Showing posts with label Living in Greece. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Living in Greece. Show all posts

Saturday, November 13, 2021

Expat life - An Old House Made New

The jackhammer's pounding on the floor above us rattled the ceiling, the walls and our brains. From the furthest points in the upper garden to the lowest level of the olive grove, there was no getting away from it.

The Stone House on the Hill

For two and a half days, the racket of those mechanical waves dislodging and destroying the massive centerpiece our living room, shattered the silence of this rural slice of Greece. It nearly shattered our resolve for the project as well, as we cringed, encamped in the guest room on the lower floor.

So painfully obnoxious was the sound, that our next-door neighbor said he'd been ready to start wearing his noise cancelling headphones inside his home.

The Stone House on the Hill

While I had once chuckled at the hilarious tales of stone house renovations recounted by writers Peter Mayle in France and Frances Mayes in Italy, I found nothing humorous about it now that we were experiencing it first hand at our Stone House on the Hill in the Greek Peloponnese.

If the sound didn't do us in, I was certain we'd be asphyxiated by the concrete and stone dust that filled the house. 

And had we succumbed to one or the other, we'd have had no one else to blame but ourselves. . . we had chosen this path of destruction and there was no turning back.

Time for a Change

The Stone House on the Hill built in terraced olive grove

Early this year, we had declared it the Year of Change at our spitiki, small house, in Kalamata olive growing country. The layout of our Stone House on the Hill follows that of our olive grove which marches down the hillside on steep terraces. Thus the three floors of our home are built on terraces that were long ago carved into the hillside to accommodate olive trees. Stairs lead to the house and stairs connect the floors of the house.

The early years look at The Stone House on the Hill

Our 15-year-old house (still an infant when viewed in the overall span of Greek history) felt and looked tired when we bought it. In the seven years we've owned it, there have been small cosmetic changes, but this year would herald a major makeover. It was definitely time for a face lift and body sculpting!

New closets were installed in July which provide more storage space, yet take up less floor space than the originals that came with the house. 

Our new front door 

That same month we gave the house its first facelift by replacing the original muted green windows and doors with energy efficient ones - their vibrant blue giving new life to the interior and exterior of the home.

Tile replaced flagstone on the front deek

With October's summer-like weather the third of four projects was completed. It was another facelift,  the installation of tiles on our outdoor deck to create more of an outdoor room than flag-stone paved patio. And it worked! The project brightens the deck and gives the feel of having increased the space. 

Tiled Outdoor room/deck at The Stone House on the Hill

Buoyed by the outcomes of those projects, we moved to the grand finale, or what will now forever be remembered as 'the mother of all projects' here. We were finally getting rid of the massive stone stairway that looked as if it belonged in the lobby of some grand hotel and not the small living room in our house. 

Dreams Undeterred

The original stone stairs in The Stone House

Throughout the spring and summer I would imagine a house without that massive stairway. Okay, so  maybe I was obsessing about it, but I'd grab my tape measure, or metro, and  I would measure the structure and announced to The Scout that we would create 'x-amount' of living space if we were just to get rid of 'those' stairs. In fact I announced it to every visitor who walked through the front door and to any poor soul who would listen to me.

The Scout, using that voice-of-reason tone that husband's often use, pointed out how miserable the project would likely be as we'd need to remove its stone and concrete base, read that: dirt and dust. Then we'd likely find more stone and concrete inside. (He was right, btw.)

His even more spot-on reality check was that we had no idea how to go about coordinating such a project and certainly didn't know of any stair contractors.  

The truck said 'stairs' - we were on our way!

Fate was with us (as it so often is in this expat life) as one morning we literally drove past the van of a stair building company working on a house in the village. One Greek word I know is skala, or stairs, and it appeared on the side of the van. By afternoon the contractor was at our house. We shook hands on his proposal and the project was underway!

Paniotis, the 'stair master' as we named him, returned a few days later with the men who would destroy and rebuild the living area. He set out the plan of action: demolition, rebuild of the wall and re-tile the space exposed by the stair removal. Like dominoes falling, those steps would be completed and then he could install a much more compact open wooden stairway. 

Two weeks was the estimate from start to finish.

Out with the Old, In With the New

Provlima: wires ran through the stairs

The demolition was barely into its second hour when the workers called out, 'Ella! . . .Provlima!' (Come! Problem!).  Removing the wooden treads had revealed not only more concrete under the stairs but a major bank of electrical wires that ran their full length from the wall to the floor. 

Provlima solved - meeting of the minds

The team - stair builder, demolition duo, the tiler and the recently-added electrician -  gathered at the stairway that afternoon in a hastily called meeting. We took our places as spectators.  They scratched chins and  heads, pointed and measured. Voices sometimes raised, as is the case of most Greek conversations, options were discussed. 

After a time, Paniotis turned to us and said, 'Yes, we can do this.'  He drew a plan of action sketch, all viewed it, and it was taped to the refrigerator door as a handy reference.  

The plan on the back of an envelope

The meeting adjourned and  the jackhammer resumed its destructive percussion.

Jackhammer serenade resumed

What seemed an eternity later, the jackhammers were silenced, the space cleared and, our master stone mason began putting the wall back together, creating a niche for adornment and then floor tiling was completed.  We marveled at his skill in putting the house back together.

Stone mason magic

Much of the stair work had been done in the Kalamata workshop so installation required one very long work day.

The new stairs

Day 12 found us up to our elbows cleaning concrete dust that had escaped despite the best attempts at sealing off the workspace. Cleaning finished, furniture moved back into place and by Day 14 we were settled into our new Stone House on the Hill -- one that now has an enormous amount of space in the living area.

Footprint of the old stairway

Time to Travel

We are now back to doing what we do best: planning and packing for travel.  As Covid continues to dictate protocols and preparation for travel, countries on this side of the pond are open and welcoming travelers. 
Protocols and preparations begin for travel

Way back when we bought our stone house it was to serve as a launchpad for adventures.  It is time we start using it as just that!  We are off next week. . .and I'll tell you about it in upcoming posts. Until then wishes for continued health and happy travels to you and yours. Hope you'll be back and bring a friend or two with you! And as always, thanks for your time today. 


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Monday, April 26, 2021

Hydra's Drifters and Dreamers

They came to the island because they were dreamers and drifters; artists who set up residences more than a half century ago on this small island in the Aegean Sea. They came because they wanted to 'live differently' - far from the conventional lives they'd left behind. 

An island getaway in the Aegean Sea


"Living differently" is a phrase I often use when trying to explain why the expat life appeals to so many of us.  It is a life that has drawn those who want more life and cultural experiences than that which our former lives afforded us. 

The fishing boats are in!

But this post isn't about our expat world. It is about a group of writers and artists who made up a Bohemian expat world back in the mid-20th Century; those who lived and whose creative spirits were inspired on the island of Hydra, one of the Saronic islands, just off the coast of the Peloponnese. Back then it offered an escape to the 'exotic' at prices that could be paid by struggling artists. 

Hydra scenes

Regulars at Travelnwrite know that we are among the present day dreamers and drifters who are drawn back time and time again to Hydra, only 25 minutes from the mainland by water taxi.  I'd like to say it was the spirits of those long ago Bohemians that call out and inspire us to return, but in fact, I knew little of these free spirits until I began writing an article about the island for The Mediterranean Lifestyle magazine.

Hydra Town - and harbor

So interesting were the lives of these creative souls -- some who would become quite famous in the  visual arts, musical and literary worlds - that I found myself enjoying the researching them as much as I did writing their story. Their presence is an important piece of the island's history. And I am purposely not naming them in this piece so that you'll be tempted to follow the link below and read the article I wrote.

Nightime Magic on Hydra


When we return (hopefully this year after lockdown ends) I will be seeing the island differently, thanks to the stories of these adventurers and early day expats in Greece.  For those who aren't only a road trip away as we are, I hope you will follow this link and take a quick armchair getaway to a Greek island in the sun: Hydra, A Bohemian Escape


From The Mediterranean Lifestyle magazine

And for those who want even more of a getaway, both in time and place, I highly recommend the book written by one of those Bohemians about life on the island of Hydra in the 1950's. It has just been re-released and makes for a great summer read.


That's it for this week. I am keeping this post short as I hope you'll take a few minutes to read the article I wrote about this special island.

Kalo Pascha! Happy Easter!

It is Holy (Easter) Week in Greece, the week between Palm Sunday and Pascha (Easter). Because it is such a celebrated holiday here, the country will remain in lockdown until Easter Monday, May 3, in hopes that large gatherings of celebrants won't become super spreaders of Covid. On Monday restaurants will finally be able to reopen for outdoor dining and drinking. It will be a few days short of six months - we are all eagerly awaiting the gradual steps which will reopen our world. 

As always, thanks for the time you spend with us ~ Stay safe.

Linking sometime soon with:

Through My Lens
Travel Tuesday
Our World Tuesday
My Corner of the World Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday






Friday, June 28, 2019

Patrick Leigh Fermor: Visiting 'Paddy's' Place


For years we've been waiting to visit 'that' house
 Paddy's House, . . .it's just up the road in Kalamitsi. 

We'd heard and read so much about him

And, after all. . .he's the one who got us here.



Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor's home near Kardamyli July 2018


Sir Patrick Leigh Fermor, war hero and adventurer, considered by some to be the most notable travel writer of the 20th century, is known simply as Paddy or Michalis around here.  The Englishman and his wife, Joan, were early-on expats, having lived for decades in the home they designed and built in the early 1960's just outside the village of Kardamyli. 

Sir Patrick was Knighted in 2004 for his services to literature and to Greek-British relationships. In 2007 the Greek government named him a Knight of the Order of the Phoenix, its highest honor. Around here the titles don't matter; Paddy is remembered for being Paddy.

We think of him as the guy who introduced us to The Mani. . .

The 'highway' we first traveled into the Inner Mani 

The Back Story. . .

Paddy and Joan's lives have been chronicled by many a writer and the two are immensely well-known on this side of the Atlantic. Perhaps our favorite tales were written in, News from the Village, Aegean friends, a memoir by American poet David Mason, who for a time in the 1980's lived next-door to the Fermor's compound. His book brought to life the area's villages while recounting his life-long friendship with the couple.


Stoupa as it was when Fermor arrived in the 1950's and as it looks today.


It was a well more than a half dozen years ago that we read David's book and subsequently Paddy's, Mani, Travels in the Southern Peloponnese, (published in 1958). Paddy's book chronicles his first trip to the Mani, back when it was a decidedly undeveloped and remote place (just check that 1955 photo of our present-day tourist magnet, Stoupa). He came to the Mani on foot, having climbed up and over the Taygetos Mountain range to get here. 

The two books were all it took to convince us that we needed to visit this still unspoiled and rugged place on the Greek Peloponnese ourselves.


Patio at the Fermor house

Our first visit  to the Mani - Kardamyli, Stoupa, Agios Nikolaos -- in 2012 was a year after Paddy's death in England at the age of 96. Joan had predeceased him in 2003 at age 91. The two had met in wartime Cairo in the 1950's, then traveled together, and finally made their home in a picturesque seaside setting in an area called Kalamitsi, just outside Kardamyli. 

Our slice of The Mani-- The mountains Fermor crossed


Back when we first visited The Mani the idea to live in Greece wasn't a serious consideration of ours. But we were soon caught up in the area's spell. We just kept coming back. And, the fact that we ended up living so close to where they both lived, is one of those goosepimple-kind-of-coincidences that life randomly tosses at you.

Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor Center


Hallway at the Fermor house.


The Fermor's bequeathed their home to the Benaki Museum in Athens with a stipulation that it be used as a retreat center for scholars and intellectuals, (loosely defined as writers, researchers, artists, poets, etc.).  


A place to curl up with a good book off the house's great room


When it opens this fall it will  be known as the Patrick and Joan Leigh Fermor Center. Although I suspect with so many in the village who still remember the unassuming couple, that around here it will continue to be thought of as 'the place Paddy and Joan lived'.


Garden restoration underway

The Center will serve as a retreat, be the site of events and also welcome the public in set tours. In order to generate funds for on-going maintenance and upkeep, the museum will rent the house for three months each year. A partnership with Aria Hotels will make that happen.


Main floor bedroom lit with morning sun



Beginning June 1, 2020 the three-bedroom house with a separate studio (once Paddy's writing studio) and another one-bedroom cottage (once occupied by his housekeeper, Lela, and her family) will be available for rent. Guests can rent the entire complex or just a room.

I did a quick check for a one-night stay for two persons next summer and found prices were 280-, 400- and 480- euro for a room, depending on the date selected. I didn't find the cost of renting the entire complex. (Several weeks are already booked.)

Visiting Paddy's House


Entryway at the Fermor house


I've been monitoring the process of turning the house into a retreat center for at least two years. Each time I'd think I could visit some rehabilitation project was slated and the house closed up again.

It appeared earlier this year that the house would be finished and open for tours in mid-June. Again that official opening has been delayed but is far enough along that the Museum is honoring requests for public tours. (Limited times and days because it is still under construction and empty.) 

Entry way and art work

Admittedly from the stories we've heard about their hospitality, it would have been far more fun to have been a dinner or lunch guest of Paddy and Joan's but visiting Paddy's house last week was a pretty special experience.  I had goosepimples walking through the massive entry.


Workers completing The Great Room renovations


While a backhoe clattered away in the lower gardens, a woman mopped the kitchen floor and workers concentrated on completing the living room - the small group of about a dozen of us were set loose to explore the house.


Gardens filled with herbs, oleander, cypress (kiparrisi) and fir trees


It was a perfect time to imagine how it must have been back in the day that these two opened their doors and welcomed guests.  One account reported that this twosome would plan their discussion topics for the evening in advance, so that there would never be a lull in the conversation.



Can you imagine sitting around this table with Paddy and Joan?


Writer Artemis Cooper, a frequent guest, and author of the 2012 book, Patrick Leigh Fermor: An Adventure, recalled her first visit as being on a calm night with a million stars and six people at the table:


'What did we discuss that night?' she says. 
'I don't remember anything but the velvet night, the sound of the sea, the faces 
in the candlelight, the laughter and the voices - 
and the thought that nothing could be better than that moment.'
.

One of many patio seating areas at Paddy's house



And in Fermor also wrote of those gatherings that stretched long into the night:

'These summer nights are short,' he  wrote.
 'Going to bed before midnight is unthinkable and talk, wine, moonlight and the warm air 
are often in league to defer it one, two or three hours more.'


Open corridor between rooms had garden and sea views


The Fermor's L-shaped  main house is built on two-levels. Bedrooms, a kitchen and the grand room all open off an open stone corridor. Another bedroom is on the lower level. I could imagine houseguests waking  to morning sunlight streaming through the windows, later sipping coffee in the patio, perhaps taking a dip in the water just a stairway away.


Fermor's stairway to the sea



Many of those guests recall with amazement the many books in the home. One writer who toured the home estimated some 5,000 books were tucked away on built in book shelves.


'. . .dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, special editions, Oxford companions, anthologies based on birds, beasts, fishes and stars in the immense libraries -- 
even the bathrooms had bookshelves. . .' he wrote.  

Cartons of books waiting to be re-shelved 


So, even though the bookshelves were bare when we toured, the mountains of boxes stacked in each room led us to speculate the books would soon be back on the shelves.  



Paddy's writing studio 



We followed our tour guide -- a woman who had worked for the Fermor's -- through the sprawling gardens and to his writing studio. It was here he wrote several of his books. His desk  to the right of the group in the photo above, seemed a shrine to the great man. The guide asked that no photos be taken of it (although all of us had photographed the room with it in it). 



The writing studio 

Our tour ended at Lela's House, at the back of the main house. Lela was a long-time housekeeper and cook.  We did have the good fortune to see her before she passed away. She opened Lela's Restaurant on the waterfront in Kardamyli after leaving the Fermor house. Even when she became too old to work in it, she sat 'guard-like' outside her eatery keeping an eye on all preparations and the comings and goings of customers.



Kalamitsi, lower right, and Kardamyli, upper right



After our tour we joined our friends for coffee in Kardamyli, I couldn't help but think of a passage Fermor wrote about the village in his Mani book:



'The Guide Bleu only spares it a half a line, 
mentioning little beyond the existence of its four hundred and ninety inhabitants.  
It is better so. It is too inaccessible and there is too little to do there, fortunately, 
for it ever to be endangered by tourism.'

The village was packed with people that morning, we had to search for parking.  Tourist season has begun.  And I chuckled wondering if Paddy ever imagined as he left his home to the Museum that his place would one day bring even more tourists to the village.

For those coming this way and who want to take part in a tour,contact:  leighfermorhouse@benaki.gr

If you want to book a hotel stay there: 

Thanks for joining us on a trip just down the road and back in time today. As always, we appreciate the time you spend with us.  Wishing safe travels to you and yours until we are together again next week.  A special thanks to those of you who've been sharing our posts with friends ~ it is the best compliment a writer can get!

Sorry about the type size changes throughout the text. Google Blogger is about to drive me to drink. . .or find a new blog platform. . .changes are coming!

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