June 2 - June 8
We have kept to pretty much the same routine each day, just living life in this beautiful Greek paradise. It doesn't get any better than this! Our daily life consists of waking up and having our Nescafe coffe on the patio and taking in the beautiful sun that rises over the far side of the harbor. The sun lights up the town with its white-washed houses at first light and migrates over to our side of the harbor for the late afternoon. Each day we visit the local bakery early in the morning, buying two loaves of freshly made bread. Along with our breakfast, we will devour some of the luscious local fruits: apricots, cherries, oranges (we eat by the dozen). We can pick lemons off of the tree next to our patio and have started to make fresh squeezed lemonade each day. We have also brewed some pretty delicious "mountain tea" which is made from herbs that grow wild along the higher elevations. We came across a patch on our last day in Skopelos and didn't have time to dry it properly in a dark place, hanging upside down as we were instructed by the locals. Each day around noon, we pack up our tiny red car and head for the beach - usually Milia, but sometimes for a change we visit Lemnonari where there is a cherry tree on the side of the parking lot that produces the most flavorful cherries I have ever eaten. The water temperature has risen steadily and we now enjoy our afternoon swims, launching ourselves from the rocky shore into the crystal clear waters that quickly drop off to the depths. It is hard to imagine how deep the water is because it is so clear you can actually seen each stone on the bottom of the sea floor. For dinner, we generally cook in and feast on local vegetables of red bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, feta, tomatoes and succulent cheeses and, of course, tzatziki. Our house has proved to be quite comfortable, however, we have moved Annie's mattress into our room because her bed was too squeaky and was in the middle of the living room where there are very large windows that offer little privacy. We are allowed to park our car at the hotel that juxtaposes our house and we also can continue to use their pool and internet although for some unknown reason the owners (Boppi and George) only turn the internet on at 9am and turn it off again promptly at 5pm so George can nap. Regrettably, we are generally gone during most of the time that the internet is available and so we have taken to driving or walking into town and sitting in the plaza where the Wifi is free. The town really comes to life once the sun has dipped below the horizon and all of the outdoor cafes turn on their twinkling lights. At night, after we have liberally applied lotion to our suddenly brown bodies, we enjoy playing cards and listening to old rock and roll until the wee hours. The TV has remained silent for the duration of our trip and everyone seems to be just as happy without it. I have purchased a book on Greek Mythology which I read as we drive to the beach and at night when we are not playing cards. The kids have gone through most of the reading material that we brought along and have purchased along the way. Sam is now ready to start the 5th book in the "Harry Potter" series, Hudson has read several classic stories that he has loved including "The Call of the Wild", "White Fang" and "The Old Man and The Sea", Annie has finished one our favorite books "Jitterbug Perfume" and is now onto another book with a similar topic called simply "Perfume". We have also been trying to learn the Greek alphabet in order to better translate some of the local signage. This is always a fun learning experience that tends to be more like a scavenger hunt than a school lesson. The kids are at the point that they can see the end of the trip is within sight and have started to daydream about our return to Raleigh and how much they are looking forward to seeing their friends again. Of all of the great joys and challenges that this trip has offered, being with our kids 24 hours a day/7 days a week is by far the one that does double duty as 1) greatest joy and 2) greatest challenge.
Our last day is June 8 and we have vowed to fill it to the gills with fun memories and visits to some of our favorites places while also discovering new places. We have found a route that was hidden and it has opened up many new tiny inroads to follow to a variety of small churches dotted across the mountain above the harbor. We do make the rugged drive to one such church on the top of the hill where we encounter a tiny lady dressed all in black and living alone at the top of the moutain in the monestary. She takes us on a tour of the church and shows us where the monks stay when they are in residence. It would not seem that she gets too much company and we are happy to make a donation to the upkeep of the church. She also sells the most delicate crocheted doilies and we purchase two of them to bring home as a reminder of our wonderful stay in Skopelos. Our last night would not be complete without a last dinner at our favorite restaurant "Ilias' Taverna". We have become friends with the owners and their children and each night we dine together turns into a memorable event. Tonight is no exception and the wine flows freely and we enjoy a taste of Ouzo with our friends. As we depart tomorrow at a very early hour, we say goodnight and goodbye to our cozy sun-soaked, lazy life and our haven.....Skopelos.
We have kept to pretty much the same routine each day, just living life in this beautiful Greek paradise. It doesn't get any better than this! Our daily life consists of waking up and having our Nescafe coffe on the patio and taking in the beautiful sun that rises over the far side of the harbor. The sun lights up the town with its white-washed houses at first light and migrates over to our side of the harbor for the late afternoon. Each day we visit the local bakery early in the morning, buying two loaves of freshly made bread. Along with our breakfast, we will devour some of the luscious local fruits: apricots, cherries, oranges (we eat by the dozen). We can pick lemons off of the tree next to our patio and have started to make fresh squeezed lemonade each day. We have also brewed some pretty delicious "mountain tea" which is made from herbs that grow wild along the higher elevations. We came across a patch on our last day in Skopelos and didn't have time to dry it properly in a dark place, hanging upside down as we were instructed by the locals. Each day around noon, we pack up our tiny red car and head for the beach - usually Milia, but sometimes for a change we visit Lemnonari where there is a cherry tree on the side of the parking lot that produces the most flavorful cherries I have ever eaten. The water temperature has risen steadily and we now enjoy our afternoon swims, launching ourselves from the rocky shore into the crystal clear waters that quickly drop off to the depths. It is hard to imagine how deep the water is because it is so clear you can actually seen each stone on the bottom of the sea floor. For dinner, we generally cook in and feast on local vegetables of red bell peppers, mushrooms, olives, feta, tomatoes and succulent cheeses and, of course, tzatziki. Our house has proved to be quite comfortable, however, we have moved Annie's mattress into our room because her bed was too squeaky and was in the middle of the living room where there are very large windows that offer little privacy. We are allowed to park our car at the hotel that juxtaposes our house and we also can continue to use their pool and internet although for some unknown reason the owners (Boppi and George) only turn the internet on at 9am and turn it off again promptly at 5pm so George can nap. Regrettably, we are generally gone during most of the time that the internet is available and so we have taken to driving or walking into town and sitting in the plaza where the Wifi is free. The town really comes to life once the sun has dipped below the horizon and all of the outdoor cafes turn on their twinkling lights. At night, after we have liberally applied lotion to our suddenly brown bodies, we enjoy playing cards and listening to old rock and roll until the wee hours. The TV has remained silent for the duration of our trip and everyone seems to be just as happy without it. I have purchased a book on Greek Mythology which I read as we drive to the beach and at night when we are not playing cards. The kids have gone through most of the reading material that we brought along and have purchased along the way. Sam is now ready to start the 5th book in the "Harry Potter" series, Hudson has read several classic stories that he has loved including "The Call of the Wild", "White Fang" and "The Old Man and The Sea", Annie has finished one our favorite books "Jitterbug Perfume" and is now onto another book with a similar topic called simply "Perfume". We have also been trying to learn the Greek alphabet in order to better translate some of the local signage. This is always a fun learning experience that tends to be more like a scavenger hunt than a school lesson. The kids are at the point that they can see the end of the trip is within sight and have started to daydream about our return to Raleigh and how much they are looking forward to seeing their friends again. Of all of the great joys and challenges that this trip has offered, being with our kids 24 hours a day/7 days a week is by far the one that does double duty as 1) greatest joy and 2) greatest challenge.
Our last day is June 8 and we have vowed to fill it to the gills with fun memories and visits to some of our favorites places while also discovering new places. We have found a route that was hidden and it has opened up many new tiny inroads to follow to a variety of small churches dotted across the mountain above the harbor. We do make the rugged drive to one such church on the top of the hill where we encounter a tiny lady dressed all in black and living alone at the top of the moutain in the monestary. She takes us on a tour of the church and shows us where the monks stay when they are in residence. It would not seem that she gets too much company and we are happy to make a donation to the upkeep of the church. She also sells the most delicate crocheted doilies and we purchase two of them to bring home as a reminder of our wonderful stay in Skopelos. Our last night would not be complete without a last dinner at our favorite restaurant "Ilias' Taverna". We have become friends with the owners and their children and each night we dine together turns into a memorable event. Tonight is no exception and the wine flows freely and we enjoy a taste of Ouzo with our friends. As we depart tomorrow at a very early hour, we say goodnight and goodbye to our cozy sun-soaked, lazy life and our haven.....Skopelos.
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