Egyptian Feet, Frog Paradise & Aubergine Salads

This probably applies to most people that live in the UK, but I suddenly noticed that I usually don't see much of my very pale feet unless I'm on holiday. In fact, I don't really think about them much either on a day to day basis. Therefore, I never thought about what the shape of my feet may tell me about my heritage. I can honestly say that I have done no research on this topic whatsoever. However, if the results of my husband's 5 minute googling of the topic are accurate, we both have Egyptian feet. I'm not sure what that means but I choose to believe that it means I was actually meant to have glorious easily tanned skin. As it is, I have so far been left with some less than attractive 'tan' (red) lines. Hiking doesn't exactly leave you with nice tan lines. 

Despite the blazing sun, we are powering through and have been rewarded with some stunning views and some even more stunning wildlife. During this time of the year, everything in Ikaria is a bit dry but you can still find these magical natural pools deep within the mountain. Not only do these flowing natural pools provide a place to swim and cool down, they are also what I like to call 'Levant Water Frog Paradise' (Pelophylax bedriagae). If you're lucky, and the pool is big enough, you may also find some elusive Balkan Terrapins (Mauremys rivulata). Don't worry, I will write detailed blog posts on these species. 

Levant water frog (Pelophylax bedriagae) | Photograph by Talita Bateman

Balkan terrapin (Mauremys rivulata) | Photograph by Talita Bateman

 The short hike we had planned may have taken a whopping 8 hours but we did eventually get back to the house, albeit rather sunburned and exhausted. We showered, lathered ourselves up with as much after-sun and aloe vera gel as we could and headed down the hill to the local taverna. There, we spoiled ourselves to a generous amount of wine and what can only be described as our weights worth of the most amazing aubergine salad we have ever had.