Living Differently. . .expat style

As I walked across the two-lane highway leaving The Scout shopping at the garden store while I popped into the blood lab to make an appointment, I was reminded - again - of how differently these two boomer-aged Americans live in rural Greece.

Our view of the Taygetos Mountains - rural Peloponnese

I mean how often do you just pop into a blood lab to make an appointment in the U.S.? Or 'pop in' anywhere for that matter to conduct business? Or would you walk across a main north-south highway for any reason?

Home for the last eight years: Peloponnese, Greece

Living in Greece's southwestern Peloponnese for the last eight years, you'd think we'd be taking this expat lifestyle - a rather laid-back and unhurried one - for granted by now.  Far from it!  We still regularly marvel at how it differs from the one we lived in the Seattle suburbs of the U.S. Pacific Northwest.

Long time readers know that one of the drivers of our move was to 'live differently'. We were tired of the growing anonymity of suburban daily life. We'd become patient numbers and birthdates in medical facilities; we pumped our own gas at stations and checked ourselves out at grocery stores - we missed the 'humanness' of interactions of daily life. We'd sat for too many hours on congested freeways that linked us to our work and our friends.

Our village, Agios Nikolaos. Photo credit

Our decision to live differently in Greece came after several vacations here. We liked the climate, the people, the culture and the lifestyle. There wasn't any long, drawn-out retirement plan involved in the decision. Basically, we were like so many other recent newcomers to the area known as the Mani: we liked the 'village vibe' and we wanted more of it. 

Living walking distance from the fishing village, Agios Nikolaos, overlooking the Messinian Gulf, and surrounded by olive groves, certainly provides a great backdrop for a different way of life. I've picked a few snippets from the last couple of weeks to illustrate some of the everyday differences:

In the Moment Living

The village blood lab

Let's begin with the blood lab. I just decided after months of procrastination, that I should get my cholesterol checked. We don't have all those annual senior citizen wellness screenings like the US; instead, the onus is on the individual to keep track of your health.    

I could have had it tested on the spot, but I hadn't fasted the required 12 hours beforehand, I duly 'fasted' and returned the next morning. At check-in there was no requirement to show government issued ID nor to repeatedly tell them my birthdate as is required at our health care provider in the States. 

Reception area Falireas Medical Laboratory in Stoupa

However, noting that two years had passed since my last visit, they suggested I have a full blood screen. And I can assure you that it wasn't for the purpose of making extra money as the full screen, which I opted to have, cost only 35 euros/$41US. I had missed their October special, a blood osteoporosis test for 25 euros, regularly 91 euros, or I'd have had it done as well.

Falireas Medical Lab in Stoupa

An hour and a half after the blood draw I received the results via email. Had anything been seriously amiss, it would have been noted on the report, and I would have then made a call to our village doctor for an appointment and likely she would have seen me that same day.

Slow Lane Living

I hang clothes and The Scout stacks wood - living differently!

The blood test illustrates both the speed and ease of accessing health care, but it also shows my developing relaxed approach to life. Things for which I would have once sought immediate solutions for or answers to, just don't get done.

Take my clothesline. It was almost brand new, having just been strung in January. Out of the blue it snapped last Saturday afternoon, dumping several pieces of clothing into the flowerbed. By the time it broke, the hardware store was closed for the weekend. (Many retail stores still close on Sunday in Greece.) 

Come Monday morning we learned they didn't have clothes lines and they recommended the supermarket down the main road a few kilometers. 

'I am not doing laundry for a couple days, no need to make a special trip,' I heard myself telling The Scout, despite the fact we are less than two weeks from departing for a trip and I will need to wash and dry some clothes between now and then and rain is in the forecast. However. I'm adapting to the Greek approach to such problems: it will get done when it gets done, fixed when it gets fixed.

Traffic outside Seattle, Washington

While on the topic of the slow lane, I must again, sing the praises of traffic in this world compared to that of the big city.  They say a picture speaks a thousand words, so note the Seattle traffic we encountered on our annual visit back to the States and the contrasting slow down we had going to dinner in a nearby village last weekend.  Bet you can guess which we prefer.

On the road to Platsa - traffic jam

New Challenges ~ New Solutions

We've not yet adapted to the free roaming wild animals that like to do damage to our grove, garden and property.  Wild boars have taken aim at the groves, while kunaves (think marmot-like animals) have hit the gardens. Jackals are attacking cats and dogs throughout the valley. The only solution longtime Greek locals have offered us is to buy a gun and take aim -- trust me, we haven't yet shifted our lifestyle that far yet.

We've developed arm muscles with the digging we've done to repair damage. Yet, sometimes the critters throw us a curve that requires some new solutions:

New skills - new solutions!

After finding piles of insulation under HiHo Silver, our trusty RAV, we realized it was being harvested from the thick pad affixed to the underside of the hood over the engine, a pad that serves for heat and noise reduction.  To replace the pad replaced would be the simplest solution but also is a costly one at 250 euro/$300US. and we know it would soon be harvested as well.  

As they say. necessity is the mother of invention, and we turned to our trusty roll of high heat duct tape to repair the damage at least temporarily. These aren't skills he learned in law school nor I in journalism classes but there is a certain feeling of satisfaction when completing the challenge!

It's Not for Everyone

 

Night out in the village. . .a quiet night out in the village

Rural village life isn't for everyone. Neither is expat life. Or living and trying to function in another culture.  We've had many tell us they couldn't live with the uncertainty of water shortages and power outages. They wouldn't have the patience to deal with all the comes with living differently. Others visit and count the days until they can embark on an expat adventure of their own here.

Lastly, writing differently . . .

More Greek tales (and tails) coming soon!

I've been out of the 'blogosphere' for a while as I am trying to teach myself some new skills in the world of online writing and publishing. I knew the time had come when in September, we who use Google Blogger as the writing and publishing platform, learned in a roundabout way that Google had divested itself of that division. Another company had taken it over. Yet another company had taken over the domain rights (that means, in my case, TravelnWrite).  I quickly took steps to purchase the rights to TravelnWrite.com, but I am a bit uncertain about the future of blogging in general.

The shift in Blogger came at the same time many of you were saying you wanted more tales of expat life and our vagabonding adventures.

So, as part of my new learning curve I posted my first article last week on Substack, another popular online writing/publishing platform.   There I am writing as Jackie Humphries Smith.  Subscriptions (signing up to receive the articles in your inbox, just like here) are free.  I will continue to write on both platforms in the foreseeable future about our travels and expat life in Greece, but the articles will differ.   

Take a minute, click on my name and check out my first article there.  

I hope to see your name among the subscribers there as well as here. And if you are one whom already subscribed, many, many thanks to you! And I promise you all I won't overfill your inbox!

As always, thanks for your time - both in reading TravelnWrite and for checking out my Substack writing as well!

A Stranger in a Strange Land

 Often times while back in the 'home country' I find myself feeling like a stranger in a strange land. 

Beebee bridge over the Columbia River on the way home

That which should be the 'old, familiar', simply isn't. 

Apple orchards along the Columbia River between Chelan and Wenatchee

I blame it on not so much how this area has changed, but how we have changed. Without fanfare or notice, we've shifted our behaviors and routines to that which lets us live comfortably in a different culture and country. 

So, returning to the old familiar ways of doing things often requires a bit more thought as we refresh our behaviors to function the American way.  It really is much like learning new behaviors when we began our expat experience in Greece. 

Science fiction type cloud formation in Central Washington State

I borrowed the title of a 1961 science fiction book by Robert Heinlein, A Stranger in a Strange Land, for today's post.  While his novel was about a human raised by Martians who returns to earth and transforms the culture, my tale is simply about expats returning to their home country and adapting to the 'different' ways things are done here. 

It Is the Small Things

Tumble weeds and traffic lights take some getting used to

Take for instance, making a right hand turn on a red light. I recently stopped at a red light and then waited for it to turn green so that I could make a right-hand turn.  As it did, I remembered such turns are allowed here on a red light after a full stop. In Greece they are not. I'm certain the drivers behind me were happy when I finally figured that out, but no one honked their horn nor shook their fist at me! I just hope I am as kind to visitors driving in Greece who haven't yet figured out the rules of the road. 

Our Greek mobile phone company has joined with TMobile and that merger required that a new app be installed on our Greek phone.  A few weeks before we left, I simply stopped by the store in Kalamata (our go-to big city) and told 'my boys' there that I needed the new app but that my attempts at installation and getting it to work had failed. I call the retail sales staff 'my boys' because they are young, know me on sight, and help me with whatever problem I bring to them. Five minutes later we fist-bumped (our terms of endearment between customer and clerk) and I was on my way with new app installed and functioning.

Spent a few hours here figuring out mobile banking apps

In contrast, The Scout and I spent a morning this week trying to figure out how to install, then make operational, a banking app that would allow us to make credit card payments from another banking app. The app being installed was for a bank that doesn't even have retail outlets within hundreds of miles and calls to customer service left us more frustrated than when we had originally placed the call for help. Each bank's customer service rep suggested we call the other bank's customer service. 

We figured it out on our own. . .finally.

Gift certificate to Elli's restaurant in our village

They don't routinely 'do' gift certificates or cards in our rural area of Greece. So, when we request such an item from our favorite restaurants in the village, a handwritten gift certificate is created by the owner or manager.  Sometimes they are written on a piece of cardboard or paper, sometimes in a blank greeting card, but in each case, they are hand-written, signed and usually decorated by hand-drawn hearts or 'x's' for kisses.

While I was telling a friend here about a frustrating transaction - or lack thereof at a local eatery here - I was told the story of a failed attempt to get a gift certificate at an area winery because the computer was down.  The purchaser suggested that perhaps a hand-written gift certificate could be generated.  Oh, no! It wasn't possible because then it wouldn't be in the computer system. They lost that sale.

Dining at the bar in Yakima eatery

During our stay I made a quick overnight trip to my hometown for an afternoon gathering of my long ago 'cub reporter' friends.  That evening, I dined at a restaurant offering the normal array of American food: burgers, salads, sandwiches and the like. Dining solo I sat at the bar instead of taking up table space. I found the contrast in behaviors between Greece and here pretty striking.  In Greece, I'd have spoken or been spoken to by others who came in and sat at the bar. The greeting usually leads to a conversation.  Here, to a person, the diners sat down with mobile device in hand and began scrolling through it the moment their bottom was planted on a stool. No communication or interaction took place.

Robot service at Yakima restaurant

Then I heard a mechanical voice behind me saying, "Welcome to Bob's! Your waiter will be here shortly to serve you.' I turned to find that a robot, a little gremlin sort of creature, was delivering food orders to the tables.  (Thankfully, a waiter/waitress was still required to actually put the meals on the table.)  Had I sat at a table, though, I might have had a better chance at striking up a conversation with the mechanical gremlin than with the humans at the bar. 

On the Flip Side

Along the Columbia River - we took water for granted before

It has been extremely nice to turn on the faucet - any faucet in the house - and have a stream of clear, drinkable/useable water come gushing forth.  That is a luxury that I bet most Americans take for granted. We used to, before moving to Greece where water quantity and quality is always questionable. There we buy commercially bottled water for home cooking and drinking.  Having a readily available and unlimited supply of water does take some getting used to!

We buy by liter and pay in euro currency in Greece

The gasoline prices in Washington State are significantly higher than the national average and our friends here are quick to tell us about their dislike of them.  However, when we go to fill up and find a price of $4.50 a gallon, we rejoice.  In Greece we are paying just over $8US a gallon.

Manson, Washington where packages are delivered on Sundays

It is amazing to order from Amazon and have my order arrive the next day, two days at most.  Two weeks would be considered a rapid delivery in Greece. (When you live in rural areas -- as those in which both our homes are located and where retail shopping consists of hardware and grocery stores -- you rely on Amazon and similar online shopping sources.)

College football fest while we are back in the States

And, of course, it is great being able to watch American football as it is being played in real time took some getting used to as well.  We don't have a television in Greece and even if we did, football would be shown in the middle of the night as we are 10 hours ahead of the US west coast. 

Our time here is drawing to a close and we'll soon be back in our Peloponnese world.  I'm certain that for a time we'll be pausing to get our bearings as we go about our daily routines in that world. Being a stranger in a strange world really isn't so bad. . .you might give it a try sometime.  Maybe you already have, if so, tell us about it in the comments below or shoot us an email. We love hearing from you!

It may feel a bit strange at tunes, but is definitely beautiful

Until the next time, thanks for the time you've spent with us and safe travels to you and your family!

The Market - What a Treasure!

The goal was to live differently. We wanted to stretch ourselves beyond our suburban America comfort zone. Being an expat in Greece for a half dozen years has certainly provided us those opportunities.

New roads to new adventures in expat life

As we continue to settle into this lifestyle, we are reminded every so often how routine so many of those 'different' things have become. But just as those 'different' things were treasures to be discovered in the beginning, we now see them as everyday treasures to be enjoyed in this unconventional expat world.  One such treasure is:

Market Day

Market Day is a treasure

The kind of market I am talking about is the laiki, those once-a-week shopping events that seem to sprout in parking lots or plateas (plazas) of small towns and villages throughout Greece. Being one day affairs, they set up in the early morning and are packed away by early afternoon. Shopping at them, you find yourself buying from the people who grew the fruit or vegetables or who caught the fish or who harvested and bottled the honey. 

Going to these outdoor markets can turn a routine shopping trip into what feels like a road trip. It is certainly more fun that a trip to the much closer, but ubiquitous supermarket. Such has been the case with our Saturday market outings to Areopoli, a town just 29 kilometers/18 miles to our south. 

The Journey

We are on the far right, the road is behind the houses

The short distance is deceiving as it will take us just under an hour to travel there and another almost hour back. We set out by continuing up the narrow track road through the olive groves that leads to our house.  We are told this track road was asphalted not very many years before we arrived on the scene and the road being built by landowners long before us. 

Roadblock on our track road slows our journey

About a kilometer away from our house we routinely pass a herd of sheep that are usually gathered near or in the roadway. No matter how often we pass this group, though, I yank out my camera to snap a photo or two. . .after all, I never encountered a herd of sheep when shopping in my old Seattle suburbs. 

Similar traffic slowdowns occur on this main highway

At the top of 'our' hill we leave our tiny road at Platsa, the first of many small villages we will pass through on the way to the market. Here we enter the 'main highway' (as we call it) a two-lane asphalted roadway, the major link between north and south of this point of the Peloponnese.  

The highway just misses the Church of the Anargyoi - Nomitsi

The road comfortably winds its way through three tiny villages -- Nomitsi, Thalames and Langada -- each with a rich history. In the town of Nomitsi, there's a small Byzantine church, on which the construction began in the 10th century, that visitors shouldn't miss.  Actually, you literally barely miss it as its entry door opens onto the highway. You look both ways before stepping out. Every so often we stop to admire the interior frescos in this Church of the Anargyoi.

You don't want to meet a bus on this stretch

Passing through the fourth village, Agios Nikon, we slow as the roadway narrows between the centuries-old buildings constructed long before modern day roads came into being. 

The Main Road passing through Agios Niko

Here we hope we don't meet an oncoming truck, RV, or tourist bus, as pullouts are limited. The village, once called Polianna, was in 1929 renamed for Agios Nikon, the Repentant, a soldier, monk and missionary who is credited with turning much of the Mani to Christianity. 

Taygetos Mountain slopes along our route

Most of our journey is through a vast empty stretch of land where stone fences line the roadway and the vast Taygetos Mountains stretch to one side of us and the Ionian Sea on the other. 

Limeni

Just before Areopoli, it is the expansive bay on which New Oitylo and Limeni villages are located that takes our breath away each time we crest the hill and it comes into view. Now a popular resort destination, hillsides are filling with bay-view vacation rentals and hotels and restaurants hug the shore. A much different vibe than a century or so ago when pirate ships plied the turquoise and sapphire waters of its bay, and the area was known for slave trading activities.

Cafes and churches line the streets

The road loops around the bay, then up another steep hillside and we've arrived in Areopoli, home to some 800 residents.

Shopping at the Market

Market displays in Areopoli

In Greek, the laiki agora, literally means 'the people's market'. They are also called farmers or public markets.  This one pretty much operates year-round with just a handful of vendors braving the winter's cold (and it does get cold here) while in the summer vendors' tables and trucks spread out over a large portion of the bus station lot. This isn't a place to go looking for souvenirs, it is a market catering to the locals. Honey vendors -- no less than three on most days -- plant sellers, a vendor who offers a variety of men's clothes in camouflage colors, and sometimes a fish vendor join the regular lineup of fruit and produce sellers.

Potatoes are absolutely the best in Greece

We recall our 'newbie' days when shopping at the laiki, seemed an extraordinarily 'different' experience. It was almost overwhelming. Greek speaking shoppers surrounded the displays, grabbing past us for an item they wanted, and little old Yiayias (grandmothers) who didn't want to waste time with tongue-tied foreigners like us often crowded in front to get their shopping done while we were still trying to figure out how to choose, bag, and pay for an item. 

Nowadays, we have the routine down pat: Select, bag, buy. Done and dusted, as our British expat friends would say.  

During a trip to Areopoli, we take advantage of the availability of a service station with car wash.  We leave the car at the station, head off to shop and return a few hours later to find the car clean inside and out for only price of 12 euros.

Mrs. Milia's bakery - a must visit place

One shopping destination we don't miss is at the far end of town, the Fournos to Psomi tis Milia. A wooden sign reads The Bakery/Mrs. Milia. As the story goes, her kids and grandkids have continued to run the bakery named for Mrs. Milia, a widow at age 29 who raised six children while discovering her passion for making bread at the bakery owned by her husband and in-laws. 

Loaves coming out of the oven a shopping treasure

Bread is still baked in the generation's old wood-fired oven.  The family-run establishment offers breads, pies, cookies and other baked goods and is one of those 'must go' places.  There is nothing better than arriving in late morning and eating still warm bread from that oven.

Sittin', sippin' and watching the world go by

Coffee shops like in all Greek towns are everywhere, so a morning cappuccino usually rounds out the visit. Each market day here feels like a step back in time, when life's joys could be as simple as ripping into a loaf of fresh-baked bread and sipping a cup of coffee. 

Every so often, something happens to remind us of how differently we are living here as compared to our American life.  A couple weeks ago we were loaded down with produce from the market and decided to leave our bags in the car before heading to the bakery at the other end of town. But the car was already in the washing bay.  

Yes, you can leave your bags, he said, they'll be fine.

Could we leave them somewhere out of the way in the station we asked. 'No problem', the attendant responded, pointing to a spot in the retail store, 'just put them here - they'll be fine.' 

Market honey on bakery bread - treasures, for sure!

And they were just fine - just as we had left them.  We certainly wouldn't have done that back in our old world. Again, we were reminded of how differently we are living these days yet surrounded by everyday treasures. 

How about you?  What are the everyday treasures you've discovered in your world? Leave a comment or drop us a note!  Speaking of treasures, we consider each of you reading this a treasure and thank you for the time you spend with us.  We'll be back with more tales soon, hope to see you here then! Until then, wishes for safe travels to you and yours~

In Greece: The Waiting Game

 We are waiting. Again. 

Our cat Nermal perfects the art of waiting

On the day that I had planned to finish this blog post, we were waiting for the return of our electricity which means we were also waiting for lights, heat, the internet, and water pressure as each is tied to electricity where we live in rural Greece. This six-hour power outage was 'planned' and we knew it was coming. Still, there isn't much one can do but wait when an outage strikes. 

Waiting just might be the national pastime in Greece. We've come to think of it as a game, 'the waiting game'.  It isn't for the faint of heart or those who are easily frustrated. While it doesn't require much skill, it requires utmost patience.  

Waiting out the latest African dust storm

'What do you do to fill your days in Greece?' we were recently asked by an expat wannabe. 'We wait for things,' would have been the most honest answer.  Things can include but are certainly not limited to waiting for the latest African dust storm to end, waiting for a repairman, for an appointment, or renewal of our residency permits. The common denominator is that we have no control over when the 'wait' will end. 

Instead, we told the wannabe about the errands and chores that must be attended to when living in the rural Peloponnese, the place where we make our expat home.  Then we sang the praises of all the fun things to do here and how much there is to love about this life. 

And there are many things to love. Waiting, however, is not among them. But a wannabe expat will learn about it soon enough. 

In fact, becoming residents requires quite a bit of waiting these days so they'll get introduced to the waiting game early on.  The process that once was a few months, now takes more than a year.  

We applied for our renewal a year ago in April, so maybe in a month or so we will have a biometrics appointment (fingerprinting) and hopefully a few months later we will be issued the wallet-sized card that makes us official for another couple of years.  We've learned when 'waits' last this long you really don't think about them that much. 

The Scout waits at our village service station

Waiting is a part of our new cultural environment.  Here work gets done when it gets done, appointments happen when they happen, and life goes on:  Siga, siga, slowly, slowly. Those of us who come from a deadline-driven lifestyle sometimes have to conjure up a double dose of patience to handle this indifference to the concept of 'as soon as possible'.  

 

Learning a new language requires patience

Those 'prepare for expat life' articles that proliferate the internet, advise that patience will be needed for the big things, like the slowed down pace of life which can lead to long waits and for endeavors like learning to speak the language of your adopted country. We are lucky in this part of Greece as we don't have to learn Greek to be able to communicate. 

Yet, I continue my Duolingo lessons in hopes of being able to one day be able to ask in Greek how long a wait will be. However, I may need to wait a bit longer to master that one. On the same day that Duolingo congratulated me on my 455-day learning streak, it taught me to say, 'The dwarf has the diamonds'.

I've not yet needed that phrase, but I am certain that if I wait long enough, the time will come, that I might.    

The Scout waiting at the village bank branch/post office

What those articles don't address are the little 'waits' that when they begin to build, can bring an expat to their knees. The wait for repairs and replacement work can almost break the most patient of people. We are experiencing a construction boom here, so waiting for a tradesperson to return a call is often an almost endless wait in itself. Then getting the work done is another wait of indefinite time. 

New furnace sits waiting to be made operational

In early December we had to replace our failing furnace, or boiler, as they are called here. The new one was delivered in a matter of weeks and then sat next to the old one for six weeks before installation was completed. It was finally up and running just before our house sitters arrived in mid-January.

Call the repairman said the thermostat

Three weeks ago, it quit working, and we called the installer and waited a week for him to respond to our message. Then we waited another week for someone to come and make the necessary adjustment. 

Waiting sometimes calls for a coffee break

The furnace quit working while we were waiting for the landscape crew who normally whip our garden into shape in January. Their annual task is heavy duty pruning and fertilizing the garden, the latter being best applied in January we were previously told. They are so busy they hope to get here sometime in March. No worries as this year, they said, March is the best time to apply fertilizer.  

No one to talk to at the bank without an appointment

At the same time, we were - and still are - trying to get an appointment to speak to someone at our Greek bank in Kalamata. Our account has been closed due to inactivity. Guess we 'waited' too long to use it! The account can only be reactivated after an in-person meeting during which time we must show copies of electric bills, phone bills, our house contract, our passports, and our residency permits. 

No appointments are available until the end of April and have to be made via email.  We've sent the email requesting the meeting, now we wait for the bank to respond with an appointment date. 

When the 'waits' get up to three or more, we consider the game tedious. Very tedious. And just as our patience starts wearing dangerously thin, one of the 'waits' actually ends and you simply feel recharged and victorious!

Such was the case in February before the furnace quit working. The Scout had called to reorder the oil used to fuel the furnace. The oil provider is a service station a half hour from us. The owner, Nikos, is an enthusiastic young man who has a can-do attitude and a smile on his face.  He told us he'd be out 'in the afternoon or tomorrow'.  

Wine and pizza ease the wait time

The 'afternoon' got to be 6 pm and dark, and we gave up that day's wait. We set off for some pizza and wine in the neighboring village. Literally as the waitress put the wine glasses on the table, Nikos called to say he was at our house, ready to pump the oil. Despite our gate being locked and the grounds completely dark, he assured us he could fill the tank.  As for payment, no problem, he said, he'd drive over to the restaurant and we could pay him there.

Within the hour Nikos parked the big ol' oil truck in front of the cafe. Sure, he could have a glass of wine with us. And he did. We had a great conversation during which the said he'd like to bring his girlfriend by our house sometime to see our view.  We told him to bring her for wine and mezes this summer. He finished his wine and said he had five more deliveries 'that afternoon' and off he went.  

That time we felt victorious. Sometimes though the only way to beat the waiting game is to quit waiting.  And that's exactly what we've decided to do.

'Road trips' are best done walking aboard a Greek ferry 

 We have arranged for a kitty sitter and are setting sail next week on a Grecian 'road trip'.  After spending a night in Athens we are off to Syros, in the Cycladic islands then we'll take an overnight ferry to Kos, in the Dodecanese islands.  Then we get really wild and crazy:

Dodecanese islands beckon

We will check the local ferry schedule and set off for an island, maybe two islands, maybe three islands based on what suits our fancy. No waiting involved . . .other than for the ferry to arrive!

Thanks for being with us again and we send wishes to you for good travels and short wait times, for whatever it is that has caused your wait!  Hope to see you back again soon - bring a friend or family member along - don't wait!

 

 

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