Yia sas from the beautiful land of Greece!
We are calling ourselves the Flintstones because things are SO like Bedrock here! Clyde and Cheryl arrived a week ago tomorrow from DFW. We were in Athens – lost in a fog of traffic – and met them to drive them “home” to Patras. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but the whole country is awash in beautiful red poppies on the hillsides and roses in the gardens! JUST BEAUTIFUL!
Clyde and Glen STILL do not have “administrative” privileges on their company computers in order to install this “air card” thingy supplied by Lockheed. This means they cannot access their company e-mail, get security updates, etc. STONE AGE!
Since our last post, we have had NO progress on getting into our houses. We must have a Tax ID because we are paying Greek taxes while here – and this takes LOTS of trips to the police station and tons of paperwork thankfully taken care of by Ellie! Before we can sign our contracts, Ellie wants to be in Patras to read them for us (big fat DUH for us trying to sign a legal document all in GREEK) and we need that Tax ID number! Then, factor in that Lockheed has an audit in the Athens office the first 3 days of this week – it makes Thursday “D” day for us contract signers!
Once we sign, we get the keys. Once we get the keys, we can start cleaning and having things delivered. As you know, my main concerns are (1) the lack of railing around the perilous spiral stairs up to our apartment and (2) the desperate need for paint on the outside. Panagioti (our real estate agent) tells us that the rail can be completed in 10 days (Greek Maybe Time – aka GMT) and the paint in ONE MONTH! This will be written in the contract, says he!
SO, today I went to the appliance store where I selected an oven, a washer, a dryer, 3 a/c units and a vacuum cleaner. The oven has been a major headache! There is a teeny oven installed above the dishwasher in our flat. It is about a 9x13 size pan wide and not too deep. I cannot fathom trying to cook a turkey – or even 2-3 veggie dishes. It’s the same size as a large sized microwave to US folks!
SO, underneath the ceramic counter cooktop, there is a cabinet where a larger oven will fit – NO SUCH THING as a big oven in this country anymore. The Yuppies like the bitsy ones because all they do (evidently) is warm up things and eat big meals at mama’s! SO I’ve been measuring on a regular basis and finally have found something I like! I am GRIEVING for my GAS oven with the huge capacity for 2-3 large dishes in Abu Dhabi!
We’ve made a deal to lease a new Nissan X-trail and should be able to pick it up when we go to Athens on Monday for our chest x-rays. Yes, we ALL (the six Flintstones) have to have a chest x-ray in order to get our work visas. Cheryl and I are planning to go in early and try IKEA again (I know – glutton for punishment!) and the guys will join us Monday night. X-rays are early Tuesday morning.
So, if all goes well, we should have a new car, all our IKEA furniture, and our keys by next Tuesday. AND our Athens furniture is supposed to be delivered on Wednesday (the 27th) – so we MIGHT be moving in our house the weekend you American types are celebrating Memorial Day. And as soon as we get our internet installed, the Vonage phone will be in operation – HALLELUIAH! We’ve missed talking to everyone – especially our Caleb!
It’s getting VERY hot here – and running errands at lunch time is tedious. The realtors don’t even start work till after 11 – so by the time you see a couple of houses, it’s 2 o’clock and HOT! Ken and Marsha have ordered furniture but are waiting for contract signing. Glen and I are in that same boat. Clyde and Cheryl are still looking – they arrived a week after we did so have had a late start.
We’ve had a big dinner party with some of the Greek Air Force girls. They trained on the test station in Crete – the very place Glen was teaching when we met. Glen’s had a bout with food poisoning. And I am having a major meltdown being cooped up in this tiny apartment with the cats and all our luggage. But the end is in sight – I HOPE!
Thanks for praying – and PLEASE don’t stop now!
M
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