In between long days of whacking olive trees (not quite dawn to dusk) we do manage to have a good time. Like the night we went to the local taverna, To Geranio, for drinks with the other British expats in the village.
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| Bob, a retired jockey, demonstrating the proper jaunt of a tweed cap. |
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| This ain't no IPA |
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| The next round. |
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| A pitcher of rose all to himself. |
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| Donica dancing with the taverna owner to traditional bazouki music. |
Then there was the time that Michael decided to hike up the mountain and Donica relaxed by the fireside, probably completing an entry on this very blog.
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| The view of the mountain from the villa |
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| The view from the top - you can just make out the yellow villa above the trees |
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| Announcing our summit |
Within an hour's drive are many, many attractions worth seeing, both natural and constructed. One Sunday Donica and I set out to hitchhike down the coast to
Methoni, where the
ruins of an old fortress extend spectacularly into the sea (we took a ton of pictures, expect a full post to be devoted to it in the future).
We've also been to several weekend markets in the area. These are very practical markets. In addition to produce, beans, nuts and sweets there are also a range of tools for sale, everyday linens, curtains, carpets, underwear (aka pants) and socks, new and used clothes, and old and new junk. The one pictured below is the
Kopanaki Sunday market.
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| Man cannot live by bread alone. |
The market was just the morning excursion. From there we drove to a beautiful beach and set up shop in a seaside taverna that is only open during the summer high season. In the back of the van was a charcoal grill, table and chairs, and the kids served us drinks from behind the bar. The nine of us had the taverna, and the entire beach, to ourselves.
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| Setting up the buffet table. |
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| Best seat in the house. |
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| Seriously, all to ourselves. |
It's not all glorious days off, though. There are the more tame distractions in the evening, such as backgammon at the old men's taverna, or an after work beer around a bonfire of olive boughs.
Greece, and especially the
Peloponnese, continues to exceed our expectations.
Those views are amazing! Every mountain hike needs a bell at the top, that's such an awesome idea.
ReplyDeleteYou're right about that, Shel. However, there's only a bell there because there's a church. In Greece, it seems, all hikes lead to a church. Everything leads to a church. There are more churches here than I've ever seen, some of which only get used one day a year!
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