Friends and other Mothers,

Sunday, of course, was Mother’s Day and it is celebrated here in Greece as well as in other European countries. We kept the day rather low-keyed, but our host, Ingrid, her mother and Ingrid’s daughter, Sophia, all took the opportunity to venture south of the peninsula for a Mother’s Day lunch. Polly and I ventured into new territory as well, but more about that later.

It was another sunny day and the forecast was for even warmer temperatures than we had had on Saturday. Looking to get about 75 or 76. Not hot, but certainly better than it had been. As I believe I mentioned yesterday, it was 9 degrees which I discovered is about 48 degrees for us. A cool, one might say, cold morning. However, it warmed up quickly and Polley and I were drying our hair in the sun by 7:30. I walked into Drepano and a bit beyond in the morning. As I walked along the road, I was pleased to discover what I see as the real sign of summer in Europe: red poppies. Usually by this time in most European southern climates, and certainly in Greece, the red poppies are everywhere. This year I had seen none until yesterday.


It might be a sign that things here are about to change.

I came back and Polley and I eased into the day. We continue to spend a good deal of morning time reading. About 11, we got into the car and traveled about 5 miles to a sweet little fishing village, Vivari. While we had eaten at a taverna there, The Mermaid, in years past, we had heard of another place and thought we would go there for some wine. I never could quite make out the name of the place, but it appeared from the Greek that is was the Soro Taverna.


It was still a bit early, but some people were sitting at one of the tables, so we went in. Later, we discovered they were not customers, but they were members of the family that owned the place, having their morning coffee. None of the people spoke English, but I fumbled about in my minimal Greek (like Shakespeare, “Little Latin and less Greek.”) and we managed to determine that they were open and that we could get some wine.

Vivari sits on a little inlet and seems to have a small fishing fleet. As we sat in the sunshine, we saw two boats come in.


We also saw children and their parents playing the water. A very nice setting, a sweet little village.


By the time we were getting ready to leave, a young man, obviously a son or grandson had arrived on the scene. He had some English. I ask him for the bill and he said, “Two euros.” I couldn’t believe it. That was the new low for half litre of wine. I was so amazed that I tipped him 33% or another euro! We will be returning to that place, you can be sure. We returned to Ingrid’s for some lunch. We had acquired so much food that there was no way we could justify lunch out. We have come away from nearly every meal with leftovers, plus some things we fixed for ourselves. The requisite siesta followed lunch, however, we set the alarm as the day before we had slept for 4 hours and then had a very difficult time sleeping that night. We need to get some control over our leisurely life!

That evening, after a very nice time talking with Ingrid at the bar, Polley and I went to Kastraki, the quaint little taverna just up the road on the way to Tolo. We are becoming regulars there and it is a good thing. Apart from two people who came in for a drink, we were the only people in the place. As always the food was excellent. This time we started with a couple of glasses of ouzo and then had their eggplant salad, a kind of spread that you put on bread, some of their Greek fried potatoes (thinly sliced, lightly fried disks rather than our French Fries) that were good with the eggplant salad spread on it and another order of fried anchovies. Our little cat friend benefited from the anchovies.


And we were finally so full that we took the rest home. More leftovers!

We were home rather early, but decided to just sit and read and see if we could catch up on the missed hours of sleep. Another day in this Grecian adventure. More tomorrow.

Ed and Polley

A Lovely Day in the Sun

Friends and the uninvited,,

WE have been here a week! Actually it will be a full week at about 9:45 this evening, when we pulled into Ingrid’s from Athens. And it has been a good week. I was just commenting to Polley this morning that life is simpler here and that is what I think I most enjoy. We have seen most of the sights of the Peleponnese twice and, in most cases, three times. There is not the pressure to DO things. We just allow ourselves to enjoy the rhythms of this primarily rural life.

With the appearance of the sun and clear skies yesterday, the whole nature of our visit seemed to change. My morning walk to Tolo was a delight as the sun shown on the hills, on the bay, and on the beautiful, green, crystal-clear water.

Here as I reach the rise and head down into Tolo, you can look across the bay.

Once I have walked through the town, I come to the end of the town at the harbor which opens out on the sea

As I return, you can look at the harbor with the small fishing boats that keep the restaurants supplied with fish

And this is looking back the other way at the hill where my journey began

Following my hour long jaunt to the east, we read a bit and then decided to return to the bustling town of Nafplio, this time intending to enjoy it in the bright sunshine. For those of you considering a visit to Peleponnese, I strongly suggest using Nafplio or a place nearby as a base. You can easily motor to Corinth, Agros, Mikines, Sparta and other famous destinations and return home that evening for a meal in the town of Nafplio or at one of the tavernas in the outlying villages.

WE arrived in Nafplio about 10:30 and just leisurely strolled up and down the streets looking into the shops. If you are interested in jewelry or watches, the options are nearly endless. We had a nice talk with a lady who strings beads for the famous Greek worry beads and for other good luck charms. Since our first stay in Nafplio in 1994, it has become increasingly up-market. High fashion stores are visible and the bar and restaurant trade has seemingly doubled, at least. Nafplio is build around a central square.

We found a nice place to sit and watch Greek life unfold (or perhaps explode) on a busy Saturday morning.

While later in the summer there will be many tourists here, now the tourist population is rather low (you can hear complaints from waiters and innkeepers).


Almost all we heard and saw yesterday was Greek language and Greek families. There were an amazing amount of children. Every adult seemed to pushing a pram or dragging a child or two along. Kids were skateboarding and playing soccer in the square. Greek life appeared to be good.

Following a couple of hours in town, stopping to have a half liter of wine which was not only just 4 euros, but also was served with a plate of olives, tomatoes and feta cheese. We were in danger of spoiling our lunch and with the food in our refrigerator that was not a good idea.

WE got back to Ingrid’s about 1 and had some of that lunch that needed to be eaten. We read a bit more and then caught a serious siesta. We slept for 4 hours! It was 6:30 when we finally came awake. We got dressed and wandered down to Yorgos at the bar and for the next hour and a half had a lovely time talking with Ingrid, Yorgos, and their daughter, Sophia, and her friend, Maria. Great fun. Here you see the two girls

And, of course, Polley with Ingrid .

With light beginning to fade, Polley and I, deciding to eat dinner in (trying to get rid of still more food, went into Tolo for a drink. We found a local bar, and I do mean local, as everyone was speaking Greek except us. We each had an ouzo and just watched Saturday night life in Tolo. Near the end of our stay there, however, a young couple came in and were clearly speaking English. Turns out they were from Seattle. Had a nice conversation with them as we finished our drinks. They were leaving for Athens this morning, so it was a brief visit, but they were very enjoyable. We headed home for the last (not quite) of the delicious Greek potato salad that Polley made. A bit more reading and then it was lights out. I know it may have seemed like we did nothing significant, but it was a very enjoyable day. A little sunshine seems to change everything. More tomorrow.

Ed and Polley

Dear one and all,

Yesterday was such a slow, lazy, dreary, cloudy, and, eventually, quite cold day that I was struggling to motivate myself to write a blog. However, this morning we arose (Polley and I being one of the few vacation couples who get up at 5:20 this morning and are pleased about it!) and there was the SUN!

Clear blue skies and the sun reflecting off the hills. Greece becomes a completely different place. But, more about that tomorrow.

Yesterday, it was cloudy and rainy. We kept thinking the sun would break through, but if it did it was seldom and just for a few minutes. I did get a walk in to Drepano without getting wet and we even took a drive into Nafplio and over the hill to our favorite beach, but it was cool and very quiet. Very few of the tavernas appears to be open. Se we came back and enjoyed some wine and tzatziki at Kastraki, our little taverna on the bay. It is sheltered by some clear plastic shades.


It is a lovely setting, the tzatziki is very garlicly, and the wine is cheap. What more could one ask for

While sitting there, we were befriended by this little fellow.

Tri-colored calicos seem to be the favorite among the Greeks. They are every where.

After spoiling our lunch with the bread, olives and tzatziki we headed back to Ingrid’s. We read for a while, took another extended siesta (neither of us had slept well the night before). We read after getting up (just finished a book I highly recommend: Anna Quindlen’s Every Last One – sad, but very good) and then went down to the bar and had a very nice time with Ingrid’s daughter, Sophia, and her friend, Maria. Very bright girls who both chatted away with us so comfortably in English. Then we headed for new restaurant.

We decided to take a slight detour from Greek food and had pizza. This place was not here the last time we were with Ingrid, but it is very good. It is in Drepano and it is called Da Bosco. The owners are actually Italian and the pizza was excellent. We had the vegetarian which in this case meant eggplant and green peppers.

Prior to the pizza we had a starter of red peppers in bagna cauda. For those of you who know us well, banga cauda (Italian for “warm bath”) is a staple of ours in the summer time when we dip green beans into it. This was just red peppers layed flat with the bagna cauda poured over it. We think the bath does the slight cooking of the peppers. It was delicioud. In fact, it was so good that we ate it before I got a picture. Next time, maybe.

Then it was home and back to the bar and a little visit with Yorgos who was pouring generous glasses of Ouzo last night. We took our back to the room, read and prayed for a sunny day. As I said at the beginning, our prayers were answered. More about that tomorrow.

Ed and Polley

Walking on a Gray Day

One and all,

Each day begins with a walk. I head in one of two directions, west to the beachside town of Tolo and east to a very small, yet very traditional Greek village, Drepano. Yesterday, I headed for Tolo. The skies were quite cloudy and gray (more about that later). I am now trying to make sure the camera is with me on these jaunts as there are some pretty amazing sights. Yesterday, I caught this fellow looking for morning snack on the dumpster!

Bon appetite!

Tolo is pretty typical of any beach town. It sits on a calm bay. This photo was taken on the road leading into town, across that bay.

It still seems to be very quiet. Everyone says that business is down and added to that is that it is still a bit early in the season. Some hotels and inn, in fact, have not even opened. Apparently, to take advantage of all that Greece has to offer, you really need to come in July and August. The problem is, of course, it becomes very crowded. You just can’t win!

Walking east, as I did the day before is the village of Drepano. It is quite a contrast to Tolo. While what seems to be happening in Tolo at 8 am, is the sight of various groups of tourists staggering out of the few hotels operating in early May and getting on to waiting tour coaches. Restaurant owners complain that these tours come for an afternoon and a night in Tolo, but many are all inclusive so they eat and drink at the hotel and hardly see the town, let alone spend any money in it. By 8 the next morning, they are on their way.

Drepano, on the other hand, is an active village at 8 am.

Old Greek men sit at various tavernas drinking strong black coffee. Old women, in their long, black dress with their hose around their ankles, sensible nun shoes, sit talking, often with some embroidery in their hands. Young kids are on their way to school, walking hand-in-hand with a schoolmate or with a parent. Older kids are zipping into and out of town on motorbikes. Bakeries are open and Maria in her market is rolling up the doors. It is alive.

Yesterday, Polley and I went into both Tolo and Drepano. Tolo was a housekeeping excursion. While Ingrid’s is nicely furnished and the kitchens quite nicely equipped, the size of the coffee cups just don’t meet American standards. While we do like to live as the locals lives, when it comes to the size of mugs, a change was necessary.

Ingrid’s cup is on the right, the new standard is on the left.

Our trip to Drepano was for supplies. We found ourselves back at Maria’s.

What for? You guessed it, cat food! Our bungalow has a veritable parade of cats throughout the day and all through the night. Sleep is often disturbed with the lyrical sounds of cats crunching Friskies.

While in Drepano, we stopped for a glass of wine under the shade of some trees.

We just sat there and watched the daily life of a Greek village go by. One thing you see in the old Greek villages is the most fascinating group of faces. Clothes around the world may look similar, but faces are much more distinctive. I will try to capture some of those faces in future blogs.

One of the things that has always been fun in Greece is being exposed to the various salespeople who pass through the town, usually on some bull horn announcing their wares. We have seen the standard fish, vegetable and meat trucks, along with those selling plastic patio furniture. Yesterday was a new entrepreneur. Ye Olde Brother Hubbard and his Shoe Mobile!

He pulled up at an intersection and people came flocking, including, of course, my wife!

When we returned home for lunch, Ingrid predicted a thunderstorm at 6 p.m. She was right, however, it came a bit earlier, around 5. We sat with Ingrid at the bar as the rains poured down. We also decided to just stay in last night, enjoying a wonderful Greek potato salad that she made. We have previously done little cooking at Ingrid’s, but with have been a bit more adventurous this time. Partly, it is still early and the weather has been changeable. Better days are predicted for the weekend and the first of the week. I will stay in touch .

Ed and Polley

Friends and Family,


Ah, Cinco de Mayo! Wait a minute, wrong country. Sorry! It is, however, the 5th of May, our 4th full day in another global paradise! However, yesterday was a bit less than Paradise.

Rain and a terrific wind storm visited us the evening and morning of May 4th. Apparently these winds come from the north of Africa and bring with it tremendous amounts of sand, yellow from Tunisia and Red from Libya. This appeared to red; another Gadahfi plot no doubt. The wind was so strong it blew glasses off the shelves of the bar here along with vases and knick-knacks. No real damage, but it did wake people up and brought a bit of reality to this idyllic place.

We read for a while and talked with our host, Ingrid, who is still complaining about the Health Police, who have made them do some additions to their bar and surrounding facilities. She is fuming and, believe me, there is no one else I know who can fume like a German. And the requirements are just silly and expensive. Small bureaucrats with a bit of power. I also should note that Ingrid’s daughter, Sophia, is home. She was five when we stared coming here. She is not in her last year of Engineering School. Anyway, Ingrid told us a story of Sophia, who like her mother is fluent in a number of languages, including Greek, German, English. Apparently one day Sophia was talking to her mother in German while texting someone else in English. All at the same time! Anyway, Ingrid encouraged us to get out and about, so around noon, we decided to head to the lovely town of Nafplio, just about 7 kilometers away. We had heard of a Folk Art Museum there with quite a costume collection. However, we no sooner arrived and it began to pour. We ducked into a taverna and sat with our glasses of wine while we watched hosts of school children play about the square. Napfplio was the first town on the Peleponnese that we stayed in and it still is a special place for us. Just not yesterday.



By the time the storm cleared, the Museum was closed and we thought that another day might be better for Nafplio. I remarked to Polley that Greece quickly becomes a very different place is the sun is not shining. It is sill early in the year for uninterrupted sunshine. Also the towns are very quiet and many of the restaurants and even hotels are not even open yet. We have eaten out 3 nights and each place had no more than two or three tables filled.

Following our return from Nafplio, Polley made us a Greek salad. I actually believe the Greeks could learn a thing or two from Polley about Greek salads. However, the tomatoes are not quite ready yet, and those are an important ingredient to the salad. However, the feta here as fabulous.

Following siesta, Polley had an extended Skype call to her friend Rae. It always amazes me how long they can talk. We just saw her on Saturday. Yet they never run out of things to say.

We were a bit unsure about dinner last night. We had eaten a good-size salad rather late and they wind was still swirling about. So we decided to return to that little place on the bay that we had gone to for a glass of wine the day before. It is very Greek and the prices are good. Our tradition is now to start with some ouzo and then we added some very good tzatziki (again, I don’t say this lightly, but it was very good) and bread. We added fried anchovies. These are the whole fish and you just pop them in your mouth like French Fries. Not to be missed. We also had an order of what they call Garlic Salad which seems to be mashed potatoes with plenty of garlic, swimming in olive oil and served cold.


It was very good. I think this place will become a regular stop. The thing about Greek food is that the offerings are essentially the same at each taverna with some different depending on the day and what is in the market. If you can find a place that offers food you enjoy, don’t hesitate to go return, again and again. I have yet to know the name of this little place, so, for now, it is the Little Taverna on the Tolo Bay!

Home for a last drink with Yorgos and then off to bed, hoping that the Bowen Curse for Inclimate Weather will not continue!

More tomorrow,

Ed and Polley

To those who might care,

It rained today! Our second full day in Greece and we were greeted, at about 5 am, to the sound of water droplets hitting the plastic zip-lock bags we had put out to dry. It was really more of an on again-off again shower that persisted until mid-morning, then the day brighten up and was really quite nice from then on.

We continued to “settle in” (how many times have I used that phrase?). WE spent a little more time with Ingrid as she has the morning duties, providing breakfast for those who want it and taking reservations etc. Yorgos, her husband, oversees the evening hours. Those of you considering a B & B, be warned, it is a full time job and you are tied to the place nearly all the time.

After coffee and my first blog, we straightened up the bungalow, with a little help from various four-legged friends. This cat and dog are the best of friends and the cat is constantly flirting with her canine idol.

From this photo, you can see that he can take just so much and must somehow manage to fit his frame into the tiny doghouse. This is the same one the cat was in yesterday!


WE took off about 11:30 to pick up a few more things from the store. As you “settle in,” it is an evolving process of discovery. This morning it was paper towels, a bar of soap and some detergent for hand wash. I am sure that by tomorrow, there will be a cry for more cat food!

After a little time in Drepano, the weather had cleared so nicely that we planned to stop at a little taverna we fondly remembered that sat right on the sea, on what we referred to as the “rocky beach” (there are a number of “sandy beaches” as well). Sadly, the little place, that had the best Tzatziki this side of my own, had gone out of business. In fact, everyone is complaining that business is slow. Like Mexico, things are down as much as 30%. Anyway, with one taverna gone, we headed toward the little beach town of Tolo. There is a nice little place, still operating, just as you head into Tolo, near the Acropolis of Ancient Assini . WE stopped there and had a half liter of white wine and just enjoyed the view.

Following that stop, it was back to the bungalows for lunch. We finally had the opportunity to try the local cheese, salami, bread and olives. They were delicious!
Siesta, of course, comes next and it is clear that we are still recovering from our long flight. It was nearly 5 when we awoke. We read for a while before going down to see Ingrid and Yorgos at the bar. Have really been out of touch as we learned of the killing of Osama Ben Laden. This news vacuum we were in reminded us of the first time we came to Greece in 1994 and were one of the last people to know of the OJ Simpson Bronco Chase. Now that I think of it, we also missed 9/11 and didn’t hear about it until getting to school.

Anyway, after the fellowship at the bar, Polley and I took in one of our favorite little restaurants, Chez Gille, located in Tolo, the little beach town about a mile to the west of Ingrid's.

Gille is French, but it is a very Greek restaurant. His wife, Maria, is a delight. She is fluent in Greek, English, French and Italian. She was amazing as we watched her flit from us to a Russian woman and her child, to a French family across the way. All of it with humor and without effort.

We had a wonderful Vegetable Plate for 2. It was stuffed red peppers, asparagus, mushrooms, beans, zucchini and potatoes. All swimming in olive oil. Very good.

We also had, despite Maria’s hesitancy, some retsina. Retsina seems to be disappearing from Greek life. As the older generations die off, the younger ones have little or no interest in this very distinctive flavored wine. Anyway, we enjoyed it and then Maria gave us little after dinner treat of Mastica. It was quite sweet, but also quite refreshing.

Then it was home for a drink with Yorgos who was on night duty. Another very relaxing day in Greece. No need to do much more.

Ed and Polley

In Greece at Last

We are in Greece! After flying and driving for 22 hours, we arrived at Ingrid’s Bungalows, a place we have stayed numerous times over the last 15 years. We dearly love Ingrid and her husband Yorgos and have enjoyed seeing their daughter grow up. She was 5 on our first visit and she now is in the last year of university, studying to be an engineer.

Our flight went smoothly, all except for the last leg. We flew to Chicago and then caught a non-stop Lufthansa flight to Munich, each leg right on time. The glitch was in the last leg, from Munich to Athens. It was delayed about 45 minutes so it meant we were about a half hour late into Athens, but we did get our luggage and met the fellow who had our rental car. It is a cute little Fiat, but it was just big enough (barely) for our luggage. It took us about 2 ¼ hours to motor to Assini where the bungalows are located. Of course, we had to sit up for another 90 minutes as we unpacked the car and enjoyed a ceremonial first ouzo with Yorgos. By the time we hit the bed, I figured that between the time we got up in Portland and the time we hit the sack in Greece, it had been 35 hours. We did manage a couple of catnaps on the various flights, but we were very tired. However, Polley and I both commented that it was amazing, but there is something about the country. We could both almost literally feel the cares of the world drop off us as we set down in Greece.

A good sign of how tired we were, for those of you who know us really well, we slept until 9:45 the next morning. Unheard of! The next couple of hours were spent unpacking and figuring out where to put things. While Ingrid’s is lovely, it is not really set up for people to stay a month. So we had to be creative with the space available. While we were looking for places for clothes and shoes, the cats at Ingrid’s had already begun to make themselves at home in our room.

This little girl is one of the oldest of Ingrid’s family. She planted herself on the bed within 30 minutes of our arrival has hardly moved since.


There are also a couple of pregnant mama running around, so the family could increase dramatically in the next few weeks. I caught this mama sleeping in this little hut.


These two were challenging each other over the food bowl. One, as you see was willing to wait his turn.


I should take a moment to introduce you to Ingrid's. We initially discovered it in 1995. Here is a photo of how it looks from the road


A view of our bungalow


And one of two terraces, one in front (this one) and another on the back


After unpacking, we headed to the little village of Drepano, about half a mile from Ingrid’s. We went into the market for supplies and a very nice little lady, Maria, took us around, making sure we got the locally made or grown vegetables, cheeses, meats, wines and breads. And, last, but not least, cat food!

Back to the bungalows to unload. However, before we could make lunch, Ingrid invited us to share a couple of pizzas. We are truly like family when we come here. After a little wine and pizza, it was definitely siesta time. And, if it is necessary to show you how tired we were, we slept for another nearly 3 hours!

After a bit of reading, we joined Yorgos at the bar that is a part of the complex.


It is the regular gathering place for guests, usually before people head off to dinner and when they return. We had a glass of wine and then headed back to Drepano for dinner at a place called Nikos, located just off the village square, across from the church.

Following an ouzo, Polley and I shared a Greek salad and an order of calamari. Niko provided a half liter of wine on him. Actually the salad was so large that we brought most of the calamari home with us. All for less than 20 euros!

It was then home and back to the bar. We had a last glass of wine, we thought, but a nice Albanian fellow insisted on buying us another. That meant we had had more than enough and it was time to say good night! More to come, hopefully on a nearly daily basis.

Ed and Polley