Category: Local customs

Velventos

We happened upon our next stopping place Velventos in park4nite because it was convenient between Mount Olympus and Metsovo and we’re very glad we did. The town is situated by the second largest reservoir in Greece with mountains on all sides.

Polyfytos Reservoir Lake

The camper stop itself is in the beautiful wooded grounds of Alsos, an outdoor bar run by Antonía and Christos who made us very welcome.

On our first night we went to the bar for a drink and met Antonía’s friends Lena and Athina. The next day we explored the town and spoke to many people in shops who all wanted to know how we’d found our way to this village and where we were staying. Valerie’s Greek is coming on by leaps and bounds. Later that day we cycled to see the Skepasmeno waterfalls which is obviously a favourite picnic area for local people. On the way we passed many groves of bright red fruit which we realised were peaches and discovered that Velventos is famous for its peaches, exporting them across Europe and even has a peach festival in the summer. In the evening we ate at En Velvento a local taverna in the town. The main street is closed to traffic in the evenings and the whole town seemed to be out on their evening volta. There was a great atmosphere. 

The following day Lena took us into town to show us the sights. Firstly and very importantly we stopped for a coffee in the plateia where we met a group of her friends who gather there most days. We were again made very welcome.

Next Lena took us to meet her mother Stella who lives nearby and we had a tour of her house, built in 1910. The house was very interesting with wooden floors and ceilings and was filled with photographs of all her family. 

Lena then gave us a guided tour of the Folk Museum which was fascinating and we learned so much about life in the town in the past. 

for large pies
for patterns on bread
patterned loaf
tsipouro distiller

On our way out of town we stopped at the peach cooperative and bought a box of 22 fabulous peaches for 9 euros!!!

Sakiá market

We visited the Saturday market at Sakiá, the local town. It had been pouring with torrential rain but we finally set off on our bikes. We made a number of purchases – fruit, vegetables, olives, honey but then adjourned to the local cafe, initially just for a coffee but sitting there was so enjoyable that we progressed to lunch.

Córdoba

The last time we visited Córdoba we discovered it was the day of their White Night when the squares all over Córdoba have flamenco all night. We wandered around all night and it was fantastic.

This time we’d discovered that for the first two weeks of May there is a ‘best patio’ competition, and all over the city people’s private patios are opened up to the public. So of course we had to go.

 

 

 

Typical Cordoba street

And then we re-visited the Mezquita – a beautiful mosque dating from 784 AD which has had a cathedral plonked in the middle. But the beauty and magnificence of the building still remains.

Mezquita

 

 

 

 

Mezquita

Mezquita

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a quick visit and then off to Cabo de Gata for some walking

Ranakpur- Narlai village

Women shelling fresh chickpeas

We stayed outside Jodhpur in a village called Narlai and one of the staff from the hotel took us on a village walk showing us around the village and taking us into some family homes.

This village has a population of about 3000 but had over 300 temples! The first we saw was tiny and built into the rock. You had to climb over 100 steps to reach it.

Steps up to the temple in the rock

Bell outside the tiny temple

Then we saw another large temple built onto the side of the rock

and then we saw their newest temple built from white marble which was pretty spectacular

Evidently quite a number of families now live in the city and have more money, just returning for holy days. The whole village paid for the new temple which took five years to build.

We also visited three families going into their homes.

Grandfather with his pipe

Cooking over wood fires is the norm.

Baby covered up in a cradle

Mother and grandmother

The women in this area commonly completely cover their heads with their dupattas.

 

Older men in the village

Bullock cart

Rawla Narlai where we stayed

Weaver near Jodhpur

The owner of Chandeleo Garh took us out in his jeep to visit two weavers in nearby Akthali village who weave dhurries (rugs) using camel wool. The journey itself was wonderful seeing gazelle and antelope and then the visit was fascinating.

The weavers whom we’d seen in other villages used treadle looms, but Bhiyaram and Heera jointly used a hand loom which they had made from tree trunks. Their work was very interesting and we ended up asking them to make us a rug for our home in London, using the same design and colours as the one in progress but a different size. Money was exchanged and the rug will be ready in three days – very exciting!!

Jaisalmer yoga

We discovered there was a local yoga class held just near our hotel in the stadium at 7am so we decided to go.

We found our way there but couldn’t find any yoga. We’d been told it was behind the pavilion on a green sheet. Valerie asked some men passing by and they were going too. What a friendly group of people.

It turned out that on that day the yoga was being held on the raised platform in the middle of the stadium! They were all very welcoming and one of the men took to translating into English as we went along. There were about 15 people, many of our sort of age. Pretty different to yoga in England where the main emphasis is often on the physical. The first part was like any set of warm up exercises and then the majority of the exercises were different pranayamas which we did for far longer. Kapalbhathi was practised for at least 5 minutes – 300 breathes (1 per second), and alternate nostril breathing similar. We also did Bhramari pranayama (humming bee) and the Lion – which everyone enjoyed and the ladies found us very funny. Then we finished with laughing yoga which I’d never done before and which was absolutely brilliant. It was also a very chatty group, rather like one we went to in Spain

We enjoyed the class so much that we decided to go again the next day and leave for Jodhpur slightly later.

So the next day we were there again, and it was on the platform again, but this time all the men were dressed in white track suits with orange turbans, and there were twice as many people. Then later, a group of young men who were running round the stadium training for the army also joined the class so there were about 50 or more on the green mat on the stage.

Then another yogi came up to the front and we did more and more laughing yoga. Everyone was laughing laughing and waving their hands in the air.

I’m going to find laughing yoga in London it’s fantastic.

Jaisalmer Camel Tattoo

When we were in Bikaner our guide told us that camels are very good dancers. We were fairly astonished and when at the Desert Festival I said this to our guide he said that this happened in the ‘Camel Tattoo’, so of course we had to go.

Do you remember the Royal Tournament with the horses galloping across the arena just missing each other? Well picture that in a huge outdoor arena in the desert with the blazing sun, with a brass band, on camels. The Border Security Force and their camels all dressed in their finery. They were fantastic!

Jaisalmer Desert Festival

 

The annual Desert Festival started with a wonderfully vibrant parade through the town. Everyone decked out in beautiful colours, men with amazing moustaches and orange turbans, girls with exquisitely embroidered dresses, dancers in red flowing gowns and camels looking extremely fine