haha, spot on, Nick. We all know THAT voice…in fact, most of us even impersonate it time to time and everyone smiles.

I think I was caught red-handed, Robert. 😂

The embarrassing part is that I didn’t just write about THAT voice.

I may have performed it a few times too.

I laughed so hard reading that you actually found a tape while I was wandering "is there a store or something you can by one?!?!"

(And right now the voice is outside, no joking!!!)

Thank you Nick, I really enjoyed it!

😂😂 The timing is PERFECT. You’re reading about the voice… and meanwhile the voice is actually outside.

Greece does not believe in subtle reinforcement.

And yes, I had exactly the same thought about the tape: surely somebody must sell this thing somewhere?

Of course they do.

Apparently even the παλιατζής (paliatzis) has a media department. 😂

So glad you enjoyed it. Thank you! 💙

haha…totally love this, Nick. And so spot on!! We have the building group both in Athens and Epidavros..and the struggle is constant…and we have the HOA in America where that one continues as well. My favorite, in Athens, was having little notes from one of our neighbors that I closed the outside garbage lid too loudly as I left for my walk at 630am…I woke her with the noise. well done!!! write on!

Robert, the 6:30 a.m. garbage-lid violation may be my favorite HOA/building-group complaint yet. 😂

There is something wonderfully universal about this stuff. Athens, Epidavros, America... different systems, same basic human instinct:

someone must be informed that you closed something too loudly.

And of course the note somehow makes it even better.

Glad this one hit home. Thanks for reading, and for giving me fresh evidence that none of us are escaping this anywhere. 😄

i’ll add to your enjoyment (possibly)…so at that time, I spoke no greek more than Kalimeara, etc…and one lady used to greet me on her balcony every morning talking to me…and I’d apologize saying I didnt speak Greek…later, another day when Zina was walking with me, she interpreted that she was telling me to stop slamming the lid. hahaha, I still laugh every time I meet that woman in the lobby.

👏👏👏.

To your defense: I always struggle with the quadruple use of village names in Greece. I can totally relate to your story Nick.

But then for us, it’s always the last mile - after a trip which already took much longer than google said. Status: Hangry, and then …. bum, argument, silence, stress, no longer her hero, until you find a peaceful stopover; depending on the daytime; her favorite coffee or wine, food, a cigarette under a Plane tree or all of that at the same time.

Stephanos, 😂 yes — you have described the final stage of a Greek road trip with alarming accuracy.

The duplicated village names are bad enough. But add hunger, Google’s optimistic timing, one missed turn, and the growing suspicion that the person navigating may have no idea where you are, and suddenly the marriage enters a very delicate phase.

Thankfully Greece also provides the cure: stop somewhere under a plane tree, order coffee, wine, or food — preferably all three — and wait for diplomatic relations to resume.

Glad to know I’m not alone. 😄

I so feel this. When I was spending more summers in Greece , I tried to catch every Πανηγύρι I could find to dance. And when cars still had tape recorders (yes, it’s been a while) I have been running up and down my greek music singing out loud. 🤣😅 μεράκλισμενη

Claudia, yes! This is exactly it. 😂 Chasing down every πανηγύρι you could find, then driving around with Greek music on cassette and singing at full volume — you were clearly μερακλωμένη long before anyone needed to explain the word.

And “when cars still had tape recorders” made me laugh. I can almost hear the cassette clicking over to Side B.

I love that this brought those summers back. Thank you for sharing the memory. 💙

How would you literally translate the Greek title of Zorba the Greek? The Life and Politics of Alexis Zorbas? I read it in Greek 40 years ago. I finally have a copy waiting for me to give it another try. Have you seen a Greek-Cretan dictionary anywhere? I remember struggling with the dialect.

Ah, πολιτεία is the trap there. 🙂 The Greek title is Βίος και Πολιτεία του Αλέξη Ζορμπά.

Βίος is straightforward: life.

But πολιτεία in this expression doesn’t really mean politics. I’d render Βίος και Πολιτεία more naturally as “The Life and Times of Alexis Zorba” — something closer to his life, deeds, conduct, and adventures all rolled together.

And yes, Cretan dialect can make you wonder whether you actually know Greek at all. 😂 I’ve seen Cretan dialect dictionaries and glossaries, although I don’t have a particular one I can recommend from experience. Forty years later, that second reading may be quite an adventure.

Thanks for answering up a 40 year old question! I had a hunch "Life and Times" was what was meant. When I get back down there, I'll have to see if I can find that dictionary. It seems most natives would need one, but maybe I'm wrong. I'll also be looking for a Nikos Xilouris CD to go with it.

https://www.aerakis.net/el/μουσικη-2419/κρητική-μουσική-2420/κασετίνες-συλλογές-2479/νικοσ-ξυλουρησ-ητανε-μια-φορα-2-cd-1777

You’re great! Thanks!

Oh gosh, I love Greek music! Unfortunately, my body stays pretty inert although my soul soars in the heavens, especially when I hear the introduction to Marinella's Πες πως μ´αντάμωσες. What a wonder narrative about the evening! Movingly told. I was there with you. I bought a bouzouki once in Thessaloniki from a shop that makes them and the bouzouki eventually found a new owner in Seattle. I never managed to figure it out, so I'm back to occasional German folk tunes on a tuba. Maybe time for another try.

Jeffrey, I love the image of a bouzouki bought in Thessaloniki eventually finding its way to a new owner in Seattle — while you went back to German folk tunes on a tuba. 😂

And yes, that opening to Marinella’s Πες πως μ’ αντάμωσες can do something all by itself. Maybe that’s part of μεράκλωσα: the body doesn’t necessarily have to cooperate.

Sometimes the soul gets there first.

Thank you. I’m very glad you were there with me.

I would have bet Karen rushed to the next shops to spread some luck!

Yes, apparently that gave her a good excuse 😀😂

The husband may be there to finance it, but the wife is still the CFO 🤣

Shhhhhh 🤫. Μας χαλάς την πιάτσα. Loosely translated as: "You’re ruining the market for us". Substack story coming up 😂

I love this! And correct, one can never have enough of these beautiful fabrics to wrap one's body in during summer!

Thanks Daniette!