May 1st: Day in Silata

nieces and nephew of eleftheria. we are playing a game like london bridge . . . only different.
choosing teams.
learning the steps. this is xristos learning the steps to a dance called zebekia. it is amazing to me just how important the traditions are here.
1st of may flower crown
the other flower crown
super cute



we spent may 1st in the village with a bunch of eleftheria's family. it was really nice since i missed their easter celebration.

Easter Climbing Trip

this is my good friend and climbing partner tomasz. the drink is nescafe, an instant frappe mix; it is pretty nasty, but is is essential to any productive climbing trip.
yours truly.
back at petropigi, this is probably my favorite spot in northern greece, working a new rig. the climb is called mandragora (look up the word, pretty cool) and goes at 7c+. i one hung the route, so i am pretty psyched. when i send it will be my hardest send since apollo reed. i am pretty excited.



*thank you efi for wielding the camera.

The Nice, But Not So Explosive Easter

margarita lookin' springy. this is tomasz mother and one of my surrogate mothers here in greece.
vangelis is margaita's boyfriend and the owner of the beautiful property where we had our meal. super cool guy, very generous.

the kitchen.

look away adam!!! i have to admit that goat is not my favorite meat.

my dance lessons. as i have two left feet, they did not go very well.
i brought seeds back from the states for margarita and vangelis, these are the tomatoes.
this is vangelis' super awesome garden, a bit barren now but by the end of june is is exploding with all kinds of stuff, crazy.

Bulgaria Trip

i would like to call this a hostel, but it was really just someones house with a couple of spare rooms turned into guest rooms. really nice and clean, not to mention only 8 euros per night.
spring has arrived not only in bulgaria but in greece as well, although we don't have as many flowers in thessaloniki.
i always miss mom's daffodils this time of year.
this is the valley that you drive through coming into the little village, pretty impressive.
this is a photo taken down from the climbing area, there is quite a bit more behind me. the sectors are small, but there are a lot of them. the area boasts hard medium and beginner sport, single pitch traditional, and some multipitch adventures. we'll definitely go back
village from the climbing sector.
the place was beautiful.

crazy upside-down flowers.


Not a bad picnic area, eh?

So a couple of weekends ago we (eleftheria and i) went with a couple of friends to bulgaria for a climbing trip. it was a fantastic trip and the climbing was amazing. we went to a little village about 3 km from vratsa, which is a small town about an 1 1/2 hours north of sofia. seated down in a valley in the foothills of the bulkans, it was really beautiful. hope to go back soon and check out the cave.

hope the next post comes sooner than later.

Random Pics of Three Weekends of Climbing

friends and climbers

sent and sit

the best part of the morning

home sweet home

nestos river valley

sitting in the evenings

pasta

mouzaki river valley

solitaire before bidi bah

these pictures are from the last three weekends. i have been climbing at least one day each weekend. these pics are from koukouvagias cave, mouzaki, and nestos valley.

have a good day, miss you all

Beyond Daily Life

work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep,work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep,work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep,work, eat, work, train, sleep, work, eat, work, train, sleep,work, eat, work, train, sleep

whoa! sweet, a party. eleftheria's sister had her birthday a couple of weekends ago, also the end of carnival, allowing us to take a weekend off and hang out with a bunch of friends.

batman and robin.,
observing batman and robin.
this is me in the midst of doing the 'lawn-mower'. i taught this move to gioria (the birth day girl) a while back for a dance-off she was taking part in (yes i am serious), but i think she lost; should have gone with the 'sprinkler'.

the crew.

Some Music to Hear, Watch and Enjoy

so, i have been on a serious search for new music for the past few months. to be honest i have not found much, but i have found a few pretty inspiring performances by some of my favorites and a couple of new bands. and a special thanks goes to sarah for her help. also check out the site at the end of the post; see if it works for you.


















www.gnoosic.com