Lixouri in the morning

I have been trying to hunt out a beach umbrella. I happened to walk into the hardware store hoping for some luck. Not much English here, but a few polite Greek words later, the proprietor tells me to come back in an hour. He knows a place, maybe 2km from here. He will go get one for me. I love this place. I said I would finish my shopping and come back. While shopping, I found another shop that already had umbrellas but I couldn't bring myself to buy one there when someone was personally going to find me one.   While waiting, I went to find some coffee. 

I scouted out the coffee shop with the most characters. The little group of men chatting out front, the proprietor standing guard at the door, and the other little group often playing cards in side. Not a woman to be found. I joined them anyways.

After a little back and forth with the proprietor, I received an itty bitty Greek coffee and sat myself outside to watch the town square.

Itty bitty Greek Coffee

12 taxis sit idling. There isn't much work for them yet. It's too early yet -- in the day and likely also in the season. Maybe later today when the tourist are receiving ready to go to the beach.

I am curious why no women are sitting drinking coffee. Are the men just biding their time while their women are shopping? Is this just how they pass the morning or their time?

One of the sweet little men, just stopped me to ask me (in Greek of course, I must look the part),  did the sun bother me? I was sitting in the sun at this point, rather than the shade like he and his friends. I said no, I liked the sun and he stayed to chat. Teddy (or Terri maybe?) asked where I was from and told me he was from New York but this, gesturing to the town, was his village. I told him where we were staying, in Monopolata, and he smiled and said it was a good village. "How much you pay?" he asked. "$60!" I responded. "A day?" "Yes." "My daughter in law, she has a studio, I give you half off!" "Next time, next time!" "OK, you come back to see me again. I am here almost every day." I love this place. 

At the far end of the street, can you see them? The men drinking their coffee and socializing. 

I think both my hypothesis on why there were no women were true. Teddy confirmed the latter, and I just saw a women drive up, honk, and one of them men left the coffee shop and got in the car (moving around the shopping as he went).

This town is bustling in the morning. Peter and I keep seeming to end up here mid to late afternoon when, of course, the town is dead but grocery shop still open. I think I like it in the morning best. Great people watching, lots of little shops to look in, coffee with the locals.... I love this place.

The hardware shop!

I came back to the hardware shop. The nice guy isn't back yet, but the nice lady recognized me "umbrella?" and then said something in Greek that I gathered was "he just left" or maybe "he'll be here soon." My only worry is the groceries (including a bunch of dairy) roasting in the car. I am considering moving the car... but finding a shady spot is unlikely. I take my chances I guess. I left to move my car. I drove around briefly before returning to a shop I stopped at earlier but hadn't bought anything. It had goggles, also needed for our beaching this afternoon. I purchased the goggles and then headed back to the hardware store, scoring a semi-shady spot right next to the shop. I went back in, the lady saw me again. "Umbrella!" she smiled happily. I couldn't tell who was more happy, me or her? A little more than an hour and €8 later, I have my umbrella. I love this place.