"Riding Scooters in Pyrgos, Greece" - Silas Scarborough (video)

This relies on my pitiful command of German but it does have subtitles, music, and one really crazy guy with a scooter and a Handy (i.e. cellphone).  He's the one with the red hoodie in front in the thumbnail for the video.

This is another one which got me busted for recklessness but it really wasn't as flagrant as it seems.

Update:  I had not looked it in some while and, yep, it was reckless ... but it was a lot of fun.  I never hit anyone or got hit in traffic, at least not in Greece.  I also noticed sure it's got subtitles ... but they're in German (whoops).  There are not so many as mostly it's music.


The video is part of what came from the generosity of Sundance and Andrea in helping me get over there and Lotho and Yevette who helped keep me alive until it became clear there was no choice except to come back.  As it happened, this was the only opportunity to do it and, without their help, it still would have happened but no chance I would have survived it.

My unwillingness to return had little to do with rejection of America but rather a deep love of the way Euros do things and Greeks are very special, particularly Harry and Nathalie Loutas.

I can't emphasize strongly enough, if you have any kind of opportunity to do whatever it is you want then do it now as the opportunity may never return.  Exactly the same thing happened with my parents as they decided, screw this, we're off to Europe.  We didn't see them again for about three months while they roamed all over the place in a rented car.  My ol' Mother would laugh about my ol' Dad's poor command of French, just like my poor command of German.  However, just as with me, you learn to communicate and they had a wonderful time.  He had a heart attack not so long after they got back here and there was no chance they would have had another opportunity.

Whatever it is, do it!


As to what good is German in Greece, rather more than you may suspect as it's likely the No. 2 language after English for languages often familiar to Greeks.  The reason for German is I was interested already anyway and Cat is in Germany ... so ... learn German.

I also have a pitiful command of Greek but it was enough to communicate with people with a pitiful command of English and it was a lovely time doing it.

Here's my one Greek lesson:  upon going somewhere and meeting an individual, 'yah soo' (phonetic) is hello.  If there is more than one individual then 'yah sah' is good.  Kalimera works for 'good morning' but it's somewhat more formal than 'geia sou' (i.e. yah soo).

'Yah soo' is a phonetic form of Greeklish (i.e. Greek alphabet converted to Latin alphabet).

Here's the Greek:  Γειά σου