We find ourselves surrounded by a different tree for our first time in Greece. Orange trees are the life breathe of the plain of Argolis and we are staying in Nafplio for our final few days in Greece. While driving around today and seeing lots of roadside stands, we decided to stop and grab some oranges for fresh juice in the morning.
We pulled off the road at a small stand jumped out of the car. I pointed to a medium bag of oranges and handed over my money to the gentleman who was manning the booth. He took it with a smile and asked where we were from. Upon telling him that we were Americans, the next 20 minutes passed in a blur of laughing, more fruit being thrown our way, honey tasting, backgammon rules explaining, and tsipouro sampling. The stand owner and his friend (both named Dimitrios) have lived all over the world and both found themselves back in their motherland, Greece. They shared wisdom and bs and a warmth that we appreciated. It really put a smile on our face for the rest of the day and will be a memory that always lingers.
Now to start eating all these oranges!