Ramblings in the Peloponnese and the search for Paddy's Moussaka

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote (inter alia) " Little do ye know your own blessednes; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labour."  I'm not so sure about the labour bit but it certainly applies when one has a holiday home.  So we have arrived at Mrs Nikos Towers and the grapes were half good.

Within minutes of arriving Kitty 2 engratiates herself

In other news:

Rapi our builder has done good transformimg the scorpion infested basement into a stone lined scorpion infested basement.

Down on the  beach grass grows

Sunday - A trip to Nafplion as I like going there to eat  and Rapi junior has never been.

a V or a W but not a complete PKW

A pleasant Sunday and a view from the harbour wall

The castle fortress at the top of the rock is Venetian and I made the mistake of saying that I had never been up there

It was worth struggling up the 1000 steps to Fortress of Palamidi for the view!

We did not bother to pay for the view especially as it was closing time

"Apparently Paddy did not like moussaka, but one day Elpida served it to him, he loved it and the dish was then a firm favourite." 

And so Rick Stein put moussaka on the map and this is good. You can read about that ---->here

The kitchen and I'm making gluten free PLF mousaka.

Purrfection

Granny Mrs Nikos is arriving at Kalamata airport so I have arranged a mini tour towards the Mani and passing by Kardamyli, Patrick's ("PLF's") adopted home village.

We travel south to Leonidio and turn inland to pass by the staggering rock perching Monastry of Elonas

Leonidio panorama- thanks to AlMare

The Elonas staggerment.  The view is better than when we last traversed this route in the rain with soggy crotch - 2010 Flashback

 A night stop at the southern port town of Gytheio - I am keen to catch a ferry from here to Kythera and Crete but not this time.

The wonderful Hotel Milton at Gytheio provided French Widows with delightful prospects

Some renovation has taken place but this Laconic town gives off a generally grotty presence

Reminds me of my early shock encounter with my Aunt when I discovered Coronation street was very popular on ERT (my Aunt used to watch it in all its grotty black and white Granada splendour in the 60s)

The harbour is being rebuilt - using D Day  Mulberry technology?

A gun wielding dame standing on a cloud underneath a live pigeon - must be a war memorial 

At the end of the corniche a Harley of dubious condition draws us into this beachside establishment

A tranquil beach with restaurant attached - excellent!

And we receive gratefully basic but tasty fare

 The next day:

We are late for the rendevous at Kalamata airport so the journey through Kardmayli is rushed and we do not have time to search for Patrick's villa - the views are splendid however but the road north  towards Kalamata is painfully slow.

The PLF villa at Kardamyli (stolen from the internet image - with thanks whoever...)

In more other news:

Albanian Tree Feller at work (old Irish joke:Tre miqtë kërkuar?)

Impromtu music at neighbouring Meligou evening signing communistic Theodorakis

An ανθρωποθυρίδα κάλυψη is installed  (or is it a κάλυμμα σκατά;)

I finish the under sink tiling job started last summer

I park the motorcycle at the beach for a photoshoot

I park the motorcycle at Aghios Petros for a photoshoot

The sunshine ladies

The sunshine boys

The giant beans

The lion at Nafplion

Back home welcome greeting