Gyros and Gypsies

I have two great girlfriends who specialize in tapping into the most obscure but awesome (and usually free) D.C. events, whether its a cultural festival, outdoor show or market.

Last weekend, I had a few hours to kill in my Saturday morning and Erin suggested we head over to the annual Greek festival near the National Cathedral. It was sunny and warm out, perfect day to meander through the booths of jewelry, pottery, clothes and amazingly good food.

Authentic spiced beef and lamb, topped which lettuce, tomatoes, onions and homemade tzatziki sauce all stuffed to the brim in warm pita... ooohhh my mouth is watering just thinking about it.

I stole this photo from Erin, but I really think it says it all.

The festival was held on the grounds of the gorgeous Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral on Mass. Ave. NW.

and it was a good thing we got there early, because by 1 p.m., the line for gyros was easily 100 people long.

After browsing the tables, I picked up a necklace, Erin and I grabbed some hand painted plates. This is the one I bought, isn't the artwork incredible? I haven't found a place to mount it yet.

Then we stumbled upon a Greek fortune teller at the end of the row. Neither of us had ever had our palm read, so we figured we'd give it a shot.

This woman had to have been in her late 60s at best. Incredibly thick accent, leathery brown skin, gray braided hair, earring the size of softballs, and I think I counted a total of ten teeth. As soon as she grabbed my right hand, I instantly tensed. Maybe because I was a little nervous, or perhaps it was because she said to me, "Vokay, vhat ver I sees, I must tell vou, goot or bad."

Now, according to her, it's bad luck to tell others about your fortune, so I'll leave the mysteries of my life between us, but I'll say that she was close on most things, but also pretty vague. For Erin, she way, way off, according to her. I won't speak for Erin, but I certainly walked away feeling weirded out. In case you're wondering, I did not take the fortune teller up on her offer to come to her office for more to be revealed to me.

I'll say this, the ambiance from the festival gave me such an itch to go to Greece, a country that has been on my travel to do list for years. It's nice to live in such a cultural rich area that I can get a tiny taste of it.