Thursday, April 3, 2014

Greece: Searching for “That” Stone House. . .

Our travels in Greece the last week have brought us back to Kardamyli, the town on the west coast of the Peloponnesian central peninsula, that we first visited last year.

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Kardamyli, Greece
  
We returned to this village in The Mani; as we were as taken with it as had been the English-born writer Patrick Leigh Fermor and American David Mason. Both have written of its beauty. . .and both of them, like us, have been hoodwinked by its charms.

Think Tuscany and you’ve got an image of this area ~ only this is better, we’ve decided and we do love Tuscany.  From our balcony at Hotel Vardia we look over a lush green countryside covered with olive and orange groves stretching from the snow-capped Taygetos Mountains to the east  to the Messinian Gulf to the west. Mediterranean cypress trees are scattered about as if added with an artist’s brush.

We had planned to stay here for four nights but we’ve already extended that to seven (it is nice to travel as we do with flexibility built in). 

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One of the many we've visited so far in our search

You see, we are searching for ‘that’ stone house.
'That’ perfect house. . . to buy.
A second home.
A getaway.
A daydream.

And perhaps we are simply chasing a daydream. . .ahh, but for those of you who remember Bucerias, Mexico. . .you will know, perhaps not.

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Daydreaming. . .of possibilities
Many who know us well, won’t be surprised  when I say part of our day today was spent in a law office chatting with an Albanian contractor who has a home he wants us to buy (and his sister who helped translate) and two Greek lawyers, one of whom spoke English and translated the rapid-fire Greek answers to our questions. Note to lawyers out there: we were there for a half hour and there was no charge.

Later we were hiking a goat trail through an olive grove to get a better look at another house that had caught our interest.  And even if it is a daydream, it isn’t every tourist who can say they’ve had that experience, right?
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Lemon tree and artichokes abound this time of year
“You’ve been here before?” asked a shop owner two days ago, “and you are American?"  She shook her head in disbelief. “Americans usually come only once – they stay for two nights; they come with a tour, it is called Rick Steves, you have heard of it?”

Too bad they don’t stay longer, we thought. They, too, would likely be seeking ‘that’ house for themselves.

We've had some problems with the blog in recent days so I hope to be back soon but if not, I will as soon as we are able.  Watch for daily updates on Facebook and Instagram.  Hope to link up with Travel Photo Thursday (if I can figure out when Thursday is in South Korea vs. Greece - we just had daylight savings time here so we are now 10 hours ahead of West Coast America.)

20 comments:

  1. Hello Jackie and Joel:

    Simply wonderful. Although we have so far never been as far south, dear friends of ours had a house a lived exactly in this spot for eight or more years. Indeed they were neighbours of PLF who was across the valley from them.

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    1. Oh Lance and Jane you would love it here! PLF's magnificent home is just down the road from us and can be viewed from a viewpoint high above it. The Foundation that now has it opens it at times in the summer - it would be incredible being able to visit it and the grounds (the house we are looking for are far smaller than it :-) ) Thanks for the comment.

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  2. Good luck - I am with your in spirit and will come and visit you in your stone house one day - that's a promise. F xx

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    1. Should we finally caste this daydream into stone, I will have a big welcome mat out and waiting for your arrival, Francesca!!

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  3. Hi Jackie, you just gave me a good laugh about figuring out when Thursday in S. Korea was. But anyway, I'm so jealous you'e in Greece again! You piqued my interest - a place even better that Tuscany? Keith and I will have to check out this place next time. I hope you find "that" perfect stone house. Maybe we can rent it from you when we visit?:) That scene of you in the law firm with an Albanian contractor and Greek lawyers sounds hilarious and out of a comedy skit. Have a wonderful time in Greece - again.

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    1. I think you two should come visit while we are 'in residence' should we cast this daydream into a stone house! And yes, I must tell you the scene was so funny that I nearly began laughing a couple of times. Once, I had asked a question/statement which prompted a round of loud, louder discussion among them that just continued on for some time and finally the English speaking lawyer turned to me and said, "Yes, you are correct."

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  4. What a wonderful dream to live in an old stone house with views from every window. Lovely! I hope you fulfill your dream. Perhaps you could rent it to us poor travelers..... Happy stone house hunting and have a wonderful weekend.

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    1. As I told Marisole you should come and visit while we are 'in residence' should we turn this daydream into stone and concrete!

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  5. Hi Jackie! Aren't time zones amazing (and sometimes frustrating!) Kardamyli looks like a little piece of heaven on earth. If you buy that house, I hope it has a guest room!

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    1. A guest room is a must Nancie and the welcome mat will definitely be out!

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  6. Good luck with finding the perfect home. It looks like a wonderful place.

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    1. It is fun looking and the wonder of the 'maybe's' as in maybe this next one will be what we are dreaming of. Thanks for the visit today!

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  7. I dream of living at all of my favourite places to travel! Hope that your dream becomes a reality :) Every time I enjoy a place, I think...what would it be like to live here? I think my home will always be in Canada where I live now, with temporary stays everywhere we end up going. How lovely would it be to have a home in Greece!

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  8. Lauren, thanks so much for the words . . .we too usually think that about all the places we visit. This time we decided to take it a step further. . .it has been an interesting experience learning about properties and the mindset behind selling them in Greece.

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  9. That view in the first photo, Jackie... I just want to walk along that coastline right now! And the stone house... that would be lovely, too. And yes, I do remember reading about your life in Mexico.

    I know it's a headache for you, but that is amusing about being in Greece, and trying to work out when it's Thursday in South Korea. We weren't thinking about those kind of things back in "Dark Ages" before we had the Internet! But's it's great to be in touch with others all over the world, and to be sharing our common interests.

    All the best...

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    1. Thanks for the kind words Andrew! And it is funny how I have a bigger 'world view' now that I have friends in the blogosphere scattered all over the world. Hope to see you back here soon! Take care. Jackie

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  10. This sounds amazing, with all those artichokes growing in the yard all I can think of is the butter and goat cheese to go with it. Did you ever read the books Gerald Durrell wrote about Greece? They made me want to visit those islands so badly.

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    1. Emily, it is funny you should ask about Gerald as we have probably every book written by Lawrence Durrell and Patrick Leigh Fermor but have failed to read Gerald. That will be on the when we get home 'to do' list. Thanks for your visit and taking time to comment. Hope to see your face among our Google friends one day soon!

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