Hungary . . .for a little adventure. . .

The rain against the taxi windows blurred our first glimpses of Budapest. We arrived on a very dreary Sunday morning - the sky, the buildings and streets -- even the Danube River - were shades of gray.  A breeze stirred fallen leaves.

A rainy morning added to the ambiance of Budapest

Welcome to Budapest, the capital city of Hungary. Even with modern vehicles, trams and buses passing our taxi, I still felt like we were characters in one of Alan Furst's novels which are set in a variety of European cities. His plots delve into a shady and suspenseful time surrounding World War II. And this city on that drab morning felt shady and suspenseful!

So many choices and so little time!

We'd arrived here as part of a quick fall getaway: five nights here, to be followed by three in Vienna. We've been landlocked in Greece too long this year. The travel bug, dormant during that 4.5 month wait for our residency cards - our keys to being able to travel outside the country - had definitely gotten restless. You regulars here know one of the reasons we moved was to have a launch pad from which we could explore more of Europe and the Middle East and Africa.  

Euro on the left, Hungarian Forint on the right

We were hungry for an adventure to someplace we'd never been before. Hungary is satiating our appetites! After a flight of one hour, 40 minutes from Athens we are immersed in such a different culture - language, food, currency; everything has just enough foreign feel to it to make this trip most interesting.  

And some things are a bit too foreign for my tastes

With so many layers of history, we are having a hard time absorbing all there is to learn about this once Communist-ruled country.

Buda Castle from our room

It didn't take long to figure out that the five days we gave ourselves here won't be anywhere near enough to visit all the sights within the city of Budapest, let alone to get out and explore the countryside! We've barely had time to sample Hungarian cuisine and sip Hungarian wine.

Free entertainment outside our window

Our room at the Budapest Marriott on the Pest side (pronounced, pesht) overlooks the Danube River and the Castle on the Buda side of the river. We could easily spend our days doing nothing more than watching the never-ending river traffic: tour boats and river cruise boats mingle with barges and other river transport.

Taking a morning stroll across the Danube on Chain Bridge

The November weather has been what one might expect in a Central European country: a bit of sun, quite a few clouds and periodic heavy rain, and chilly for those us basking last week in summer-like temperatures in Greece!  Here we've shivered in temperatures hovering between high 40F and low 50's ( 4-10C).  A morning of sunshine has become a pouring rainstorm by evening.

Street scenes to take your breath away

Aside from the fact I should have followed my instincts and packed our long underwear and heavier clothes, we are enjoying this adventure in Central Europe. . .it reminds us how much of the world there is to see!  Regulars here and FB friends know that Budapest has long been on The Scout's list of 'must see' places. It wasn't as high up on my travel list, that is, before I arrived. Now I am talking about making this annual trip.

I am at a European Christmas Market!

In addition to the multitude of art galleries and museums, the historic sites are many and varied. We've logged more than a dozen miles walking from one to another in just a couple of days and filled most of another day touring by Hop-On, Hop-Off bus and boat tours. 


One of the unexpected treats we have had was the annual Christmas Market. And I do believe there will be another market operating in Vienna when we get there this weekend! I will certainly be telling you about those soon!

Who is this man? What was he playing for us? Stay tuned.

I know some of you were expecting a post on Monemvasia and I pre-empted that with this trip.  We are hopping a train tomorrow to Vienna before returning home to Greece next week. I will get back to it, but I've got a lot of things to tell you about our travels to this amazing part of Europe so hope you'll be back again for the next installment of Travel-n-Write! 

Safe travels to you and yours and thanks for the time you spent with us today.

Linking sometime soon with:

Through My Lens
Our World Tuesday
Wordless Wednesday

Lights, Camera, Action, Popcorn. . .Greece!

Stolen jewels. A hint of romance. A bit of danger.  A scene that makes your heart race, with Hayley Mills, the Walt Disney star of the mid-1900's trapped in a Greek windmill and escaping by clinging to the canvas blade as it spun past.

My introduction to Greece

That was my introduction to Greece. 1964.

Thanks to Walt Disney's movie 'The Moon-Spinners' filmed on Crete, starring Mills, Eli Wallach, Irene Papas and Pola Negri - I had an action-packed introduction to Greece. It planted the seed . . .

I knew that someday, I was going to Greece (Back then, I certainly wouldn't have thought I'd be living here, but I sure did want to visit!)

A movie sent me chasing Greek windmills. . .

It was Pauline Collins as 'Shirley Valentine'  who 'took' Pacific Northwest friend, Barbara Cantwell, to Greece via the movie of the same name. The 1989  film, about a bored, middle-aged housewife -- Shirley Valentine --who ditches her mundane life and her husband and heads to Greece on her own, was filmed the island of Mykonos.

While Barbara lives on an island in Washington State, she continues to escape to a Greek island 'with' Shirley.  

Scenes of Greece 

For our English friends, Bill and Val Kitson, it is watching that toe-tapping 2008 'Mamma Mia' -- filmed on Skopelos island -- that is a must-watch prior to trips to Greece. They say it helps build the excitement for their bi-annual trips to Crete (this spring they watched it before they left and after they returned)!

Bet your toes start tapping . . .OPA!

And I bet everyone of you has seen at least the beach dance scene from the 1964 film, 'Zorba the Greek', in which Anthony Quinn as Alexis Zorbas and Alan Bates, his boss interlink arms and dance the 'siritaki' on a Greek beach. 

Mural in Stoupa - Kazantzakis and Zorbas

The movie was based on a novel written by Greek author Nikos Kazantzakis, who lived for a time -- a century ago -- just down the road from us in Stoupa village. He'd tried to mine lignite from a hillside behind the village. His mining operation foreman was George Zorbas. . .which gave rise to the subsequent novel.

Me in Crete on 'Zorba's beach' the movie dance was filmed here

The 1964 movie was filmed in Crete.
 .

The idea for this big-screen getaway post can be credited to the former Seattle Times travel editor, Brian Cantwell, (Barbara's husband) for whom I used to write travel tales. After reading my post about 'novel' destinations he asked about movie getaways to Greece (still thinking travel stories) So I set out to find some movies and was amazed at the number I found! Those highlighted are but a sample.  Some, you've probably heard of and others, probably not. 

Ill Met by Moonlight 

Take for instance, 'Ill Met by Moonlight' a 1957 movie shot in Crete. The movie is based on a real life incidient during World War II in which a Nazi commander was kidnapped by British armed forces and Cretan resistance fighters.  The one who led the effort was none other than Patrick Leigh Fermor, the British writer I told you about a few weeks ago. His Greek home (now officially open to the public) is just a few kilometers from us.

Patrick Leigh Fermor House in Kalamitsi

And while speaking of him, another movie, 'Before Midnight' was filmed at his home in 2013.  The film was the final one in a trilogy of movies that began with 'Before Sunrise' (1995) and 'Before Sunset' (2004). Featuring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy, it was shot in 15 days. The PLF House was loaned to the production crew by Benaki Museum.

Donkeys on Hydra are still used as transport vehicles

The Academy-Award-winning 'The Guns of Navarone' filmed in 1961 on Rhodes had a $2 million budget which was quickly blown because of the costs of filming there: the terrain was so rough that many of the locations could only be accessed by donkey and they hired 1,000 Greek soldiers to play the German army.

Island escape and escapade

One that I'd never heard of before writing this piece is 'Surprise Package'  a 1960's movie also filmed on Rhodes. The movie is about an American gangster sent back to his Greek homeland and is supervised by a corrupt police chief and the plot thickens from there. The stars include Yul Brenner as the gangster and co-stars include Mitzi Gaynor and Noel Coward.

Greece for your eyes only

A more recent movie, 'For Your Eyes Only' (1981) takes James Bond through locations in England and Italy and includes scenes shot in Rhodes and Meteora in central Greece where six Greek Orthodox monasteries are built atop stunning rock formations.

Boy on a Dolphin - Sofia Loren room in Hydra hotel

A 23-year-old Sofia Loren played a beautiful sponge diver in 'Boy on the Dolphin' a movie filmed on the island of Hydra in 1957.  Today on the island there is a statue in a park overlooking the sea of a boy on a dolphin to commemorate the movie. We also stayed in the Sofia Loren room at Hydra Icons hotel last year.  

Heading to new adventures this fall

Summer has on its way into the history books and September is definitely showing signs of autumn.  And for those who've been with us awhile, you know that autumn is the time of year we straddle two worlds: Greece and the US.  The next time you hear from us, we will be in the village of Manson on the shores of Lake Chelan in Washington State.  We have a lot to learn about that place we made our 'other home' last fall and hope you'll join us in our journey of discovery!

Thanks for the time you spent with us today!! Safe travels to you and yours ~

Linking with:

Through My Lens
Our World Tuesday
Wordless Wednesday

Spetses ~ Our Not-So-Secret Island

Psssst. . .we've just visited a secret Greek island and today I am going to tell you where to find it.

A car ferry links mainland Peloponnese with Spetses

Well, . . .it really isn't a secret island as the many who've been there know its popularity, but it feels like it is a secret island and that is the key factor for us when traveling to Greek islands these days.

Santorini and Mykonos are the Greek islands that get the headlines and the tourists. And yes, we've been to both. However, Greece has several thousand islands and a couple hundred of them are inhabited. Many of those inhabited ones are popular tourist destinations -thankfully without the mass tourism plaguing the two islands mentioned above. And those lesser-visited are the ones that we prefer: fewer tourists, better prices and simply enchanting settings!

Peloponnese to the west of the Saronic islands

Some of the most beautiful and alluring Greek islands we've visited - and we've been to quite a few in the last decade of travel here - are those of the Argo Saronic Islands. Spetses, way down at the tip of the map, was our destination.  Our secret island, in a manner of speaking.

So come along and let me show you the island where John Fowles was inspired to write 'The Magus', a book considered to be the cult novel of the 20th Century. (We had one reader guess it - from the hints in our last post.)

Poseidonion Hotel Spetses

This time of year and through early fall, there are many choices of accommodations on the island, ranging from high end hotels to guest houses. The most iconic and picturesque hotel The Poseidonion Grand Hotel, has been welcoming guests since 1914. Its front patio was a perfect spot for people watching while sipping a glass of wine at day's end. Room rates were 200+ euros, so it will be a special occasion getaway on some future trip - we were happy sipping wine for a few hours.

Economou Mansion - Spetses

An even older - built in 1851 -- water-front mansion-turned-tourist-accommodation is where we stayed.  The Economou Mansion has six guest rooms on its main floor and the upstairs is privately owned. Our room was spacious, opened to the sea and cost 125 euros a night, breakfast included.

Our room opened to the sea - breakfast (included) was served poolside

 The Mansion was located in an area called Kounoupitsa, about a 10 minute walk from the ferry dock and the town center. Spetses town is the only one on the island and most of the island's 4,000 residents live in or near it. The combination of local business, tourist shops and tavernas and coffee shops can make it feel a bit congested so it was good to be a bit out of town.

Getting Around Spetses

Taxis, scooters, and public bus are ways to get around the island

Unlike neighbor island, Hydra, where cars are not allowed, Spetses allows residents to own cars - they just can't drive them anywhere but to the ferry dock. Hotels are allowed vans to pick up guests and there are a couple of taxis. There's only one rather narrow road on which you can travel around the island. It's 24 kilometers long.

There are many options, however, for getting around and exploring the many beaches and the still somewhat forested hillsides that make up this charming little drop of land. Water and land taxis, horse drawn carriages, scooters, pedal-powered and electric bikes are among the options during high (tourist) season. 

Who said one needs to act their age?

Our choice of  'wheels' was the 'Quad'; a contraption that seems to be like a riding lawn mower with a spiffy banana seat that made it seem like a motor scooter. Now before I get comments about 'no helmets' let me assure you that at the speed we traveled we didn't even have a hair out of place. Two 30-somethings on pedal bikes passed us twice (circling around and I think they were secretly keeping an eye on us 'old folks'). And with a non-stop trip around the island taking 1.5 hours, I can assure you we clocked in at two hours. We. Were. Safe. 

An action shot: The Scout and The Scribe on the open road

We last had been on Spetses in late October, 10 years ago (when the only Quad shop still open in town had deemed us 'too old' to rent a 'quad', btw) so we'd walked across the island. We recalled the lush forest that covered most the land thanks to the efforts of island resident Sotirios Anargyros, who bought up 45% of the island and between 1913 and 1923 planted the forests. Upon his death he left the land to the people with the stipulation that it never be built upon. The island's original name was Pityousa, which means, 'pine clad'. Sadly, on our island tour we saw acres and acres of charred hillsides - the results of a forest fire two years ago. The cause of which has not been determined.

A wildfire two years ago destroyed a huge area of forest

 But the beautiful cove beaches remain, mansions are tucked away on hillsides and a trip around this island reminds us of just how much there is to see beyond the town's borders. However, there's plenty to see and do in town. There was so much that we didn't get to either of the two museums and there are another - at least - four restaurants on our list to try. We can hardly wait to return. (I've not mentioned the food - which was mouth-wateringly good only because I will be telling you more about it next week!)

Spetses town at night enchants

Spetses is a four-hour drive from our house and a 25 minute ferry ride from a port on the tip of the Peloponnese. From Athens' port of Piraeus, a fast ferry will get you to Spetses in two hours.

Thanks for coming along on this jaunt in what could be our island-hopping summer.  We'll be back next week, with another 'taste' of Greek travel (emphasis on taste!) Hope you'll join us once again and bring some friends with you! In the meantime, safe travels to you and yours ~

Linking this week with:

Through My Lens
Our World Tuesday
Wordless Wednesday

Meeting Those Who Enjoy Living Abroad

'Do you know her? 'I think you two have a lot in common. You would enjoy meeting each other.' wrote the editor of an on-line magazine for whom I am writing an article on our expat life in Greece.

She was referring to Seville-based travel writer Karen McCann, who with her husband, Rich, decided to have a year's adventure abroad and now 14 years later still reside in Spain.

Karen and I explore the interior of a Mani Tower

I responded that indeed we do know each other; at least as people know each other in this blogosphere world in which we live, write and travel.  We might even know each other better than some of our IRL (in real life) family and friends know us.

In fact her 2012 book, Dancing in the Fountain, about their move to Seville was on my Pacific Northwest nightstand many years ago, along with Peter Mayle's A Year in Provence and Frances Mayes's Under the Tuscan Sun, tempting me with the idea of living somewhere in the Mediterranean 'someday'.  Back then the idea of living in Greece hadn't occurred to either of us.  

For several years  Karen and I have followed each other's adventures. As we got to 'know' each other through blog comments, we vowed that one day we would meet somewhere on this side 'of the pond'. Her blog is aptly titled, Enjoy Living Abroad.

Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour

Karen and Rich have embarked on a Mediterranean Comfort Food Tour, using public transportation to travel around the Mediterranean rim with stops in North Macedonia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Italy and France before they return to Seville in mid-August.

Karen definition of comfort food is straight from the dictionary:  

             food prepared in a traditional style having a usually nostalgic or sentimental appeal.

Ferry, bus, train and other public transportation is the McCann plan

'We are Coming to Greece'

A few weeks before their departure she wrote saying they were starting the tour in Crete and would be taking the ferry to Gythio, the port town on the 'other side' of the point on which we live in the Greek Peloponnese. Would we be free to join them for dinner?

I responded that their food tour really should include a stop in The Mani, 'our side' of the point and home to the world-famous Kalamata olive.  I mean how could one write about Greek food and not have an up-close and personal encounter with this luscious Greek ambassador?

She agreed. Arrangements were made and we were off last week to pick them up in Gythio for what would be a three-day visit. As we drove to Gythio we discussed all the things we had in common and knew we would hit it off. (We just didn't realize how well we would hit it off!)

What concerned us though was how we would show them all the culinary wonders of our area in such a short time. The Mani, stretching from the shores of the Messinian Bay to the top of the Taygetos Mountains, has such a variety of culinary delights.

Eating our Way Through The Mani

Limeni, The Mani, Peloponnese

LIMENI: We began eating about an hour after getting past the introductions. We wanted them to experience Limeni, a strikingly beautiful harbor about 40 minutes south of our home.  Two small enclaves of tourist accommodations hug the shore here. One called Limeni (for the 'harbor)) and one New Oitylo.  Oitylo, the original village sits high above the harbor on a bluff and is one of the oldest in the area. Homer wrote about it, to give you an idea of its age.

We chose a taverna at water's edge and ordered a 'small' mixed meat meze plate to share.  We were pacing ourselves, we agreed, after we'd outlined where we would like to take them during their stay.

KARDAMYLI: That evening we headed to Kardamyli, a village also dating back to Homer's time. (Agamemnon, king of Mycenae offered it to Achilles, for you history buffs). This ancient setting is home to some of the most modern Greek cuisine to be found. Tikla Restaurant and Wine Bar was our destination for 'nuevo Greek'. The newly-reopened restaurant  offered some new twists to old favorites: pumpkin risotto, pita wraps, and rooster with pasta were among the items we sampled.

Pumpkin risotto, pita wraps with Mani ham and chees and rooster were among our selections

TRAHILIO/TRACHILLA: By whatever name, the little village 'at the end of the road' was our destination the second evening together.  Akrogiali, the restaurant operated seasonally by Petro and his wife, had opened earlier last week for its summer run.  His tables, flanked by the sea on one side and the main road through town on the other, are usually packed in the summer.

The meze plate is complimentary with our wine

The setting, the hospitality and the food always combine to knock it out of the ballpark when dining here. We take all visitors here for a taste of 'real Greece'.

KASTANIA: Our 'real Greece' theme continued on Saturday when we headed up into the mountains for a visit to this village named for chestnuts. I've written before about their October Chestnut Festival.  We toured a renovated Mani Tower and a restored church here working up a thirst, which we quenched at the local taverna. . .we were the only customers.

Sipping and chatting in Kastania

While we were there 'the fruit lady' from whom we buy our fruit and veggies showed up in the village square.  We'd missed her in the morning in Stoupa, so we simply went out and made our purchases and then returned to the taverna to finish our beverages. 

Sipping and shopping in Kastania

KARYOVOUNI: Joanna's olive press restaurant, officially called Archova, after the village's original name, was our final stop on the culinary tour. It was a few miles down the narrow mountain road from Kastania. Sitting inside an old olive press, eating some of the best comfort food created in the Mani seemed the perfect way to end our time together. 

After several meze plates we shared appetizers

But a trip to our part of the Mani isn't complete without a stop at Gregg's Platea in the heart of Agios Nikolaos. Some here say Gregg, his mom Freda, and his wife Kathy ARE the heart of Agios Nikolaos.  Freda saved the morning by figuring out how to make us coffee and toast while in the midst of a Sirocco wind and sand storm and power outage!  A perfect send-off for our friends who enjoy living abroad!

Those who Enjoy Living Abroad

Thanks for being with us this week ~ check out Karen and Rich's travels on her blog and we'll see you back here next week. Safe travels to you!

Linking this week with:
Through My Lens
Our World Tuesday
Wordless Wednesday