Friends and family members,

At the risk of sounding like a representative from the Greek tourist board, I must, again, say that this is such a lovely country. There is a mystical sense of calm and relaxation here. It is intriguing and a bit surprising because believe me the Greeks are not what you would call laidback. They drive too fast, push their way through intersections, and are in many ways very tightly wound. Yet, there is also a sense of joy about them as well. It may part of the reason they are in the economic trouble that they are in. There is that part of them that lives for today with little thought about the realities of tomorrow. Perhaps that is what happens to us when we arrive here. Cares seem to disappear and you just live for each day.

Yesterday was another very sunny day. There is still a certain coolness in the air and by the middle of the day there was quite a strong breeze. The forecast (ah, there I am looking ahead, very unGreek!) looks to promise cooler weather for the next couple of days before coming back nice for the weekend. Anyway, I took a walk to Tolo, strolling along the beach to the marina and then back through the town.

Polley and I read a bit before getting ready to go into Nafplio and over the hill to the beach at Karathones. It is a big, beautiful sandy beach that lies over the hill behind Nafplio on which the fortress at Palimidi stands. As you drive down you can see the expanse of the bay.


We discovered this place (although neither of us can remember how) the first year we visited Nafplio, 1994. At that time there was this great beach and just one small taverna that sat above the water and sand. Now there are half a dozen tavernas, including the original one that we visited (still owned by the same fellow) and dozens of beach chairs and umbrellas. We decided to visit one this time that was new. It was about 11:30 when we drove up and there were a few people sitting on the deck behind the bar. We ask if the were open and they said, “of course!” However, we later discovered that the bear of a man wearing a little tiny Speedo was the owner and he was sunning himself until a customer came along. He was very apologetic for his attire, but explained that there were so few people yet that he thought he might just catch a little sun until someone came along. Ah, those Greeks, so practical. I am sorry to say I did not get a photo of him in the suit: a bear in a bikini!

He did bring us a nice bottle of wine and we found a place in the sun. It is a lovely setting with dozens of palapas to sit under.




We sat up near the bar, primarily because it was a long was to the water for the waiter. We sipped some very decent local wine and just enjoyed the sun.


It may have been the first “color” we have gotten since arriving.. We truly enjoyed the time, slowly sipping our wine and watching the locals and a couple of tourists that later wandered in. About 1:30, we got back in the car and returned home for lunch and siesta.

Early in the evening we sat with Ingrid and Yorgos. They are in the midst of having work done to the bar at the insistence of the Health Police. As I said earlier, the demands are ridiculous as the place as always been very clean. But they have the power and must be obeyed. A tile floor was going in yesterday and today, and that will be followed by some cupboards and a few other requirements. Anyway, it was kind of fun. Because of the title work, you couldn’t get to things in the bar, so we sat around and drank our wine and shared in with our hosts. It was a nice change.

Polley and I then headed out to dinner in Tolo. We intended to eat at a place called Limonia, but it was closed. We are not sure if it is simply closed on Mondays or if it has not yet opened for the season. So we turned back into Tola and tried a new place that we had not eaten at before, Santa Maria. Ingrid has just told us that they had good, Greek food. So we gave it a try.




We had souvlaki (largely because Polley and I couldn’t remember what it was), which is basically chunks of meat (in this case, Pork) grilled on a skewer. It was served with tomatoes and cucumbers (the cucumbers were some of the best we have had). The other dish was Green Beans in Tomato Sauce. It was very good. The beans were cooked within an inch of their life (not since living in the Midwest had we had such vegetables), but, in fact, they were delicious. Very simple, but very good.

It was an early evening, but what with the wine at the beach, sitting with Ingrid and Yorgos, ouzo before dinner and a half liter of wine with dinner, we turned in relatively quickly. It was, however, a very pleasant, very typical Greek vacation day. See you tomorrow.

Ed and Polley