More gray days

Sunday afternoon in Lima. The vast numbers of you who follow this blog regularly have heard me say before that Sunday is the best day of the week here, because there's less traffic and general craziness. People gather with their families and have long, late lunches. The surfers go to the beach. Many shops shut down, but most restaurants, grocery stores, and large chain stores are open. So it's a fun time to be out and about.

However, this time of year, every day of the week tends to take on the same gray chill. This past month has been particularly morose weather-wise, which is completely normal for this time of year. Still, it gets old.

Today, we went to the beach, because Britt and Addison wanted to go surfing. Valerie was getting over the flu, so wrapped up in layers and stayed well away from the cold water.

Most of the beaches around Lima are rock beaches. The stones are very pretty and colorful as you can see in the photo above. They are hard on your feet, big as potatoes, and just as colorful as our favorite Peruvian roots and tubers.

Even in winter, the beach is a popular place to be on the weekends. Many people come to surf, either using long boards (my preference) like those shown in the photo above, or the smaller, lighter pointy ended ones that Britt and Addison are trying to tame. Others just come to take in the ocean air, walk along the beaches, go for a jog, or chat with friends. There are snack vendors and surf schools that take out groups or rent equipment. It's not unlike the atmosphere you find at a ski resort. People enjoying the sport and the outdoors with a good dose of friendly comraderie.

After the guys were done surfing, the sun made a rare and very welcome appearance. We rushed home to let the guys shower and drop off the dog, then jumped back into the car and followed the sun, which was sitting above a beachside restaurant called Costa Verde, which none of us had ever tried. It was big and bright, and the kind of place where you find multiple generations of families gathering around a big table and serving themselves heaping plates of fish, ceviche, and criolla food from a bountiful buffet. There were also numerous tables of tourists. Indeed, according to a certificate on the restaurant wall, Costa Verde is in the Guiness Book of World Records for offering the most varied buffet in the world. We weren't quite up to all that, and just ordered a la carte. Either way, we were also presented with live entertainment in the form of a singer, small band, and variety of dancers presenting music and dances from different regions of Peru. You may have noticed in this blog that we often stumble across traditional dancers, music, and parades. They are an everpresent fact of life in this nation of colorful traditions.

surfing update 2

It's winter in Lima. The days are gray, gray, gray.

But that doesn't stop our intrepid surfing dudes from heading to the beaches of Lima, wetsuits and surfboards in hand, to try to catch some waves.

As it happens, the Gwinner guys are not the only surfing nuts around. The various beaches along the Lima shore are full of them. You can see swarms of black-bedecked surfers out on the waves most anytime on a Saturday or Sunday, bobbing up and down. Sometimes they even stand up and surf, though that depends on the conditions.

Last Sunday, we all headed out to the coast. The water was pretty choppy. We checked out several of the local beaches and settled for one that looked less daunting than some of the others. Britt and Addison used their own boards, and we rented another for Jeremy. In the end, the conditions were tough. Of all the people out that day, nearly no one actually got a good ride. Though that didn't stop them from trying.

And the fun part was that we ran into several of Valerie's colleagues. So in spite of the fact that Lima has a population of 8-million-plus people, it was nice to discover that it can be a small world - and is starting to feel a bit more familiar.

Gwinners in Greece: Part 4 - Random Moments

The highlights of our trip to Greece are posted in earlier blogs. This is just a presentation of random photos and moments.

After the wedding in Athens, Britt had to take off and give a presentation in Germany. Addison and I had an extra few days. We decided to hop on a ferry and go to the island of Aegina, which is an easy boat ride from Athens. Indeed, the ferry ride was totally easy - except for the part where we didn't get off. We realized that we had arrived at an island. But the ferry seemed to be facing the wrong way, and no one seemed to be getting off - but that was because we were on the top level. As it turned out, the people around us were all staying on board to go to the next island. We couldn't see all the people who were indeed disembarking. Fortunately, we discovered that the next ferry stop was close by, after which it just turned around and went back to Aegina, before returning to the port of Pireaus. So, we spent an extra 30 minutes enjoying the comfort of the ferry lounge, feeling a little sheepish.

This photo was taken from the dock at Aegina, just to show the incredible aqua color of the water.
By the way, Aegina is very pretty and pleasant. We rented bicycles and rode around the island, stopping at nice beaches for a dip and for lunch at a beachside cafe.
The odd thing about Aegina was the incredible number of very overweight people. I don't mean plump. I mean really BIG. They were everywhere - often riding on motorbikes. It was as if Aegina was the rendez-vous point for the over 30% body fat crowd or something. Fascinating.

Back in Athens, there's lots of interesting graffitti.

Britt and Addison in the Agora, Athens.

More graffitti

Exercise in perspective, Agora Museum, Athens

Cafe, Benaki Museum, laughing among cousins

Valerie in the wind, Acropolis

Mom and Boy

More graffitti, with bags

Strolling cousins

Back in Aegina, some people travel in style

Gwinners in Greece: Part 3, Family Wedding

When our young, Franco-Greek cousin, Ariane told us she was getting married in Athens, the idea of taking a trip to Greece was mighty tempting. It was even more inspiring when we discovered that the wedding date was July 29, the 20th anniversary of our own wedding.

Organizing a trip from Lima to Athens is a little complicated. The distances are big, involving lots of hours in airplanes and airports. Also, it's mid-winter here in Peru, rather than summer vacation. But as it happens, July 28 is national independence day in Peru, which is a big holiday. Addison's school gets the month off for winter break. Britt was invited to give a talk in Germany right about the same time. And Valerie was able to schedule the start date of her new job for the beginning of August. So off we went.

It also happens that we Gwinners love a good wedding. Invite us to yours and there's a good chance we'll go - or at least, do our best to attend.

This one was especially sweet and charming. There were stilt walkers and members of the band who were friends of the bride and groom. Family and friends came from all sorts of different countries. The party was outdoors on a beautiful evening under the lit up temples and ruins of the Acropolis. Here are the happy and glowing bride and groom, Blake and Ariane
Britt, Addison, champagne, good food, good company
Cake and champagne

Johannes (had come all the way from Moscow via Mongolia for his cousin's wedding) and Veronique, mother of the bride

Unfortunately, we didn't get photos of the actual ceremony -- because we missed it. There was that little problem of the car break-in. Just as we were going to head off to the hotel to change into our going-to-a-wedding outfits, we discovered that thieves had broken into our rental car, taking with them Britt's briefcase, including computer, phone, passport, I-pod, and other key items of that type. So instead of watching the happy couple exchange their I-do's, we negotiated our way with friendly shopkeepers, an assortment of police officers, and the world's stupidest cab driver.

These are the breaks - or break-ins. We did get to enjoy the wedding party. We did get to see family and celebrate. Britt did manage to get his passport replaced in time to give his talk in Germany. We did kick ourselves for leaving valuable things in the car.

We're still glad we went.

And July 29th is still a good day for a wedding!

Gwinners in Greece: Part 2 - Peleponnese

Beyond Athens, we also spent several days exploring the Peleponnese Peninsula. It is an area simply littered with amazing ruins, including those of Corinth, Epidavros, Mycenea, Olympia, and some lesser known sites. There are also lovely towns, such as Nauplie, gorgeous countryside, and that beautiful blue water. The photos below represent a mishmash of things we saw: Romantic ruins at Olympia

Museum of Olympia
Small theater in the town of Epidavros

Olive trees

Large theater of Epidavros

Britt and Addison, Epidavros

Addison the Magnificent. Mycenea

Valerie in a classic pose

Beach at Nauplie

Corinth

Cyclopean walls of Mycenea. It was 100+ degrees, we were hot but had the place to ourselves.

Olympia

Snorkeling in Epidavros. There is a section of the old city that is now underwater, right by the shore. We snorkeled all around it. It creates a sort of reef, so is full of different kinds of fish.

Addison running the track at Olympia

Gwinners in Greece: Part 1, Athens

Greece is an amazing country, and what better excuse to go explore it than a family wedding (more on that in a later blog).
Britt, Addison, and Valerie are just back from 10 fabulous days of Hellenic adventures. (Jeremy couldn't join us, because he was finishing an internship in Costa Rica.)
July is a great time to leave Lima. It's chilly and gray this time of year. Schools let out for the month of July for winter break, and everyone benefits from a several day celebration of Peruvian independence, in and around July 28. Britt, conveniently, had to give a talk in Frankfurt at the end of the month, and had some meetings in Madrid, so was headed to Europe anyway. Also, Valerie starts a new job in August, so a July trip was her chance for a last celebration of non-employment.
Getting from Lima to Athens is no small things. It's far.
But it is indeed so very worthwhile.
We started off in Athens. Here are some photos:The Acropolis has benefitted from a recent face lift, though this means that there is more scaffolding around to help support the ancient stones.
The new Acropolis Museum just opened in June 09. It is a wonderful museum, beautifully designed and filled with new findings that were discovered on the Acropolis hill during it's construction and renovations of existing sites.
It's pretty spectacular any time of day or night. The image below was taken from a touristy restaurant where we ate one night under the colors of the daily sound and lights show, accompanied in our case by the live bouzouki music of another nearby touristy restaurant. Those are the real colors, I didn't doctor the photo at all. Below are shots of some of the temples by day.

It's no wonder the national colors are blue and white.

Oops, this one isn't on the Acropolis, and it's not even Greek. It's Roman, and shows a piece of Hadrian's Triumphal Gate.

Valerie and Britt enjoying another fine Greek meal

Britt and the city of Athens, with the Roman Theatre arches directly behind him

My cousin, Veronique, describing the details of the Acropolis to us (nice to have an expert in the family), with the hill and tower of the muses behind her.

Valerie on the rocks. The Acropolis, like many other sites, is just littered with beautiful pieces of temples and such. No one knows where the fit exactly, so they stay where they are. The pieces of the Parthenon were each numbered and marked by the stone carvers, so it was possible to reassemble them accurately.

Addison on the windy hill just below the Acropolis, admiring the vast view of the city and sea.