Just a 48 Hour Greek Getaway

Sometimes even when you are an expat living in your chosen area of paradise, you need a getaway from the routine.  Even a brief change of scenery makes for a brighter attitude and a shot of energy.

A Greek getaway less than two hours from home

By the first week of November, a change of scenery from that to be had at our Stone House on the Hill in the Mani was definitely overdue:  

We'd (knock-on-wood) gotten rid of the rat who had played havoc on our car's electrical system, we'd confirmed there would be no harvest of our shriveled olive crop, we'd cleared the dozens of dead plants in my Mediterranean garden, which like the olive crop were also casualties of the summer's prolonged heat and drought. And our computer was in the repair shop. 

Good olives top, our olives bottom

It had simply been far too long since these two vagabonds had headed out on any just-for-fun getaways.

A part of the Westin lobby, Costa Navarino

Our destination was our 'go to' getaway resort located a mere 38 miles, yet a world away from our expat home in the Greek Peloponnese. Costa Navarino, a resort with four award-winning golf courses and an equal number of 5-star hotels is located on the Peloponnesian point we see from our home.  It is on that point's west side, less than two-hours' drive from our home. It is ridiculously close, so how could it have been more than two years since we last took advantage of this nearby luxe?

Golf enthusiasts in November at Navarino Hills course

Nowadays the tourist touts and jetsetter publications paint a picture of the resort as being a playground for famous super stars, a hideaway for the rich and famous.  But I can assure you, based on the several visits we've made there in the last decade, that there are far more regular folks, like us, who make up the majority of guests either seeking a quick getaway or a round or two of golf amid the swanky digs.   

A Room with a View

The resort accommodation is a mix of privately owned villas and hotels - The Mandarin Oriental, The W Hotel, Romanos, and our favorite, The Westin Hotel. Admittedly, while room rates can go off the charts in the height of summer (as has become the case throughout Greece), the end of the season rates are more affordable. 

The Westin was the first hotel we stayed at in this Greek-owned resort and habit keeps us choosing it when we return. 

The Westin bedroom and bathroom in the studio we were assigned

Two of the hotels had already closed for the season, as had many of the restaurants but there were plenty of places still open and operating. And with a Greek village just minutes away from the resort and the bustling town of Pylos a few miles away, there were plenty of choices for traditional food and drink.

Autumn in the air

We had managed to tack some errands in Kalamata on to this trip, which meant we didn't arrive at the resort until early on a Tuesday afternoon. Our room was ready and no lines at check-in. Although we didn't spend much time in the room that afternoon with all of the outdoor spaces calling out to explore.

The grounds are sprawling and are beautifully landscaped with local flora and fauna. It didn't take us long to head out for a stroll through the gardens and then ultimately, to the beach. 

Nice to see green again after this year's drought 

The resort, encompassing Navarino Bay and Navarino Dunes, has more than 1.2 million endemic shrubs of different species.  Walking through the grounds is like touring a botanical garden. Ninety percent of the land is covered with pre-existing or planted greenery.

And to keep those areas green without taking away from local water supplies, the resort has an elaborate water management system that includes water reservoirs with a capacity of just under 1.2 million liters of water for use on the development.

Decades old olive trees shad swimmers at this pool, named for them

More than 7,000 olive trees have been moved and replanted by the resort developers. The trees are prolific throughout the grounds, and I can tell you, they are being pampered compared to those outside the resort. 

Olive trees are showcased throughout the resort

We do think of them as part of Greece's national treasure, so they deserve to be well taken care of.

Ages old olive trees stand as sentries at the front entrance

We are having an incredibly beautiful autumn in the Peloponnese this year. During our stay the weather was so temperate, hovering at the low 70F's that it made sunning ourselves (wearing blue jeans and long sleeves) on the beach the perfect way to while away a couple of hours.  Other guests, clad in swimsuits, sunned and bobbed in the ocean. 

Beach bliss in November 

I think the last time we went to the beach in Greece was during our last trip to Costa Navarino. Like that time, we again had such a pleasant, kick-back afternoon! The stretch of beach we were on is a protected area of the resort as it is a breeding ground for the Carreta sea turtles.  We sipped wine in the late afternoon because the beach restaurant and bar close at sunset. . . for the sake of the turtles.

Wine on the beach - no better place to drink it

Lights are turned off so as not to disturb the turtles, who come and lay their eggs in the spring with hatching taking place in summer. The early closure though continues throughout the season to assure safety to the turtles.

Photo taken in the Costa Navarino's Resort  Nature Center

While the developers point to their sustainable practices and a focus on environment, one of my favorite things about this place is their commitment to animal welfare.  They actually have created a shelter for homeless dogs on the property and have a paid staff member coordinating volunteers and the efforts and events to get animals adopted. A visit to the on-property shelter is always a treat.

Navarino Pets - well worth a visit while at the resort

Since our last visit a new lobby display showcases those seeking a fur-ever home.  If you aren't ready to adopt one of the animals introduced on the continuous video display, there is a handy donation box just below it - so you can help at any level.  

Fresh from the fields enroute to Costa Navarino

The Peloponnese 'point' on which Costa Navarino is located is carpeted with grape vineyards, olive and orange groves. Truck gardens and orchards supply roadside stands with veggies and fruits to tempt visitors like us..

At Nestor's palace - recently restored archeological site

It is home to a number of historical sites, including nearby Nestor's Palace and the Venetian built, Methoni castle a bit further away. There's even a winery, open to the public and named after the legendary king of Pylos, Nestor, that can easily be reached from the resort.

Nestor Winery, home of Messinian inspired wines - some of our favorite

After wining and dining, resting and relaxing, we were back on the road again Thursday, heading to Kalamata for a few more errands before heading home. Sometimes even the shortest of getaways are all that is needed to rejuvenate the senses. I am sure we released a ton of endorphins between us during those 48 hours as we sure felt better after our stay!  

Of course, now I am wondering that a 'real trip' - one that encompasses a week or two - might do for these two old vagabonds.  Wouldn't you know? The Scout is already on it!

Costa Navarino sunsets are spectacular

Now back at our Stone House on the Hill, with the computer as rejuvenated as we are, I have plenty of tales to tell you in the coming weeks. Until then, how about you tell us where you've been.   Taken any getaways or longer trips? If so, tell us about them in the comments or shoot us an email. 

We enjoy your travel tales ~ 

Cyber-attack, Curmudgeons, Critters and Covid

Our trip began with a cyberattack so we probably shouldn't have been surprised that it ended with Covid.

Such was the start and end of our trip to America.  A trip that will go down in our travel memories as one of 'those' (roll of the eyes) trips. The kind that had a mind of its own and no amount of planning could have anticipated its unexpected twists and turns.

Not this trip to Manson!

Admittedly, the challenges could have been far worse. On the flip side, it could have been far more pleasant as well. We know that you travelers among us can probably relate to 'those' trips; the kind that adds little or nothing to life's happiness quotient. 

The Scout now describes ours as one in which 'our expectations were low, and they were met or exceeded.'  

On the home stretch: heading to Seattle

As expats living most of the year in Greece, but with a home base in the Pacific Northwest, our travel back to the States isn't what we think of as a vacation or holiday. House repairs/projects and health appointments are scheduled months in advance of our return and then we fit the good times in around them. 

Our calendar was filled with 'must do' items and interspersed with the 'want to do' fun things. We'd find a balance between them, or so we thought as we set forth. . .

The Cyber Attack

Seattle, Washington

Our US gateway airport is SeaTac, just outside Seattle, Washington.  Our noon arrival some 24 hours after we'd left Kalamata, was on a warm mid-August Sunday - a time when the airport is normally pleasantly empty and getting through baggage claim and immigration is a snap.

That is unless you arrive the day after a cyber-attack on SeaTac brought down its internet systems, disrupting travel for thousands. 

Luggage carousels sat idle at SeaTac thanks to a cyber attack

Surprisingly the airport's international terminal was indeed empty. Very empty.  Our British Airways flight was the only arrival. While we hadn't been caught up in the initial cyber strike, we got a dose of its continuing fallout. Those impacts made headline news for days as travel disruptions and inconveniences continued.

The Scout waits at SeaTac for our luggage

Even with just one arriving flight, the wait for checked luggage was very long. A wait so long, I called the rental car company to assure them we would still be picking up the car sometime that afternoon. 

Those who've made that trip between Europe and Seattle know how brain- and body-numbing it can be. We'd entered a new degree of numb by the time the bags arrived - but we were among the lucky ones because they did arrive!   

Aftermath of cyber-attack took days to clear up

A month later SeaTac was still dealing with the hackers. In mid-September the low-life criminals demanded six million in bitcoin be paid to them in exchange for the information stolen from the airport.  I am happy to report that SeaTac hasn't given in to the demands and the FBI continues to investigate.

The taxi driver just didn't understand my excitement

Late arriving luggage seemed a hallmark of our trip. Those same two checked bags didn't make it on to our Kalamata flight before it left London on our return to Greece in September. We arrived on a late Saturday night and the bags arrived the next day. They were delivered by taxi to our village.  Because we have no house numbers or street names, we met the taxi at the beach cafe near our house to pick up those bags.

The Crank and The Curmudgeon 

                                      Crank - an annoying, ill-tempered person                           

                         Curmudgeon - ill-tempered person, often stubborn and grouchy.

The fence saga that I wrote about while in the states really did end up being a saga. Suffice to say the planned three-day project sucked up three weeks of our month in the States. Its price doubled, sucking up a few thousand more dollars than it should have. 

We worked on the fence as well to get it done by the time we left

While our 'concerned neighbor' (that I likened to Gladys Kravitz, in my last piece), will likely continue in her role as the roaming neighborhood crank, she will meet her match should she focus again on our place. An unintended consequence of her meddling was my transformation from once-good-intentioned-neighbor to curmudgeon:

Should the crank resurface the curmudgeon is ready

Shakespeare, I believe, describes the new me well!

Critters

HiHo Silver was away for a week

A few weeks into our stay in America we got a message from our house/kitty sitter in Greece asking about a warning light that had come on in 'Hi Ho Silver,' our Toyota RAV. that she was driving in our absence. 

Believing that electrical wires might have gotten damp in a storm, she took the car to the local repair shop and after three days of test driving and checking, they couldn't find the source of the problem but pronounced it safe to drive until we could get to the dealership in Kalamata.  The headlights and brakes worked, even if nothing else on the dashboard did: no speedometer, no gas gauge no temperature indicator. 

The car went to the dealership a week ago. It took the mechanics but a minute to diagnose the problem - one all too common in rural areas: 

'Rats!' they said, showing us an air filter full of dark brown droppings the size of grains of rice. 

The rat did it!   (Photo credit: Axleaddict.com 2008)

 'Leave the car - it could take days to isolate the damage and order parts,' they added.  

We rented a car from company run by a FB friend of mine. It pays to have FB friends especially when you tell them you have no idea when you'll return their car.  Living here, he understood our problem.

Happily, I report that within four days the wires eaten by the little critters were located and replaced.  'Hi Ho ' is home again with moth balls and critter repellant lining the engine. 

Covid: The Climax

It is Covid!

So why not end the fun fest with Covid?  It seemed a fitting climax. 

We give little thought to Covid these days. Seldom do we see anyone, especially travelers, wearing masks. I no longer pack them when we travel. But Covid is still out there. Our house sitter reported that it had struck her down two days after her return to New Mexico.

 Although it knocked us flat for a couple of days, in reality it was no worse than those colds and flu we used to get. And my new motto is: it could have been worse! 

Now three weeks later we are back in the saddle at our Stone House on the Hill. Our area is gearing up for olive harvest which will kick off the end of October.  

Thanks for your time. Good travel wishes to you and yours.  And how have your trips gone this year?  Have you had one of 'those' trips as well?  Tell us about it in the comments or shoot us an email. Always good to hear from you~

 

Don't Fence Me In. . .

As we watched the painters starting the second week of our three-day fence painting project, one of my favorite neighbors asked, 'Will you ever live here full time?'

'This probably isn't the best time to ask that question,' I responded.

Not this year!

This is a story about a fence. Our fence. In America.

And it is about life in Greece and America. . .life in two very different worlds. 

American world

 

We are expats, living most of the year in Greece and a bit of the year in America. 

Agios Nikolaos

In many ways our two worlds, Agios Nikolaos in Greece's Mani Peninsula and Manson, on the shores of Lake Chelan in central Washington State, are similar. Both are popular tourist destinations. So popular that many who've visited now want longer stays, and as a result both areas are experiencing a housing construction boom that is covering once lush agricultural areas with mega-mansion sized homes.  

Manson 

In each of our world's a small village serves as the centerpiece.  Both tiny towns have short main streets lined with mom-and-pop shops. Each place is populated with many kind, wonderful people who welcome us back each time we travel between the two.

In Greece 

We live at the edge of our olive grove. Our place is reached by traveling a narrow, paved track road. 

The road home in Greece

Life in this world is an independent one. We plant gardens, tend olive groves and go about daily life pretty much as we choose. 

Sometimes we don't see our neighbors for days on end. Some are part-timers, others of us travel, so we do keep an eye out for each other in 'the hood'. When something seems amiss while the owner is away, we let them know.  And, if necessary, do a stop gap fix until they can return and address it.

Jackals are the menace in Greece

The neighborhood menaces are wild boar and jackal that roam the hillsides; the latter terrorizing small animals and in the case of the boars, destroying gardens and groves.

We've often compared our present-day Greek life to the one we lived in mid-century America when 'being neighborly' meant caring for and looking out after each other.

In America

Our home sits among 100+ others in a uniformly trimmed, gated community.  A gated community where security is high - a selling point for a long-distance owner such as us. Our neighbors are a mix of Americans, some retired, some still working. 

Road home in America

 

Here independent thought and preferences give way to the rules of the Homeowners Association, or HOA. A five-member board, elected from among the neighbors, is tasked with making and enforcing rules governing life within the development. 

My yard with approved plants

Such rules and regulations range from how long your garage door can be open to what you plant in your front yard and the time outdoor Christmas lights must be turned off each night as well as the length of time holiday decorations can be displayed.

Aside from an occasional cougar passing through we had thought this neighborhood was free of menaces. That was until this year when we became the target of the real neighborhood menace: the roaming 'concerned neighbor'. 

Gladys Kravitz a concerned neighbor from 'Bewitched'

Roaming the roads with camera in hand, the 'concerned neighbor' looks for violations of homeowner rules and reports those to the board. It seems the individual is a real-life Gladys Kravitz, the iconic nosy neighbor introduced to the world in American television's 'Bewitched'. 

Only here Gladys and her actions aren't funny. They can result in real damage to the homeowner because the HOA receives her reports and notifies the targeted homeowner of said infraction. A second report results in a fine.  Fines get increasingly substantial and could result in having a lien on your property.  

Don't Fence Me In . . .

For the past six years our annual sojourns back to Manson have been a pleasant mix of small home improvement projects and socializing with longtime friends and family. This year we returned with a 'to do' list that included a major fence re-staining project. 

Tom Sawyer and his fence

Made up of cedar slats and stretching 200 feet it encloses our lawn and flower gardens. Its solid stain was in need of touch up.

We'd secured a painter months ago -- while still in Greece -- and had the three-day project set to launch two days after our arrival.

Fence staining now in its third week - 

It would have gone according to plan had it not been for 'Gladys' and the HOA board.  

 

HOA Hell-abaloo*

*Hullabaloo means a commotion or fuss, and when combined with homeowner hell, it becomes 'hell-abaloo'. It is how I describe this visit to America.

Our three-day project became a three-week project. We've put stain on and taken stain off at the direction of the HOA.  (We were replacing the original solid stain but that isn't allowed! No siree! Only translucent stain can be used no matter the original color put on by the builder.) The price of the project has doubled.  

The painters - with help from us - finally got the fence finished within days of our return to Greece.

Beware - the coiled garden hose!

But this tumble into HOA Hellabaloo, has opened our eyes to the world of the American HOA. 

While we've become wiser, we've learned we aren't alone in this haphazard world of rule enforcement. Others living in (or who've moved out of) HOA's have shared horror stories galore. Among their horror stories:  

* In Arizona a friend who'd had three flowerpots in her front yard for six years was notified that one had to go. 

* Two people have been fined by different HOA's for leaving a garden hose visible in the front yard.  

* In a nearby development, homeowners had to cut down decade old trees planted long before the development was built, when a neighbor deemed them too high.  

* One resident had to repaint a new home being constructed in an HOA development after its board determined it a not an acceptable color.  

* Others have been cited for the bushes they plant - some for simply moving existing bushes into new locations in the flower bed.

The American Experience

Overall, this initiation into the HOA world has overshadowed all activities planned for our time in America. Any outing for anything other than 'the fence' was considered a mental health break - lunch with friends, a coffee, a trip to a nearby winery, a get-together with neighbors all provided short and much needed breaks from HOA life.  

Our painter hung in there

On the bright side our painter stayed with us. I might have walked off this job on its third day.  I hugged him goodbye when the project was completed.  He and his son are among the good guys. 

Shadow my 'therapy cat'

The folks at the hardware store recognize us on sight. They call us the HOA People. They have bent over backward to help us through the project. And they have a 16-year-old store cat, Shadow, who became my 'therapy cat'.

And we've gotten to know our immediate neighbors much better, and all are kind, caring people.  They have rallied and offered words of cheer and shared in our frustrations. Several offered to help sand and stain as they watched the project go into week three and the dollar signs mount. 

Perhaps the best thing is that we found 'neighborly' still exists here as well -- at least among those that we are lucky enough to have living near us. We now have a cadre of friends watching our place - Gladys has been outnumbered by the good guys. 

It has been an expat learning experience for us. Usually those of us choosing to live in a new culture have to focus on adapting to their new world.  As we've learned this month, the old world might require more adaption skills than does the new one.  

A foot in two worlds isn't as simple as it sounds. 

The Stone House on the Hill

It has definitely been a journey! Next time I write I am hoping to do so from The Stone House on the Hill in Greece!  Thanks for being with us as another chapter of expat life has unfolded.  Safe travels to you and yours~

Saving Time in a Bottle

Just when you become comfortable, maybe even complacent, change happens. 

In June the government issued new requirements for Greek residency permits for third-country expats, like us. 

The news was seismic in the expat community; as well could be the changes!

The game rules have changed: time out!

I liken it to changing the game rules once play has started. We are now on the field in the timeout period waiting for the referee to clarify the new rules of play so the game can begin again. 

And we are wondering if we still qualify as players or if we'll be booted.

Greek Game Changer

A seismic change in residency permit requirements

After nearly a decade of staticity, Greece's residency permit was recently overhauled.  It was lengthened from two to three years. The name changed from FIP (Financially Independent Persons) permit to the 'Residence Permit for third-country Nationals with Sufficient Resources'. 

But the most riveting change is the increase in the amount of income you must have to live in Greece.  

The joy in getting that plastic card, the permit, that lets us live in Greece

The monthly income requirement for individuals has nearly doubled, going from 2,000 to 3,500 euros ($3,824US). Two people, filing as a family, will be required to have 4,200 euros ($4,584US).  Because we originally applied as individuals we will need to show 7,000 euros a month in income.

The alternative to the increased monthly income is having stash of 72,000 euros ($78,663US) deposited in a Greek bank account (that's up from 48,000 euros or $45,089US). 

Mid-morning: tellers closed their windows despite waiting customers

The amounts are the only thing clearly defined in the new requirements. And for many expats and expat wannabes, the increases alone could put expat life out of reach. 

For others who could meet the income requirements, it will be a matter of how the proof of income is defined that determines whether or not they qualify. Must it be strictly a pension payment or will passive income, earned on investments, count? 

Greek banks aren't known for their customer service.  So that higher amount to have on deposit isn't a warm and fuzzy option for those of us who've dealt with them. Will savings accounts and investments not in Greek banks count toward the requirement?

'What if' and other questions. . .

We, and most of our American expat friends in the village, are in the midst of the permit renewal process. Applications and documentation for the previous requirements were submitted and accepted by the authorities months ago. Now we wonder if we will be required to start over, file addendums, or get grandfathered in (most unlikely of the scenarios).  

Unsettled times

Expat social get-togethers in recent weeks include a conversation or two on the 'have you heard anything about the permits?'  And occasionally we touch on - the proverbial elephant in the room - 'What if we don't qualify?'  

Needless to say, it has made for a somewhat unsettled summer in the third country expat community. (A 'third country national' is anyone who hails from a country outside Greece or the European Union). We've all had moments in which we ponder our vaguely uncertain futures. And we've all been a bit more reflective on our time here. So much so, that I've decided a song from my teenage years could be the theme song for the summer of 2024. . .

 Saving Time in a Bottle

If I could make days (in Greece) last forever. . .

Back in 1973 singer-songwriter Jim Croce sang a love song about making days last forever, making wishes come true and saving time in a bottle.  Back then, as teenagers, it seemed like days did last forever as we awaited adulthood. Why the need to bottle it? We were far too busy marking time to think about saving it. 

If I could make days last forever

If words could make wishes come true

I'd save every day like a treasure, and then

Again, I would spend them with you

I'd save every day (in the village) like a treasure. . .

Fast forward a half century and the song's lyrics are hitting home loud and clear this summer as a love song for expat life in Greece. I would fill my bottle with. . .

If I could save time in a bottle

The first thing that I'd like to do

Is to save every day 'til eternity passes away

Just to spend them with you

. . .Time spent watching summer sunsets. . .

I'd save summer sunsets and winter storms

. . . and winter storms. . .

The village parking lot after a winter storm

Time spent traveling the backroads. . .

Backroad adventures

. . .even time spent in traffic jams. . .

Local traffic jam

Time spent in the olive grove. . .

My friend Mary and I harvest olives

. . .from harvesting in October. . .

Princess and Maggie in the olive grove

. . . to walking amid wildflowers in March, exploring with my cats. . .

The Scout and our friend Captain Antonis

Time spent with friends - both Greek and expats from other lands. . .

Fellow Americans, friends, who we'd never have met in America

 and even fellow Americans whom we'd never have known back in the States. . .

House projects included, installing a new hot water tank

Times spent making improvements to our Stone House on the Hill . . . 

Enjoying our Stone House on the Hill

. . .and times spent enjoying it. . .

                                                              But there never seems to be enough time

                                                      To do the things you want to do once you find them. . .

Make the time ~ find the time ~ enjoy

Summer's end is fast approaching, and as with every season it does seem we never have enough time to do everything we want to do.  One thing is for sure this year, we are approaching all things with a bit more reflection and appreciation.

Thanks for the time you've spent with us today and to those of you who've followed the residency journey for as long as we've been on it: your continuing interest and support is most appreciated!  

Enjoy your travels and your everyday adventures. Until next time ~