Being here in Greece has made me realize what an environmentalist I’ve become. Living in Vancouver, BC it’s pretty easy to be environmentally conscious and if you aren’t, you are a bit of an odd-ball. For those of you who don’t live in a recycling city here are a few examples…. I was talking to some friends back East once and saying how much we recycle in Vancouver, that you wouldn’t believe it. They said, “like..what?” Well, for example, did you know you can recycle your toilet paper roll? I also read recently that 65% of all Vancouverites compost… Since we live in a townhouse I decided not to compost as I couldn’t stomach the worm composters…worms are “icky” but I have to say I feel a bit of guilt for not doing it…

Anyway, back to the post title. The amount of trash I’ve seen around the island is absolutely appalling. The majority of it is bottle caps and plastic bags. If you got to a beach maintained by a hotel or someone renting beach chairs and umbrellas it’s still full of cigarette butts and bottle tops.

And we thought when we got here there would be tons of fresh seafood and I had these great plans to go visit the local fisherman and get some yummy fish for our BBQs….well we visited him and he went into the freezer and pulled out this frozen tiny fish…all he had for the day. I still haven’t gotten a clear answer on where all the fish have gone … the guide books say overfishing. We do see some small ones swimming around in the sea occasionally.

But where have all the fish gone? Why aren’t we cleaning up our trash or at least trying to not produce so much? I know it’s not just this island (however, I don’t remember past trips to the Mediterranean being this destitute when it came to the fish or this dirty when it comes to the trash).

When I think about this it makes me really worried that Stella and Stella’s future children won’t have clean beaches to visit or fresh (and yummy) seafood to eat.

I know there are some out there who disagree with global warming theories, etc. But can’t we all see the harm we are doing to our environment? Forget about melting ice caps. Just look at the trash we produce? Where does it all go? Even my brother, who often calls me a “big hippie,” has said, if we don’t do something about the trash problem we are going to be living in trash. We are running out of places to put it. And he’s an expert on where the trash goes. He works for the largest company in the US that tries to find a place for all our trash, Waste Management.

And what about the overconsumption? We are fat in the Western world because we over consume. And I don’t just mean physically. Look at our debt…fat! Look at our trash cans…fat!

So what does this have to do with simple baby travel and what can you do when you are traveling to do your part in helping ensure there are clean beaches and fish in our seas for our future generations?

1. Probably the number one thing every traveler does is buy bottle after bottle of water. We are just as guilty. We did make a conscious effort when we got here to not buy bottled water and use the tap water. That was until we found raw sewage in our backyard and thought maybe that wasn’t such a good idea anymore. But we are buying large jugs of water now and pouring the water into glasses. When you are traveling try to bring along water bottles and re-use them. Especially if you are in the Western hemisphere where water is very clean.

2. I’ve commented on the whole packaged food thing before…but please…don’t. It’s not only bad for you but it’s wasteful. Perimeter shop (that’s shopping along the edges of the supermarket—no packaged goods there for the most part) and teach baby that wholesome good food is best. This will be good for your waist, your wallet and reducing waste… Justin and I have coined it “W3.” That is if you shop on the perimeter of the grocery store you won’t buy packaged food so you won’t gain weight (#1 diet buster) which is good for your “waist.” You won’t spend money on a ton of food you don’t really need which will be good for your “wallet.” And you won’t be buying a lot of food with packaging which will be good for reducing “waste.”

3. Try to walk when you can. See “W3” above. You are on vacation, relax, you don’t need to be in a hurry to get somewhere and baby will love taking all the new sights in while in the stroller (this might also allow for you to avoid the rental car which will really save on the wallet…and help you lose some weight or counter the vacation 5 lbs. so good for your waist and of course great for reducing waste).

4. Re-use your towels when staying in a hotel. While one of my favorite things about staying in a hotel is a fresh crisp clean towel each shower, I’ve even changed my habits and re-use our towels several times before we request new ones. This is especially important in countries where water supplies are already really low.

5. Use re-useable bottles and bring toiletries in these bottles from home. Buying travel sized items only creates more waste. But in all honesty with all the baggage weight restrictions these days I often buy the travel size…I’m not perfect, just some guidance and ideas, not preaching! It’s on the top of my list to buy some nice travel size bottles to bring along toiletries in the future (I did bring a few but they were plastic and I thought they needed a good cleaning and put them in the dishwasher…they melted).

6. Choose low energy use activities (that’s electricity, not low energy use for you!). Take a walk or hike versus going to ride a roller coaster every night.

7. Use public transportation when you can.

8. And definitely forgo the disposable swimmers. I blogged about this before. You can buy the reusable swimmers just about anywhere now. Use them. They work and are way better for the environment (check with your resort as some REQUIRE both a disposable and a swimsuit on top).

Hope this helps and hopefully we can all do our part to try to make sure our children have as many opportunities to enjoy this beautiful world we live in as we have.

We hit a great little town called Gennadi last night. Had the best Greek food since we arrived at a taverna called “Mamma’s Kitchen.” It was nice to visit a very traditional town and meet a few locals.

And what a great name for a restaurant. Who doesn’t want to go home to “Mamma’s Kitchen” and have some comfort food? I guess “Mamma’s Kitchen” translates in any language. I can remember many anticipated trips home and being excited about having some of my Mom’s home cooking.

There’s something about the familiar tastes of home to make you feel better. I know for Justin it’s a nice cha shao (that’s Chinese BBQ pork) or a big English breakfast “fry up.” And a bag of “Hoola Hoops” or a packet of English sweets (black currant “Fruit Pastels” anyone) always puts a smile on Justin’s face.

For me it’s apple pie, pinto beans and corn bread with a side of collard greens or some slow cooked BBQ ribs or homemade fried chicken!

It’s funny because the things that Justin I bring to our new family in regards to favorite foods from our childhood and backgrounds are turning out to be some of Stella’s favorites (if it’s pork, she’ll eat it…).

When you travel (or at least when we travel) the highlight of our trip are the meals we eat and the farmer’s markets we visit. In just about any culture you encounter, fellowship (whether friends or family or both) centers around food. Food has an amazing way of really showing you about a culture. For example, in most Asian countries meals are served for sharing. The table is a communal event.

Baby Travel Tip: Don’t be afraid to let your baby try what you are having when traveling (it’s not necessary to pack a suitcase of prepackaged “safe” foods…). The best way to get your child to eat a variety of foods is to expose him/her to different things and often. For example, we’ve been trying to get Stella to eat grapes since she was able to eat them (they are a great travel snack food after all) but she’s refused. Last night they gave us a plate of beautiful small green grapes after dinner. I gave her one and she just played with it. Then her Dad and I started eating them and saying how “yummy” they were and she finally had one, then another and then ate the entire bunch. So keep trying with new foods and you have to show your children how much fun it is to try new things. We hope Stella’s pallet is as broad and adventurous as her experiences are. We let her try everything (pickled ginger, she loves it; spicy sausage, gobbles it up; spinach pie (spanikopita), hidden greens that she has no idea she is eating).

Mommy's Little Helper

I’ve always enjoyed cooking and entertaining for both my family and friends. I am passionate about food and find meal times one of the most pleasurable times, especially when shared with good company. As a mother now, I take great pride (and pain sometimes) in making sure Stella is “well fed.” I hope that someday she’ll too find comfort in her “Mamma’s Kitchen.”

Well, this trip has given us the old Muhammed Ali “one-two punch,” but we can now say that it has been the “Greatest Of All Times.”***

If you do anything, you must watch this video…you have to see it to believe it!

Goats Invade Our Villa

To give you a preview…there are goats everywhere here in Rhodes.  On the streets, in people’s yards and I even saw one hanging from a cliff munching on a small bush.  Well we’d seen quite a few in our neighbors yards in the early mornings chewing on grass and drinking the pool water.  We had made a point of keeping our gate closed to keep them out…

Well we finally got the gate remote control and had started parking our car in the driveway.  On Sat. night we went out to dinner and couldn’t get the gate to close.  I said, “it will be fine, the goats only come out in the AM…”  Well, to our shock, when we arrived home, parked the car in the driveway and finally shut the gate, there was a HUGE herd of goats (and later we realized, sheep) in our yard…  I’m talking a lot of GOATS.

So Justin and Brandon (Justin’s brother who was here visiting) opened the gate and herded them out.  You must see it to believe it.

Uncle Brandon and Stella

We have actually enjoyed the last few days.  We have just been relaxing and doing the things we came here to do (hitting the beach, eating a lot of seafood and hanging out by the pool).

Enjoying the Beach

Dinner at our Favorite Restaurant, Dionysus

Uncle Brandon arrived on Saturday and we went out for some nice meals and just relaxed.

When he left we hit the Old Town of Rhodes again and it was really nice to see the area at dusk.

Things seem to be quieting down and we are settling into a groove.  And the problems have subsided (if you don’t count the goats)!

My neighbor and good friend Richenda reminded me that when traveling it’s best not to have too many expectations.  While I know this, it was a very timely reminder.  I think often when we go away (especially for an extended trip with so much excitement and anticipation) and if things don’t end up as we had hoped it overshadows the entire purpose of the trip…to have an enlightening experience and to live something different.

So on to sunnier and laid back days.

I’ll leave you with a “cheers” as it is now Stella’s favorite thing to do.  We had been teaching her to do this since the beginning of the trip and now she wants to do it at every meal, the entire meal.

CHEERS!

Baby tip:  you’ll see in the picture Stella’s “Klean Kanteen.”  I have brought along 2 sippy cups, both “canteens” which have been great for keeping her water cool in the heat here (as long as you keep them out of the sun).  And they are plastic-free so no BPA worries.

***Thanks to my brother-in-law, BLee…always a catchy phrase when you need one!