Sea urchins!

We went to a beach five minutes from my father's childhood home of Ag' Yanni around 7 in the evening. The water was beautiful. Ten minutes later, as luck would have it, my son and I stepped on sea urchins and we all had to go home! The spines broke off under the skin and do not come out easily even with a pin and tweezers. We have to watch for infection and can't wear shoes. It has been a painful and annoying experience. My Aunt Dimitra recommended applying olive oil to the wounds which did help with the pain somewhat. Her other homeopathic remedy was urinating on the wound. This helped my son but I didn't try it. I broke out the Benadryl, Neosporin, rubbing alcohol and peroxide. If you decide to go swimming in an area that has rocks and sea plants be sure to wear water shoes. You will be made fun of by the locals but you will spare yourself pain. Plan ahead some activities for your little urchins that can be done without too much walking such as a concert or a play or take up the national game of backgammon in case you have a mishap as well but still want to make the most of your time. I found out the hard way that I may not be able to get around as much as I'd like until we heal. This could take weeks!
Here are some additional resources for treatment of injuries and more about fascinating sea urchins:
http://theadventuresofbecka.blogspot.com/2008/07/how-to-treat-sea-urchin-injury.html
http://www.stanford.edu/group/Urchin/nathistory.html