Tuesday, September 13, 2011

13/09/2011 Greece VII: Panning

A fun, if remarkably unsuccessful day today. Having apparently gained a reputation in Grevena as an experienced gold panner, Tolis (of the outdoor pursuits center) asked Annie if we could take him to a couple of sites to show him the ropes. He picked us up in his 4x4, and we left the city by the Pindos road. The vehicle is extremely impressive, with a dash that more closely resembled the cockpit of a Cessna than a car. Tilt-yaw-pitch indicators joined the array of other knobs and dials in the front.

We stopped at two sites, the first on a large plain and the second in one of the many hidden valleys, where two sizeable rivers joined. The first I distinctly remember panning in with Rob during my first year, on one of our days off during our mapping project. As then, we found nothing but a few rounded grains of chromite. The second was a new site, but I knew as we drove into the valley that we would be unsuccessful; the surrounding rounded hills covered with thin soils overlying flysch. The tiny fish in the cool waters nibbled at my feet as I swirled the water into the pan. No luck.

We returned to Grevena empty-handed. Tolis regaled us with excerpts from his mountain rescue adventures. I'm not entirely sure 'rescue' is an appropriate word to use. Given that most of the people they're called to are suffering from more extreme cases of death, 'recovery' may be more appropriate. In one instance, a man who was searching for Nazi gold up in a high mountain cave fell down a sheer face. The rescue team were unable to find the head.

After a couple of hours siesta, Dina came back to Annie's, and we went out souvenir shopping. Since my last visit two years ago, several tourist shops have opened up, specialising in local foods. Dried mushrooms, liquors and pastas line the shelves, interspersed with saffron and other spices. A range of dried fruits, hard-boiled and spoon sweets and preserves join the mix. I bought some dried mushrooms and mushroom pasta, three grams of red saffron in one shop, then crossed the road for some dried figs and rose-flavoured hard boiled sweets (and a mushroom fridge magnet to which Dina had taken a shine). The owner of the second shop had a daughter who had just got married, so gave us each a small bottle of liquor as a wedding gift. Dina donated hers to me. I look forward to trying the cherry and apricot nectars when I get home. We then visited the Zoomserie for ice cream one last time, and we sat on the steps outside the public library watching the kids play on the square. Dina got a call before we were finished; one of her students got his results and wanted her to go celebrate his success with sweets at the school, so we parted and I returned to the flat.

After our trip, Tolis was apparently sufficiently excited to ask me to send a pan over from England. He is considering starting a panning school; an appropriate way to make some money from the gold-obsessed locals. That evening, I ordered another pan for myself, and left mine at Annie's.

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