That Roman Holiday

 Okay so we didn't zip through Rome on a Vespa as did Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck in the iconic romance movie, Roman Holiday, set in this Italian city, in 1953. We are a tad too old for that.

Roman Holiday movie 1953

But we did zip through the town, seeing as much as possible during our day and a half here. You can cover a lot of territory on foot when the weather cooperates, and the tourist numbers are low. 

No crowds at the Spanish Steps

Our Roman Holiday was part of a week-long trip to Italy we took in November. One of the side benefits, we've learned, to expat living in Europe is the ease of travel to other countries. No longer must we pack for multiple weeks to make the cost of the trip worthwhile as we did when we were coming from the far western side of the United States. 

We made the 3.5-hour drive from our home in the Peloponnese to the airport and then traveled between Athens and Rome in less than two hours. Our trip was prompted by a two-for-one seat sale offered by Greece's national carrier, Aegean Airlines.

Train travel is such a treat in Italy

And traveling off-season as November is here, we could travel without a set itinerary. Frankly, we weren't sure how much time, if any, we would spend in Rome when our flight from Athens arrived on a Saturday evening.  We were catching two trains as soon as we collected our checked luggage; one to take us from the airport into Roma Termini (the main train station) and there, catching another to Florence where we were booked for five nights. 

Admittedly unstructured travel isn't for everyone. I have friends who create Excel spread sheets and plan their trips down to the nano-second. That isn't our style of travel though - at least during the low-seasons as this is in Europe. The likelihood of getting accommodations on short notice is good and we like the flexibility to change plans if something more interesting comes along.

Train to Rome via the Italian countryside

We'd considered some charming Italian villages but when you live in a charming Greek village, I have to admit, the call of the big city won out. 

Another travel trait of ours is to find a hotel with as much history as possible, and we'd succeeded in Florence so hoped for the same in Rome. The Scout went to work while in Florence, tapped into our accumulated hotel loyalty points (Marriott Bonvoy) and used points to pay for a hotel stay in Rome that we would never have paid the price for otherwise. Using points, our cash outlay was for the cost of the nightly city tax. As our travels have reminded us of time and time again, those airline and hotel loyalty programs do pay off.

The Grand Hotel Flora

The Grand Hotel Flora

When the cab pulled into the semi-circular drive and the doorman greeted us at the stately old Grand Hotel Flora, located across the street from the Borghese Gardens, I knew The Scout had hit on another winner.

Our hotel and the city walls from Harry's Bar

This place literally oozed history. Construction on the building had begun in 1905 when the Borghese family had commissioned a vacation villa.  Economic woes prompted a change of plans, the structure was sold, and the new owner decided it would be a hotel.  Designed by a Vatican City architect, the hotel opened as the Pension Flora in 1907 on Rome's famed Via Vittorio Veneto.

The stairwell from the seventh floor

The site on which it was built is said to have been - back in Roman times - an area of 'Dolce Vita' (sweet life) with Caesar among the villa owners in the neighborhood.

Roman walls and Borghese gardens from our room

By the 1930's it was a modern day 'dolce vita' destination attracting the rich and famous. 

Stolpersteine, or 'stumbling stones' commemoration

Sadly, like many of Europe's grand hotels, the hotel's dark period was when it was occupied by the Gestapo during World War II.  

Here, I must add a side story illustrating that it is impossible to travel in Europe and not be reminded of World War II's impact, as happened during our short stay in Rome:

We were walking to the Spanish Steps from the hotel when we noticed two small, four-inch by four-inch markers, embedded in the sidewalk in front of a building just a few blocks away. The names are of a mother and daughter who'd been living in the apartment, were arrested, deported, and died in Auschwitz.

I posted the photo above on FB during our stay in Rome and thanks to a number of friends who commented on it, learned they are called Stolpersteine, or 'stumbling blocks' a commemoration effort begun in 1992 for victims of the Holocaust. I will be keeping an eye out for similar markers as we travel around European cities in the future. 

[Note: For those wanting more history, I Googled the names of the women and found their story and the Stopersteine information is from Wikipedia.]

The Scout at Harry's Bar Roma

It was Frederico Fellini's 1960 satirical comedy film, La Dolce Vita, that is credited with bringing back the sweet life to the hotel as well as the Via Veneto on which it sits. And sweet life it is with major eateries, bars and other hotels within a few minutes of where we stayed. One such bar, featured in the film, was Harry's Bar - just across the street from the hotel. As they say, 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' -- so we did! We sipped a glass of wine at the famous place both nights we were in town. 

It, too, has an interesting history as it was opened in 1918 by an American woman who called it the Golden Gate for her city by the bay back home, San Francisco.

Stone, or umbrella pines, of Rome in Borghese gardens

We loved being near the Borghese Gardens a place one could stroll for hours.  However, we were unable to visit the Borghese Gallery as tickets were booked out for a couple of days.  That was no problem though as were strolled its outside sculpture garden! 

Borghese Gallery - next time!

We are now back at our Stone House on the Hill enjoying a relatively mild winter so far in this slice of the Peloponnese.  We are getting ready for another quick getaway, and I will end this post with a teaser on where we are heading. Want to take a guess by looking at the photo below?

The next getaway destination is. . .

So how do you like to travel? Everything planned in advance or just setting off for an adventure. Tell us in the comments below or shoot us an email!  Wherever your travels take you we hope you stay safe and well and are back here with us soon! As always, thanks much for the time you spend with us ~

That Time at the Palazzo

It was dark with only a few hours left of our Saturday night when the taxi crossed Florence's Arno River, then wound its way through a maze of narrow, one-way passageways before stopping in front of a pair of enormous wooden doors.  

'Here is your hotel!' enthusiastically announced our driver in Italian-accented English.  

Arriving at our hotel - Florence, Italy

He was unloading our suitcases, placing them on the cobble-stoned street while The Scout concentrated on counting out the correct fare in this dimly lit area. I was left to wonder where the hotel entry was as it seemed to be behind those imposing and very locked, doors. A small brass sign to the side of them though confirmed the driver's pronouncement: 

Palazzo Guicciardini, Residenze d' Epoca.  

The street was eerily quiet and devoid of people but for our trio. "But how do we get in?' I asked myself out loud, as there appeared to be no one or nothing that would open those doors.  The unflappable driver reached around me and pushed a small button in the corner of the sign. From somewhere within we heard a buzz and the big wooden doors swung open as did an equally enormous iron gate just inside them. The taxi was already down the street as we stepped through the imposing entryway.  

And we went through those doors. . .

It almost felt like an opening scene for Alfred Hitchcock or the Twilight Zone. (Both, mid-century US television suspense thrillers.) In reality, it was the opening scene of our five-night's stay in this stately old mansion, located in an area known as Oltrarno, Florence's Left Bank.

Life in Palazzo Guicciardini

The Junior Suite - that's me in the far corner

 

With the doors and gate automatically closing behind us, we walked the uneven, ancient stones of the palazzo's entry; a long, wide hall so large that could once have accommodated carriages. Another small brass sign directed us to a stairway (three flights) that eventually got us to a small but brightly lit reception area. We were expected and quickly shown to our room. 

We had booked a junior suite, one of three rooms that opened onto the breakfast room. The photo above doesn't exaggerate the room's size and I can only imagine the size of the non-junior suite! We think the main floor of our Greek home would have fit into this spacious sitting room, bedroom combination. Other guest rooms of varying sizes were accessed from the reception area and hallway. 

The ceiling in our room

All the rooms, as well as the common areas, were decorated with ceiling frescos and period art. It felt somewhat like what staying in a museum might be like. The ceilings were the kind you could stay in bed and look at for long periods of time, pondering the skills, time and cost it took to create them. 

The breakfast room ceiling

Classical music played in the background while we dined on rather unimaginative continental breakfasts, but the ambiance prompted one to sit up a bit straighter at the table, use a saucer with the cup and hold the pinkie out when sipping.  It seemed rather incongruous to have the half dozen guests gather each morning clad in some form of blue jean outfits and be focused on their mobile devices.

Living in History

Our street at night

The Residenze d'Epoca, we later learned, is a designation given to outstanding castles and historical residences with at least 100 years of history.  We happened upon several other palazzos in the neighborhood during our ramblings that are also being used for tourist accommodations and that also carry star-ratings of  Residenze d'Epoca. We may need to explore more of these delightful places on future visits.

Which way to go - as every street was interesting

With a history dating back to the 1500's the palazzo we were staying in has changed hands through marriages and deaths and inheritances several times.  Sometime during the centuries, the Guicciardini family came to be associated with the stately home, located just a block back from the Arno. And one of the family's claims to fame (aside from a castle and winery these days in the Tuscan countryside) was a fellow whose story might be just as interesting as the building's. 

Ancient torres (towers) are delightful finds

Francesco Guicciardini (1488-1540) was an Italian historian and statesman, a major political writer of the Italian Renaissance whose masterpiece is entitled, 'The History of Italy'. He was a friend and critic of Niccolo Machiavelli who for a time lived at his family's villa just down the street a block or two.

The Italian Getaway

Italy's fast trains whisk passengers from city to city

Our recent trip to Italy for a week-long getaway was prompted by a November two-for-one seat sale offered by Greece's national airline, Aegean.  It was for real - we both flew for the price of one.  Flying time between Athens and Rome is about an hour and a half.  The cheap flight, coupled with the reasonable cost of traveling by train once in Italy and not needing to rent a car to get between cities, sealed the deal.

Such short flight times, and reasonable airfares make getaways to other countries far less expensive and far less tiring than our previous travels from the US Pacific Northwest. Easier access to European, Middle Eastern and African destinations was part of our reasoning for embarking on our expat journey. This fall, with renewed residence permits finally in hand and Covid lockdowns filed away as history (we hope); we plan to take advantage of our 'launch pad' in the Greek Peloponnese. 

Wall-to-wall tourists at the Uffizi - Florence

We also chose to return to Italy because its temperatures this time of year wouldn't be as cold as those countries' further north. We weren't expecting them to be the downright balmy shirt-sleeve weather that greeted us though. Being as late in the year as it was, we also expected far fewer fellow tourists than the numbers we encountered in museums, galleries, and restaurants.  Even more surprising was the large number of Americans who were visiting. We met several from the southern east coast states and Colorado. But pleasant surprises like these are what make travel so interesting.

The Left Bank (pcitured on the left) won our hearts

Our trip concluded with two nights in Rome, however, we could have easily spent the entire week in Florence. With so many palaces, museums and churches beckoning, and so many food and wine temptations. . .we barely touched the surface of this magical city. We covered a lot of ground while there and I'll have more tales of Italian dolce vita the next time around.   

We thank you for the time you spent with us and welcome to our new subscribers.  We do get notified when you sign up to receive TravelnWrite by email.  It is nice to have you with us!! 

And to you all, wishes for safe travels to you and yours ~

Kalamata: Something old ~ Somethings New

Kalamata. The city, that is. It wasn't love at first sight; I can assure you. 

Our first introduction to this sprawling port town, now nearly a decade ago, was driving through it enroute to Athens after a road trip through the Peloponnese that led us to a village an hour to its south. A village that would ultimately become our expat home.

Kalamata capital of the Messinian region of the Peloponnese

Back then I wasn't taken with this sprawling commercial and shipping hub wrapped around the tip of the Messinian Bay.  In fact, when I realized that as expats living just 'down the road', it would be our 'go to' city -- the place we would buy retail goods, groceries, gasoline and other of life's necessities -- it gave me a bit of a shudder. It felt somewhat like a ghost town.

Kalamata a decade ago had a ghost-town feel 

In fairness though, back then all of Greece was still staggering from the sucker punch dealt it by its 2008 economic free-fall. Kalamata with a cityscape of ubiquitous concrete buildings was no exception. And with a close look many of those bland buildings housed empty storefronts and were decorated with graffiti. Really, it wasn't very different from other metropolitan areas in Greece back then. It certainly didn't inspire one to spend much time in it. 

But that was then, and a decade later the economic pulse of both Greece and Kalamata have changed for the better. We've had the pleasure of experiencing this evolution and we don't hesitate to sing their praises. 

Kalamata's waterfront a draw for locals and tourists

Business expansion and renovations in recent years have made this town of some 72,000 residents one of Greece's debutant tourist destinations.  Its vibrancy is so strong you can feel it. Even our most routine shopping trips are more like a delightful getaway than drudgery. The waterfront for a coffee or lunch is a must no matter the reason for the trip to town.

Downtown charmer in Kalamata

Truth be told, I am so caught in the city's charms that I often tell The Scout if I ever returned to the States to live it would be on the condition that I'd make regular trips back here. Yet, I suspect many of you've never really even heard of the city that got its name from. . .

Kalamata - What's in a Name?

Not named for the Kalamata olive

Well, it wasn't from the olive if that's what you thought.  I did, until I did some research a few months ago for a magazine article about the city and was surprised to learn that Kalamata is not named for that famous olive of the same name. And on that point, locals agree.  

What they don't agree on is for what the city is named. One school of thought is that it is named for the kala matia, 'good eyes' on an icon of the city's patron saint. The other is that it was named for the reeds that once grew in the area, kalamia.  

Kalamata - Something Old

Entry to the castle grounds - Kalamata

Like the rest of Greece, Kalamata's history is so deeply rooted that it is difficult to fathom. In the 13th Century Kalamata castle was built on what was earlier the Acropolis of Pharae.  The site now is popular with tourists as it provides a great overview of the town and also with locals as it is often the site of cultural performances.

An icon on the castle wall - Kalamata

The ancient Pharae was mentioned by Homer as Firai. (One of our favorite wines is produced by a Kalamata winery named Fare in honor of those ancient beginnings. And one of our favorite seafront hotels is called the Pharae Palace.)

Metropolitan Church of Ypapanti tou Sotiros in old town Kalamata

The old town is where the towering white and yellow cathedral, built in 1839, the Metropolitan Church of Ypapanti tou Sotiros (Presentation of the Savior) is located. This stunning edifice is home to the icon of the city's protectress, Panagia Ypapanti, Mother of Jesus.

Kalograion Monastery - silk weaving looms stand silent these days

Just a few blocks away we found one of our now-favorite - and least known attractions - the Kalograion Monastery, 'The Monastery of the Nuns' that dates back to 1797 once played a key role in the city's silk industry as the nuns operated a silkworm farm and produced scarves and other items on the large looms that now sit idle in the complex.  

The silk scarf I purchased at the Nun's Monastery Kalamata

There is no charge to visit the complex and walk through the rooms housing the looms. (You can still find silk scarves for sale there, but they aren't made by the nuns who are still in residence.)

Where the 1821 War of Independence began - Kalamata

A few blocks away, the small Church of the Apostles, now surrounded by retail stores, holds the distinction in modern Greek history as being the place where on March 23,1821 the Greeks first issued their declaration of independence from the Ottomans; an act that started the decade-long War of Independence. 

Tributes to history in Kalamata

History is proudly displayed at the city's Archaeological Museum of Messenia, the Historical and Folk Art Museum, The Military Museum of Kalamata and the Victoria Karelias Collection of Greek Traditional Costumes. It is also displayed on memorials and statues throughout the town.

Kalamata - Something New

This building looked like many found in the city's core - (Photo credits) 

A stroll through the downtown is like a treasure hunt when it comes to architectural gems.  While much of the downtown was destroyed by the 1986 earthquake that also killed 20 and injured another 330, a number of neo-classical gems are still standing.  Many have been restored and more restorations are underway. One of the most recent projects is pictured above and below. 

The building above 2022 look (Photo credits) 

Another major renovation turned the aging and empty 1929 building -- the long-ago home of the Hotel American on the waterfront -- into a posh, 5-star accommodation, The Grand Hotel of Kalamata. The building had been unoccupied for years. However, the new hotel with just a few rooms and suites, opened its doors this spring with a Michelin chef at the helm of the restaurant. With a soon-to-be-open spa and a rooftop bar we suspect this place will be popular. And we can hardly wait to try it out.  

5-star Hotel Grand just opened on Kalamata's waterfront

The waterfront area where the new hotel is located has also undergone a recently completed major facelift. Renovations have transformed a several-block area into a pedestrian- and bike-friendly place. Narrow sidewalks have been replaced by wide patios on which sit tables and chairs from cafes and bars fronting them. The two-lane road was narrowed to a single direction traffic lane making the area far more pleasant.

Downtown Kalamata - bike path to the left, storefronts to the right

Meanwhile in the downtown core area, retail stores representing high end brands from countries throughout Europe have been opening their doors, one of the most recent being London's Marks and Spencer. It joins Zara, H&M and other clothing, shoe and handbag retailers from Italy, Spain and England.

Getting here:

The tiny Kalamata International Airport might be the easiest International Airport to transit in Europe. It opened in 1959. Charter flights began arriving in 1986 and the terminal was rebuilt in 1991.  I laugh every time we stand in baggage claim and the belt begins snaking the luggage past a sign that reads, "Baggage Claim 1' . . .as if there were a line of a dozen such luggage belts operating. . .there aren't.  

The most aircraft we've ever seen there at one time were four jets.  That does mean we might have a line at passport control simply because there isn't room for us all inside.

You'll cross the Corinth Canal driving from Athens to Kalamata

A four-lane divided freeway links Kalamata and Athens and the trip will take under three hours depending on weather and traffic conditions.  Taking KTEL buses between the two cities is a popular option used by many of us who live here as well as tourists.

That's it for this week.  As always, we thank you for the time you spend with us at TravelnWrite. Welcome to our new subscribers!  We had a glitch with our last post not being delivered to subscribers until nearly a week after it should have been. It appears my Wonder Woman tech guru back in the Pacific Northwest has worked some magic and perhaps this will get sent for your weekend reading.  If you get a chance to let me know you've received this, I'd appreciate it!

Safe travels to you and yours ~

Greek Summer ~ Time to Halara under the Almyrikis

That title sums up life in our slice of Greece right now. 

Halara under the Almyrikis translates to relaxing under the Tamarisk trees.

Almyriki on Pantazi Beach, Mani

Halara, or xalara, (ha - laa - RRRAAH) the newest word in my slowly increasing Greek vocabulary, might just be one of my new favorite words as it so perfectly describes the state of mind one must be in to survive summer in Greece.

Almyriki shade on Pantazi Beach

Almyriki, or Tamarisk, trees are unofficial symbols of summer in Greece as many beaches are still lined with these gentle giants sporting wispy green feathers of foliage.  Beachgoers vie for coveted spots underrneath them.

Our Stone House on the Hill in the Greek Mani

For those who are new to this blog, we are Americans from the Pacific Northwest who left that life behind for an expat adventure in Greece's rural Peloponnese.  Summers here remind us of summers in the arid and irrigated regions central Washington State where we grew up. In fact, as I write this, Greece is under an 'excessive heat advisory' just as is Washington. But Greece is actually several degrees cooler right now.

Almyriki tree in the village

Today after a sweat-inducing hour or so of watering our plants we headed out to accomplish the simplest of tasks in the village and found ourselves in need of both coffee and halara before we got home.  It was while we were sipping cappuccinos at a table under an Almyriki tree, running our flip-flop-clad feet in the sand that I finally understood how perfect the word halara is for life in Greece.

A few almyriki line the road to the village

A waiter friend who has been advising me on everyday Greek words, offered the word a few days ago when I had told him to 'take it easy' or 'not work too hard'.  He gave me a sly smile and said, "Your new word is 'halara', to relax.". For those who like to double check the things that I write, if you look this one up, it will tell you it means 'loose'. If you look up the slang, it will tell you to 'hang loose', 'relax' or 'take it easy'.  

Bits and Bobs

While kicked back under that tree I thought of a few things I've not told you about in recent posts so as our British friends say, here are some bits and bobs of travel news:

Stoupa Beach awash in sunbeds

* The Greek tourism folks have projected more than one million visitors will be arriving the first week of August. The most popular destinations are Athens, Thessaloniki, the south Aegean islands, Cyclades, Crete and Corfu. (From the looks of our crowded restaurants and beaches, I'd say our Mani is also drawing a lot of them this way!)

A trip to Greece for medical tourism someday?

* Greece's Health Tourism Council is working in partnership with Athens International Airport to develop a medical tourism package. (They must have read my post about our health care in the Mani and our recent colonoscopy experience!)

Under construction in March, the W Hotel opens in August

*W Hotel is the newest in the Marriott Bonvoy group to come to Greece. It opens in mid-August at our plush Costa Navarino resort on the 'finger' to our west, about an hour and a half from us. With room prices in the 650-euro range, we won't be staying there until some very low season rate tempts us.

Award-winning Athens Airport

*A headline appearing in social media yesterday shouted the news that "Athens Airport Named the Best in Europe" however if one reads the whole article, you learn it is the best in Europe to be in if your flight is delayed. And a lot of them are right now. While I can't say any airport is great when it comes to flight delays, I do have to sing the praises of our Athens' airport: modern shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, baggage storage, museum and archaeological displays not to mention cultural shows every so often to entertain travelers.

Can You Go Home Again?

That flight delay headline was a good segue into a question a few of us from the States are asking ourselves this summer. There is nothing philosophical or political about the question, it is a matter of logistics.  

May not take this many bags back to the US in August

The chaos occurring in airports throughout Europe and being reported in mainstream and social media is very real. London's Heathrow capped the number of passengers to whom airlines can sell tickets through Sept. 11 in an attempt to get control of its spiraling out of control situation. KLM banned checked baggage for all connections through Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Malaysian Airlines has banned checked baggage on flights coming to several European airports. Lufthansa, the German airline, cancelled more than 1,000 flights on July 27 as result of a one-day strike by employees.  

The Road Home in Washington State

The Scout and I have now booked tickets to Seattle, cancelled the trip, and rebooked other flights as has another expat friend; all of us hoping to get back to Washington State.  We continue to monitor our reservations to make sure segments haven't been cancelled without notification (yes, that does happen these days).  

There is always the chance they will be cancelled at the airport so we find ourselves in limbo as to making hotel reservations for the overnight we will have in London enroute to Seattle, we hesitate to make legal and medical appointments that are on our 'to do' list back in the States. 

That '71 is the graduation year - not our ages, . . .yet!

For those wondering why we are traveling with such chaos and uncertainty in travel, when we are retired and could travel at any time, it is because I have a high school reunion to attend back in my hometown. A Big One. One that was postponed from last year, thanks to Covid. And I am the reunion co-chair.  I need to be there. . .simple as that!  

The good news is that we are allowed to go back to our home country while in the residency permit renewal process in Greece. . .and that is good news because we still don't have renewed residency permits and are doubtful we will have them before we leave.

Halara

Under the Almyriki trees

So, for now we will stay sittin' and sippin' under the Almyriki tree, enjoying the cooling breeze from the ocean. It is Greek Summer. . .time to make the most of it!

Our wishes for safe travels to you and yours. A big welcome to our new subscribers! Thanks for joining us and to all of you for the time you spend with us.