MILWAUKEE-NYC-ITALY-GREECE AND A DAY IN LONDON BLOG POST FOURTEEN

A LOOK AT FIRA IN THREE PARTS

PART ONE: FLESH EATING FISH

Not a bit of shopping was involved with our tour through the streets of Fira. That in itself is historic. It may be due to our being just shopped out or it might have been the uninspiring shopping available.

We did search but everything looked like everything we'd already seen and despite the creative welcome signs outside we didn't go in many shops .

The one thing that was something new and novel that we hadn't done before was having our feet cleaned and the callouses chewed off by a bunch of tiny fish, ten Euros for fifteen minutes of a very tickling experience. Emmy and I were game for just about anything so we signed up and had our toes and heels served  up for lunch to those little fish.

It wasn't until we got back to the hotel and starting googling for what type of fish we were serving that we learned a bit more about fish fun. First the fish are called Garra rufa. Second, most animal rights organizations say it is a cruel practice. Next, the practice is banned in the United States and many other countries due to the unsanitary aspects of the practice and unfortunate consequence of people losing their toenails to the fish. Emmy had just had a pedicure and wasn't very happy with that bit of news. So far so good, neither of us has lost a toenail or had a foot fall off. I don't think we'd do it again.






PART TWO: DINING OUT

Fira's restaurants are primarily located on a stretch of real estate running along the cliffs edge with a death-inducing drop should one fall over the side. These restaurants all face west and capitalize on the sunsets happening right at the dinner hour. We chose Argo. We tried to keep this meal on the manageable side and for us that's a feat rarely accomplished

We only chose two appetizers to share. The first called Pasturma consisted of small pies stuffed with cheese and an accompanying a fig sauce.

The second was a pumpkin soup with fresh herbs in preparation for our tastes turning to fall upon our return home.  It may not have sounded all that creative but it was a the tastiest of the two appetizers. Rick had been fighting a queasy stomach so he only had a plate of pasta with a little olive oil and butter.

Emmy and I were the entrée glutens. She went for a slowly cooked lamb shank served swimming in a mild tomato based sauce plated with a generous portion of potato puree.

I went for what the menu called a burger and fries. This was not your typical American burger although the fries were pretty similar. Our waiter warned me that it wasn't going to be what I might expect a burger to be but I was game. Their burger was served without a bun or condiments but was prepared stuffed with a cheesy center. It wasn't disappointing but after three weeks on the road I was really wanting a bite of some old-fashioned comfort food.















PART THREE: COLOR VS SHAPE AND FORM

Unlike Mykonos, Fira's architecture had a touch more color showing in Emmy's and my picture taking. Emmy stuck with the color but I started taking out the color and looking at the geometric forms, the use of shape and proportion that happens when you look at things in black and white.

Here are some of the architectural components that have given Fira its photogenic look. Since I couldn't decide whether I preferred to look through the lens with color or to see shape and form in black and white.