Greece: Summertime and the Livin' is Easy

'Summertime and the livin' is easy', that wonderful song from the musical Porgy and Bess could be the theme song for our summers in Greece. 

The livin' is easy. . .

It is quite literally a time when the pace slows and the livin' is easy; a time when we simply savor summer. You might say, we simply enjoy just 'being'. The month of August is when Greeks take their vacations - often to coincide with the holiday, the Dormition of the Virgin Mary' on Aug. 15th. So many businesses and services - that don't cater to tourists - are closed.  It is expected that little work or business will get done, making it a perfect time for slowing down and savoring life.

Warm breezes and cicadas' song combine

Summer is a time when the warm afternoon and evening breezes carries the sound of children's laughter, simply echoes of happiness, from the beach below us.  It is a time when the ceiling fan and cicadas' song create an irresistible lullaby that lulls us into afternoon naps lasting from a few minutes to a few hours. 

Three of our four cats relax in the summer breeze

It is a time our collection of adopted cats, now numbering four felines, retire to their chosen spots in the shade where they stretch out and snooze until the cool of the evening brings them back to life.

Summer's Aperol Spritz time

We are simply savoring our summer by reading books that have beckoned from the bedside table for months, wiling away hours with friends sipping wine, summer drinks, or cappuccinos. Sometimes we simply watch cloud formations pass overhead or listen to the waves breaking against the seashore. 

I love that word, 'savor', as means to experience something slowly in order to enjoy it as much as possible. The art of savoring time and experiences is something we've learned to appreciate since becoming expats in Greece. Here we find we have the time to savor life all year round, but especially on these long, languid days of summer.

Savoring the moments of summer

La Dolce Far Niente

Another favorite phrase that aptly describes summer life in this rural slice of the Greece Peloponnese is, 'La Dolce Far Niente' which loosely translated from Italian it means the sweetness of doing nothing. 

Watching clouds and seafoam - a favorite pastime

I hadn't given much thought to the benefits, beyond enjoyment, of the sweetness of doing nothing and savoring our Mediterranean moments, until I read an article by Dr. Nicole Marcione* about the health benefits - mental and physical - of that laid-back lifestyle. She points out that savoring life and la dolce far niente go hand-in-hand.

Fresh seafood pasta 

It isn't so much that you are doing nothing, but that you are slowing down and savoring what you are doing:  the food you eat; the people with whom you spend time; the activities you choose to pursue; the approach you take to living. 

Calamari salad

She writes in an article 'Indulging in the Science and Sensuality of Longevity' for The Mediterranean Lifestyle magazine, that as we slow down, so does our physiology:

'Our blood pressure goes down, our heart rate settles, our stress hormones (i.e., cortisol and adrenaline) decrease and our pleasure hormones increase (i.e., dopamine and serotonin). We trigger our parasympathetic nervous system (rest/digest/heal) to kick in, while turning down our sympathetic nervous system (fight/flight/freeze).  This, in turn, activates our physical and emotional bodies to repair and restore.  The more we create this slowing down and enjoyment in our life, the longer, and (more importantly) the healthier we live.'

Stone House on the Hill from my garden

She points to all the aspects of savoring a Mediterranean lifestyle -- not just a diet -- as a healthier way of living; right down to the olive oil we slather on all food (healthy eating), the walk we take to get to the village or the time we spend working in the garden (exercise), the time spent with friends (community connection) to slowing to enjoy the beauty that surrounds us (rejuvenating the spirit).

So savoring life isn't only enjoyable - it is healthy! Can't beat that combination to our way of thinking.

A Summer's Night in the Village

Summer's End

I am feeling nostalgic about these Greek summer days as by the time many of you read this, our Greek summer will have come to an end. We are returning to the U.S. Pacific Northwest, our other world, and will experience a bit of summer there. 

As I've packed suitcases, I am reminded of the time we used to do the 'Schengen Shuffle' as I call it. Back when we traveled between the US and Greece at 90-day intervals, before we were residents of Greece. It seemed back then that we were always leaving too soon, I wasn't ready for our time here to end.

Watching sunsets and clouds - a soothing end to the day

Again, I have that twinge of it ending too soon. By the time we return it will be autumn, which is also a lovely time here. The pace will have picked up a bit as we move into the season of olive harvest and preparing for winter, which will be here before we know it.

Washington State known for its wine and vineyards

It has been nearly a year since we spent time in our 'other world' and our 'to do and to see' list for that world is a long one - we may not have a lot of time for watching clouds or napping once we touch down.  As I've written before the catalyst taking us back this time is my high school reunion. It's a big one and it has been a half century in the making, plus one year - thanks to Covid.  

This will be our first taste of summer in Central Washington since 2017, the year we made Greece our home base.  We have made our recent trips back to Washington in the spring or fall.

Soon we'll be on Memory Lane, the road home

While our 'other world' home is in Manson, in the central part of Washington State, it is a few hours' drive away from my hometown, Yakima. So, it will definitely be a trip down Memory Lane for me and a return to my hometown for the first time in five years. As our departure time approaches, I've been pondering the question, 'Can you go home again?'  and that, my friends, may just be the topic of my next post.   I'd welcome any thoughts you have about it!

Hope you will be with us then and thanks to the time you've spent with us today! Hope whatever season you are experiencing where you are, that you will have time to savor it and indulge in a bit of 'la dolce far niente'!  

*For those of you who'd like to read more by Dr. Marcione you can find her on Instagram @drnicolemarcione and her website is www.integrativeaging.com 

Linking sometime with:

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Our World Tuesday

My Corner of the World Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

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' 

Booking it to Kalymnos Island

 'Charmian Clift!!' I exclaimed a bit too loudly when I saw the poster. 

My outburst managed to stop George Hatzismalis, head of the Kalymnos Municipal Tourist Office, in his tracks on a Saturday morning in June as he was setting up a poster announcing a special event honoring her.

'You know of Charmian Clift?' he asked in a somewhat skeptical tone, nodding to the poster he was putting up. 

'Yes,' I said, adding, 'you might say, she made me want to come here.' 

Here, being the island of Kalymnos, the Dodecanese Island off the coast of Turkey, known for its sponge diving history.

Dodecanese island group off Turkey's coastline

'Are you Greek or part Greek? he asked, still not quite believing I knew what I was talking about. 'No, not Greek, but we live here.' I answered, explaining we were American expats living in the Greek Peloponnese.

George, head of the island's tourism office

'But, yet, you know of Charmian Clift?' he responded, adding that many Greeks didn't even know of the Australian author who had lived on the island back in the mid-1950's. So, he seemed surprised that an American might have heard of her. Not only had I heard of her, but I had also sought out her books last year on learning they had been re-issued.

Her book, 'Mermaid Singing' is about the year she spent on Kalymnos with her author husband, George Johnston, and their two children.

I really had him when I said I was reading her book for the second time and had brought it with me on the trip. 

This was our second visit to the island this spring; our first had been to research for a piece I was writing for The Mediterranean Lifestyle magazine. It is in the August/September edition published a week ago. Her book sparked my interest in learning more about the sponge diving history of the island and of subsequently writing about it.

Opening page of my article on Kalymnos

It didn't take long for a combination of the island's ambiance and the warmth of welcome from its residents to make us vow to return after that first visit. So, when we found ourselves back in the Dodecanese islands a couple months later, we included another brief stop on Kalymnos. It was during that second visit we saw the posters for the upcoming event.

During both visits, we had based ourselves in the charming SpongkalyA apartments.  And as it turns out. . .

SpongkalyA apartments

. . .we were just around the corner from the place where Charmian and her family had lived on the harbor front in the 1950's.

Charmian's home, now a faded yellow, behind the tree

There's a gift shop on the street level of the rather faded building in which Charmian and her family lived during their year on the island. The harbor has been filled since their time here. Motorcycles in the photo are parked where the waves used to lap the shore. On our first visit we had to guess at the location of her former home, but this time George confirmed we'd found the place and noted that as part of the special event, an informational plaque was being placed on the building.

Clift's 1955 book was released in Greek

We had non-refundable hotel reservations on the next island so left the next morning, missing the event that evening - a gala affair to celebrate the launch the Greek edition of her 1955 book, 'Mermaid Singing'. Speakers included Nadia Wheatley, author and biographer of Charmian Clift as well as the Australian ambassador to Greece. The English language version of the book had been re-released in Sept. 2021.

Kalymnos Island

Her time on Kalymnos was brief, only a year. We sometimes find expat life challenging now even though we are surrounded by so many creature comforts - I can't imagine the challenges of living on an island in the mid-20th century. It was a place that didn't yet have roads; where you climbed foot paths to get to other areas.

Hyrdra - Charmian's home from 1955 - 1964

Following their Kalymnos stay, the family moved to the island of Hydra, where they lived from 1955 to 1964; a time when bohemian life reigned and they were the center of it. It was a gathering place for artists, writers, dreamers and other creative souls, the likes of which included Leonard Cohen.  Charmian wrote of that experience in her second memoir, 'Peel Me A Lotus'.

Life on Hydra Island

Charmian introduced me to Kalymnos and enhanced my view of Hydra. That is one of the best parts of reading about other people's real-life experiences.  I always say, Frances Mayes, planted the seeds for living an expat life in her book, 'Under the Tuscan Sun'. Of course, Peter Mayle added to that with his, 'Year in Provence'. David Mason is partially responsible for getting us to the Mani, where we now live, thanks to his book, 'News from the Village'.

Have any such books influenced you to travel or to take a step into expat life? Or where have such books taken you on your armchair travels? Send us an email or tell us about it in the comments below.  As always thanks for stopping by and spending a bit of time with us.  Hope to see you back again soon. . .and a big welcome to our new subscribers!!

Linking sometime soon with:

 Through My Lens

Travel Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

My Corner of the World Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Friendship Friday Blog Hop

Greek Summer ~ Time to Halara under the Almyrikis

That title sums up life in our slice of Greece right now. 

Halara under the Almyrikis translates to relaxing under the Tamarisk trees.

Almyriki on Pantazi Beach, Mani

Halara, or xalara, (ha - laa - RRRAAH) the newest word in my slowly increasing Greek vocabulary, might just be one of my new favorite words as it so perfectly describes the state of mind one must be in to survive summer in Greece.

Almyriki shade on Pantazi Beach

Almyriki, or Tamarisk, trees are unofficial symbols of summer in Greece as many beaches are still lined with these gentle giants sporting wispy green feathers of foliage.  Beachgoers vie for coveted spots underrneath them.

Our Stone House on the Hill in the Greek Mani

For those who are new to this blog, we are Americans from the Pacific Northwest who left that life behind for an expat adventure in Greece's rural Peloponnese.  Summers here remind us of summers in the arid and irrigated regions central Washington State where we grew up. In fact, as I write this, Greece is under an 'excessive heat advisory' just as is Washington. But Greece is actually several degrees cooler right now.

Almyriki tree in the village

Today after a sweat-inducing hour or so of watering our plants we headed out to accomplish the simplest of tasks in the village and found ourselves in need of both coffee and halara before we got home.  It was while we were sipping cappuccinos at a table under an Almyriki tree, running our flip-flop-clad feet in the sand that I finally understood how perfect the word halara is for life in Greece.

A few almyriki line the road to the village

A waiter friend who has been advising me on everyday Greek words, offered the word a few days ago when I had told him to 'take it easy' or 'not work too hard'.  He gave me a sly smile and said, "Your new word is 'halara', to relax.". For those who like to double check the things that I write, if you look this one up, it will tell you it means 'loose'. If you look up the slang, it will tell you to 'hang loose', 'relax' or 'take it easy'.  

Bits and Bobs

While kicked back under that tree I thought of a few things I've not told you about in recent posts so as our British friends say, here are some bits and bobs of travel news:

Stoupa Beach awash in sunbeds

* The Greek tourism folks have projected more than one million visitors will be arriving the first week of August. The most popular destinations are Athens, Thessaloniki, the south Aegean islands, Cyclades, Crete and Corfu. (From the looks of our crowded restaurants and beaches, I'd say our Mani is also drawing a lot of them this way!)

A trip to Greece for medical tourism someday?

* Greece's Health Tourism Council is working in partnership with Athens International Airport to develop a medical tourism package. (They must have read my post about our health care in the Mani and our recent colonoscopy experience!)

Under construction in March, the W Hotel opens in August

*W Hotel is the newest in the Marriott Bonvoy group to come to Greece. It opens in mid-August at our plush Costa Navarino resort on the 'finger' to our west, about an hour and a half from us. With room prices in the 650-euro range, we won't be staying there until some very low season rate tempts us.

Award-winning Athens Airport

*A headline appearing in social media yesterday shouted the news that "Athens Airport Named the Best in Europe" however if one reads the whole article, you learn it is the best in Europe to be in if your flight is delayed. And a lot of them are right now. While I can't say any airport is great when it comes to flight delays, I do have to sing the praises of our Athens' airport: modern shops, restaurants, bars and cafes, baggage storage, museum and archaeological displays not to mention cultural shows every so often to entertain travelers.

Can You Go Home Again?

That flight delay headline was a good segue into a question a few of us from the States are asking ourselves this summer. There is nothing philosophical or political about the question, it is a matter of logistics.  

May not take this many bags back to the US in August

The chaos occurring in airports throughout Europe and being reported in mainstream and social media is very real. London's Heathrow capped the number of passengers to whom airlines can sell tickets through Sept. 11 in an attempt to get control of its spiraling out of control situation. KLM banned checked baggage for all connections through Amsterdam's Schiphol airport. Malaysian Airlines has banned checked baggage on flights coming to several European airports. Lufthansa, the German airline, cancelled more than 1,000 flights on July 27 as result of a one-day strike by employees.  

The Road Home in Washington State

The Scout and I have now booked tickets to Seattle, cancelled the trip, and rebooked other flights as has another expat friend; all of us hoping to get back to Washington State.  We continue to monitor our reservations to make sure segments haven't been cancelled without notification (yes, that does happen these days).  

There is always the chance they will be cancelled at the airport so we find ourselves in limbo as to making hotel reservations for the overnight we will have in London enroute to Seattle, we hesitate to make legal and medical appointments that are on our 'to do' list back in the States. 

That '71 is the graduation year - not our ages, . . .yet!

For those wondering why we are traveling with such chaos and uncertainty in travel, when we are retired and could travel at any time, it is because I have a high school reunion to attend back in my hometown. A Big One. One that was postponed from last year, thanks to Covid. And I am the reunion co-chair.  I need to be there. . .simple as that!  

The good news is that we are allowed to go back to our home country while in the residency permit renewal process in Greece. . .and that is good news because we still don't have renewed residency permits and are doubtful we will have them before we leave.

Halara

Under the Almyriki trees

So, for now we will stay sittin' and sippin' under the Almyriki tree, enjoying the cooling breeze from the ocean. It is Greek Summer. . .time to make the most of it!

Our wishes for safe travels to you and yours. A big welcome to our new subscribers! Thanks for joining us and to all of you for the time you spend with us. 

Expat Life ~The Night of the Kounabi

That title,' The Night of the Kounabi' has a rather exotic ring to it, doesn't it?  You could conjure up images of romance, mystery or danger when reading it.  

Night of the Kounabi - Stone House on the Hill

My original title for this report about life in rural Greece had a much better alliteration, as it was, 'The Night of the Nyfitsa'.  

Google photo, Kounabe, - night visitor

But you have to tell it like it is, or in this case, was, when writing about expat life.  And further research - not to mention, the word of wise, long-time locals --  clarified that it was a kounabi (coo-nah-vee) or pole cat (aka, stone martin) and not a nyfitsa (nee-fit-saw), a weasel, who had us up at 4 a.m. on a very hot, sweat-inducing summer's night; made even hotter by the fact the animal was in our house!

Our House on the Hill in Rural Greece

As I herded our two indoor/outdoor cats into the bathroom for safety reasons in the early morning hours Sunday, The Scout (aptly named in this case) was armed with a broom and started scouting for our carnivorous uninvited guest who had been dining on cat food in our kitchen when discovered.

Garlic at my door - ward off evil

In Greece there is a belief that garlic swags hung at the front door ward off evil.  It may be keeping evil from our Stone House on the Hill, but isn't deterring the occasional visiting varmint.

Luckily our visitor was as terrified of us as we were of him, so he made a mad dash for freedom as soon as enough doors were opened to allow for his escape.  (He had entered, we believe, in the dark of night as I was on the deck dealing with our outside cat and had left the door to the house open.)  At the advice of those same long-time locals mentioned above, we will be spraying our outside deck walls with Tabasco sauce and hanging moth balls from plants near the deck to discourage further visits.

Leaving the Comfort Zone

View from our neighborhood

Situations in expat life - not as exciting as chasing wild animals in the middle of the night --often leave us on the edge of our comfort zone and certainly force us to rethink our behaviors and routines. We are  amazed at how our attitudes towards situations have shifted in recent years. While some things that used to leave us 'in a tizzy' barely get a nod of attention, while other things can still drive us right up the proverbial wall. 

Take, for example, the matter of water. Just this week we've been dealing with what seems the never ending summer saga of a short supply of domestic water in our slice of Greece. While we've not yet had to order water for our home from a private supplier we are braced for it, as our water tank has sunk to low levels a couple of times already and the summer is young. We've shortened showers, limited laundry and have begun using kitchen-generated gray water on plants. These are all behaviors we never used back in the States but are perfecting them here.  

Our slice of Greece

We recall asking at the time we purchased the house, from where the domestic water came and recall being greatly relieved that the answer was 'the municipal lines'. We wouldn't need worry about a well drying up. What we didn't even consider was the possibility of the municipal water drying up. A continual source of water to our homes isn't something Americans often think about, so who was to question a guaranteed source like 'the municipality'?  

Domestic water delivery to our home 2020

And ours is not unlike situations throughout this arid country. When summer comes, and with it, the part-time residents returning to homes and gardens and tourists filling our hotels, water consumption goes up while the supply stays minimal at best. 

The authorities here seem to deal with it by turning the water on to certain sections of the valley for a few days while others use the municipal water stored in their tanks (every home has such tanks as do commercial facilities). Then after a few days, they reverse the valves and those getting water turn to their storage tanks in what proves to be a continually frustrating process because for many the tanks go empty before the supply is returned. 

Summer means lots of tourist fun and low water for residents

The situation usually resolves itself in the fall when visitors leave, and the rains begin and the season of plentiful water begins. We find we no longer fret about it as we did in the first few years of our residency.

Sunset from  the Stone House on the Hill

On the flip side, we aren't yet quite as blase' when dealing with bureaucracy (of course, we weren't back in the States either). 

Last week we returned to our regional Immigration office to see why our residency permit application on-line status kept saying, 'documents needed'. Our initial application in April included every document they required. 

We submitted fingerprints in early June along with other biometric data, per their request. What more could they want?  

Greek residency permit cards - the wait continues

Despite earlier assurances that it was 'just the system' woefully behind in updating status, we decided to have a face-to-face visit with the officials. And guess what? They did, indeed, need more documents!  They said they requested them back in May and our attorney assured us that she had supplied it upon request. It was assumed it was received because there was no further communication from Immigration. . .and we all know about that word 'assumed'. . .so,

The information has been submitted, again. Authorities say they have it. Our wait continues. . .

On the Flip Side   

The story of expat life isn't only one of living at the edge of one's comfort zone or confronting novel situations as the one I told at the beginning of this tale. It really is a story of our world expanding in so many ways, including so many new friends, since moving to this fishing village in the Peloponnese.

Captain Antonis and his boat 

A few weeks ago, I gave one of our fishermen friend's, Captain Antonis, a set of photos I had taken of him putting his boat back in the water at the start of the season. We've had a passing acquaintance for several years; always a greeting, smile, nod and wave when we see each other in the village. He thanked me profusely for the prints.  A few days ago he stopped us as we were walking through the village and told us to wait 10 minutes - had had something at his house for us and he set off at a fast trot to get it.  We went into the local clothing store to await his return and to visit with our friend Sophia who runs it each summer. 

Sure enough in 10 minutes he returned with a jar of homemade eating (Kalamata) olives for us!  We had barely thanked him when Sophia asked if we liked honey - we assured her we did.  She reached under the counter and pulled out a big jar of honey - "Well, then - you must take this home with your olives," she said.  

Gifts from the heart - honey and olives

The spontaneous generosities, the kindness and the warmth of this new world so far outweigh its challenges.  Our fellow expats all have similar stories of those frustrations that have made them pause and wonder if it is worth the effort. But they also have tales, like us in the clothing store, when you experience a moment best described by s my fellow expat and too-soon-departed friend, Marti, as being those that 'make your heart sing'!

Pantazi Beach near our home - Agios Nikolaos

That's it for this week from The Stone House on the Hill. We hope where ever you are reading this that you are finding moments to make your heart sing and that your life is free of varmints.  Our wishes for safe travels and many thanks for being with us today!

Linking soon with:

 Through My Lens

Travel Tuesday

Our World Tuesday

My Corner of the World Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Friendship Friday Blog Hop