Tarpon Springs, FL

We slept 12 hours last night.  I felt as if I could sleep all day today too, but I didn't want to miss our day in Tarpon Springs.  This is another funky, fun small town.  The flavor is Greek.

Last night Laura and Ed Parvin, friends from Atlanta who sold their house and now travel around in an RV, came here for drinks.  Then we went to dinner at Dmitri's, a Greek restaurant.  We had a great meal - lamb for George and chicken skewers for me.  We have leftovers for tonight.  Laura and Ed have been traveling on the east coast.  Now they are staying in Dunedin, FL, just 10 miles away for the winter.

Today we were quiet in the morning.  We made plans for the rest of this week.  We changed our rental car, so we can come home next Wednesday.  (One week from today we will be in Atlanta!)

After lunch we walked to town and toured the sponge stores, watched a PBS film on the sponge industry, visited Hellas Bakery, and had a $3 margarita.  I also did some clothes shopping.  Lots of sales appealing to touristy women.  Here are some photos of Tarpon Springs.

This is the sponge dock.

Here are the boxes from Hellas Bakery.

We enjoyed going into the sponge market, watching the movie, and talking to the owner.  Her grandfather came to the US at age 13 as one of 300 sponge divers brought here from Greece.  They started the industry here.  She had photos of him, his contemporaries, and his old tools.

While I shopped, George wandered around the Greek area, taking a movie.
(Movie had to be removed in order to print this.)