The Labyrinthine Wedding – Day 14

Well, Troy and my wife both got a mild sunburn from the last two days at the beach. They both used sunscreen, but they didn’t reapply. After hours of being at the beach, it apparently washed off. Troy is a little better than my wife, because I did reapply his sunscreen the second day. He was already getting pink after the first day. But I guess she forgot. I guess I was mostly spared because of my SPF shirt, my diligence of reapplying sunscreen, and my obsession with finding shade under the rocks. I only have a slight browning on my face. All this means that we decided to avoid going to the beach again today.

I told my mother-in-law that I’d like to see something else today, so we headed to the Chrysoroyiatissa Monastery. It should be noted that even before we arrived, my mother-in-law was determined to take me to the mosaic tile museum. Apparently, they have, and I quote, “the most famous mosaics on display there.” Personally, I had no interest in them before, and I had less interest after I found out they were actually outside in the sun. My wife’s cousin’s wife even told us that it’s the wrong time of year to go there. So, I steered my mother-in-law to the monastery instead. My wife decided not to go because of her sunburn, although I wonder if it wasn’t a little because she’s reaching her tolerance point with her mother.

The monastery was nice, although nothing like the ones in Meteora. It had a small church in the center absolutely filled with religious icons of the saints, Virgin Mary, and Jesus. For all their talk of how different they are from Catholics, Greek Orthodox Christians sure do focus on similar things. My mother-in-law has even mentioned no less than five times on this trip that August 15th is a national holiday to celebrate Mary’s birthday and what a big deal it is to everyone. There are parades, processions, and pilgrimages to holy places to celebrate. They don’t seem to make as big a deal or care as much for Christmas as they do August 15th. And while we were inside the monastery church, patrons (including my mother-in-law) lined up to kiss the icons of Jesus and Mary, which were equal in size and prominence.

Early on in our marriage, I had lots of discussions with my wife about her religion’s similarities to Catholicism and some of the ridiculous practices that they both employ. This included things like going to a priest for confession, ritualistic chanting, lighting candles to send your prayers to Heaven, and the obsession with icons. Over the years, I have become more adept at just ignoring these things, but it’s a whole new world to Troy. So, when he asks me why people are kissing pictures of Mary and Jesus, I honestly tell him that I have no idea. I teach him about Jesus and the importance He has to our lives, but Mary and everyone else are just footnotes in the story.

Anyway, we continued to wander around the monastery, which was mostly monk quarters and service rooms; like prayer closets, painting restoration, crafting, and wine making. Apparently, this particular monastery is well-known for its wine. They’ve even won awards for it. My mother-in-law desperately wanted to buy me (or someone in my family) a bottle, but since none of us really drink wine, she was disappointed in her endeavor. I’m not really sure she thinks about how I’m going to transport it back to the United States anyway. We opted for cross necklaces instead. Mine was made of olive wood, and Troy’s was made of white seashell.

Troy started to complain about the heat and needing some water, so we headed home. My wife had made lunch by the time we’d gotten back, so after a quick meal and playtime with Chippy (that’s what Troy decided to name the rabbit), we all took naps. When we got up, we got ready for another night of visiting and socializing.

Tonight, we were to see the guy who was my best man at my Greek wedding. I hadn’t seen or talked to him since that day. He had gone on to become a highly successful doctor in Pafos here on Cyprus. He’d also gotten married to a very sweet woman. So, we visited with him, his wife, and his parents. My best man and his mother had been very gracious to entertain my family and I before my wedding, taking us sightseeing and eating while my wife handled wedding things with her mother. So, it was good to see them again.

As is usually the case, after some initial pleasantries to Troy and me in English, the conversation switched mostly to Greek, and the two of us were cut out. Honestly, I think most people would be more than happy to continue in English, but my wife and mother-in-law immediately start speaking in Greek and others follow from there. My mother-in-law is the worst. She absolutely refuses to speak in English at all unless she’s alone with Troy or me. I understand that it’s easier and more natural for them, so I don’t mind so much. But it does make for a pretty boring evening when you sit for hours while people speak around you in a language you don’t entirely understand.

I usually entertain myself by playing with Troy, because that makes us both feel more comfortable. But tonight, my best man had bought Troy a Lego dinosaur toy, and after I’d helped him put it together, Troy took it inside the house to play with my best man’s father. That left me as the odd man out once again…pretty much like the 16 years before Troy.