Greek Orthodox Easter is April 19 this year. Some years it matches the western calendar and other years it doesn't. You can buy all sorts of things in the stores: chocolate eggs, bunnies, etc. You can either buy egg coloring kits or buy them already colored, like these.

This may be the last blog entry for quite some time. Friday's classes are the last for two weeks - we have Easter break. Saturday morning, Kim and I are taking the train to Istanbul. We'll return to Athens Thursday evening - just long enough to empty the suitcase and re-pack for a trip to Nafplio with Mark and Martha Friday for Greek Easter.

Sunset is getting later and the weather is nicer. Kim and I have said that we'd walk along the boardwalk once the weather improved, so we did that this evening. You can tell the weather is nicer because the number of people walking, sitting, biking, etc. has increased. This pavilion is one I've shown before, where the chess players gather. There was quite a crowd this evening. A couple of guys were playing on a "normal" board while two others were playing with the three-foot-high pieces. As one game concluded, another guy got up to challenge the winner. Must be a regular schedule. In addition to the men (yes, all men) inside the pavilion, all sorts of other people stopped to watch: some for just a few moments, others for much longer. Maybe you can see in the background that there's even a dog just sitting, watching the game.

There were things along the walk that I didn't photograph. We saw several couples sitting along the beach who looked like they needed a room (this is a G-rated blog, if you know what I mean). There was a guy fishing who had 5 poles set up using tripods. He had the poles in holders - a really elaborate set-up. I was really confused. He obviously had quite a bit invested in his gear, but he couldn't be doing it for commercial purposes (didn't see him catch anything in over 10 minutes). I know people spend a lot on hobbies, but once his rigs were all up, all he did was sit and wait for one of his lines to hit. I can sit on the beach and drink a beer without spending all that money on poles.

It was next to impossible to shoot toward the sea with the sun setting, as this photo clearly shows. I would love to have gotten pictures of the boats on the water, but the glare just made it impossible.

Tomorrow night I have the TV production class for the last time before the break, but realized it will be a lot longer than that before I see them again. We're on break Apr. 17 and 24. May 1 is a national holiday. On May 8, I'll be at the Media 2009 Conference here in Athens, so Professor Sorogas will teach the class for me that evening. That means I see them April 10, then not again until May 15. They won't even remember who I am.

These guys are in a different pavilion on the beach, playing backgammon. Clearly women do not sit with other women and play games. Saw plenty walking, jogging, etc., but none involved in any of the games.

Our beach is OK, but it is clearly not the high rollers' beach. We have seen stretches south of us that have very nice hotels, bar/cafes on the beach, etc. Still, every so often you come across a beautiful patch of flowers like these.

I forgot to include a news item yesterday, so I'm going to include two today. First there was a story in the Intl Herald Tribune about Greek tourism, and the fear that it would be a rough year. When the British economy is down, they don't travel as much, so all the tourist-related businesses suffer, which means government revenues are down (less tax revenue), which means less money for assistance for all those struggling because of lost jobs, meaning more lost jobs.... Everyone needs to get out there and stimulate the economy!

I wish the technology allowed me to provide smell. This lilac tree is in front of a house in our neighborhood. I have never seen one this large.

The other news story is Greece's desire to increase its role as regional mediator. This is clearly a response to Obama's visit to Turkey. Greece does not want to be seen as irrelevant, and this is a move to demonstrate its strategic importance in the region.