sammy, sunny, samos

Part of my morning yesterday was spent trying to rouse Ben from his night's slumber. With little success I continued with my own routine, and to my suprise upon coming out of the shower I saw Ben cuddled up with the one creature in the house who could get him out of bed: Sammy. Sammy is an Ethiopian guinea pig and the pet of our host in Samos. He is a great favorite of Ben's, and is currently eating lettuce on said sleepyhead's lap. For the past three days we have been on Samos, one of the easternmost Greek isles. It is an island defined by high mountains, lush vegetation and a rich winemaking tradition. While here we have enjoyed laying by the beach, scootering around to take in the terrain, and getting our first real glimpse into Greek culture through our host Maria and her welcoming friends. We met Maria through Couchsurfing and she has been a hostess extrordinaire. On our first night here she took us to a friend's birthday party held at an out-of-the way taverna. We enjoyed local cheeses, wine and kababs with a fun-loving group who welcomed us into their midst. It was the kind of community event Ben and I dream about being able to create with our own friends. We went home early (11 p.m.), but were told that if we would have stayed an hour longer the dancing would have started, and the party would probably go until the morning. On our second night in Samos we went to a cliff-top chapel to watch the sun set over the ocean with Maria and her friend Banos. Ben caught this shot of Banos from inside the chapel.