The Americans ~ Eight Years Later

 Actually, it is Amerikanos, (Ah-mear-E-kah-nos). Greek for the Americans, plural. 

'There, up on the hill,' says the Amerikani 

We usually say it as part of the phrase, 'the Amerikanos up on the hill' while pointing towards the hill on which our house sits.  It serves to differentiate us from the other Amerikanos who live in this area. And you might be surprised at how many do live here now. So many, that it isn't unusual to not know some of them. What a change that is from when we first arrived!

Eight years ago already!

It was eight years ago this week that we purchased our slice of the Greek Peloponnese. Little did we know at the time we purchased what has become known as our Stone House on the Hill, that it would ultimately change the course of our orderly life back in the Pacific Northwest corner of the United States.

Venice, two hour's flight, not two days away any longer

Back then we reasoned that a house in Greece would provide a base for exploring more of this country and other European countries, Africa, and the Middle East. We had expanded our travels on this side of the Atlantic after leaving our work life behind.  This Greek-base, we decided, would allow us to travel more often and go further.

We wanted a project and definitely got a few!

Truth is back then we were rather bored with that orderly life. We needed a project, something to do besides ease ourselves deeper into old age. This home certainly gave us a 'project' as the home was in need of updating and a bit of repair. As it turned out, each of the completed projects gave rise to new projects and continue to do so.

One last fling or perhaps a few more are in store. . .

And the purchase would constitute a - sigh - 'final fling' before we got too old to have such adventures. Age was among our considerations as we talked ourselves first out of, and then, into the house purchase. We wondered if we were then too old for such a leap into the unknown. Since we are still here, I guess we weren't - we are glad we took the leap!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes. . .in our world

Development comes to the Mani 

As David Bowie sings, there have been ch-ch-ch-ch-changes in the Mani, since we became a part of it. Development is running wild in this once remote and little visited region of Greece. Both private home and rental accommodation construction continues to be on a fast track. It is difficult to find year-round rentals now in our area as so many have turned their homes into Airbnb's. One, a recently constructed Mykonos-style home on the hill above us rents for 1,000 euros a night. 

British writer and long-time Kardamyli resident, Patrick Leigh Fermor, who predicted several decades ago that the remote and rugged Mani would never attract tourists, would likely not recognize the place now.  Tourism is on an upswing.  

Hiking is drawing outdoor enthusiast here

We have local businesses that offer hiking and biking tours of the area.  A new launch site for parasailing has been constructed in a hillside village a few kilometers away.  Our beaches were filled with visitors up until October.  

New restaurant brings change to the village

Change doesn't always come easy. An upscale restaurant opened in our village last spring following an extensive refurbishment of a wonderful old building on the waterfront.  From our perspective, it is a delight to sit inside and admire the stonework as the previous traditional taverna had only outside seating. Yet, some continue to grumble about the change.

New 5-star hotel - Kalamata waterfront

Up the road an hour away, our big city of Kalamata is becoming the poster child for change: a new 5-star hotel in a refurbished early 20th century building offers a restaurant with a Michelin-starred chef at its helm.  Two abandoned flour mills on the waterfront are also being turned into hotels - one a 5-star and one a 4-star.  Next spring the city is the European site of a conference of travel bloggers, actually, 'content creators' (as they call us now). Some 350 are expected to come visit and write about 'our town'. 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes . . . in us

Adapting to the Mediterranean lifestyle

At the time we bought the house we told ourselves we'd give 'it', the fling, the adventure, the house, whatever we called it, five years.  If we were ready to move on, move back or give it up we would.  Those years went fast as a blink of an eye.  

During which time, we began changing and adapting to our new adopted world, so much so, that we decided we wanted to live here as expats.  We are just entering our sixth expat year here and have a residency permit allowing us another year after this. 

Our world at night

We've quit setting timelines. We will be here as long as we are able and continue to want to be here (or as long as the government allows us to be).  I know a lot of you reading our blog are considering moves to Greece and other destinations in the world, so I would close with a quote attributed to Paul Coelho, 'Be brave. Take risks. Nothing can substitute for experiences.'  

Thessaloniki bound

For those who responded to my teaser in the last post, you were correct! We are soon off to Greece's second largest city, Thessaloniki. Our decision to go there is driven partially by its beautiful Christmas decorations and partially by the call of its culinary reputation.  I'll report back on both next time!  Thanks for being with us today . . .in fact many of you have been with us through our entire Greek adventure, and we've loved having you with us!  Thanks to you all for your continued support and encouragement!!

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 ~

Thanksgiving Thursday in Greece

I write this on what is Thanksgiving Day back in our old world.

Here it is Thursday, a just-another-day, Thursday in our expat world in Greece.

The iconic Macy's parade in New York City - Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving is that Thursday-in-November-feasting-and-football-watching holiday in America that originated back in the 1600's as a celebration of the bountiful harvest. In recent decades it has been the unofficial kickoff for the Christmas Season. My favorite part of the day used to be when Santa arrived at the end of the televised Macy's [department store] Thanksgiving Day parade in New York City. It meant it was time to decorate for Christmas! And I assume he still arrives - we just don't watch US television in Greece.

Thanksgiving Thursday has also - in recent years - become the precursor to the Retail World's Black Friday - a day that needs no explanation unless you have been living on Mars.

Black Friday is alive and well in Greece

But we are in Greece where Thursday is Thursday.  However, Friday is Black Friday here, the dash-for-deals holiday that begins minutes after Friday arrives. Our Facebook inbox has been filled with Black Friday specials all week - most of them from Greek retailers and travel industry sites. As a side note to those ads, I did try ordering from one of the Greek sites,and got as far as putting in my credit card information and realized there was no option for an American credit card.  Sale not made and I saved even more money than I would have!

Our olives - The Stone House on the Hill

I suspect Americans who indulged in Thanksgiving feasts this year spent little time thinking about bountiful harvests. I can assure you that in our slice of the Greek Peloponnese we may not have been feasting in the American tradition, but harvest is on the minds of all. Following a very dry year, one plagued by the pesky Dako (olive fly that destroys crops) there are thanks being offered each time the olive oil flows from the processors. 

I've often written that harvest is my favorite time of the year here. The whirring noise of olive harvest equipment provides background sound as families and friends gather to bring in the crop. Slowing to a stop on roads that have been covered with nets-- to catch the wayward olives that have been beaten off the branches - while harvesters pull them back for us to pass is one of those reminders of why I love this harvest season so much. That, and of course, completing our own harvest.

Nets drape our terraces, olives in the foreground

We were among the early harvesters and completed our one-day effort before the end of October. It is our seventh season of spreading nets and filling burlap bags with those emerald oil jewels. There is nothing like the intense aroma of olive oil in the air as we sit to the side of the rumbling, churning processors waiting for the magic moment our olives become oil.  

The Stone House on the Hill, traditional Greek ladder in foreground

Our harvest was a whopper for hobby olive growers as we are, we who boast either 17 or 18 trees in our grove and gardens.  We took 800 pounds of olives to the press, and they were turned into 59 liters of oil. . .not bad for two old boomers who didn't know an oil-producing olive from an eating olive when we bought our Stone House on the Hill.

A matter of hours later - our olive oil

We watch our olives being processed each year and the thrill of seeing that emerald flow come out of the faucet, knowing it is from our trees, never gets old! But we can also attest to the fact that harvesting olives by hand, as it is done here, is some of the hardest physical labor we have ever done.  We are ready to quit after about four hours. . .yet, some here, who make their living off olives, harvest all day long for weeks. The harvest season stretches from late October to early January

Holidays in our Slice of Greece

Epiphany - January's Blessing of the Water a Greek celebration

So back to holidays. Here we celebrate Independence Days (of which we have two - one in the spring and one in the fall), we celebrate Saints Name Days, the Blessing of the Water and Christmas. And what a joy it is to celebrate those ages-old-events that are so new to us! We came wanting to experience a new culture and there is no better way than celebrating a Greek holiday, like our local village's celebration of Agios Dimitrios Day

Things like Halloween, Valentine's Day and Thanksgiving, while big in America, pretty much go by without notice in our village. Larger cities like Athens did have Halloween decorations up when last we were there near that holiday.  

Thanksgiving Thursday lunch on the waterfront 

Thanks to the many of you who have sent us Thanksgiving greetings (which are always appreciated) and inquired whether we would be gathering with other expats for a turkey dinner. We did not. We spent our Thursday running errands in the big city Kalamata and had ourselves a treat of a lunch at a new hotel there, the Grand Hotel Kalamata.  Our feast was a club sandwich. . .and feast it was!

A Thanksgiving Thursday feast

We have, in the past, celebrated with fellow American expats and had Thanksgiving Day feasts patterned after those back in the States. They are always fun get-togethers, but then we expats enjoy get-togethers any time of the year.  Even meeting for morning coffee feels like a celebration. 

And to those who have asked, yes, we can get turkeys here, but the selection is greater at Christmas, a holiday celebrated by Greeks and expats alike. And we even have pumpkin pie with real whipped cream. . .thankfully, some expat friends actually bake them and share them with us! (That was a skill I didn't develop in America and have not pursued here!)

Konstantina's Pumpkin Pie and real whipped cream

That's it for this week.  Our holiday wishes to those of you celebrating Thanksgiving. And to all of you who join us here at TravelnWrite, please know that we are thankful to have each of you with us ~ 

We'll be back soon with more tales of our brief taste of Italian dolce vita. Until then safe travels to you and yours ~

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 ~

Greek Traditions - A Piece of Cake!

 Actually, Greek traditions aren't a piece of cake. 

Olive harvest at our house - a treasured tradition

But it was a piece of traditional cake that made me think more deeply about those customs and rituals that have played out in our adopted country for ages; yet they make up our new experiences as expats - sometimes in such rapid succession that we can't keep up with them. The deep-rooted rituals and layers of symbolism at times simply boggle the mind.

Roasting chestnuts at Kastania's Chestnut Festival - a local tradition

Take this week, for example: It began with two full days of the ages-old tradition of olive harvest. They were followed by the Feast Day of Agios Dimitrios (Saint Dimitrios) and the Name Day celebration of all those named for him. By week's end we were among those celebrating Chestnut Festival in the village a few miles away, named Kastania, after the nut.  

Traditions: Celebrating Our Saint

The Stone House on the Hill above Agios Dimitrios

At the base of the hill on which our Stone House on the Hill is built sits the village of Agios Dimitrios. Its church carries the same name. Agios Dimitrios is the Patron Saint of the city of Thessaloniki, and he is celebrated on Oct. 26th because that is the day that city was liberated from Ottoman rule after five centuries of occupation.

Agios Dimitrios

Now Thessaloniki is a large city to our east - an hour's flight from the Kalamata Airport so you may be wondering why we were celebrating it in a small fishing village tucked away among olive groves on the other side of the Peloponnese. Well, it turns out he is also the patron of agriculture, peasants and shephards in the Greek countryside. . .

So, it stands to reason that we would celebrate his day in the church in the village that both carry his name even if located miles from Thessaloniki. Similar celebrations were taking place throughout the country. Those who are named for saints, in this case, the Dimitris, and Dimitras of the world also celebrate as it is their Name Day, a day as special as their birth date.

Pappas Paniotis our village priest

We nodded to friends and neighbors as we stood together outside the already crowded small church and listened to the sermon delivered by our village priest, Pappas Paniotis.  It didn't matter that it was in Greek. Anyone who has ever said The Lord's Prayer regularly knows when it is being offered, no matter the language.  And that part of the service we did understand!

Enormous loaves of bread were served

While listening to the service, we watched several ladies from the village setting up tables in the church yard with plates of sweets and packets of bread (that would be taken home by attendees).  When it seemed there couldn't possibly be more to eat, they brought out the cakes. Not just any cakes, mind you, but the Koliva. Little did we know the significance of this beautiful cake.

Traditions: A Piece of Cake

Koliva, the traditional cake, placed to honor Agios Dimitrios

At the time it was presented, blessed and served I thought this cake was one of the most beautifully, decorated I had ever seen. Such simple ingredients made beautiful decorations. They included pomegranate seeds, almonds, pistachios, and decorations made of sugar.  Several explained as it was being served that it is traditionally made for celebrations honoring the dead but that it is also used to celebrate life occasions like harvest and marriage.

A piece of traditional cake

When I was handed the small cup of sugared nuts and fruits, I was surprised to learn that was what had been beneath that beautifully decorated icing.  It was quite a tasty mix of cooked wheat berries, nuts, raisins, pomegranate seeds with some chopped parsley and coated with a sweet mixture of sugar and spiced breadcrumbs.

The alter in Agios Dimitrios church

It wasn't after the celebration ended that I learned each item in it symbolized some aspect of the life cycle: life, death and rebirth.  The wheat kernels a symbol of hope and resurrection, nuts for fertility, spices of cinnamon, nutmeg and cumin, for a life well lived, the parsley a peaceful rest, pomegranate for an afterlife of brilliance and wealth, the breadcrumbs representing the soil. 

Celebrating Agios Dimitrios in the village that carries his name

The cake is not an easy one to make, requiring two days to cook and dry the wheat berries and prepare the other ingredients.  It was so tasty and now that I know its story, I appreciate its significance and symbolism even more than its taste. We wanted our expat experience to be one of learning about other cultures and traditions, so far, Greece hasn't let us down!

The village from the church - both Agios Dimitrios

That's it for this time, as we are heading out to learn about a few more traditions before the month of October gets away from us.  As always thanks for your time and a big welcome to our new subscribers.  

And a note to all subscribers: my Blogger program and Mailchimp that sends your emails haven't communicated lately.  I'm hoping this one arrives in your inbox.  If it does and you can spare a minute to email me and let me know, I'd greatly appreciate it!  And there should be a link at the bottom of your email to take you to last week's post about our adopted city of Kalamata should you like to read it as well!

Safe travels to you and yours~