March 6, 1991
Mrs Estelle Goldblatt
1456 Ocean Avenue
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Dear Mrs Goldblatt,
I am receiving this letter from my good friend Mr Sisskind which is telling me you are his neighbor and that only one month ago you have been rendered a widow by the apoplexy of Mr Goldblatt. May I please offer you my sincerest condolences in your great losing and, if you have not burnt him, may the earth lie lightly over him.
Mr Sisskind is telling me also that you are receiving the life insurance money and are wishing to travel around the world to see the places you did not see when the macarite was alive because he was only taking you to Palm Springs.
Finally, Mr Sisskind’s letter is telling me he is telling you all about Friki and my hotel and how he is convincing you it is the best place for the resurrection of your depressing soul condition, and he is therefore asking me to write to you and tell you how the situation is configurating itself now that the war in the Gulf is terminated.
Let me say in parenthesis, dear Mrs Goldblatt, that I had the honor of inviting General Schwarzenegger and his troops tb hibernate in the Hotel Xenophilia before the war is commencing and he is kindly replying to me this is not possible momentarily because there is one job to be done. He does not say what is this job but I am understanding and when you come I will show you this letter which is encadrated in the lobby.
Also, when ’17 November’ is shooting bazookas and exploding cars in Athens, on. Friki all is quiet and peaceful and now all is quiet and peaceful in Athens also so you must not worry about this because insurance in Athens Airport is so severe they are not letting people in the lounges but making them wait outside, even if it is cold, and taking the batteries out of transistor radios, etcetera.
We are not making any changes in the hotel since last year except reparating broken telephones in the showers and screwing loose toilet seats, so everything is the same that Mr Sisskind is depicturing to you.
My daughter Aspasia is spending the winter in a Swiss hotel to learn about reception with computers because she tells me she knows everything about hotel business except this. Unfortunately she is also trying to ski which is another thing she does not know and she is breaking her leg. We are taking off the gypsum soon and when you come, Mrs Goldblatt, she will be making the espresso and playing the video as usual.
We are expecting many Germans from TUI and many British from Thompson this year because I am signing contracts for groups which pay very little money for the rooms but they drink very much at the bar and this is very good.
However, I am preserving some suites for gpod friends of the hotel and since Mr Sisskind and his graceful wife are not coming this year, their suite, dear Mrs Goldblatt, is at your disposition.
Please note that from June there will be speedy boats from Piraeus which will bring you to Friki in only five hours. This is a big convenience because before the ship was taking more than twelve hours and arriving at three o’clock in the morning.
Also, the mayor of Friki is organizing a festival in July with bouzouki players from .Piraeus and a soprano from the Lyric Theatre who will sing songs of Puccini and La Traviata.
In his letter, Mr Sisskind is saying you have much interest in archaeology and are asking if anything ruined has been discovered in Friki since his last visit. Unfortunately, there have been no excavations and, if I may be permitted to make the joke, the only ruins on the island are Barba Stathis, the goatherd, who will be 102 next November and Kyra Marigo, his wife, who will be 99 in June. They are interviewed regularly by Greek journalists and they say they are staying alive for so long because they are watching the tourists and wondering what strange thing they will do next.
I am enclosing the hotel brochure and rates and please be assured, dear Mrs Goldblatt, that we are expecting you with our open arms for a holiday you will never forget.
Yours friendly,
Xenophon Kalosorides
Proprietor
