Karaoke

There will be a Karaoke party tonight at Tri Porto.

If Adrian was here he would do a stunning version of “Sledgehammer”!

Unfortunately I do not possess his singing ability 

so I will please everyone by remaining silent!

Salt & pepper

Breakfast at Jazzmin includes the choice of personalized salt & pepper.

My friend Theo, owner of Jazzmin Cafe/Bar, wraps photos of his friends

around the salt & pepper grinders. I was pleased to find my photo on this salt grinder!

Making fish

Yorgos is making wire fish while we enjoy the beach at Paradisia.

Morning coffee at Fotodotis with Buket, Mata and Trefunous.

Lunch at Tre Porto

View from the top terrace at Tre Porto in Chora

The owners will be closing Tre Porto permanently on September 30th.

The closing party will continue until the early hours of the next day

and include music along with karaoke.

It will be sad and fun at the same time for all of us!

Lunch in Langada

After my swim I enjoyed lunch in the small village of Langada.

It is the cluster of white buildings on the hillside.

Swim and lunch

Yesterday I enjoyed a swim at this beach in Aegiali. 

A unique ride

Where did this come from?!

Another swim day

It was a windy but gorgeous day for a swim today with my friend Kalliroi.

The path down to Mouros beach is well constructed

with many steps and railings.

Jazzmin

The stairway down to Jazzmin from the main pathway in Chora

Jazzmin is owned by my friends Theo and Yorgos. This is where I have my morning coffee every day and often share a glass of wine in the evening. John and I looked after this cafe/bar during the winter of 2006-2007. It was a fun challenge and an opportunity to meet many locals. Winter is harsh in Chora with cold winds from the north and even snow on occasion. The clouds descend and envelop the village.

Many games of tavli (backgammon) have been played at Jazzmin

Aegiali and Langada

It has been a busy few days while recovering from jetlag and catching up with friends that I have not seen for four years. Yesterday I enjoyed a swim in Aegiali on the north of the island before sharing lunch with friends in Langada. My friend Fotula has converted the old cafenion into a lovely small taverna.

This is the interior of her small taverna.

Restaurants, tavernas and cafes

This year there are many more options for eating in Chora but most of them will close at the end of September and remain closed until next Easter.

I have two favourites…Parvas and Fotodotis. The food is always traditional, nothing fancy and it is grown, cooked and served by the families. The 

portions are too large for a single diner so I have leftovers from the last two nights in my fridge…just right for lunches. Every morning I walk up the pathway to Jazzmin, the Cafe/Bar owned by my friends, for a daily coffee. The seating is shared with the Cafe cats, food is prepared in the underground kitchen and coffees are prepared by Theo.

Yesterday I drove to Vroutsi, a small village in the south of the island to visit with my friend Kalliroi. She lives in a lovely home at the far edge of the village with her cat. After a short visit we drove to a small private beach for a lovely nude swim…not another soul in sight! In the sandy portion of the beach we discovered a treasure trove of sea glass to bring back for my sister. Afterward, in the public beach area, we sat in the shade with homemade cheese pies and enjoyed the breeze. It is very hot these days with a constant wind from the south that helps to cool.

Chora

Chora is comprised of many narrow passageways and stone paths.

There are always surprises around the corner.

Somehow the cats of Chora always know the fastest route to food!

Chora on Amorgos

It has been a very emotional reunion so far on the island…many hugs and tears. I was up at sunrise thanks to jetlag and decided to walk down to see the sunrise. A serenade of doves and roosters accompanied me…not another soul in sight.

This is a carless village and during my four year absence they created a small parking lot. Fortunately my friend Theo was happy to carry/drag my suitcase from the car, through the gravel parking lot, up many stone steps to my apartment.

Up at sunrise on Amorgos

Ruins

I discovered this excavation while wandering in an area where there were no crowds of tourists!

Finding quiet places

Serendipity played a role yesterday when I wandered into a small taverna on a side street and met someone I had not seen for 18 years! She owned a small hotel on Rhodes where John and I stayed many times. We shared hugs and promised to have dinner together when I return in October.

Athens is overrun with tourists. The streets , cafes and restaurants are crowded. Every table has hand sanitizer and masks are requested indoors. Fortunately most of life takes place outside. The early part of my day involved finding quiet, shaded places for breakfast, lunch and drawing. I was pleased to learn that access is free to the Archeological Museum cafe and a bottle of water is only 50 cents. Outdoor seating is lovely. So far I have managed to find small places away from the crowds.

Friends have invited me to join them for dinner after their shop closes at 9:00pm but I am not sure that my internal clock and jetlag will cooperate. That is a decision for later. Now it is nap time.

First night

View of the Acropolis from my hotel rooftop..No zoom!

Only three more sleeps

 

Only three more sleeps until I fly to Greece. This will be the 16th time that I have visited this magical country. The first time was in 1973 when we travelled hippie style in a VW van. Next visit was in 1995 with a 13 year old son along as we toured the Pelopponese, Naxos, Santorini, Paros and Syros. During that trip we met Anna who encouraged us to visit "her island of Amorgos". So, in 2000, we finally set foot on Amorgos and have returned thirteen times since then. Our visits have ranged in length from one month to seven months. During the longest visit we managed our friend's cafe bar over the winter months. Ferries have taken us to explore thirty other islands and many special friendships have been forged over the years.

The difference is that this will be my first solo trip. I will be taking some of John's ashes for our Greek family to scatter in the Aegean. Traveling solo is not without some level of anxiety precipitated by the absence of John, Covid, airline problems and aging issues that could impact travel. This is probably my final trip to this Aegean island that has become our second home.

In Athens I will stay in the same hotel that we have used many times and the small apartment on the island is cozy and familiar. I look forward to sharing coffees, meals and stories with special friends.

The blog will be updated regularly on my iPad during this adventure (unless technology refuses to cooperate) and I invite you to join me.