Writing from Byzantinon

Two Greek singers at a taverna on the other side of the olive grove are entertaining diners there on this laid-back  Sunday afternoon in the place called Poulithra, on the southeastern coast of the Peloponnese.  



Lucky for me, their voices and the traditional Greek bouzouki songs are wafting to our deck, where I sit trying to paint a word picture for you of this charming place.

It was Hotel Byzantinon with its great reviews that brought us to this magical little spot wedged between the Mrytoon Sea and  the Parnonas Mountains.



An olive and orange grove wraps around this small 11-suite hotel; its trees a playground for swallows that dip and soar between the branches.  The view beyond the grove is an expansive sweeping view of the sea -  in the distance, the island of Spetses.

Bird song was the only thing that broke the silence before the music began – so quiet it is here that the lap of the water against the shore can be heard although it is two blocks away.

Last night as we walked to the hotel from the taverna at nearly the midnight hour – having just finished dinner, like any good Greek would do – we walked under a starlit sky with some bizillion stars lighting the route; the air heavy with the scent of orange blossoms.



One of my favorite travel declarations (as many of you know) is, “It just doesn’t get any better!” And with great regularity it continues to really get even better!  I’ve been making that announcement again since we arrived yesterday for a two-night stay. . .(by today, we’ve already extended another night).
I’ll tell you more about this magnificent little hotel and how George the owner knows Bill Marriott (yes, the hotel Marriott) – it is an amazing tale he has to tell so come back soon!

P.S. It DID get better. We went to the taverna and have spent two delightful hours watching the Greeks, sing and dance, arms upraised, swaying, clapping and snapping (a la Zorba on his beach – only this was real life, not a movie). . .yes, Sundays don’t  get any better than this Sunday has been!