a fisherman. Will these Greek adventures ever cease?

Clearing a Pee Path

No I am not mistakenly referring to the rock n roll song “Shaking All Over”
but after 60 cms of snow with drifts so big I have to wade waste deep out my front door
its shovel more more more
poor doggie Dylan’s back door and occasional pee path is blocked by a huge drift
both he and I are miffed

But what can you do when Mother Nature affords you a big dump
just get that shovel and grunt hoping the next day the muscles won’t backtalk and be a grump
I was out shovelling at two
and at 5 I tell you the snow just grew
I must now go out again and shovel a pee path at the back door
because if I don’t man’s best friend might pee on the floor

Robert K. Stephen

Travels to a Different Time: June 1970: Panormitis, the Incredible Story of Father Gabriel Surviving a Torpedo Attack and an Invitation for Dessert on a Belgian Yacht

Panormitis is a small town on the island of Symi two hours by boat from Rhodes. There is a church there and I think it was a former monastery. We met Father Gabriel upon our arrival and asked for his permission to stay in the old monastery which is a wing with several very simple and bare rooms. There is a bathroom with a shower, a couple of cots and a hotplate which we use to boil eggs for breakfast. This is a well-known church that is frequented by many older ladies dressed in black that have lost family members to the ocean. This mirrors the story of Father Gabriel who told us an incredible story. He was on a boat with his mother during World War 2 travelling to their destination when a German submarine torpedoed their boat. Father Gabriel bobbed about in the water realizing he was the only survivor. He made a promise to God that should he swim to shore and survive he would become a priest; he did survive and became a priest fulfilling his promise to God in a church named after a patron saint that is a saint for those who have lost loved ones at sea.

Father Gabriel is a very kind man and his English is pretty good. He seems so real of a person. After his evening service he sometimes joins us for a cold beer and a chat. We have attended a few of his services and he seems appreciative of this but we speak so little Greek we understand very little. But the services flies by with the chanting, incense and beautifully decorated church it is almost entertaining. Father Gabriel pointed to an icon in the church that had been moved several times but through the power of God it mysteriously ended up in its original location.

Monastery of Archangel Michael in Panormitis, Symi, Greece

There is boat service here daily and there are always some widows dressed in black that come to pray for their loved ones that have died in the sea.

The town is small and there is one restaurant owned by a cantankerous Mr. Cos. There is one store and a bakery that bakes some very dense and coarse monastery bread. If you don’t eat it in a few hours it turns into a rock. Goodness knows what it does in your stomach.

Like many Greek islands the area around the monastery is dry and barren but Father Gabriel has informed us a huge reforestation project is underway. He said many of the Greek islands were lush years ago but the Romans deforested them to build their warships.

The town has a small beach a few minutes away and it is so well protected it has an international reputation as a place to anchor. I went out spear fishing one day in the beautiful clear water and swam up to a yacht. As I was inspecting its hull I heard a voice from above asking me to come aboard. So a ladder was placed on the side of the ship for me. I took my gear off and climbed up and met a Belgian family who spoke French so we could communicate. Their chef had prepared some fancy pastry dessert called a Galette and it was delicious. After being onboard for an hour I said good-bye and off back to the beach I headed.

We met the family next door some Greeks from Athens called Milagressi’s. Although the mother and father were very nice their child was a little brat called Andreas.

We stayed a week and then went back to Rhodes to catch a boat to an island called Karpathos.

RKS Film: “The Contrast”: Weak with One Saving Grace

The film “The Contrast” will be released on digital platforms on January 18, 2022. This American film is an adaptation of 1787 Royall Tyler’s “The Contrast” a great favourite of President George Washington.

It is about the impending celebration of the marriage of Maria (Joy Villa) to cad and fortune hunter Dimple (Lee Donoghue). The marriage is taking place at the Royall Tyler Inn. It’s a small marriage and less than a dozen people are attending. The nephew of owner is a valet, waiter and bartender and pot head who has headphones on and has no interest in working for his uncle owner. He does offer a minute bit of comic relief.

The acting is weak. The lead actress Joy Villa it seems is a real-life Instagram star and perhaps would be best suited to stay on that short attention span social media platform. Villa’s performance is one that highlights her numerous tattoos and overly made-up face as her acting ability is studentish at best. I get the impression of an actress that is disconnected from the film and who would be happier bulking up in the gym or shooting a deep and meaningful Instagram post. Well let’s not fault her for trying!

Donoghue’s performance as Dimple is equally unimpressive and light. Certainly, a cad and deceiver could be played with more evil.

The plot is oversimplistic that might have suited a 1787 audience.

If there is a bright spot here it is the portrayal of Colonel Henry Manly by Jermaine Hollman who has an immediate stage presence that dwarfs the performance of the other cast members. His strong performance will put him in the big screen beyond the Indie world. There is warmth and sincerity in his performance. I’d like to see how he fares in meatier roles!

Lance F. Nichols as Mr. Van Rough and Chip Carriere as Mr. Wignell have minor supporting rolls but offer a fine example of professional actors.

Well the impending marriage falls apart and with it so does the film. As for the Maria crying scene Villa has so much make up on as tears cascade I hold my breath looking as if her face is melting like in the “Wizard of Oz” just like the wicked witch. What was intended as an endearing and sensitive moment is a Kim Kardashian one.

You can see the trailer if you wish but that might immediately put you in a “trash it” mode https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0fBed7TnOY

RKS Film Rating 53/100.

RKS Film: “Nocturna; The Great Old Man’s Night” (Side A): Perhaps a Different Type of Horror Film? : The Horror of Dementia?

Gonzalo Calzada has a double feature for us. There is “Nocturna Side A The Great Old Man’s Night” and “Nocturna Side B Where the Elephant’s Go to Die”.

Side A “The Great Old Man’s Night” seems to have been widely accepted by reviewers as a horror film. Certainly, there are fragments of horror primarily near the end of the film but as I repeatedly asked myself, “Why” this and that has been projected I would label this more as a mystery suspense. But if I want to push the genre of horror I would say this film explores dementia and its horrors.

Ulises and Dalia are husband and wife in their 90’s living in some formerly grand flat in some Argentinian city. They have been together since their teen romance.

Ulises (Pepe Soriano) is suffering from some form of dementia as he sometimes forgets where he is going and what he should be doing. He is mixed up in time. His wife Dalia (Marilu Marini) is predominately a shrill, spiteful and sarcastic character and she plays that side of her role brilliantly.

Ulises and Dalia live a cloistered life in their flat which they have lost the ability to maintain. Ulises does go out shopping for food and talks to the superintendent Daniel but he wants to be out more but strong-willed Dalia retorts why go out as everyone we knew is dead.

This isolation of the elderly is explored in detail in the film as is the decline in mental and physical health, the long-ago decimated romance, the lack of credibility afforded to the elderly, regret of life decisions and the destructive nature of family disputes.

The film focuses on the last day of Ulises’s life and like his namesake Ulysses you are going on an epic journey that is less than a day but seems a very long and tiring journey for Ulises and viewers.

Dalia and Ulises have severed contact with their daughter due to her pregnancy out of wedlock not knowing who the father is. Dalia calls her a slut and Ulises has forgotten her name. Their son Carlos, Dalia says has forgotten us. Given the nasty streak in Dalia’s character who would want to call her their mother. Her bitterness does not endear her to anyone and her husband Ulises confesses to her I am afraid of you and calls her a mean mean woman. Dalia apologizes and begs for forgiveness this being about the first time we see any decency from this sniping and vituperative woman.

Then there is the neighbour Elena a thirtyish photographer and artist who falls out of her window and dies after landing on Ulises’s and Dalia’s patio after banging ferociously on their door for help. Was it suicide or was she pushed? The firemen arrive and put Elena in a body bag. The superintendent smells gas yet again that Ulises has caused by failing to turn off the burner so he says he will phone their son Carlos about this dangerous situation. Carlos phones early in the morning saying he will be there later in the morning as he has made “arrangements” for his parents.

But has Helena died? That’s when some horror kicks in as after the body is carted away she is banging on the door over and over again. Elena may be a metaphor for Ulises’ daughter trying to get back into their lives? Why has Helena taken photos of Ulises and hung them on her developed photo line? Why did she jump or was she pushed by her ex who says to Ulises she has taken everything from me and shoots himself in the head and as a ghost enters her apartment?

Ulises discovers his daughter’s phone number on a photo of her hidden behind another picture he had forgotten that he had hidden and that photo on the back Irene (the daughter) says “I love you”.

Carlos arrives and finds his father dead of a heart attack holding a picture of Irene. At this point you are ready to wrap this sad story up but at the conclusion of the movie Calzada turns you on your head. Did anything you saw in this movie happen or has dementia overtaken Ulises completely and has him living in a world that does not exist? The horrors of dementia.

The film has won numerous awards including best actor/actress which Soriano and Marini deserve. Calzada’s awards as best director are merited.  I love those films that leave you saying WTF just happened and after watching this one twice I am still saying that in an entirely positive way.

Oh pay attention to the documentary Ulises is watching about the death of elephants as it no doubt has relevance to Side B of Nocturna “Where Elephants Go To Die”.

The film will be released January 18th on iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Vide, Google Play, Xbox, Vudu, Vimeo, DirecTv, DVD and with some satellite providers.

Side B is a bit too artsy for me.

RKS Film Rating 94/100.

Travels to a Different Time: June 24, 1970, Letter From Rhodes from Margaret Mary Stephen to Son Andrew Stephen (travelling deck class with the hippies and eating Chelsea buns aboard the USS Roosevelt)

Dear Andrew: Robert and I have a morning swim each day around 9:30. today We have had our breakfast of orange juice and freshly baked buns from the runny nosed baker down the street from our hotel. They eat loads of bread here with every meal. We were invited on a U.S. aircraft carrier the USS Roosevelt the other day. What an experience. As we met a couple of cooks from the ship we were invited to the kitchen for a private tour. We ate freshly baked Chelsea Buns that were just out of the oven. I couldn’t get over the size of the ovens! The town is lousy with American sailors and I am sure some Greek girl has found an American boyfriend. The ship will be here until July 5th.

Tomorrow we are off to the island of Symi which is a two-hour trip on a ship. We plan to stay a week there if it is nice and there is enough to do. They are known for their sponges there and I haven’t a clue how they fish for them. I miss you and wonder how your cooking is going. Hopefully it is improving JUNE26: We are just getting ready for our trip to Symi. The bill has been paid and the hotel owner will drive us to the docks. We had our swim this morning and the water is rough. We are going to travel deck class with the hippies who always travel this way and sleep on the deck in sleeping bags. I don’t even know if they are allowed to sleep on the deck or if they are allowed to go to the snack bar but the trip is only two hours so who cares. Bye for now. Love Mom. Letter to Nanny Relyea from Margaret Mary Stephen: Both Robert and I slept in today and we will have some breakfast before we go for a swim. We found a beach where the water is calm. Robert goes out with his goggles, flippers and speargun but has only speared a couple of fish which are no bigger than sardines but he hopes for something bigger. Last night we wandered through the Arab quarter. It is so clean here and at night most people sit in front of their homes. They are so friendly but so few speak English. We usually eat dinner around 8 p.m. I like the food but the portions are very small. They eat too much bread here. We buy fresh fruit and vegetables at the market. The cucumbers and tomatoes are so good here. We eat oranges, cherries, strawberries, peaches, apricots which are in season.

Robert is good company and sometimes I wonder how he can stand me but somehow he manages. I hope you are OK and hope that Toronto is not hot like here. Today in Athens I hear that the temperature will be 105 degrees. The hotels here are not airconditioned in Rhodes but there is always a nice breeze so they don’t have to be. Every once in awhile here in Greece I feel like I am dreaming. It does not seem I could be so far from home. Love Margaret