Author: Sharon

It’s quiet here…there really aren’t so many tourists around town.  We’re surprised but imagine that everyone else must be in Santorini!

We wanted to try some Greek wines and went to this shop for dinner last evening.  We could buy half glasses of wine as a way to taste a few.  The cheeses – creamy smoked goat cheese, cheese with thyme, truffles,  and a buttery-tasting cheese with plum chutney were all fun to try!

Today we drove 30 minutes up a narrow, winding mountain road to check out the village of Exochori.  There is a church, a couple of houses, and many olive trees.  While we were there a fierce wind storm nearly blew us off of the mountain.  We found a sheltered area, waited for a break in the wind, and made our way back down the mountain!

This is the village from across the gorge.

And flowers in the cemetery.

We walked quite a lot today!  The beach here is rocky but there is a road beside it so we can avoid the pebbles.  On the way back to our apartment, we walked through Old Kardamyli.  Lots of history here!

Time to move on!  Tomorrow we’ll drive about two hours to our next stop – Koroni.  It’s a small fishing village – we’re anxious to check it out.

This is the kind of place that you take a ‘vacation from your vacation.’ Everything here is done at a very relaxed pace!

The road that runs through town is also the Main Street.

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We are staying at Vardia Hotel, in a small apartment above the town – we have a spectacular view of the sea and town below.  We stayed here seven years ago when we were first visited and like it so much that we’d return again.  Kardamyli is sleepy during the day but busier in the evening when everyone is back from their daytrips and looking for a taverna by the sea.

Yesterday we visited the nearby town, Stoupa, to drop off laundry and have lunch.  If you want to spend time on the beach, this is your place!

We stopped for gas – and calculated that at 2.12 Euros per liter, (8.97 USD per gallon), it costs about $140.00 to fill the tank of our small rental car.  In the photo below, Larry is learning the “ins and outs” of owning a gas station in Greece.  The young owner holds a Masters Degree in business and his dream is to own a station in the U.S.

Just above today’s modern town is Old Kardamyli – the settlement has a fortified tower, a church and other stone buildings.

There bell tower is decorated with ornamental designs showing moon, stars, and the double-headed eagle – described by a guidebook as a “lovely mixed bag of symbols.”

The small museum here provides details of the complicated history of this settlement.  Below is a view from the Tower House.

There is a pebble beach here and we found a good taverna nearby for a meal of Moussaka and roasted spring vegetables.

Though the breezes are cool, the sun is intense and perfect for flowers and vegetables.  There are many beautiful flowers in ceramic vessels – in addition to these purple flowers, geraniums and nasturtiums love this sunny climate.

And now, oleander is blooming as well!

We’re happy here!

 

 

We made a dinner reservation for Larry’s birthday at O!live Restaurant in Gythio!  It’s along the waterfront and owned by a husband and wife team.  It was a fun dining experience and a place we’d recommend to anyone visiting in Gythio.

The appetizer was local smoked pork, cheese, tomatoes, cucumbers and olives.  Simple and delicious…olive oil and oregano are an important part of a dish like this!

The fish dishes were perfectly prepared; the pink wine lovely;

And the chocolate brownie dessert a nice way to end a delicious meal.  The staff went out of there way to make it a special evening!

This morning there was a huge thunderstorm!  Heavy rain, lightning and big thunder.  It was a good morning to read and relax.  It’s still the May holiday so shops are closed again today.

Once the rain stopped, we drove 30 minutes to the town of Aeropolis…’the city of Ares’.  There is a nice town square with bronze statue of Petrobey,  a Greek general and politician.

Many of the buildings in Aeropolis are constructed of stone.  Here’s the church;

and a tower building, common in this region.

We are staying in Las Hotel in Gythio.  It’s one of the more modern buildings in town and the breakfast area (shown below) is nice.

Wild nasturtiums are everywhere!  It looks like they thrive in this sunny climate!

Tomorrow we pack again to drive to our next stop, Kardamyli!

Gythio is a fishing port town with a population of about 4000.  Larry says that the best thing about Gythio is that there is nothing to do here!  We’re enjoying a relaxed visit and have walked many steps to explore the town!

The restaurants have been very good and we’re eating lots of delicious, traditional Greek dishes.  It’s a plus that almost all of our meals have been outdoors.  It’s always nice to begin a meal with a plate of olives from groves nearby.

When there is seafood, cats aren’t far away. We found this one perched on a window sill.

Restaurants in town are clustered along the waterfront but homes are built on the steep hillside.  We are happy to be staying on the flat part of town!

We discovered the mermaid guarding the boats along the harbor.

May 1 is a holiday in Europe for the celebration of the return of spring!  Since it falls on a Sunday this year, tomorrow is the official day.  Shops will be closed both days.

Today is extra-special because it’s Larry’s birthday!  This evening we have reservations for dinner and we’ll have a fun celebration!

Happy Birthday Larry!

We had a nice stay in Nafplio!  This weekend there is an International Yacht Festival in town and many huge yachts and sailboats have arrived and are lining the harbor.  It was quite something to see!

While in Nafplio we enjoyed a visit to the Archeological Museum and then drove to Tiryns, a Mycenaean fortress-palace nearby.  The fortress walls are made of huge irregular blocks of stone of different sizes.  They are called Cyclopean because the stones are so large that (according to legend) they must have been moved and positioned by Cyclopes!  The site is fascinating to visit.

Today the drive to the port town of Gythio took about 2 hours and 30 minutes.  This is where Helen fled with her lover Paris in the elopement that sparked the Trojan War!  We’ll explore the pleasant waterfront and take a couple of day trips from here.

The internet signal here isn’t very strong so fingers crossed we’ll be able to post a few photos along the way!

Cheers!

It’s Wednesday and that’s Market Day in Nafplio!  It’s quite a large market and vendors sell cheap clothes, implements, fish, wine, olive oil, fruits and vegetables!

This kind woman is selling produce and these small daily-like flowers that can be dried and used to make chamomile tea!

Zucchini must be in season as it’s sold with blossoms on the end that could be stuffed and cooked as well!

Fishes of every variety are available and these are colorful;

As are the peppers and eggplant!

Later, we drove to nearby to the site of the Ancient Greek theater Epidavros.  In July and August they perform classic Greek plays here!  It’s hot today but we found a shady spot at the top to view the scenery.

The ruins nearby are fun to explore.  These poppies are brilliant and they dot the countryside in the spring.

We have one more full day before we move to our next stop…Gythio!

We took a walk along the waterfront before we left Thessaloniki…one more look at the White Tower and the great statue of Alexander.

It was an 18 Euro cab ride to the airport where the check-in clerk rushed us on to an earlier flight to Athens.  We are impressed with the smaller airlines (Sky Express and Aegean) that make regular runs between Thessaloniki and Athens (plus other destinations as well).   During the 50-minute flight, the efficient flight attendants served water and a snack.  Once back in Athens, the rental car reps met us for our rental car pick-up, just outside the airport.  Here they are completing the paperwork and giving us last minute instructions.

The GPS made it easy to drive in the right direction for the 2-hour trip to Nafplio.  We made a quick stop for gas – here you see our  white rental car in front of the gas station.

The road way was excellent and the drive easy, but we had to stop every 30 minutes or so to pay a toll – around 9.25 Euros total!

Monday was still the Easter holiday weekend and Nafplio was busy with many tourists when we arrived.   One of the challenges of having a rental car is finding a place to park it.  We took a wrong turn up a very narrow street with no outlet and had to back downward trying to avoid hitting people, parked cars and flowerpots along the way.  Quite a harrowing experience!  Helpful residents guided us to safety.  We added a scrape to the side of the car…something we’ll have to deal with later!

Our hotel in Nafplio, the Rigas Pension is funky and probably not one we’d recommend but our room does have a nice balcony and a good breakfast.

We were in Nafplio about 7 years ago and it’s more developed and busier than we remember.  The alleyways are charming and the waterfront is nice.

Today is laundry day and we’re taking it easy…in recovery mode after dinging the car!🙁

 

…but we really like Thessaloniki!  There are many options for great restaurants, a long walkway along the water, friendly people, antiquities, and if we were inclined, many shopping possibilities.  We’ve enjoyed dining outdoors and the food has been fresh and delicious.

It has been a quiet Sunday as people are spending time with families for the Orthodox Easter holiday.  We walked around town and saw the Arch of Galerius;

and the Church of Hagia Sofia.

The city has a Mediterranean feel with palm trees and vistas of the water.

Parts of the city are a bit gritty – there is graffiti everywhere,

…mixed with high-end shops.

The skies have been blue and the red bud trees are in bloom.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been here five days already!  We’ve had a great time but tomorrow we fly back to Athens, pick up a rental car to drive around the Peloponnese!  Hoping for more good weather and safe travels!

Aristotlelous Square in Thessaloniki is a large open space that fronts the Thermaic Gulf in the Aegean Sea.  It’s named after the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle and his statue has a prominent place here.

We stopped by to say hello on our way to visit our most favorite statue in town, that of Alexander the Great.  One of Alexander’s teachers was Aristotle and the city is named after Alexander’s half-sister Thessalonike!  It makes sense that Alexander would have a special spot in the second largest city in Greece.

We always seem to find a market and this one had many fresh fruits and vegetables.  Mountain greens and strawberries are in season now but beets, leeks and lemons are abundant as well.  This vendor exudes an air of cheery enthusiasm for his veggies!

This small antique shop that spilled onto the sidewalk was colorful but it’s surrounded by graffiti as are many walls around town.

Thessaloniki has so many delicious dining options.  We like the Ladadika neighborhood for eating…it’s colorful in the evening!

We ate Pilaf with Mussels and drank white wine at a cute taverna called Negroponte.

We’re taking it easy with few plans for each day.  The temperatures are now in the 70’s and the sun is shining.  It’s a happy Saturday!

It usually takes us a few days to recover from jetlag so we haven’t wandered far from the hotel.  Today has been an especially good food day!  Our favorite thing for breakfast is yogurt (Greek of course) and thick local honey.

We tried  Bougatsa, a tradition inThessaloniki, flaky phyllo pastries for lunch.  One with spinach, mint, and dill.  For dessert a Bougatsa with custard cream – sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar (not shown).

Dinner was at Restaurant Argofageio (Greek for slow eating).  It was a 10 minute walk from the hotel – a tiny place with only a few tables..

The Greek salad was enormous and delicious;

…and the special soufflé with puréed potatoes, minced meat and corn was a specialty of the chef.  Larry’s calamari was tender and served with a lemon sauce.  We had the nicest meal there!

Outdoors seats at the restaurants are packed on a Thursday evening and we can see that preparations are underway for the Greek Orthodox Good Friday celebration.

The shop windows are fun for browsing!

The weather has been chillier than we expected and a bit rainy at times.  We walked a while along the water front, back to our hotel, the Electra Palace.

We hope all is well!  Best wishes from us!