Other Worlds

I write today from our 'other world' as I call the Pacific Northwest these days.  We are in the United States for our annual break from Greece, our expat world.  

Cascade Mountain Range and Downtown Manson - our other world

As with each trip back, our mental state the first few days is a bit etsy-ketsy, as we say in Greek, 'so,so'. Getting from one world to the other requires three days, no matter how we break up the trip. 

Heading to Athens International Airport

This year we drove to Athens and spent the night at the airport hotel. The next day an early morning 3.5-hour flight on Aegean took us to Copenhagen where we spent a couple hours before an SAS flight of nine hours brought us to Seattle. The third day we drove across Washington State. By that evening our jet-lagged brains were mush, but we were settled into our 'other world'.

Traveling through time zones - what a trip!

The first few days we wake at 4:30 am and are headed to bed by 8 pm, with a nap thrown in for good measure. While it makes life a bit topsy-turvy for a time, it is one of the concessions one makes for living in 'other worlds' separated by a 10-hour time zone difference.

The Journey

SAS plane that would take us from Copenhagen to Seattle

As usual, The Scout, began searching for our flights between the worlds several months in advance. In recent years British Airlines has transported us between Kalamata, Greece and Seattle, Washington via London. That airline and routing, while the most convenient, priced itself out of the running this year. So, we tried SAS, Scandanavian Airlines; the Copenhagen-Seattle route had just this spring been reinstituted by the airline. 

Landscape approaching Copenhagen 

The Copenhagen airport was far less congested than London's Heathrow, and had all sorts of interesting shops, such as the one selling 'red deer, antelope and reindeer jerky' and 7-11 Stores that served as both convenience and bookstores. Service on board the flight was great, and the food was tasty. It will definitely be in the running for future trips.

Canadian Rockies as we approached Seattle

Passport Control in Copenhagen not only perused and scanned our US passports, but our Greek residency permits as well.  I don't think the transit would have been as smooth had we not had valid permits in hand.

However, entering the United States in Seattle was quick and efficient.  With Global Entry, we simply looked at a terminal screen and were cleared to enter the country. It was so fast it took a minute for the screen's message, 'Proceed to Exit' to register in our jetlagged brains. We didn't show passports or fill out customs declarations, nor were mobile phones examined. 

Transitions

Lake Chelan from Chelan looking towards Manson

Now in our eighth year of traveling between our two worlds, I think that we've finally gotten the hang of it. This house is familiar, it feels like home albeit if for a short time each year. Routines here are familiar. 

We've learned to balance our stays with 'to do' projects and time with friends. We no longer come with an unrealistic attempt to see everyone and do every project. After 8,000 miles to get here we are content to stay in Manson and not travel further.  We see as many as we can and do as much as we can within our time here. 

The welcome mat is out again

We no longer feel like strangers in the gated community in which our home is located. We are surrounded by good neighbors; with the exception of 'Gladys Kravitz' whom regular readers met last year in my tales of HOA (Homeowner Association) hell. She is still with us but keeping her distance.  

Tabs, Tipping, Tattoos, Technology

Each trip back is a reminder of how far removed we are from this world when living in a small fishing village in rural Greece.  The most ordinary of things here will leave us gobsmacked. For example:

- Tabs and Tipping.  It seems the act of giving a bit extra for excellent service on top of a bill in a restaurant has become an expected bonus in many retail outlets.  As we paid for a purchase at a favorite meat store, we were given a bill that included the option of tipping the salesclerk who took the meat from the display and sold it to us.  Suggested tips usually start at 18%.

An example of Wine Country prices

Prices have always been higher here in one of the state's designated 'wine country's' than in Greece. While we think we are prepared for it, we are taken back when handed the tab from a dinner out.  The menu pictured is pretty much representative of the prices at wineries and their tasting rooms here.

We've been spoiled in our Greek village where a glass of good wine can be sipped for about $5US. Okay, so in all fairness, the Athens Sofitel airport hotel where we overnighted was charging 11 - 16 euros a glass, just under $12 - $19.

But back in Greece a tip of 10% is considered generous and would only be left at a dining or drinking establishment for excellent service.  Many there don't tip, and others leave just a bit of spare change that would round up to the next dollar.

Tattoos seemed normal in the South Pacific, not so in Central Washington

-Tatoos.  We have a carpet installation project going on this year and first step was to have the rooms measured.  The tech doing the measurements arrived with pink fringed hair, body piercings and his arms and legs pretty much covered with body tattoos.  A few days later, a cable television tech, his body decorated with ink as well, arrived and got our television working within minutes. 

Yes, I know we shouldn't judge a book by the cover, I am just saying we don't see a lot of that in rural Greece.  

The rider-less floor cleaner at Walmart still freaks me out

-Technology.  I am missing humans and that connection we once had when shopping or having work done.  Our reminder calls for the television tech's appointment were automated, giving me the choice to press 1 to cancel, 2 to confirm and 3 to change the appointment. And the mechanical voice told me that if I didn't choose one of those options, the appointment would automatically be cancelled.  Luckily, I didn't hit the wrong key when confirming the appointment.

I also have been startled when shopping at our big box store (saving myself an hour's drive to the next closest stores) to see a driverless floor cleaner coming at me.  Thankfully said big box still offers three human-staffed checkout counters amid its half dozen 'do it yourself' bays.  I've chosen the human every time!

On the flipside 

Fran sells far more than flowers at the Market

I was delighted to see that Fran is back at the Farmer's Market every Saturday morning serving up canned goods, fresh picked vegetables, loaves of homemade specialty breads for $5 and making a bouquet of flowers to order in a vase for $7.  

Teri Fink sells her novels next to Fran at the Market

This year we have, Teri Fink, a Wenatchee-based writer who sits at a table next to Fran, selling copies of the three novels she's written. She, like me, is a former communications director for a school district and was a member of WSPRA, the professional organization to which I also belonged in my working days. I purchased one of her novels last week and it was so good that I bought a second this week.  Her stories are so well researched that I'm learning a lot about this part of the state.

And in Chelan I met the new owner of Riverwalk Books, a delightful independent bookstore that has been a mainstay of the town's retail hub for decades.  Actually, I 'met' Tyler while back in Greece. I enjoyed his posts about books and customers so much that I wrote him to tell him so.  I then ordered some books to buy while here. We finally met face-to-face last week.

My other world market treasures.

Living in other worlds does have its benefits.  It keeps us fresh (after recuperating from jetlag) and mentally on our toes. It reminds us to appreciate the good things about each world.  And the importance of getting out of one's routine and comfort zone. While not everyone of you is ready to try out different worlds, you might find that just a day-long jaunt away from 'your world' could kick start your enthusiasm and energy.  This trip is certainly renewing ours.

I'll leave you with that idea and hope to see you all back again for another travel tale.  Safe travels to you and yours and thanks for the time you spent with us today!

The Birthday Gift Card

As a general rule, I am not a fan of giving or receiving gift cards. 

But this year -- today! -- I got a birthday 'gift card' that made me so happy I was ready to do Zorba's dance in the middle of the immigration office parking lot. 

The birthday 'gift' card

The card I got was my Greek residency card - just by happenstance, on my birthday - making it one of the best ' gift cards' ever! The Scout received his as well, prompting at least a sigh of relief from him, even if not a desire to dance in the street with me.  

Showing off our first residency cards - 2017

We've been on and off the Road to Residency since our expat journey began back in 2017.  It isn't a journey for the faint-of-heart or the impatient. Even with a couple renewals behind us, each time we reapply there is a little niggle of discomfort until the new card is actually in hand.  And when I signed the final document today and was handed that card, I made the staff laugh at my enthusiastic two thumbs up response!

African dust storm the day we filed our renewal documents

The journey on this segment of the Road to Residency Renewal began 15 months ago in April 2024. And just as we submitted our application, news of a change in the law regarding our type of permit was announced. For several months after submitting our application with their related apostilled documents, we were uneasy; wondering about the possible impacts of those changes. 

The permit review process had slowed in recent years before the changes and other third country expats (that's who we are here) wrote on social media of long waits.  One woman wrote that it was time to renew her residency again but that she hadn't yet received the card from the last renewal - she wasn't sure what to do.    

Documents submitted for our initial Greek residency - 2017

Eight years ago, our initial application consisted of an in-person visit to the immigration office where we submitted such a stack of paperwork that it felt like we'd killed two trees in the process.  Our residency cards were issued four and a half weeks later.  

In the ensuing years, the system has been computerized, we complete applications online and submit scanned documents, photos, fingerprints and signatures electronically.  Those little plastic cards are packed with information about us, but it takes longer to get them.  

A Trip to Immigration

The immigration office as we call it, in Kalamata is housed here

We picked up our residency cards in Kalamata at immigration, technically it is called the regional Hellenic Ministry of Migration and Asylum office - the same place we had visited two weeks ago to submit our biometrics.  For that matter, the same place we've visited a few times every couple of years since deciding to take a stab at expat life.

Actually, we had also dropped by the office in late June - daring to do so, without an appointment --just to see if there was a problem with our applications.  We are heading back to the States in late August and were getting concerned that we'd be summoned for biometrics while out of the country. 

You don't want to miss the biometrics appointment - they make very real clear. The small print tells you that only a 'force majeure' would be considered a reason for missing it. You get a second appointment and if you don't make that, your application is denied.  

On the Road Again

On the Road to Immigration

The Scout was notified the week after our impromptu visit that his biometrics appointment was three days later on July 2nd at 9:45 am.  During this appointment they take your fingerprints, get your signature, and scanned photos into the system, and review the passport of your home country. 

It is also during this appointment that you submit a receipt showing that you've paid 16 euros for the actual production of the card, as the cost doesn't come out of the 1,000-euro per person application fee.

 No notice of appointment, however, came for me. 

On the morning of July 2nd, we arrived early to see if they might consider doing my biometrics even though I didn't have an appointment. They seemed somewhat surprised that we had even asked and then that we were so overjoyed at their willingness to do mine. I gushed out thank you's several times over. 

We learned the following day that the notice for my appointment for 9:30, July 2nd, had reached our attorney at 9:15 July 2nd but I didn't know it. Had we not gone in early I would have 'missed' my appointment. 

Another Bump in the Road

The certificate that verifies renewal is underway.

The officer who gathered the biometrics, said our files would be reviewed and if more was needed, they would be in touch.  And a week later, we got the notice that more was needed . . .from me.

Our attorney was notified that the receipt for payment of the 16 euros for making my card, needed to be uploaded to my file.  She suggested I scan it, send it to her, and she would upload it.  The wonders of computers!

The notice was clear; the review of my application was halted until that document was received.

The problem was I couldn't send the document because the immigration officer took it from me as part of the biometrics.  

The Catch-22 situation continued for a week with back-and-forth conversations with our attorney, and she, with immigration staff who further complicated the matter saying the person handling my application was out of the office for a few days. No one else had access to it.

Not far from home we got the call

On Monday The Scout and I decided to visit immigration and figure out how to provide them a document they already had. I'd planned to suggest that I pay the fee again which seemed the simple solution, or we'd pick up the document, scan it, have our attorney upload it and then return the document to immigration, the not so simple solution.  

Our attorney had also made another attempt to resolve the matter. We were but a few kilometers from home when she phoned to say that someone in the office had finally looked at my file and had no idea why the notice had been sent.  They didn't need the document.  

What they did tell her was that it was time for us to pick up our residency cards!!.

Memorable birthdays in Greece

My 70th birthday - 3 cakes and a party to remember

I've celebrated a couple milestone birthdays and had memorable celebrations in Greece, but none will be as memorable as receiving my gift card earlier today!

So, with cards in hand, I was dancing with joy, and The Scout was back in the saddle - planning a trip to somewhere in the Schengen Zone for us to take soon, as now we can again travel in it!

The Scout and I are off to do some birthday celebrating and some travel planning. As always, we thank you for your time with us here and for the encouragements you've provided during our years on the Road to Residency.

 . 

Just A Change of 'Sea-nery'

You might say it was just a change of 'sea-nery'. 

In reality, it was so much more.  But that's the way with travel sometimes. A trip gives you far more than you expected from it!

Sunset - Ko Olina, O'ahu 

When last I wrote, we were heading off on our first big trip, the first real vacation that we'd taken in several years.  

Flight time: Hour 20 - island of O'ahu comes into view

Our destination although a familiar one, is now halfway around the world from us. I can honestly say that as I told you about the trip in my last writings I wondered if we were out of our minds taking it.  While the call to visit a favorite spot on earth was strong, as was the desire to see longtime 'same time, next year' friends, I questioned our stamina for such an undertaking after such a long dry spell.  

I am here to tell you -- now that we've been back a week -- just how glad we are that we went!  They say that travel feeds the soul, and this trip did just that for us. I didn't realize how close to empty we were running until we were actually refueling on the fabled white sand beaches of Hawaii.

The Journey

From our expat home in Greece's rural Peloponnese, the travel time was 38 hours to Kapolei a city on O'ahu, one of seven inhabited islands in Hawaii. Our return trip was 40 hours. Three flights going and three coming back. 

Wheels up, feet up aboard British Airways A380

We used airline miles and flew Business Class on all but one of the six flight segments. With 20+ hours spent in airplanes, having seats that converted into beds for the longest leg of the trip made it much easier on these two boomers.

Outbound the flight schedule required an overnight in London and coming back an overnight in San Francisco. Staying at airport hotels lengthened the trip, but it also gave us a chance to stretch our legs and break up the journey.

A New Look at an Longtime Favorite

Hawaii became the 50th state in the United States back in 1959.  Yet, in many ways it feels like such an autonomous tropical island that on at least two occasions we got a good laugh when we overheard fellow visitors asking residents, about how something was done on the island and then explaining to them how it is done 'back in the States'. 

KoOlina,mixed use development on O'ahu's west side

It had been five years since our last visit and we wondered if perhaps we'd 'outgrown' Ko Olina, which in Hawaiian means, 'place of joy'. We wondered if it might have lost some of its magic. It didn't take long after arriving at the mixed-use development (homes, shops, and tourist accommodations) for us to know it still held us in its charms. 

Wood sculpture honoring native fishermen of yesteryear

Back in the days before Greece, when it was our annual winter destination from the Pacific Northwest, I think we had begun to take Hawaii a bit for granted. It was close, warm, convenient and of course, a beautiful destination.  Having not visited for a while, this trip had us seeing it through new eyes. We paid more attention to its pride in its Pacific Islander heritage and culture, its stunning beauty and the commitment of its residents to 'malama ka 'aina' caring for and protecting the land.

Our go-to coffee spot amid lush gardens

One thing life in Greece has taught us to do is to slow our pace. We approached our timeshare life this time with that attitude. We took daily strolls through the palm-tree shaded grounds on a path bordering the sea. We sipped coffee without hurry amid the lush tropical gardens - the vivid greenery and colors being something we miss in Greece. We found ourselves taking more of a 'live in the moment' approach to enjoying the resort.   

A drive in the countryside is rejuvenating

Our outings by car took us through miles of sugar cane and pineapple fields to reach favorite beaches, towns and resorts on the island's North Shore and further west to its vast undeveloped Kaena Point.  

Moana magic in Hawaii

The sea, moana, as it is called in Hawaiian, simply mesmerized us with its shades of blue, turquoise, and greens.  Stunning colors, not completely unlike those of the Mediterranean, but yet so differently seductive that we often found ourselves gobsmacked by the views.  And what a treat to walk on those white granulated sugar beaches so totally unlike the stone carpeted beaches in our area of Greece.  

Old favorites; Places and People

Costco one of my happy places

While beach times were magnificent, I have to tell you that the trips we took to the Kapolei Costco were equally exciting for those of us expats who miss shopping at that big box store. (Greece doesn't have Costco.)  Shopping in some of our favorite locally owned retail and grocery stores, many that opened their doors decades ago on the island, has always been a treat and this trip was no exception. 

Fish burger and onion rings were shared by two

Hawaii is a food lovers paradise, especially when you have been away from it for some time.  We stuffed ourselves with ono grindz, good Hawaiian food. We left the healthy Mediterranean Diet behind and junked out on junk food -- Hawaiian potato chips, tortilla chips and dips that we don't get in Greece. We cooked meals at home by barbequing steaks, halibut and mahi mahi fish, along with pounds of asparagus during our two-week stay.

Time spent with same time, next year friends

We spent time with old friends - some who've known us for multiple decades. Others that we have met because of our timeshare life. One of the things we miss in expat life is spending time with those friends we used to see regularly. As I've written before, we don't often have friends traveling the distance to see us in Greece. So when a trip we take gives us the opportunity for get-togethers, walks, talks, giggles it is a double bonus. 

A Change of 'Sea-nery' 

We've missed palm trees

Our change of 'sea-nery' trip not only improved our moods and outlook on life but also bolstered our confidence in our being mentally and physically able to still travel.  We again proved to ourselves that we are not 'too old' to set off into the world.  Sure, the flights were long, and we walked like stiff-legged Lego-people up the jet-aways after arrivals.  We were more than ready for each flight to end. Once we reached our destinations we suffered 'jet lag' but it wasn't as debilitating as we had expected it to be. 

Menehune - mythical dwarf people who live deep in Hawaii forests

Not everything went smoothly. We did have a couple of those 'turned around' moments when we found ourselves heading in the wrong direction, as evidenced in our attempt to catch the correct underground train in SeaTac airport and again in our attempt to drive out of the rental car facility in Honolulu. Had either of those been filmed it would have made a great comedy reality show. 

A change of sea-nery - just what we needed!

Our time spent in Hawaii was far too short for the distance we had traveled; we concluded just a week after we got there. We spent two weeks at our timeshare property on O'ahu's west side and two nights in a hotel on its iconic Waikiki Beach. 'Next time' we said, 'we will stay longer. . .but maybe before we return, we need to set our travel sights out a bit further'. There are a lot of islands out there still calling out to be explored before we get 'too old'. I'll tell you more about that at some future date.

In the meantime, I'll leave you with the words of Frederick Buechner who sums up my thoughts on life and travel well. We thank you for the time you've spent with us today!  And we wonder if you've had a recent change of 'sea-nery' that served you well beyond being a good trip? Tell us about it in the comments or shoot us an email. We love hearing of your travels! 

You Can Go Home Again!

I disagree with Thomas Wolfe who penned the famous book, 'You Can't Go Home Again'.  You most certainly can go home again! We have done it annually since beginning our expat life in the rural Greek Peloponnese six years ago. 

Heading home at 40,000 ft.

Wolfe's 1940's book, by the way, is about a fledgling author who makes unflattering references to his hometown in his writings and finds that when he goes home again, his family and friends aren't pleased with the way he depicted the place.  

American home is at Lake Chelan, Washington State

The rest of us - who haven't penned such a piece - can certainly go home again.  All we need is the time and energy to do it. This year it has felt like both were a bit in short supply for us.

At Home in Washington 

And the only flack we get from family and friends is that we haven't allowed enough time to see them all.  I can tell you that when you are blessed to have lived 70 years and have a lifetime of accumulated friends, it just isn't possible to see them all during a month-long stay.

The Butte in the distance - Chelan, Washington

Of course, one might ask what is meant by 'going home' when you are an expat with roots in one country and strong ties to another.

I turned to one of my favorite writers, Frances Mayes, to see if she answered that question in her new book, 'A Place in the World, Finding the Meaning of Home'. She doesn't provide any answers, but certainly provides food for thought. Even travelers can relate to some of her observations.

Home is where. . .??

It has been a perfect read during our stay in the Pacific Northwest. I've not had much reading time though as we've found ourselves with far more on our to do list than will ever be accomplished and far more people to spend time with than is humanly possible. 

Whoosh. . .the month is gone. By the time many read this, we will be back in The Stone House on the Hill in the Peloponnese.  

The Rest of the Story

Because I told you about tackling that 'to do' list in my last post, I wanted to wrap up those tales before we leave:

My phone delivered to the door here - a treat!

The quest for a new mobile device (phone) for use in the U.S turned out to be a multi-week effort. I simply wanted to buy a newer phone from my service provider, Verizon. Told that I had a plan that didn't allow for the purchase, they sent me off to one of America's big box stores, Walmart, to buy the phone. When I returned to Verizon with the new phone so they could assist in the switch over, I found I had bought a 'locked' phone that only works with Consumer Cellular, another service provider.  

This time a different clerk - without bright blue hair - suggested a new phone plan for me which. . .drum roll. . .actually gave me the phone I had wanted to buy for free, just by changing plans. Thirty minutes later the new phone was working, and I returned the ordered phone to Walmart.

 I must note that in Greece phones are sold 'unlocked' meaning you can put any providers' SIM card in them, in fact two providers could exist in one phone.  This 'locked' business seems to be a US glitch.

Leading a duck's life at Lake Chelan in Manson

Our new bank account is up and running, after having passed all the identification and security checks initially required. However, the checks associated with it are lost in the mail. They were sent on Aug. 31st and should have been delivered a week ago (an automated voice told me that when I called the bank). 

 A trip to our local post office provided no answers as I had only a photo of the package sent by the bank, not a tracking number.  A second call to the bank finally got me to a human who couldn't help because we had not 'paid extra' for a tracking number. Paid extra. . .really??

Back in 2021 when it was a drive through affair

We failed to get our Covid booster shot while here. The newest vaccine doesn't hit the shelves until the week after we leave.  I was questionable for the shot as I came down with shingles in July and still have the rash.  It turns out a side effect of the shot could be shingles, or reactivating shingles. Always something new to learn, isn't there?

On the Flip Side

Our Stone House on the Hill in the Greek Peloponnese

Meanwhile back in Greece our neighbors report we've been without municipal water for several days on several occasions since we've been gone.  Facebook pages from our area show mountains of garbage that have accumulated at municipal bins.

No place is perfect, we've concluded.  But we still are happy to have two places in the world where we are surrounded by good friends and neighbors; places that we call home. We just may see them a bit differently than we did when we left them. And maybe that isn't such a bad thing. 

Again, thanks for your time with us. Hope you'll join us again next time when we will be writing from our slice of Greece~

 

Greece - Yes, it IS home!

 'We are originally from Washington State, but we live in Greece. (pause) Yes, Greece IS home'.

So many times on our recent Adriatic cruise we found our fellow passengers -- many of them Americans -- doing a double take when we introduced ourselves and answered the question,  'Where are you from?'. 

Our Stone House on the Hill - Greek Peloponnese

Last March, I drew several raised eyebrows from friends in the States when I wrote on a Facebook post that our visit to the Pacific Northwest was coming to a close and 'it was time to head home'.   

'Home?!' several responded, 'You consider Greece home now?'

Well, as a matter of fact, yes, we do. 

Greece is Home

The Stone House on the Hill (far left) and Messinian Bay

Our neighboring fellow American expats don't find it at all unusual to consider Greece home.  In fact the two of us stand out because we still have a residence back in the States. Many here have moved their residences and lives, lock, stock and barrel, to this side of the pond.  However, when we moved here we weren't quite ready to cut ties completely with the state in which we were born and raised. Our residence there - where we've spent less than 2.5 months in the last three years, has become somewhat our 'vacation home' for now.

American expats all - on a Greek fishing boat adventure

For those who've never made the quantum leap of moving to a foreign land, the idea of that far-distant place as being home is really, well, quite foreign for lack of a better word.  What they don't realize is that it isn't a far distant place for us anymore, it is our 24/7 world. 

And once you adjust to the rhythms of that new world, it really is quite a nice place to be.

Many of you who've been with us here since the beginning of this chapter know we gave ourselves five years and if at the end of that time we'd had enough we would move on. Now, nearing seven years of home ownership and three of living here, we now find ourselves pondering  how many more years we might be able to squeeze into this adventure.

Our world is the Greek Peloponnese these days

We certainly are planning/hoping for at least a few more years and in doing so, seriously discussed finding a one level home that would lend itself more kindly to the, ahem, aging process'. Our Stone House on the Hill is literally that, terraced down a hillside in the midst of an olive grove. And that means lots of stairs.  But a new home would  mean constructing a new home, a process here that in the best of times takes two years and with the recent flurry of construction and shortages of materials, would likely extend that by another year. So we opted to stay at. . .

Our Stone House on the Hill

The red gate became blue and white

A new home here would mean leaving our Stone House on the Hill overlooking the Messinian Bay and villages of Agios Dimitrios and Agios Nikolaos. Our garden and grove. Our neighbors. Big Sigh.  

So once again we threw common sense and caution to the wind and decided to stay right where we are! We will deal with aging and mobility issues as they come our way. But with that decision came the realization that it was time to update, upscale and make this little stone house into the one we always envisioned it could be.

What a summer we have had as the home improvement projects got underway and changes began!

Blue, blue our world is blue

New blue windows brighten inside and out

Blue. Greece is known for the color blue. We needed new windows and doors and we wanted to get  rid of our forest green color, which seemed better suited to the Pacific Northwest we had left behind than here. We went Greek . . .blue!

Our friends/installers Ilias and Dimitri at work

One of the most enjoyable but sometimes challenging things about being an expat is doing something major like this, because it is done differently. You need to undertake a project knowing little about it or the ways to accomplish it in a foreign land. However daunting this one felt at first, our contractor and his sons (whom we have known for several years) made it a pleasant experience. It began at his home.  They wanted us to see the quality of windows and doors we were purchasing as they would be the same quality as those in his home. 

The new front door brightens the house

We sat at his dining room table and were offered the ubiquitous glass of water and home-made spoon sweets, the traditional welcome refreshments in Greek homes for centuries. We toured the house.  We chose colors, styles, made the down payment, shook hands then talked about the new grand baby.  Hands down a lot more fun than a trip to a Big Box in the U.S.!

The new Stone House on the Hill

Inside and Out

Master bedroom needed real storage space

While work was ending on the doors and the windows, it was just starting on the interior.  It was time to move from our 'making do with what came with the house' and making it work for us.  Again, working with a small company, this one in Kalamata, we were able to not only modernize the bedroom and den but customize it as well -- for a fraction of what it would have cost in the U.S.

What I told Alex I wanted

I wrote several years ago about getting used to the lack of storage space and smaller rooms in homes here. And I admitted that we Americans are spoiled with having huge rooms and more storage than we know what to do with sometimes.   But it was time to maximize the limited space we had available.  Working with a delightful young man, who spoke perfect English we submitted our ideas in the sketch above and this is what we got:

The new look

As we move into autumn our home improvement projects continue at our Stone House on the Hill (we have two more big ones on the to do list). We continue to monitor travel advisories and updates as they relate to Covid. We are traveling soon - heading back to the Pacific Northwest to touch base with friends and family there.  We hope that if you are traveling that you stay safe and well.  Travel is just a bit more of a challenge in these times of Covid than it used to be, isn't it?  

And as always, we thank you for the time you've spent with us today. 

Linking soon with:

Through My Lens
Travel Tuesday
Our World Tuesday
My Corner of the World Wednesday
Wordless Wednesday