The Heart of Vatousa
Tryphonos runs the old cafeneon in the platia. He serves mostly ouzo
and coffee and delicious mezedes. But the un-sung hero is his wife Irini,
who cooks the main dishes at home then brings them up to be seved as meals
for lunch and dinner. |
Pavli is the former mayor of Vatousa, as well as a former resident of
Astoria New York. Among other things he brought water to the village and
renovated the upper platia, bringing back the cobblestone streets. Some
say his home-made ouzo and wine is the best in the village. |
Dimitri is another former mayor. Along with making major policy decisions
for the village, his duties included watering the plants and trees and
collecting the garbage twice a week. |
Mitsos and his brother Nikos do a job called Mistrisma or 'pointing',
which is filling in the cracks between the stones of the houses.
They are following the footsteps of their father Theocletos
who still stops by to visit when they work on various houses and buildings.
Bobbis is the mailman, not only for Vatoussa but for Sigri, Antissa
and Xidera. The Vatoussa post office is only open for 2 hours a day in
the morning. He is also the resident expert on Rembetika Music and NBA
Basketball and a well known local artist whose work can be seen
in the Gogo Museum. |
Irini runs the supermarket with Michalis and Marios, who also have the
basement breadshop. |
Thanks to Savas, crime has been virtually eliminated in Vatousa and
the surrounding villages. |
Michalis owns the restaurant in the lower platia, the place to
be with the boys on Saturday night or on Sunday night when the men take
their
wives out, a modern Vatoussa custom. |
His mother is the cook. Like most restaurants on the island, his is
family run. His brother works there too. |
Kosta the locksmith uses the traditional olive tree method
|
Yannis is one barber.He also sells newspapers and
takes pictures at important village events.
|
Savas is the other. |
Michalis is the plumber and
used to live in Australia |
Michalis has been called the most valuable man in the village. He goes
to the pharmacy in Antissa to fill prescriptions for the old people. |
Adonis Karvelas was the youngest judge in the history of Greece and
gave it up to manage the career of his wife.... |
...Joanna Karvelas (left), the well known opera
singer.
|
Panayotis is not only a skilled craftsman and builder but he is
one of the islands finest rembetika singers.
|
This 1960 VW may be the village's most valuable antiquity, owned
by Takis who printed the Athens News for 25 years. |
Yorgos can probably get you from the airport in Mytilini to Vatousa
faster than any man alive. He has been making the trip since the fifties
and when the other taxi drivers see his big deisel Mercedes in their rear
view mirror, they respectfully move aside. If you need a taxi call (01130)
2 535-1219 |
Afroula owns the other Pantapoleon next to Yannis the Barber. |
Dimitri is one of many carpenters in the village. If something is not
made of stone chances are it is made of wood. |
Michali is Tryphon's brother and a builder. |
Renoula and Rafael are cousins. Rafael lives in the village. Renoula
comes from the city (Mytilini) to spend summers with their grandmother. |
Father Dimitri was the former priest of the village. He died this past
winter |
Yannis owns the Pantapoleon in the main platia |
|
Irini works in the mayor's office.
Some say she should be the next mayor.
|
Michalis has the woodshop in the upper platia, right next to the cafeneon... |
..which he and his father own. |
Stellios came to the island from Athens to work at the electric company.
He retired in Vatoussa where his wife is from. "I could not spend one hour
in Athens now. I love it here." |
Yorgos works for Tryphon, his father, as a waitor. |
Mitsos has the important job of ringing the church bells on Sundays
and religious holidays. He is also a very fine singer |
Antigoni studies English and works at her father's BP station. |
Some people say Mitsos is the best dancer in the village |
Maria is the offical guide and curator of the Gogo museum. |
|
Mr. Vassilli owns the periptero and the donkey that sleeps outside my
window in the lot next door. |
Petros has sheep and a garden and sells vegetables in the upper platia
next to Mr. Vassili's periptero. |
This is Tryphon's mom bringing us a bag of trachana which is a village
staple made from wheat and sheep's milk. |
Fotis Karvelas is perhaps the finest portrait painter in Greece. His
work is in the Gogo Museum |
Tom-Tom is the unoffical village mascot and spends most of his summertime
in the cafeneons but winters in Athens |
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