Independence

Yesterday was Independence Day in Greece celebrating the end of Turkish rule in 1821, so it was obviously a holiday, which in Greece involves parades, dressing up in your Sunday best and eating! The day before was Junior’s celebration at school which involved a lot of singing and reciting of poetry. Although I didn’t understand the majority of what was being said, just watching 4-6 year old children trying so hard, and in some cases point blank refusing to open their mouths, was an entertaining way to spend the morning. Junior, of course, performed as if her life depended on it and posed happily for photographs. She is such a little performer or should that be poser? There was no school for the rest of the day, so as it was bright and warm we went to build sandcastles again at Limnonari. There was still evidence of where the last ones had been much to junior’s delight, and so we built another town around the same site. On a Tuesday afternoon in March there really can be no better place to be than on a beach with your feet in the sand and the sun warming your body. Bliss.
Next day was a little breezier so we wrapped up warm and headed down to town to watch the parade. Junior put on her hat which she’d made at school and worn in her performance and bought a Greek flag to wave at everyone.

Before the parade there were prayers, wreath laying at the war memorial, speeches and the national anthem which junior joined in with gusto.

Then the parade which, for the first year, had the scouts and their band. The drums were rather loud and Sean had to try and calm Bonnie whilst I held on to junior who was sticking her fingers in her ears.


Once the parade had passed, people dispersed to various cafes and tavernas (most of which had miraculously opened in record time) to eat and drink for the rest of the afternoon. We went home however as Sean was getting the ferry in the afternoon back to Volos.
Junior is back at school today and doing very well there, conversing happily in Greek with all and sundry. My Greek is pathetic, I can sound the words out and recognise the letters but the thought of constructing sentences fills me with dread. I’ve always believed that some people are good at languages and some people aren’t. I definitely fall into the latter camp. I know I have to try, I know I have to learn but can someone tell me a sure fire way of getting it to stick in my head?