What do you get when uncle 'Eko has a business trip to Shanghai and is able to pull off a weekend in town? A great time for the nieces! Apart from coming to KL bearing some great gifts, Aleko has been one of the favorites for Irini for quite a while. But he hadn't yet met Amalia. He arrived fairly late on Friday night, and got his first glimpse of his younger niece in the bedroom. As luck would have it, she would wake up soon and start wailing for food.
The next morning, Irini woke up Laurence and whispered "Eko", pointing to the other room. Amalia was awake too, so they quietly opened the door and peered inside. Aleko was sleeping, but not for long. :-) Within minutes he was woken up, and jumped out of bed, opened his suitcase and revealed a number of presents. A Pippi Longstocking book with accompanying Pippi and Mr. Nielsen dolls and a set of play cookware for Irini. Amalia promptly took the cookware and began to eat them to the best of her ability. No pot was spared. For Amalia, Eko brought a wonderful little battery-operated car that makes sounds and moves slowly enough for a crawling baby to follow. Irini promptly took it and turned it on and watched it move back and forth across the room. It was clear that the presents were enjoyed thoroughly, but not by the niece Aleko had planned for! No matter, a visit from 'Eko is a success regardless of who's playing with what present. And besides, Amalia also got a small pair of slippers that were too small for Irini, so no mix-ups there. Natalia got a present too... she got to sleep in until 8:00 am since everyone else was in the other bedroom, a present she was very thankful for. Little things, big appreciation!
The next two days were energy-filled (though not always positive) and certainly the highlight was the dinner at Passage Thru India, a well-known and quite yummy Indian restaurant in town. Upon arrival Irini, who had spent her afternoon hanging out with uncle 'Eko looking at his iPod instead of napping (the downloaded movies were a big success), started running around the restaurant for the entire hour and a half that we were there. Amalia, not wanting to be forgotten, decided that she would wake up from her slumber in the stroller and cry for a while too. There were some tense moments as everyone tried to smile and shifts were taken with Irini and Amalia. Between bites and running around making sure that all patrons at every table were greeted appropriately by a very friendly Irini, the dinner was a bit of an afterthought for the local Myers-Giraldo clan. Aleko slurped the chicken tikka and palak paneer with a grin, however, stopping intermittently to share a "mmmm" with the rest of the family. Dinner chatting was sparse. It was the loneliest dinner he's had in KL. :-)
Happily the next day was much better, filled with time at KLCC park roaming through the playground and visiting the pool and water fall. Irini was happy as can be. The afternoon included a trip to a street market (Aleko made a point of showing his appreciation for avoiding the globalized brand marketing for a short while). By the time Aleko flew back to Copenhagen, he was happy to have been here, but also happy that his own children are grown and can take care of themselves these days. :-) Thanks for the visit Eko!!
The next morning, Irini woke up Laurence and whispered "Eko", pointing to the other room. Amalia was awake too, so they quietly opened the door and peered inside. Aleko was sleeping, but not for long. :-) Within minutes he was woken up, and jumped out of bed, opened his suitcase and revealed a number of presents. A Pippi Longstocking book with accompanying Pippi and Mr. Nielsen dolls and a set of play cookware for Irini. Amalia promptly took the cookware and began to eat them to the best of her ability. No pot was spared. For Amalia, Eko brought a wonderful little battery-operated car that makes sounds and moves slowly enough for a crawling baby to follow. Irini promptly took it and turned it on and watched it move back and forth across the room. It was clear that the presents were enjoyed thoroughly, but not by the niece Aleko had planned for! No matter, a visit from 'Eko is a success regardless of who's playing with what present. And besides, Amalia also got a small pair of slippers that were too small for Irini, so no mix-ups there. Natalia got a present too... she got to sleep in until 8:00 am since everyone else was in the other bedroom, a present she was very thankful for. Little things, big appreciation!
The next two days were energy-filled (though not always positive) and certainly the highlight was the dinner at Passage Thru India, a well-known and quite yummy Indian restaurant in town. Upon arrival Irini, who had spent her afternoon hanging out with uncle 'Eko looking at his iPod instead of napping (the downloaded movies were a big success), started running around the restaurant for the entire hour and a half that we were there. Amalia, not wanting to be forgotten, decided that she would wake up from her slumber in the stroller and cry for a while too. There were some tense moments as everyone tried to smile and shifts were taken with Irini and Amalia. Between bites and running around making sure that all patrons at every table were greeted appropriately by a very friendly Irini, the dinner was a bit of an afterthought for the local Myers-Giraldo clan. Aleko slurped the chicken tikka and palak paneer with a grin, however, stopping intermittently to share a "mmmm" with the rest of the family. Dinner chatting was sparse. It was the loneliest dinner he's had in KL. :-)
Happily the next day was much better, filled with time at KLCC park roaming through the playground and visiting the pool and water fall. Irini was happy as can be. The afternoon included a trip to a street market (Aleko made a point of showing his appreciation for avoiding the globalized brand marketing for a short while). By the time Aleko flew back to Copenhagen, he was happy to have been here, but also happy that his own children are grown and can take care of themselves these days. :-) Thanks for the visit Eko!!
