In The Navy Now

Today's post is dedicated to a good friend of mine. That handsome chap is of course Alexandros Iliakis, pictured above. In recent weeks he has had to start his basic training for the Greek navy. A requisite for all Greek males. I think that this would have to be one of my worst nightmares, not because of the physical hardship and so forth (he tried to say without sounding at all macho) but the simple fact that the purpose of your training is to learn to kill other people, sort of clinches it for me (damn civillians). I know that this seems a little over the top these days. I mean the chances are that Alex will never be involved in a single truely meant violent act in his whole time and will spend most of his time scrubbing decks and performing drills and so forth but the threat remains. I am comforted by the fact that another friend of his having completed his basic training in the army is now simply stationed on guard at a gold bullion depository, left to chase shadows the whole night.
Who knows, maybe a fabulous naval film epic will be born out of this whole affair starting Alex on his way to directorship.

Anyway this picture was sent to me by Alex's dad as part of a selection taken during a brief period of freetime for the conscripts on the island of Poros where he is stationed. It certainly stuck out for me. Perhaps because it is reminiscent of so many pictures I have taken of him myself.

I shall have to find my raconteur hat again. It seems to have gone missing in the past couple of weeks. Maybe I left it in Greece? Or maybe it's at the bottom of that never emptying basket of laundry? Did I ever tell you about the time I found some Aztec treasure at the bottom of a Mexican washing basket...........