Sunday, January 21, 2007
Playing in Tarpon Springs, FL
Saturday and Sunday, January 20-21. The Greek flavor of Tarpon Springs makes this a delightful and memorable stop. Yesterday Bob and I took the trolley tour down the Sponge Docks on Dodecanese Boulevard, which was bustling with sponge displays, shops, and Greek cafes and restaurants. Then the tour carried us into the historic downtown area, where we stopped at St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral. The church features Byzantine architecture and religious iconography and paintings. I wanted to take pictures of the gorgeous interior, but we couldn't figure out how to turn off my flash. From there we poked around a bevy of antique shops. I loved it! Bob tolerated the shopping, and he was a fairly decent sport about it. Poking around without a definite destination or a schedule, however, drives the man a little crazy. I needed some girlfriends to play with. (Happily, I found some on Sunday.)
The two distinct ares, the sponge docks and downtown, were both colorful and fascinating. In addition to the many antique stores and the cathedral, the downtown area is on the bayou waterfront surrounded by lovely, historic Victorian houses. The sponge dock area is lively, and I would be happy to stay another day to explore it further. Tarpon Springs is still the "Sponge Capital" of the world. It was settled by Greek divers who came here in the 1900's to the 1930's. Others from Greece came and soon developed a flourishing sponge industry, along with enticing restaurants, pastry shops and markets. While there is a lot that is touristy today, the authentic flavor of the old country is still very much evident.
Today (Sunday) we did several fun things. First we went aboard the other PDQ (Tumbleweed 1) and got lots of ideas for outfitting our boat, thanks to Erika and Roger. Then Erika and I joined Jeanne and Duffy (other Looper sisters) for an afternoon of girl bonding in antique shops without reluctant men along. I didn't buy any antiques, though I saw some cranberry glass that I loved. Carrying antique glass around on the boat just doesn't seem very practical. But I did buy some freshly made, real Greek yogurt and some Rose Jelly. It tastes just like roses smell. Bob thinks it's sissy jelly, but I like it. While the girls shopped, Bob and Russ (from Work of Art) took a dinghy ride.
Then in late afternoon, Bob's cousin Claudia and her friend Bob Smith joined us and took us on a road tour of the area. It was a treat to see more of the historic downtown residential area. We also went out to Fred Howard Park, which is on a palm-filled, sandy island. We enjoyed catching up with them, then we had dinner at a Greek restaurant back in the Sponge Dock district. We hope to hook up with them again further down the coast. We are thankful for yet another great day on this incredible Great Loop adventure.
