Preparing for Crete, Saying Good-bye to Peleponnese

Friends and Family,

Well, another couple of days have slipped by since I last made contact. And in another two days, we will be leaving Ingrid’s and heading for Crete. We are looking forward to that adventure, but are also sad to leave Yorgos and Ingrid. This has been a lovely stay and we have met a number of nice people that we certainly hope to see again.

The weekend got underway with a birthday party for the little boy, also a George (Yorgos) of Frank and Irena.


This is a German family that own an apartment about half a mile from Ingrid’s. Another couple that stayed at Ingrid’s and then liked the area so much that they bought a place here. Although, they have been having problems with one of their association owners and are now thinking of selling. Anyway, we had such a nice time at the party, with a cake and fruit and lots to drink, that we neglected to ever get to dinner. We had this plan with 6 days left to eat at our three favorite restaurants twice each before leaving. Now we will have to sneak in a lunch at one of the places.

Saturday was a nice day and we walked about the beach, got a good deal of reading in and then went to Ilias’ taverna in Tolo. This is the place we had the dinner with the Italian film director (who has recovered and is heading back to Italy) and others. The food we had on the two previous occasions was wonderful. So we thought we’d try it on our own. It was very good. We had a big chunk of feta, some tomato and courgette balls that were very good along with a Greek salad.

While there we struck up a conversation with a young Irish couple that had just been married. Both work in bars in Dublin. Very sweet and quite funny, as the Irish often are. As a wedding gift, we decided to buy there dinner. They were very surprised and it was fun to see the expression on their faces when they realized it..

Sunday was a strange day. It started out beautiful, but apparently in the afternoon we had another terrific thunderstorm. I say apparently because in my drunkern stupor on Friday (at the birthday party) I had volunteered to drive Frank, Irena and their son to the airport in Athens! So, that was my afternoon. Two hours there and two hours back – at 8.57 a gallon! It was really bad and I had a nice chance to get to know them a bit better (Polley had to stay at home because our little car could not fit 5 plus luggage –She cleaned the apartment!). By the time I got back, about 6 in the evening, it was time for a drink, and dinner. We need to be back by 9 to meet Petros, the artist that has been around Ingrid’s during our stay. He showed us some of his work. He gave us a piece as a gift and we bought two others. Then we crashed. Extended driving in Greece can take it out of you.

Monday was a pretty easy time. Morning weather was great. Good walk to Drepano and back for some coffee and a trip in Tolo for the last laundry before heading to Crete. Polley and I walked to the Plaka Beach for a glass of wine. It was lovely when we sat down, but as is our custom, we can bring rain to the Saharah, it stated to rain. We waited for a slight break and ran home for lunch and siesta. That evening we enjoyed our last meal at Niko’s. Had some wonderful stuffed zucchini, his corgettes and, of course, his tzatziki. Wonderful food and a very nice man. We promised to see him again. However, after the drinking t Ingrid’s in the early evening and that at Niko’s, it was home for bed.

Of course, getting into bed is increasingly difficult. Last night it was 6 cats on the bed,


this one, snuggling up close


and the newest kitten through the glass


They are great fun and we will miss them.

We head for Crete on Wednesday and will try to stay with the blog, but it will need to be done from an internet café and may be a little more sporadic. Best to all.


Ed and Polley

Dwindling Days on the Peleponnese

Friends and Family,

Well, another couple of days have slipped by. The weather has continued to be weird (“Global Weirding” as Tom Friedman calls it.) Wednesday was a lovely day as we walked to Drepano for a glass of wine. Alright, a half liter! Read quite a bit and then out to dinner.

One thing that I treasure is our established routine. In fact, it has become so important to us, that anything that might disrupt it becomes a significant irritation. Unconsciously, it is almost exactly what we had in Mexico. We awake a bit earlier here, usually about 5:45 or 6 am. That is largely due to the cacophony of birds that commence their symphony at the sun comes up. There is quite a variation of song birds here and the music they produced is startling. That is our daily alarm clock.

We spend the next 90 minutes reading, feeding any number of cats, drinking coffee and generally getting ourselves going. I take the hour-long walk that has also become the opportunity to pick up a few things at the store. One thing that we have discovered late in our stay here is that the water at Ingrid’s is so “hard” that that it gums up the coffee maker and creates a kind of hard surface on the towels. It also made the coffee taste odd. We have now gone to bottled water and things have improved greatly. The sad things, especially for us Oregonians, is that Greece has no recycling plan. Thus plastic container after plastic container (glass as well) goes into the trash. It feels so odd to be throwing these things away, but there is no place else to dispose of them.

Anyway the morning constitutional over, Polley and I refresh the coffee, catch-up on e-mails, blogs (if I am sufficiently motivated) and some more reading. Then it is into one of the two villages for a glass of wine and a bit of voyeurism. In Tolo, a typical beach town, we watch the array of international visitors, mostly Germans and English, but there are some French, Italians and quite a number of American college students on two or three week summer programs. Tolo is a good base for them as it is relatively close to major antiquities and it has a beach.

Every other day, we walk to Drepano, which as I have mentioned before, is a real, working village. It is a different kind of show we are privy to in this little town. Farm vehicles go up and down the street, old men sit and talk in cafes, women walk children, shop and gossip on shop doorsteps. We have a little place where we can sit under the canopy of a trees, somewhat protected from the sun (when it shines), right in the middle of the village square. It all passes before us.

After the wine, we walk back, about a mile each way and have lunch. Lately we have been taking leftovers home from dinner. So we are now getting two meals for the price of one. Meals generally cost between 15 and 25 euro for the two of us. That is for wine, too much food and lunch the next day. Not too bad!

Siesta, of course, is next and then after 90 minutes or so we are up for a concentrated period of reading before going down to the bar for an ouzo and some nice conversation with Yorgos, Ingrid, assorted guests if they are available. Then it is off to dinner.

Unfortunately, on Wednesday night we tried a new place that we selected solely on it appearance. We were very disappointed! We did, however, come away with a great appreciation for those places we have enjoyed. So in the last 6 days here, we are decided to rotate our three favorite restaurants; It will Niko’s on Thursday, Ilias on Friday, Kastraki on Saturday and one more round on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. Next Wednesday we head for Crete.

Yesterday we both found that we were tired, so we drove into Tolo for wine. Are we ever glad we did! Within 10 minutes of arriving, the skies darkened, lightning flashed and thunder echoed. Fortunately we had stopped into a covered café and so we sat for an hour or so and watched people scurry about, many reduced to fleeing on their motorbikes, which are great vehicles in Greece, except when it rains. And rain it did! We finally caught a break in the weather, dashed to our car and got home.

Lunch, siesta and then for a drink and dinner. Niko’s, the little taverna in Drepano (he calls it a tavernetta) has wonderful food. We had their amazing tzatziki, some zucchini fritters and for the first time, they had the stuffed tomatoes on their menu. Actually it was one stuffed tomato and one stuffed green pepper. Delicious! Our Austrian friend, pictured in an earlier blog, stopped by and we shared a 3rd half liter of wine! Thankfully, he heads back to Austria today. We enjoyed talking with him, but he did tend to cling to you once he had found you. Then it was home following two satisfying, uninterrupted days. We are planning to relish the 5 that remain.

Ed and Polley

High Drama: Near Death, New Birth

Friends and Family,

Well, I confess to another couple of days going by without a blog. But there has been a bit of drama at Ingrid’s and schedules have been thrown off, things on, then off, then on again. Near death and new life. Also the days seems to been passing much faster as we are down to one week before we leave for Crete.

Monday morning we awoke to learn that the Italian director, Ennio Peregalli, had been taken to the hospital in Nafplion, about 7 kilometers away. We had seen him Sunday morning at Polley’s Pilates session. He not feeling well then, but thought his back was just bothering him from the stress of the shoot. However, it was more than that and quite serious. He was diagnosed with a bleeding ulcer and also had some effects of an earlier by-pass surgery. We later learned that it was sort of 50/50 as to his living or dying. So, Yorgos had to go the hospital as no one spoke Greek. It was quickly ascertained that Ennio was going to be hospitalized for sometime and was not going to be able to travel. Martha, Merta and the Peregallis were schedule to catch the ferry to Italy on Tuesday morning. Martha, the lady from Switzerland took command. She and Merta had to get home so she arranged for Ennio’s daughter, who lives in Italy, to come. She was to arrive about midnight on Monday evening. We had all planned to go to dinner together that evening for a special dish, called Fish Soup. That, of course, was cancelled.

Plans were put together for the daughter to stay at Ingrid’s so that Yorgos could help her communicate with doctors, etc. Of course, Yorgos and Ingrid also had much of their plans turned upside down. As I say, lots of drama!

Polley and I, now not having Fish Soup made other plans and generally tried to stay out of everyone’s way while helping in any way we might. Then, Monday afternoon, the Fish Soup dinner was back on. So instead of our now dining alone, at maybe 7:30 or 8 and turning in early, we were back to dinner with 5 other people and waiting until 9:30 to begin. From the Greek Party onward, it has been a whirlwind!

Polley and I went into Tolo about 8:30 for a little time alone with a glass of wine. At 9:30 we arrived at Ilias’ Taverna, the place with had had dinner with Martha a couple of nights before. Like last time, the amount of food was amazing. Fried cheese as a starter along with carafe’s of wine and another beautiful, big salad. Then, the Fish Soup, served in individual tureens the size that would be suitable for dishing out to a table of 6. You can see the bowls on the right side of the photo.


It was a broth-based cream soup and they you added great hunks of fish. It was delicious, but Polley and I needed to stop then . But, on no! Then came a whole fish.


He said it weighed about 3 kilos, 6 pounds! Beautiful to look at and my God, was there a lot of flesh on it. More wine, of course, and then DESSERT!


As were finishing, Ennio’s wife/partner arrived for her dinner. It was now 11:40. She had been at the hospital and had now arrived to have here dinner and bring us up to date on Ennio, who was resting and stable. We, of course, had to sit for another hour and drink and pick at the dessert. And throw a bit of fish to this little fellow.


At 1 am, we excused ourselves. What a day.

Tuesday a little calm moved into our lives. Yorgos spent the day translating at the hospital, Ingrid was hanging on by a thread, so we made ourselves scarce. We had planned to take the bus into Athens to visit the Acropolis Museum, but gave up on that idea as we fell into bed at 1:30 in the morning. WE walked into Tolo for some wine, mostly read and napped and then went to Kastraki, the little place on the bay, for our own private dinner. We had an excellent Greek salad and Calamari. Such a pleasant place. Had a bit of a conversation with two French couples and returned home to fall down at a reasonable hour.

There was bit of sunshine in all of this, as a recently new-born kitten was introduced in the family. She had been inside for the last week or so and this was her first venture outside.


It was great fun to see the mother care for her and sort of show her around her new home.


Mama Cat even brought the baby down to our place, as if to say, “If you are ever hungry and cat find food, you can always come to Bungalow 4!”

Anyway, with a week to go, we are still treasuring everyday at Ingrid’s. The weather remains “iffy,” but we can’t control that. We will just enjoy what we can while it lasts! More later

Ed and Polley

The Fun Seems to Never Stop!

Friends and Family,

Well the last couple of days, following the Big Fat Greek Party were largely devoted to recovery. It was 8:30 am before Polley and I crawled out of bed (for those of you who know us that equates to about noon for the normal!) I did finally recover enough to get in a morning walk, this time Drepano. Walks are becoming increasingly warm and I usually return completely drenched. Days are now regularly topping our in the low 80s.

We helped Ingrid clean up a bit following the party. Because of the heat, we thought it better to walk to Tolo, along the beach, for a glass of wine. We returned for lunch and our siesta and then just enjoyed the day and our books. Polley is working her way through Freedom by Jonathan Franzen and I finished up Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer, which is an easy read, but great fun. I have now jumped into David Grossman’s To the End of the Land, which I am enjoying, but is not an easy read.

Saturday evening some of the guests gathered around the bar. Some other friends, Frank and Irena, also came over, having been the object of a horror story at their condominium. The only “it takes only one bad apple to spoil the barrel” certainly seemed to apply as they struggle with an abusive owner in a nine-owner partnership. While I sometimes envy the ease of condo living, the hassles in association meetings I have heard about, seem to make it less than ideal. We did have a more light-hearted moment as Ingrid decided to become a two-handed smoker from her position behind bar.


About 9 Polley and I were to meet Martha, her friend, Merta, and the Italian film director, Ennio and his wife for dinner at a friend of Martha’s, Ilias. He owns a place in Tolo. We were, of course, early, like a half hour or more. However, we got some wine and just sat outside on the sidewalk. It was a still, warm evening; I think it is the nicest night we have had since arriving. Tolo was alive with activity, both Greek families and some tourists . Martha and her entourage arrived about 9:45 and we then had a feast that nearly defies description.

We started with this work of art.


It is a Greek salad and it was amazing. Sculptured skins of cucumbers and tomatoes formed to appear as flowers. Beside this were huge chunks of feta smothered in olive oil and oregano. That was followed by mussels in a tomato sauce, something called Saganaki Shrimp. There were, of course, endless carafes of wine and then, the main course, fish.


Martha was almost a surgeon in her deboning of it. We then has a grappa-like shot of white lightening. It was nearly one in the morning by the time we staggered into our bungalow. So much for resting up on vacation!

Sunday was another nice day. But we made sure it was for ourselves. Well, almost. In her drunkenness, Polley has volunteered to show Martha and Merta a couple of Pilates exercises for helping the back. So at noon we found ourselves on the side of the road above Tolo, waiting to follow Martha up to her home. She and Merta each own small bungalows above Tolo. The view is marvelous. The bungalow is not really much bigger than what we have at Ingrid’s, but the view of the bay defies description. So I will just show the pictures.




We didn’t stay long, but did manage to stop at Kastraki for a glass of wine. It was the first time in quite a while that there were just the two of us. It was nice to sit by the water and we were pleased that Kastraki was full. The tourists have been slow to arrive, but it now appears, as the weather warms up, that they are on their way.

That evening we planned another period of time alone with dinner at Nikos. However, we had not been in the restaurant 10 minutes when this fellow, a regular, struck up a conversation with us . . . and did not stop all evening.

He calls himself Frederico and he is from Austria. Fascinating guy who appears to be a homeless person, but who, in fact, seems to have some money and just chooses to appear to be a bum!


Very nice, but his limited English made it an exhausting evening. Turns out he is a big country music fan and he was delighted when I told him he looked like Kris Kristofferson! It is in fact kind of true. Kris would just need to be missing all his upper teeth! Service was very slow at Nikos as well. By the time our entrée came, we were too full of Tzatziki and bread that we just had Niko box it up for another day.

Like most places, the social calendar just seems to grow and grow. A couple of days of rest are in order. We shall see if that happens.

Ed and Polley

The Big Fat Greek Party

Friends and Family,

It was the day of the night of the “Big Fat Greek Party!” This promised to be a day to remember and I think it lived up to its billing.

I did a nice Drepano walk in the morning, but that was the last time we were leaving the grounds all day! Polley and I had committed to making a Caesar Salad and had trolled the two villages for all of the exotic ingredients. Polley spent the morning cleaning Romaine lettuce, as you don’t get nice pre-washed Hearts of Romaine here in Greece. So it was cleaning, and separating leaves and then cutting it all up. I did the dressing which was somewhat of a challenge. Fortunately, Ingrid had a blender and we able to get our part ready.

We gabbed a bit of lunch and a very short siesta as an Italian film director, Ennio Peregalli, was coming to shoot a short segment about Ingrid’s and Polley and I were to be “the arriving tourists.” Ennio had no English so we were introduced to a Swiss woman, Martha, who served as the organizer and translator. Both of them are pictured here, with Ennio taking a picture of me taking his picture.


For the next two and a half hours we filmed segments. First driving down the road and stopping to explore a map; then, we drive along and discover a sign for Ingrid’s; next we are captured on film turning into Ingrid’s. Then, we arrive, greeted by Ingrid, shown to one of the bungalows and finally, Yorgos is shot carrying my suitcase to the room! It is interesting that in the 15 years we have been coming here, Yorgos never once has carried my bag! It was fun and apparently we were “like professionals,” according to Ennio. All was done in one take. It is to be part of an hour-long film on this particular region of the Peleponnese. Our section will also be available on Ingrid’s website by the middle of July. “Coming soon to a computer near you!”

That evening, the party began. It was what I later referred to as “the Big Fat Greek Party.” Ingrid and Yorgos had been setting up for two days. They borrowed an assortment of grills and prepared salads and appetizers.


The fridge had been filled and even musicians were expected. It started about 8 in the evening as we walked in with the barbecues fired up.


It was an amazing collection of people. There were Germans, Italians, Swiss and Americans.


I managed to pick up this lovely lady at the bar.


I also got a picture of Yorgos and his father


About 10 pm, the musicians arrived and then the fun really began.


As we finished up eating, the Greeks began to dance. Yorgos on his own at first and then in groups, both the older and the young. I hope these little video segments give you a sense of the atmosphere. It was a wonderful experience. Great people, great food, a very special event. Around 12:30 in the morning, Polley and I gave up, but things continued, so we are told until about 2. The day after, coming soon.

Ed and Polley

The Big Day

Friends and Family,

This will be a very brief report as today is a big day. Last night we met with an Italian film director who is doing a one hour film on this area and in terms of accommodations he is featuring Ingrid's. So this afternoon he will begin filming and the typical tourist coming to the Bungalows will be Polley and Me. Ingrid and Yorgos have been working for days, adding lighting, cleaning the already clean grounds (owned by a German you know) and generally running in every direction. Following the filming they are planning a big, Greek barbecue. More on that later.

For now, I will just catch you up on yesterday and show a feel more flowers from my morning walks. Yesterday, after the morning walk to Tolo, Polley and I got the assignment for providing a salad for the feast. We decided to try and make a Caesar Salad in Greece! So the morning was mostly taken up with running from one village to the other looking for Greek delicacies, like rosemary, sage, dry mustard, anchovy paste, etc. Took a couple of hours, but we found it all! Well, truthfully, we found versions of all. Anchovy paste is not here, but anchovies we have. There will, no doubt, be some fiddling. More on the results tomorrow.

Following the great grocery race, Polley and I relaxed in Drepano. We, again, watched village life pass by. We returned home for lunch, just in time, as a big rain storm hit, dropping some of the biggest drops I haven't ever seen. It dropped a lot of water, but passed very quickly.

The evening cleared and we took an early dinner at Kastraki. We have nearly narrowed ourselves down to two tavernas, Kastraki and Nikos. Friday night will be the barbecue, but I trust we will be back at Niko's on Saturday. Food is excellent, both has a really nice staff and it is so reasonable. At Kastraki, last night, we had a fish roe dip, called tamarasalata: salty, but very good. We had fried anchovies and moussaka. This moussaka was even better than that we had enjoyed at Niko's.

It was back to Ingrid's following dinner to meet the director and get our instructions. He was hosted by a Swiss woman who lives here part of the year and speaks 6 languages! Amazing! Anyway, any time you add Italians to the mix, it is going to be loud and active. Great fun. God knows what this evening will bring. More on that later.

Her are a few more signs of spring in Greece. Enjoy!






Ed and Polley

Friends and Family,

Not a lot of change in our lives the last few days in Greece. In fact, we have commented a number of times that the rhythm here is surprisingly similar to that of Mexico. We rise, have coffee, feed whatever number of cats are gracing our bungalow. I walk for an hour or so as Polley maintains her Pilates regimen. After that, we shower, read or do a bit of housework, send e-mails, think about and, perhaps, actually produce the blog for the day. By then, believe it or not the morning has got away from us.

WE have pretty much maintained the habit of walking to one or the other of the two villages, Drepano, a mile east of us, and Tolo, about a mile west. Both are interesting walks, but as there are no sidewalks until you actually get into a village, it feels a bit dangerous on the roads. However, most drivers give us some room. But there are always a few that either don’t want to give an inch or simply seem to ignore you (most on the cell phones [called “handies” here]. However, no real close calls so far. It is also kind of intriguing that one walk, the one to Drepano, feels so much longer largely because it just passes endless rows of orange trees and it very flat. It is also feels a bit dirtier as you see endless trash along the highways. Greeks are just beginning to learn about littering and recycling. The walk to Tolo is much more scenic, climbing up a hill and then looking out on the bay. More of that walk is in town, so there are stores and hotels to look at.

However, once you arrive at the end of the journey, we so much more enjoy sitting in Drepano and watch the activities of a working village than in Tolo, which is a beach town and is pretty much like every small beach town in the world.

As spring is coming, I thought over the next couple of days, I would give you a sample of some of the color that has begun to pop out. We have had a number of warm days, with more on the way, after Thursday, and suddenly there seems to be color everywhere.





I took most of these on my walk yesterday and this morning. I will provide some more tomorrow

Ed and Polley