Parallel Rhodes (Part III) - Sittin' At A Bar

I should probably give a little back story into the latter half of Part II. Before embarking on my soccer seeking adventure, I stopped at the bar to give my liver a warm up lap before heading out to the bars. I decided while down there to do a little background research on the area surrounding our hotel and pickup suggestions from the employees on a good restaurant and good place to catch the game. The key to this is to be specific in what you want. If you ask, what is a good place to watch the soccer match to the front desk, they will most likely tell you to watch it in the lobby or at the hotel bar. It's not like there was going to be a legendary soiree out by the kiddie pool at 11 PM. You have to ask where they go on their off time, which is what I did in the case of the bartender who happend to be working that night. He gave me several great recommendations for places to eat and catch the game and after that I had him make me a drink and started up a conversation. (Once again, the drinking age in Greece is 18. No laws were broken and moderation was observed mother.)

I could tell the guy was Greek and didn't know how much English he spoke, but was surprised when he essentially broke out in near flawless Brooklyn slanglish. I was stunned and immediately asked his name and how in the world he could know some of the things he was talking about. He introduced himself as Manolis and told me that he was initially born in Australia before moving to New York City when he was five years old. He stayed until he was 12 before moving back to his mother's home in Rhodes where he became a bartender at the age of 18. We briefly talked about the Greek's chances at upsetting the Russians and he blew it off as a long shot and that was that. I disagreed and told him that I thought the Greek's were going to pull this one out, my intentions were more Eddie Haskel than Nostradamus but I figured it would improve my standing with the locals if I held that belief. I ventured out with my friends and classmates to the bar and began a great night of fun.

Manolis and I: A good friend and great bartender.

Upon returning to the hotel lobby after Greece's victory, I stopped by the bar and gave Manolis (Mano for short) a congratulatory "I told you so" and had another drink. It was here that Mano and I started joking and talking about everything from sports to politics to girls. With everything he had seen, and being a child of two worlds like myself, he provided some very interesting opinions and insights that you wouldn't normally get from any American or any Greek. Over the course of the five days, I visited the bar every night and the last thing on my mind while going there was alcohol. I realized very quickly how the bar was a tremendous social tool and Mano didn't become the only friend I made at the bar over the course of my time at the Belvedere.

I felt really at ease while sitting there. I wound up picking a spot at the far end of the bar by the window where I could see the gorgeous ocean and where the sea breeze created a nice crosswind in my little corner. I was comfortable there and would talk and joke with Mano when he wasn't busy, but found myself surrounded by a cast of characters that Dr. Seuss could never have dreamed of. Ok, so I wasn't exactly Norm from "Cheers" or anything but I'll admit I occasionally started humming Gary Portnoy's "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" while talking with the regulars who came in. I began chatting up Mandel, a Human Trafficking cop from the Netherlands; Terry, a British ex-patriate who had been coming to Rhodes since the 70's; Werner and Mario, a German couple who owned several steel mills in Germany; Hans and Nick Meijers, a father son tandem from the Netherlands who were spending some time together before Nick went back to architecture school and Hans resumed his job as an Animal Abuse agent. All of these people and many other people I just felt drawn to in conversations, most of them middle aged and all of them foreign with completely different lives from my own. I found it so effortless to engage in conversations with them and all of them were friendly, insightful and truly entertaining to talk to. They all seemed genuinely interested in what a bunch of Yankees were doing so far away from home as apparently Americans are few and far between in the Greek isles. I wound up having so much fun unwinding from our tours and travels and just getting to know the people around me from all of these different cultures. It is no surprise that people start spilling every opinion and inner most thought when they don't have much blood left in their alcohol stream but it was still a very fun experience just drinking, relaxing and chatting with these people. All within moderation of course.

The girls and Manolis.

I wasn't the only one who thought that Mano and his cast of regulars were interesting. I think initially, most of my classmates thought I must have been some sort of alcoholic from all the time I was spending at the bar. Gradually though, they would come by just to see what was going on and wind up staying for hours after closing just to hear the banter, conversations and opinions that were tossed around so casually and gleefully. It wasn't long at all until I was involved in back and forth banter with Mano about whatever disagreement we were having, Werner about whether or not the German soccer player Klose should play or not, or with Terry about how his life as an accountant was a soul sucking drain yet a cash cow for his current retirement endeavors. More and more of classmates started to join in and one night we stayed out until 4 AM, about 10 of us, just talking and laughing with these incredible people from all over the world. I told some people this in summary: "Seeing all of these ruins and sites has been incredible and life changing, but oddly enough it is going to be the hilarious bartender at the hotel we stayed at in Rhodes that we remember for the rest of our lives." This just summarizes my experience at the Belvedere bar as most of specific conversations and tales aren't meant for public recreation. C'mon, my grandmothers read this. I think I can speak for almost everyone when I say that some of the best laughs and best times we had on Rhodes were just "sittin' at a bar".