George The Geek

Thessaloniki, Greece:

The wedding of one of my father's two Greek employees working for a year on a project for BP in Greece on trying to find an alternative to the ghastly DDT pesticides that were killing the world and at the same time to develop new sprayer delivery systems that reduced the amount of pesticides that were sprayed. The trials were on cotton in the area from Larissa in central Greece to Thessaloniki in the north.

My Dad had driven to Greece in early spring, Mum followed a few months later and finally after boarding school had broken up in July, I joined them  for the summer holidays. My Dad had set himself up at the Capitol Hotel in the  centre of Thessaloniki, so it was a rather special time - six odd weeks of hotel service in a wonderful area - the bustle, culture and excitement of a city and the simply wonderful nearby, largely unspoilt, peninsular of Halkidiki where foreign tourism was as good as unknown.

One of the employees was a very down to earth, country loving, life loving guy from a tiny village in the hills in the back of beyond where his father was mayor. He was everything you want from a Greek. He knew every small taverna in every nook and cranny in northern Greece, he was the one who delighted in  eating the fish head when a whole grilled fish was put on the table. Furthermore, he had a University agricultural qualification.

The second one was also a University graduate, much more the scholarly sort and I think he may still have been employed/studying there. A very nice guy but a different approach to life. Today he got married to Nina, a lovely girl.

This was me, with a very strange expression, shaking hands with Nina after the ceremony and before the party started. Mum and Dad on each side of me. I cannot remember the event, I probably tried to avoid as much as possible as no doubt there was a lot of Greek dancing. I'm not sure if the "Zorba The Greek" Sirtaki was one of them. It should be noted that the dance was only 6 years old when this photo was taken! It was 'invented' for the film by Mikis Theodorakis from the Hasapiko medieval and somewhat violent dance butchers performed and mixed up with Greek-Turkish conflicts.

Regardless of what was danced, I am sure I made a fool of myself.

Written on the back of the photo is:
5.9.70

Dedicated to you with our love.
Paraskos -  Nina