This morning we taxi’d outside of the city center to meet our guide for the day, Tolis (short for Apostolis.) It’s record breaking hot in Athens so we were happy to escape the heat for a day trip in an air conditioned van with five others.
After a few hours drive we reached Delphi. Greek’s believe that Apollo’s sanctuary at Delphi was the center of the world. There’s various stories as to the origin of the site — Zeus threw a rock and it landed at the site; two eagles let loose in opposite directions and they converged on Delphi, etc. Today it’s a UNESCO heritage site and there’s a decent sized accompanying museum.
Due to the heat, the site was closing at Noon so we had one hour to walk through which was plenty of time. We walked among the ruins, including the treasury, the theater and the Temple of Apollo, which was the sight of the oracle. After exploring the museum and its’ artifacts, Tolis and our driver took us to a town 30 minutes away called Arachova which is a popular resort town in winter as skiing is 30 minutes over the next mountain. Set high on the mountain and overlooking an endless valley of olive trees, it was very picturesque.
We grabbed lunch: spaghetti for Miss M, Greek salad and what I thought was a cheese boereg for me but it ended up being a ham and cheese spring roll thing (bouregkakia), zucchini flowers, pork chops for Paul and a burger stuffed with cheese for D.
Greek salad, bouregkakia, zucchini flowers
Afterwards, we walked a bit, saw the exterior of St. George’s church, and then had milkshakes to help keep ourselves cool from the heat.
Subway back to the hotel and then a rest in the air conditioning.
We did some clothes shopping, which we always like to do when in Europe since the prices are so good, and then went to Tylixto for gyros: an XL pork and chicken combo for Paul, chicken for me, pork no fries for D, pork for Miss M.
We strolled a bit after dinner, D grabbed a trio of semifreddo pops and then we went to 360 Cocktail Bar for drinks with a view of the Acropolis. A great way to end the night!
Yesterday we left the spacious luxury and calm of the resort for the congested city of Athens.
But first, a few final thoughts on the Grecotel experience:
We loved having a suite with our own pool and outdoor space. The privacy and convenience made this leg of the trip very special.
Paul and I teamed up and attempted to play tennis against D and we lost all three matches
We tried to take advantage of everything the resort had to offer, from aqua aerobics to lounging in the outdoor bed swings to using the outdoor gym and indoor pool and beach and other services and yet there was still more to experience. Paul noticed electric bikes when we were about to check out.
All of the hotel staff were friendly and attentive and just wonderful in general. The resort never felt crowded and there was no jostling for poolside or beachside chairs like we’ve experienced at other hotels
D enjoys every type of pool and for some reason loved the indoor pool with its Grecian columns and massage jets, but none of us wanted to be indoors with him. Wasn’t our private pool and the enormous zero entry pool and beach enough?
Last night post-dinner swim
The hotel drove us to our 7th and final stop: Athens!!
We grabbed lunch (finally a gyro for Miss M), shopped around the plaka and monistiraki flea market and then rested a bit before grabbing dinner a block from our hotel. We had some of the usuals — chicken souvlaki, Greek salad and a gyro platter. We also enjoyed zucchini croquettes and Paul ordered arnaki lemonato, a lamb roast with a lemon cream sauce and potatoes. The waiter unplated the roast from a clay pot table side. It was piping hot!
Cape Sounio is at the southernmost tip of a peninsula about 40 minutes south of Athens and it’s where we’ve spent the past few days of our trip. Its main site is the Temple of Poseidon, perched on a cliff and surrounded by the sea.
We’re staying at a resort during our time here, so our activities include breakfast, pool, beach, snack, pool, eat again, stroll around and then pass out from the food coma. The boys have worked out and went to play tennis, but Miss M and I have enjoyed catching up and relaxing.
Throughout the resort there are views of the Temple of Poseidon in the distance.
It’s been hot here so we don’t have much energy to do anything. Yesterday the staff brought around trays of watermelon slices poolside. Typically we eat our meals outside looking at the view of Poseidons Temple but yesterday morning it was muggy — which it hadn’t been all trip — so we opted for dining with AC.
The buffet has been unlike anything we’ve ever experienced and so far no two meals have been the same. On one night, for example, we counted:
At one station: 7 types of bread, three cheeses, two cured meats, 5 types of sushi, a bartender making two types of cocktails, more than a dozen dried fruits and nuts and seeds, and randomly a taco.
At the appetizer station: 12 different apps plus a dozen accoutrements including olives, hummus, tsatsiki, and other dips.
At the salad station: nine bowls of different salads plus seven bowls of individual vegetables, three types of dressings in shot glasses.
At another station: 11 entrees, spaghetti with red sauce or meat sauce, two types of pizza or calzone, and someone preparing a main whether it was gyros to order, slicing beef Wellington, or serving a whole fish baked in a salt cask.
On the dessert table: 17 items including melons, peaches, fruit bowls. Plus a crepe station and four types of ice cream.
All of the food has been delicious, all with a view of the Temple.
One morning the hotel brought us to view the Temple of Poseidon, just a five minute ride from the resort. The temple was built in the 5th Century BC and is one of the three main temples in Greece (the others being the Parthenon in Athens and a temple in Aegina.)
This temple is perched on a cliff, looking out to Cape Sounion and the Aegean Sea. According to Greek mythology, Poseidon’s power is second to only Zeus. As the god of the sea, the sailors and fishermen of ancient Greece prayed to Poseidon to keep them safe from storms and shipwrecks and often left animal sacrifices and other gifts at the temple.
We walked around a bit and marveled at the well preserved temple and its architecture.
On Friday morning we checked out of our hotel at 6am and headed to the Athens airport to drop off the rental car. I always breathe a sigh of relief when we return a rental car on one of these types of trips. Paul did a great job driving nearly 3000 km (approx 1850 miles) the first two weeks of this adventure. He navigated very tight parking spots, tour busses, trucks carrying watermelons, motorcycles, tourists who aren’t experienced driving European highways, and generally zipped us all over the place.
Our trip to the airport wasn’t just to drop off the car. We met Miss M at the arrivals gate after her 4:30a flight from Yerevan, Armenia to join us for the remainder of the trip. We knew Miss Ms flight arrived as a host of short Armenian-looking men starting coming through the arrivals gate, and all of the signs held by limo drivers were for names ending in IAN or YAN. Paul enjoyed standing with the drivers waiting with his sign for Miss M.
30 minutes later we checked into the Grecotel Cape Sounio resort for the sixth leg of this trip. We enjoyed the stunning breakfast buffet and then made our way to our suite/bungalow with private pool which we all promptly hopped in. Miss M shared stories about the past few weeks of her travels and we relaxed pool side enjoying the complimentary snacks and drinks provided by the resort.
I had to work that afternoon so the kids and Paul had massages and swam.
The dinner buffet was amazing and D was excited to try beef wellington after watching many TikToks featuring Gordon Ramsey critiquing the general public attempting to perfect it.
It was a long day but we are grateful to be together again.
The next stop (#4) on this adventure is Meteora — a UNESCO world heritage site. Meteora is six monasteries perched atop rock formations that reach upwards of 1800 feet. The word Meteora is derived from a Greek word meaning “suspended between sky and earth” and the sight of the monasteries perched on these unusual pillars coming up from Earth is a sight to behold. (Google Meteora for drone pics.)
We checked in to our hotel late yesterday (Wednesday), and since we were less than ten minutes from Meteora, the boys explored the area last night climbing on rocks, going into caves and watching the sun set.
Sunset
They had dinner at Taverna Bakaliaraka enjoying (according to D) the best Greek salad of the trip because it was swimming in dressing and has the largest chunk of feta. They had sausages and brought me spicy feta dip and bread so I could eat dinner while working.
The hotel, Doupiani House, was adorable. The closest you can get to Meteora, nothing fancy, but the staff, the view and the breakfast couldn’t be beat.
Our favorites at their breakfast buffet was the simit cookies (only know the Armenian word for them), rice pudding, halva (which we hadn’t seen since Olympia) and spinach bouregs. A lot of additional food was offered — salads, ham, cheese, yogurt, etc, but we were excited by the aforementioned things. It was also the first hotel with good coffee and the hotel staff made a point to tell us that everything they served was homemade.
By 9:10am we were parked at the Great Meteoron monastery and saw four others by 1:30pm. They were all unique and the views were incredible, but it was also hot. I brought my portable fan and had a thin wrap that I used to cover my head and arms in the sun.
There was 30+ monasteries at one time and now only six remain. A different one is closed each day of the week so we didn’t get to see the inside of Holy Trinity. It’s only a few euros to enter a monastery but you need to be properly dressed. We came prepared but it was fun to watch the nuns yell at men in Greek who didn’t wear pants. I heard one of the ticket takers say “the nuns do not like knees.”
Varlaam monasteryVarlaam monasteryVarlaam on left; Great Metereon on right Varlaam monastery courtyardHoly TrinityLook closely to see Paul; D took this after climbing to a vantage point
At lunch time it was 103 degrees. We dined on Greek salad, feta stuffed peppers, chicken souvlaki and pasta bolognese at Taverna Gardenia Plakias.
Leaving the small town, the car registered 107.6 degrees. It took four hours, including a brief pit stop for an espresso and ice cream to get to the city of Athens — our next stop.
Before checking into our hotel, we visited Olympic Park to see the stadium (they were setting up for the Guns and Roses show) and we tried to enter the basketball arena where the “Redeem Team” won in 2004 (and spoke with a man affiliated with the Hellenic Basketball Federation) but it was all locked up.
We’re staying by the airport tonight (Thursday, stop #5 on the trip) to pick up Miss M for the last week of this adventure.
Today we left the Greek islands portion of our trip. A few last observations:
Oregano is everywhere. Pull over to the side of the road to gaze at the scenic view? You can smell oregano. Want chips at the supermarket? Oregano Lays or Ruffles. Atop the feta in a Greek salad? Check.
We didn’t realize honey was such a thing. All over the islands there have been old women and men selling honey roadside….everywhere.
We also didn’t expect to see so many pumpkins and squash. We stopped at a roadside stand (see below) on the mainland to get some fruit (and a red onion for D) and for under three euros got plenty of snacks for the day.
The islands are a prime spot for selfies and boyfriends taking pics of their girlfriends. We’ve seen so many girls in tiny bathing suits and barely their dresses posing for the camera.
At one point D commented that we were living with nature. The doors to the hotel lobby are always open, there are no doors separating the outside and the hallways of each floor, no doors to the dining area, etc. At the hotel there were butterflies, cats roaming the hallways and rooftop pool/bar/dining area, we heard a rooster each morning, and because of the openness of the building birds had formed nests a top the electrical boxes strewn with wires.
There are stray cats everywhere. D formed an affinity to a white cat who visited him each day at the sitting area outside our door. We’ve seen male cats praying on females.
We’ve seen soccer and basketball courts every day of this trip, but no one playing on them.
And finally, we noticed the bottom parts of trees are painted white. Google tells us it’s a combo of Lyme, salt and water used to prevent insects from crawling up the tree damaging the trunk and its fruit.
By 10am we drove through Lefkada Town on our way to the causeway to get off the island, and it was the first time we were in a place that to me felt authentically Greek. Everywhere we’ve gone there have been license plates representing what feels like every European country, people speaking Italian, German, Portuguese, the waitstaff speak English to us (and in one case Italian.) But Lefkada Town, being a city and not a beach town, felt much more authentic. Clothing and home goods stores, cafes, and all kinds of shops. And for the first time I saw people who looked more middle eastern Greek.
By lunchtime we were in Metsovo, an adorable little town that looked like a mixture of German, Japenese (with all the wood), and bits of Alberobello Italy in the style of roof. D scoped out a great place for gyros and we wandered in an out of shops for a bit.
Surrounding Metsovo the smell was intoxicating. We pulled over on the highway leaving town so D could hop the fence to pick a bouquet of the wildflowers that smelled so nice. Turns out they are spartium or “Spanish broom” which is an invasive species that flowers in late summer found mostly in southern Europe, southwest Asia and northwest Africa.
By late afternoon we were in Kastraki at the base of Meteora. Our hotel has a beautiful view of the monasteries and is the perfect place to spend the night since I needed to work again.
Yesterday BOTD was Egremni and similar to Milos yesterday, this beach is only accessible by foot or boat.
After driving 30 minutes from our hotel, we parked at the entrance gate and walked 1 km (0.6 miles) down a winding road and then descended 400 stairs to the beach.
The stairs were built two years ago and we could see the remnants of the original stone stairs which were destroyed by a rock slide and earthquake eight years ago.
Look closely to see the stairs
Travel & Leisure named it one of the top places to view the clearest water in the world, and this beach is stunningly beautiful. No amenities, no food vendors nor men selling pastries here.
No fish swimming close to shore at this beach either. With all the beaches, the water gets deep very quickly, and the boys observed (with our goggles) how steeply the ocean floor sloped.
The beach is very long (2.5 km) and the stairs are pretty much in the middle. On one end, multiple boats deposited tourists to spend an hour or so on the beach, but they were barely a blip on our radar.
After five hours we began the ascent — up 400 stairs and walking 1 km in feels-like 106 degree heat. Thankful for Paul and D again who carried the two umbrellas and beach bag so all I had to do was use the base of the umbrella stand as a walking stick and get myself up the mountain.
D took this while waiting for Paul and I to climb back up the mountain
We spent late afternoon at the pool drinking aperol spritzes.
Dinner at Rachi in Exanthia, a short 20 minute drive from our hotel, straight up to the top of the island. There are actually three operations on the premises: Rachi, the restaurant; Fly Me Sun & Stars Bar; and Paragliding, with the “take off pad” situated between the bar and restaurant. Rachi had an incredibly cool, laid-back vibe. We shared a greek salad and cheese croquettes. D had lemon oregano gnocchi, I had the Bianco (a tempura crusted cod in a garlicky cream), and Paul had pork belly over a chickpea purée and prune sauce.
The meal was great, but did I mention that the entire operation is orientated west towards the Ionian Sea and the setting sun? We sat down at 7:30 and finished our main courses just before 9, as the sun was saying it’s final good bye for the day. A fitting good bye to the beautiful island of Lefkada.
Photo credit: DBar, people viewing the sunset from the launch pad, restaurant
Yesterdays BOTD was Mylos. You can reach Mylos a few ways:
By boat
By foot
From the pedestrian area where our hotel located is in Agios Nikitas, there’s a narrow dirt path that takes you up and over the mountain to the Mylos beach.
A 15-20 min hike in “feels like 101 degrees”heat gave us this view:
Upon reaching the shore, we immediately threw our things down at the nearest sun-bed/umbrella combo and ran into the sea. Clear blue water, sand, and while there are pebbles leading to the beach, for some reason these don’t hurt to walk on.
The fish found a small cut on Paul’s leg and proceeded to nibble on him for brunch.
Boat loads of people got dropped off at the beach, 20 at a time, but it never felt crowded.
There was a man walking the beach selling spinach and cheese pies and an assortment of pastries and drinks. Everything looked delicious, but we had just ordered ham and cheese sandwiches from the one stand at the top of a sand dune.
It amazes me that there is absolutely nothing in the water or on the beach. No seaweed. No trash. No plastic. I saw a cigarette butt yesterday for the first time. I’ve noticed less people smoking in Greece although there are ashtrays everywhere; lots of vaping including parents sitting at the dinner table with their kids.
As the day grew longer, the sand and rocks were painfully hot to walk on requiring that we wear our shoes down to the shore.
After four hours I hiked back over the mountain, returning to the hotel to work the rest of the day/night. Paul and Damian hung out a little longer and eventually trekked back and went straight to the hotel pool.
Since I had to work this evening, the boys brought me a chicken souvlaki and then later returned to the same spot for pork gyros: D’s in a sandwich pita and Paul’s in a deconstructed “Portion” as the Greeks call it.
After dinner, the boys took a walk and ended up sitting by the beach which they remarked that even later at the night, the water here is special.
Remember when I said some of the most beautiful beaches in Greece are on the Ionian islands? Today’s BOTD was Porto Katsiki and it was absolutely stunning. Sheer cliffs, turquoise water, white pebbles leading to the water and some patches of sand.
After parking for 10 Euro, we descended 86 stairs to the beach and found a spot for the day. There’s no sun beds here but we were prepared: borrowed a beach umbrella from the hotel, had our European style beach towels that we brought with us from the last trip, peaches and plenty of sunscreen.
The water was calm, cool and refreshing. The occasional wave (if you could even call it a wave) caused by one of the many tour boats going around the island.
All day there was a man walking up and down the beach with a tray piled high with donuts for sale.
Lunch was pork gyros and mythos beer, delivered to us on the beach by the people who ran the small parking lot.
After 5 hours at the beach we made our way to Cafe Panorama which Paul had read about ahead of time. A small place for a cold drink or snack with barstools perched over the sea and a beautiful view.
Late afternoon we enjoyed a swim and aperol spritzes by the pool.
For dinner we started with a cooked tomato, feta and spicy pepper dish. I had a Greek salad, Paul had octopus and calamari, and D had chicken souvlaki.
Tomato, feta, spicy pepperCalamari
For dessert the boys had gelato and I had portokalopita (orange cake) which was so good.
We’re one week into our three week trip and the boys are already nice and dark. D is evenly tan all over only using sunblock on his face. Paul’s athletic trainer tan has evened out and I’m still pale but getting there!
Despite being surrounded by water, the country is experiencing a water crisis. Fresh water is delivered to many of the islands and they cannot keep up with tourist demands.
The topography on the islands has been interesting. The mountains are dry, rocky and it’s amazing any vegetation survives at all. The heat, dryness and high winds make for the perfect conditions for wildfires and we saw one pop up last night on the hill directly across from our hotel. As we were going to bed we heard fire trucks arriving on the scene to put it out.
This morning we awoke to the sound of a helicopter and it sounded like they were landing on top of the hotel. It practically did. For at least 90 minutes the helicopter circled above the hotel dropping water onto the dry land. It filled up its water reservoir in the ocean, flew over the hotel, dumped water on the mountain, and went back to the beach to fill up again. We lost track of how many runs it made.
Flying over the hotelView from the beachD took this shot while on his morning run
Our third stop on this trip is the island of Lefkada, which is about the size of Martha’s Vineyard.
From where our ferry docked in Vasiliki we drove to the town of Nydri where we hiked (in the shade) up to the Nydri Falls and took a dip in the very cold pool of water at its base. At several spots, on the way back down from the falls, we stopped and navigated the rocks to cool off in the stream.
Nydri falls One of the little pools resulting from the falls
I’m very lucky to have Paul and D as they helped me navigate the slippery rocks, carry my bag to and from the beach, wheel my luggage for me.
The falls aren’t very large but it was pretty nonetheless and a cool pit stop on an otherwise hot day. This is the first day where it truly felt hot. The sun has been strong but we haven’t been sweaty. The temps are in the 90s and it’s get hotter when we move inland.
After the falls we went to Nydri beach, finding a spot for Mythos beers, spicy feta dip and olives. D enjoyed a smoothie and a large bowl of yogurt with honey.
By 6pm we were in Agios Nikitas, checked into our hotel, and sitting poolside with aperol spritzes. While D enjoyed splashing around in the pool by himself, he’s missing his sister (sometimes) and remarked earlier that we’ll see her in six days.
Dinner tonight at Asperous Taverna where we started with feta wrapped in phyllo dough with sesame and honey. Paul had lamb knuckle on a purée of pumpkin, carrot and sweet potato. D has chicken souvlaki and I opted for two appetizers: mushrooms in a tomato sauce and dolmades.
Feta with sesame and honey
Around 11pm we spotted a brush fire on the hill just above downtown Agios Nikitas. They are a common occurrence in the summer in Greece but unnerving nonetheless.
Staying in the town of Agrostoli has been great — tons of restaurants, a bustling community with a huge town square, lots of shops, fruit markets, groceries, etc. One of the Ionian University campuses is right down the road.
The only thing separating our AirBnB and the bay is a one way road. The bay is lined with fishing boats and multiple places to eat.
View from footbridgeView from the other side of the bay
There’s a footbridge to cross the bay, and a steep mountain (with trotting goats) that we’ve crossed almost every day on the trip. That’s the only downside of Agrostoli, and we knew that going in to this trip. Everything outside of Agrostoli is a drive around the island.
At the base of the footbridge is a Greek church with a spiral staircase leading to the bell tower.
Last night we went into the St Nicholas Catholic Church on the main drag with all the people and shops. The doors to the churches are always open, so from the street Paul had noticed the distinctive cross on the altar: the cross of Saint Damian! I researched the church and can’t figure out why the church of St Nicolas would have Saint Damians cross on the altar.
While Sting dreamt of blue turtles, I’ve dreamt of Kefalonian turtles since learning Agrostoli is is known for them. They’re in the harbor overnight and follow the fishing boats into the bay in the morning, where they stay all day. They are 500 pound turtles, you can’t feed or touch them or they’ll bite your hand off, and we enjoyed looking for them. According to the wildlife protection people walking around, the best time to see the turtles is after 9am when the water is calm. When we’ve returned from the beach late afternoon, the bay is choppier so they are still visible but the water isn’t as clear. Fortunately, we all caught sights of them at different times.
Street artOne of the many fishermen
All week D has been wanting to have breakfast at one of the restaurants on the bay, so our last stop on this island was for waffles and sweet and savory crepes.
After winding around multiple mountains again and spotting goats trotting around the side of the road, we made our way to the northernmost part of Kefalonia and the town of Fiskardo. An adorable port lined with 40+ sailboats, yachts and places to grab a Greek coffee.
Four men guided Paul’s car onto the small ferry which departed an hour after it was scheduled for. The car is currently wedged next to a van carrying braids of garlic. The fog has rolled in as the ferry passes Ithaca and we’re staying cool on the upper deck ready for our next stop of this journey.
Today we took a boat tour around Zakynthos – an island to the south of Kefalonia. For years we’ve been wanting to visit Zakynthos to see one of Greece’s most photographed beaches: Navagio. Navagio is also known as shipwreck beach since a boat smuggling cigarettes wrecked here 40 years ago.
People flock to the lookout point atop the cliff to get a picture of the ship from above with the sun beaming down on the shore. It shows up on my social media feed regularly (recently with the tag of Revere Beach as a joke.) Tourists have taken their lives in their own hands trying to get a great view of the ship from above, resulting in several deaths. This year, the Greek government decided to ban visitors from going onto the beach and the lookout point over the shipwreck.
When we approached Navagio in the morning, cliffs cast a shadow over Navagio not giving the same vibe that we had been thinking about for years, though it was still cool to see the dramatic shear cliffs that surround the small beach and the shipwreck.
The second boat stop was the blue caves, Zakynthos’ version on the blue grotto. There were many caves formed along the coast by the wind and sea centuries ago. The boat took us around and close to one of the larger ones.
Our third stop was Alykanas, where we disembarked and walked to lunch at Neraida, right by the beautiful beach. The boys quickly swam in the warm water after lunch before we boarded the boat to return to Kefalonia.
Later that afternoon I worked while the boys went on a walk and did our last load of laundry for awhile.
For dinner, we went to Ampelaki about a half mile down the road from our AirBnB. We started with plump anchovies and tomatoes on bread, and pougakia which were described as “money bags of Messinia pastry” – chicken, mushrooms, cheese. For entrees I ordered moussaka, D had “Kreatopitta – the Kefalonian meat pie” of veal, pork, rice, tomatoes and herbs with handmade filo, and Paul had sea bream. We were stuffed!
Strolled through the city center that was filled with kids playing soccer, tons of people eating and drinking and strolling, shops selling Kefalonia trinkets of all types, and stray cats and dogs running everywhere. Finished the night with a glass of wine on the roof deck, listening to the singing of a group of men who perform greek folk songs every night at a restaurant on the bay.
Today began with another road trip in Kefalonia to see more of this beautiful island.
The first stop was the Drogarati Cave where descended 60 meters to view stalactites and stalagmites in a pretty vast open cave. It wasn’t quite as vast Luray Caverns that we visited years ago in Virginia, but impressive nonetheless.
Our second stop was 10 minutes away at the Melissani Lake — a cave with a large opening above, resulting from an earthquake. It takes 14 days for salt water to run from one side of the island in the capital of Argostoli (where we are staying) to Melissani Lake where it mixes with fresh water, and then exit out the bay of Sami. The water mixture combined with when the sun beats down on the cave opening results in the water looking a bright shade of blue. At times, it was clear enough to see all the way to the bottom. We spotted three eels in the water while the boat took us around the entire inside.
On our way to the third stop we wound our way up and down around Agia Dyanati, the 2nd highest mountain on the island, which gave us a great view of Myrtos beach from yesterday.
Next stop was the picturesque town of Assos, an adorable little seaside village with a small, beautiful, rocky beach. We grabbed lunch at Seaside cafe; we couldn’t beat the view with the beach literally at our feet and the small harbor, village and castle as our backdrop, while we ate Greek Salad, Italian salad, calamari, and a chocolate crepe for D. Afterwards, Paul and D walked up to the remains of a 16th century Venetian fortress/castle that was never finished. The views over Assos itself and the west coast of Kefalonia were incredible.
I took a spot at the “Little beach” just a short walk from the main beach where we had lunch.
After the walk, we all got some swimming in before heading back to Argostoli.
For dinner tonight, Paul and D returned to Ladokolla for more delicious meat. D got a pork gyro while Paul got the kontosouvli, a hunk of pork slow roasted on a rod over an open charcoal spit. Because I was working, the boys brought me back chicken souvlaki.
Search your social media platform of choice on “top beaches in Greece” and you’ll learn that the top beaches aren’t in Mykonos, Santorini, or the more popular Aegean island chains. Some of the top beaches in the country are on Kefalonia, Zakinthos and Lefkada — all islands we’re visiting this trip.
The BOTD (beach of the day) was Myrtos Beach and it did not disappoint. The sliver of beach is sandwiched between two mountains resulting in two kilometers of winding road to get down to the beach which has sky blue water and bright white pebbles. Only ten euro for two sun beds and a thatched hut for shade.
2pm – this is as crowded as it got.
Pictures just don’t do it justice. I recommend a quick google search.
Several yachts joined us for the day. D saw a jellyfish and there were a few tiny fish in the water, but otherwise it was clear.
Driving to Myrtos tested my patience again. Winding around the mountains, peering over the cliffs as Paul whipped us around the corners without guard rails, and other vehicles passing us in the process, was not enjoyable. I need to remain at sea level at all times.
Food wise today has been uneventful:
Breakfast on our rooftop patio was yogurt, honey and rice pudding from the supermarket, a croissant and espressos from the bakery on our block, and fruit provided by the AirBnB host.
Oregano-flavored potato chips for lunch on the beach.
Pita and tsatsiki for an afternoon snack.
Dinner took place between work meetings for me – so a quick Nescafé frappe with ice cream for me, an aperol spritz for Paul, and a cheesecake and an ice cream for D.
And, the coffee scene here has left a lot to be desired. Tried Nescafé frappes twice and don’t see what all the fuss is about, and the Greek espressos have been undrinkable.
Boarding the ferry with our Nissan Pulsar was easy thanks to a lovely energetic man who had Paul reversing up a ramp and into a spot.
The ferry is like a cruise ship inside: a movie theatre, multiple styles of lounges, a dark little room with sea turtles on the walls giving an under water vibe, and D counted four espresso machines.
Many times D remarked on how clean the port water is…a beautiful, clear blue. No seaweed or trash.
A little over an hour later we arrived in Kefalonia – an island three times the size of Martha’s Vineyard. After disembarking Paul drove 45 mins to our hotel – up up up the side of a mountain that resembled our drives in Puglia and Amalfi: no guardrails, barely enough space for two vehicles, homes and storefronts perched precariously on the side of the road. Paul said it was “breathtaking” with the views of the sea “but not nearly as harrowing as the amalfi coast” and D said “it was very dope.”
The AirBnB is situated one story above a flower shop. A huge living room, eat in kitchen with laundry, two bedrooms, one bath, and a huge roof deck overlooking the boardwalk. There are people dining outside along the bay. D remarked at 8pm people were drinking pre-dinner espressos getting hyped up for dinner.
View from our rooftop deck
We walked a half dozen blocks to the main square in downtown Argostoli. More shops and restaurants, packed with people eating and strolling, little kids running around and a stray dog running and barking, chasing after a drone up above. Dinner at Ladokola https://barbecue-restaurant-230.business.site/ for a Greek salad, a pork gyro platter for me and grilled meats for two for D and Paul. A ton of food but everything was so good.
A cookie sheet full of food…meat, dips, veggies, pita
After dinner we strolled up and down the street popping in and out of shops. There are so many people I don’t know where they all came from – and it’s only a Tuesday night!
We ended the night at a cafe on the bay for a cocktail. It’s not humid, the boats are all lit up on the water, and there’s a table full of people singing Greek songs a few tables down from us.
This part of mainland Greece reminds me of southern Italy. In fact it’s disorienting. The same stucco buildings and boxy storefronts next to abandoned buildings with overgrown greenery. No clouds in the sky, corn stalks, palm trees, olive trees and the pink and white flowering bushes line the highways.
Similar to Italy, we still see cyprus trees but not as prevalent. Typically around cemeteries. I continue to ask but Paul tells me I can’t have them line the driveway in Belmont as they won’t survive the winter.
A few times I’ve caught myself wanting to respond to people in Italian; we approach a store or street sign and I expect to be able to read it in Italian and can’t. Instead of small shrines commemorating mother Mary or baby Jesus, there’s tiny Greek churches on the sides of the road.
Similar to Italy, we’ve passed a lot of vehicles that gave us giggles, too.
This morning we had a breakfast at our hotel of halva, eggs, breads and yogurt with various jams or honey.
We hired a tour guide to take us through the museum and archeological site of ancient Olympia, where the first games were held from 776 BC to 393 AD. The tour starts with the gymnasia where the athletes prepared, naked, for one month prior to the event. D was quick to remind me that he told me a month ago that “gymnasia” meant “naked” in Latin — score one for education!
I personally liked the fact that if an athlete was caught cheating, they had to fund the creation of a bronze statue that would be displayed, with the cheating athlete’s name on a pedestal, at the entranceway to the stadium as a reminder to future athletes. Our tour guide had treats for D and Paul after they finished racing at the stadium and did a nice job comparing what we saw to sites we’ve seen previously in Rome and other historic sites in Greece.
PhillippeionBases for the statues of cheaters
By noon we were back at the hotel pool having aperol spritzes.
Mid afternoon we grabbed a bite: a small gelato, a single lokhum for me, rice pudding for D which he said was sweeter and had less rice than the one he enjoys at the church bazaar. Paul got a gyro and an espresso.
Gyro without fries
Only day 2 of the trip and we’ve seen three basketball courts and D didn’t bring a ball! Right down the road from one of the courts was Klios Honey Farm.
Klio spent an hour with telling us all about her great grandmother as a bee keeper and how her great grandfathers chickens produced 5,000 eggs that were sent by train to Athens. Klio invited us into her beautiful yard where we sat under the shade of a massive 70 year old fig tree. She brought us water, juice, quince spoon treats and coffee and told us all about the honey production from her hives, brought us around the back of the house where she showed us the machine she uses to spin the honey from the hives, then she moved us into a room in the farmhouse that was converted into a museum with photos and history about honey, and finally brought us to another part of her yard under the shade of another fruit tree where she brought out plates of diples that she drenched in honey so we could sample her product. It was the best hour of the day.
Quince spoon treatsFig tree
We popped into a supermarket, one of my favorite things to do when traveling, to pick up snacks and waters for the trip, and went back to the archeological site to check out one of the other museums.
Another dip in the pool for the boys while I caught up on some work, and then dinner!
Dinner at Ambrosia Garden, near the entrance to the archeological site, was mixed: we enjoyed the tzatziki and toast, and Pauls pork souvlaki, but D’s deconstructed gyro was just ok with soggy fries and chewier meat. We all agreed my dolmades were excellent (grandma they were thicker and the meat to rice ratio was higher than what you could use), I ordered a glass of tsipouro (Greek grappa) which I couldn’t drink but D liked the house red. While eating, the secedes continued to chirp and stray dogs and cats strolled by. We watched a man and a little boy deliver braids of garlic to the restaurant.
Tsatsiki, olives and toasted bread, and tsipouroSouvlaki, gyro, dolmadesGarlic man
Yesterday we began a family trip to Greece that was three years in the making: cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic; cancelled in 2021 due to Miss M’s torn ACL. And since things happen in threes we decided to break the curse and do Italy last year, so now it’s finally time for the original itinerary.
After a quick stopover in Frankfurt for 8am pretzels, schnitzel sandwiches and a few beers, we flew to Greece.
First stop on the mainland was the Corinth Canal where we refueled on espressos, a mortadella sandwich for D and a slice of pizza for Paul and I.
First impressions of mainland greece: reminds me of southern Italy: stucco homes with terra cotta roofs, farms, lots of olive trees, the occasional tiny town, dilapidated buildings and elderly people sitting in the shade watching the world go by.
By 6:30 we arrived at our first of six destinations on this trip: Olympia. As the sun set, Paul and D took a dip in the hotel pool while swarms of birds kept nose diving into the water.
Dinner at Taverna Orestis: a basket of thick sliced bread toasted with olive oil, salt and pepper with a Kalamata olive spread. We ordered saganaki (Greek mozz sticks) to start, a large Greek salad with a slab of feta for me, a platter of assorted grilled meats for the boys, and three pieces of halva for dessert which isn’t as sweet as Armenian halva. We polished off everything!
Saganaki, Greek salad Platter of grilled meat for two
This morning D went to the court to workout, Paul went for a walk and Miss M and I shopped for peaches, croissants and Nutella stuffed donuts.
By 10am we had four chairs and two umbrellas reserved at Blue Marine for our final day in the sun. It’s already 82 (with a feels like temp of 87.) Last night driving through the mountains it was 76. The first time we’ve felt a respite from the oppressive heat of the past two weeks.
Our friend Luca came to join us for the day. Luca and his family lived in Belmont for two years and our boys were on the same soccer team. Last week we were supposed to go to Ponza with their family for the day but plans changed when we were under the weather. It was nice to catch up with Luca and hear how life has been for him and his family during the pandemic.
Paul finally bought sweets from the beach vendor he’s seen daily but didn’t know what he was saying or selling. Turns out it’s a brand of Neapolitan sweets…like a sugary puff cookie with a hint of lemon.
Today there were no clouds (again) but thankfully there was a breeze which meant we could rest under the umbrella for long periods of time without getting too hot. It may not sound like a lot, but it made a huge difference in how we could enjoy the beach. We stayed until after 5pm and then walked to the tents selling crafts set up near the tower.
Paul and I enjoyed gelato (Nutella for Paul, and amarena and crostata con prune carmalata) and picked up croissant for Miss M’s breakfast tomorrow.
After 8pm we watched our last sunset and ate at Ristorante da Mari, the same restaurant we ate at the first night in Sperlonga. Caprese salad for D, margherita pizza for Miss M, roasted calamari for Paul, and spaghetti with mussels and clams for me.
Burrata and tomato appetizerCaprese saladMargherita pizzaCalamariSpaghetti with clams and mussels
The owner was happy to see us arrive for dinner and gave us the same table looking out at the basketball court and ocean. Their cat, Sammy, strolled around the restaurant looking for hand-outs, and D saw Andrea leaving the court and went to say goodbye. Andrea told him to come back next summer and stay with them as they have plenty of room. They are now connected on Instagram.
Over dinner we reminisced about our favorite parts of the trip: D loved nightlife in Munich and strolling around Pico. Miss M loved the boat and being on the beach. Paul enjoyed seeing his friends and visiting Pico again. And I enjoyed seeing everyone happy.
We wrapped up the night with gelato: Nutella for M, crostata con prune carmalata and babba, Paul got dark chocolate and coffee, D got crostata con prune carmalata and cremino.
Like clockwork, the magician, who we’ve already seen twice on this trip, started his performance again shortly after 10pm.
At 11pm, Paul and Miss M walked to the arts and crafts fair which was still going on at the base of the tower.
And there’s no sign of the nightlife in Sperlonga slowing down. People strolling the streets. Teens walking in packs. Overtired children being carried by their parents. And dishes clanking as many are eating dinner at sidewalk cafes after 11pm.
As they say, and the beat goes on. And Italy operates at a unique pace, with a beat all its own.
This morning Dad chartered a boat for us to go up and down the coast. We took the boat 8 miles down to the port of Gaeta and then worked our way back to Sperlonga stopping to swim multiple times and explore a couple of grottos. D, Dad and I all took turns driving the boat.
We had lunch at Blue Marine and sat on a upper level of the beach club with a view of the water. D had a pizza with seasonal roasted vegetables. Mom had a pizza with prosciutto, mushrooms, artichokes and olives. Dad had risotto with seafood. And I had a calzone.
Mom, D and I spent the late afternoon resting at the AirBnB. Dad spent the afternoon exploring Gaeta. He wanted to go back and check out the split mountain which was something he had spotted from the boat that morning.
Left: view from boat of sanctuary in the crack Right: sanctuary
We went back to the port for dinner at a restaurant called Il Porticiollo. The chef is from Pico and came and greeted our family when we arrived. We started with an appetizer of warm baccalà on toast. For our main dishes, Mom had a calamari dish with olives, red sauce and toasts. She also had a mini plate of anchovies. Damian had linguine with clams. Dad had a mixed grill of seafood including big shrimp, spigola and calamari. He also enjoyed a side of roasted peppers. I had a salad. After dinner we shared a platter of fresh fruit that included watermelon, cantaloupe and pineapple.
We finished the night with some gelato and watched another magician show in the plaza. We headed back to the AirBnB to get a good nights rest for our trip to Pico tomorrow!
On Tuesday we slept in. It wasn’t until 1pm when we headed north to Terracina, another beach community. Terracina has been inhabited since antiquity and there was a Roman template perched way above the town that we could see from the beach. We found a beach club to have lunch at (a yummy tuna salad for me, French fries, a chicken cutlet sandwich for Paul, and pasta with sauce for Miss M).
Tuna salad
And then spent a few hours at the public beach. It was windier in Terracina and the breeze and waves felt good.
View from the water, granita man shaving ice
After yesterday’s visit to Sal de Riso, the kids wanted more pastries so we stopped at La Bottega Dolceamare in Salto Covina on our way back to Sperlonga. A small place situated across from a fields of sunflowers, we had two waters, a piece of plum tart, a piece of apricot tart, a small rhumbaba, an oreo cheesecake square, a croissant that they stuffed fresh with Nutella…all for 8 Euro. We devoured it so quickly we didn’t get a pic. The kids went back inside for a second order to bring back to the AirBnB (see pic) for 12 Euro.
At night, D went to play basketball with his new friends, Miss M stayed in, and Paul and I went to Bar La Piazzetta in the borgo for drinks. D then joined us there for dinner. It was a relaxing evening sitting in the piazza, sipping cocktails and nibbling on prosciutto, cheese and melon.
Walking into the borgo, one of the many alleyways, tonight’s sunset Appetizer plate, prosciutto and melon, prosciutto and cheese plates for dinner
On Monday morning we drove south three hours through farms, towns, industrial areas, mountains, passing by palm trees, fruit trees, olive trees, the occasional herd of cows. So many spots I wanted to stop and take a photo of the sites but it wouldn’t be safe to stop abruptly and try to pull over with the craziness of the driving experience here.
The last 45 minutes of the drive wound us through the mountains of the amalfi coast — tight, somehow two lane roads with no visibility around the corners. Miss M stated she was not getting back in the car and D kept saying “whoa” and “this is insane” as Paul zipped us around corners and cars, busses and trucks passed us on the narrow road. D sat in the front seat and hugged Paul grateful for his life when we arrived at our destination.
Parked the car in Maiori and then walked around the bend to the town of Minori which we had stayed in twice previously. It was so nice to be back in the town and the kids were super excited too. It was a lot quieter than we had remembered previously which Ana (see next paragraph) said is because it was July and our previous visits had been in August. It’s July 26 and this week is the beginning of the peak summer season.
Video of Minori from the dock, entering Minori sign, I’ve always liked the exterior of this church in Minori, and my preferred way of getting to the coast
Lunch at Bar Europa where the owner Ana remembered us. We swam for several hours at the public beach and walked around town reminiscing. An assortment of pastries at Sal De Riso for afternoon snack (Ricotta e pere, Delizia Al limone amalfitana, Azteca, Freschezza ai Lamponi, Sentimento di Sal, Babamisu)
Sal de Riso pastry case
At 6:30p Paul drove us up to Ravello so I could buy another plate from Pascal at http://ceramichedarte.com. Pascal and his wife are so sweet. Happy for them that after the pandemic their business has boomed and he’s backordered on many pieces/patterns until 2024. Some day, maybe when I retire, I’ll buy a whole set from him and use it daily, like fine china.
After popping into a few stores, grabbing a pizza to go from Mimi and some gelato from Baffone (both which we had remembered from four years ago), we began our return trip to Sperlonga.
RavelloVesuvius
Paul did a great job again navigating the amalfi coast drive at night getting us back onto the autostrada by 9:15 and to Sperlonga by 11:30.
Today was the first day D didn’t wake up and work out. We all slept in, D and I still aren’t feeling great, but Paul knows how to put a smile on our faces with Nutella-filled bombetti and croissants.
We made it to the beach by 1pm and it was considerably more crowded today. Fried calamari, pizzette, pasta with red sauce, and calamari and shrimp for lunch. Hand shaved granita (amarena and lemon flavors) from one of the beach vendors as an afternoon snack.
For dinner, Miss M made herself penne with jarred sauce for dinner. Yup, you read that right. She was happy and we had a great meal despite her not joining us.
Paul, D and I went back to Cucino Io with its gorgeous views of the water, the borgo and beach. We had burrata with anchovies and polpo e patate (octopus and potato salad). Damian tried an anchovy for the first time and was shocked as to the saltiness. For dinner I had pasta with tuna, and Paul and D had tonno scotatto (lightly grilled tuna with pickled onions on the side.) I’m going to say the tuna was lightly grilled because the texture was very different than a grilled swordfish or salmon. D was a bit surprised at its “mushiness” but ate is anyway.
Capped the night off with gelato and Marianna joined us for a passagiatta (nightly stroll.)
Reading today’s post makes it sound like all we’re doing is eating, which I guess is true! But what it really means is we’re relaxing and not doing much or anything or going really anywhere. Just living la dolce vita. But that will change on Monday.
On Friday night the basketball court was used for a martial arts demonstration. On Saturday night Pinocchio came to town. The entertainers arrive, set up, and leave in a matter of hours. On Saturday there was also a magician in the piazza and a live band playing at the stairs up into the borgo. Lots of energy and free entertainment with people milling about everywhere.
Saturday morning there was also an outdoor market selling everything from underwear to bath mats to clothes, shoes and jewelry. Paul’s favorite vendor was Il Gigante Della Carne, which translates to “The Meat Giant” and essentially was a rolling butcher shop. There wasalso a vendor selling fruits and vegetables that was extremely popular with the locals. Are the alimentari and fruit stands on every corner not enough? Apparently not.
We spent Saturday afternoon at the beach again. We’ve seen the same people each day at their assigned umbrella. Each umbrella has a small table and built in ashtray, but there less people smoking on this trip compared to prior visits to Italy. A lot of vape pens, though.
Dinner tonight was in the borgo at Bar La Piazzetta. The waiter brought us Tiello (or Tielli, plural) to start. They are unique to Gaeta and the this area we are in. One was filled with octopus and olives and a red sauce while the other was all greens inside and tasted like the spinach pies Grandma Mary Ann brings from RI. Miss M had gnocchi sorrentina, D had a platter of prosciutto, melon and mozzeeella, Paul had a platter with various cured meats and cheeses, and I had Frisella which is basically a round toasty bread like a crouton consistency with tomatoes, mozzarella, olives and tuna all dressed in olive oil.
The waiter also brought over two baskets of bread. None of us have enjoyed the bread on this trip as it’s very dry and flavorless. One thing we noticed on this trip was some restaurants offering little packets of olive oil at the table (like a ketchup packet), along with the salt and pepper. We don’t recall ever seeing these before and wondering if it’s a new thing due to COVID.
We’re two thirds of the way through our trip at this point. Munich feels like it was a month ago. We’ve met many people, but one thing has stuck out to us: the people in this region don’t smile as much. From what we can recall, everywhere else we’ve been in this country, we’d be greeted with a “buon giorno” or “ciao” or a smile, but when crossing paths on the way to the beach, or taking part in the passagiatta, there’s been very little of that.
Paul recalls being with some folks in Pico on his last trip where there was a similar conversation over dinner about the people from Lazio, this region. I guess it’s just their way.
I woke up under the weather to a semi empty apartment. Paul went for a run, D worked out and played basketball with Francesco from Parma (age 13), and Miss M is a night owl and doesn’t wake til late morning regardless of time zone.
On the way to the beach at 11:30, we stopped at the alimentari for Paul and D to get sandwiches. They are closed from 1-4pm each day. The alimentari has a sanitizer dispenser outside and a handwritten sign asking to limit the number of people who go in. We’ve seen a lot more people in southern Italy wearing masks compared to Rome. Entering stores, at restaurants, even occasionally on the beach.
This morning I waited outside the alimentari in a small sliver of shade while Paul and D got their sandwiches. The fruit stand man outside the alimentari noticed I wasn’t completely in the shade, came over to me, moved my water bottles and bag three inches more into the shade so I could be completely covered. So sweet.
The men and women coming in and out of the market all spent time conversing with him about his fruit. He noticed one peach with bruises and quickly called over to a little boy he called Julia to run the peach inside.
The Italian people love Paul. People have asked Paul for directions, guidance on parking, guidance on tourist attractions, and for cigarettes. He belongs here. Upon arriving at the beach, D went to find Francesco and Ricardo the life guard came over to chat with Paul. They talked about the “Dream Team,” he plays water polo, and is studying to become a physical therapist.
The other day walking the beach, D bopped Paul in the head with the beach ball, and an old woman stopped us. In her broken English she chuckled and said Paul was a “darling man.” I think she was trying to convey that any other Italian parent would have turned around and yelled at his kid, hand gestures, swears and all.
At the beach, there’s very cold fresh water from the mountains dumping into the ocean. Mini water falls and pools form at the base of the rocks which the borgo is built on top of. If you swim in that area, the water isn’t as salty and because of the fresh water combining there are pockets of cool water and warm water mixing together. There’s schools of large fish near where the cold water trickles into the sea, as they may enjoy the cooler temperature.
Around 2pm D went to the larger supermarket in town with the instructions of buying me something for lunch. He came back with 14 Euro worth of gelato and ice cream!
Miss M didn’t join us at the beach today. Elon announced dorm assignments today so she is excitedly watching videos, connecting with her suite mates, and planning what else we need to purchase before she departs in 30 days.
Around 4:30 or 5 the DJ arrived. Little kids and a handful of adult women danced on the beach following the DJs instructions.
I haven’t felt well all day and napped the rest of the afternoon/evening. Paul, D and Miss M enjoyed dinner at Al Vignale where they had frutti misto (Paul,) a plate for buffalo mozzetalla and prosciutto (D), and spaghetti with red sauce (Miss M.)
Our relaxing Wednesday began with D playing basketball with Francesco again. He wakes up before everyone else to get a workout in. Then, more time for all us at the beach.
For lunch, D and I went to a different alimentari and salumeria to have sandwiches made: prosciutto for Paul, mortadella and galbanone cheese for D and I, pizza for Miss M, a Gatorade, and a four hoodsie-style cups of amarena ice cream. All for 12 euro.
At 1:30 I returned to the AirBnB for my final remote work day before vacation while the kids and Paul spent more time at the beach.
Late afternoon, Paul went to the grotto and summer home of Roman Emperor Tiberius. There’s an archeological site and small museum which houses the sculptures found in the cave which looks out over the city. It’s believed that Tiberius entertained here and then moved to Capri in AD 26, binding Sperlonga and Capri together both by sea and history.
For dinner around 9pm, Paul brought us pizza from Aqua & Farina, which translates to Water & Flour. Pictured is Paul’s pizza with buffalo mozzarella, lardo, tomato and provolone. My pizza had San Marzano tomatoes, fior di latte (cheese), and sausage from Cetara. No visits to Cetera planned for this trip, so Cetera sausage is as close as we’ll get!
I had to work until midnight, Damian is still feeling congested, and Miss M had college pre-work to be completed before arriving on campus in 28 days.
Walking from our door, down the stone pathway, to the main road/basketball court/beach is 300 paces. And along that pathway we pass olive, lemon and lime trees, a grape vine, a blackberry bush, and multiple flowering bushes and trees. There are also eleven grates (we suspect to collect rain water run off) that the kids jump over or walk around.
As we reach the end of the path, we come upon an alimentari (small market with the best peaches) and a store selling eyewear which seems to be open 24/7.
Today Paul, D and I arrived at the beach at 10am, and to our delight for the first time we could walk on the sand without burning our feet. It was only in the upper 80s.
In the water we’ve seen several types of fish, several about six inches long with brown stripes. We’ve seen little white crabs and the fish come right up to you if you stand still. No rocks, no shells, and the sand is so soft. The only thing I’ve seen floating in the water that doesn’t belong there is a tiny fig.
There are a few beach vendors but it doesn’t feel intrusive. Two guys wheeling huge carts up and down the beach selling floaties, but it’s not a hot commodity as the water is very salty (so salty that it stings the eyes) and there are no waves, so it’s easy to float.
A few times a day we see people wheeling huge carts selling dresses, cover ups, flip flops and crocs. Another guy selling coco fresco (cold coconut slices), one selling granita, and there’s another vendor that we’ve been unable to determine what he’s saying or selling
The beach club has three tiers of dining, from what we can tell: take away, sit down in the covered pavilion at beach level, and seated on the upper terrace. Each with different menus.
The beach level sells espresso and other drinks at the stand up bar, and they have a “crema cafe” machine which we remember from our last trip. It’s like slightly melted coffee ice cream which is cool and refreshing.
Each day we’ve seen the same two couples, probably in their late 70s, playing cards. They don’t recline on the standard loungers that come with the umbrellas. Instead the beach club provided them with upright chairs and they use the lounger as their card table.
For lunch, D and I went to the alimentari with the good peaches and had sandwiches made to order: mortadella without pistachios, a cheese we’d never heard of before but just pointed too, and I grabbed a tomato from their display. 5 euro for two fresh sandwiches – yum!
Miss M showed up at the beach at 1:30pm.
I went back to the AirBnB at 3pm to start my workday and D followed shortly thereafter since he’s not feeling great. He seems to have come down with the same head cold that Paul had earlier in the week.
In the late afternoon, Paul went on a walk while I worked, D slept, and Miss M did whatever she does.
For dinner, Paul and I went to Cucino Io (which translates to I Cook.) It’s right on the water with beautiful views facing south towards the island of Zannone and the town of Terracina in the distance. We started with polpetti di alici (anchovie meatballs in red sauce), and shared a mezzo pacchero con pesce spada (large tube shaped pasta with swordfish) and frittura di calamari (fried calamari that was very light and tender.)
Polpetti di aliciMezzo pacchero con pesce spadaFrittura di calamari
This restaurant was the first meal where we’ve seen people drink espresso after the meal. Throughout Italy we’ve seen meals end with a salad. Or a dessert. But no coffee until today.
Tonight’s meal was also a limited, seafood based menu via chalkboard at the entrance. The waitstaff could verbally recite the options when you order, but we opted to take a pic of the menu at the entrance to think through translations and how to order in Italian.
At 10:15, Paul picked up a margarita pizza for Miss M and D (in case he wakes up) and I sat on the stairs of the piazza to watch “Spectacolo Zeta Circus,” a pretty bad street performer. Don’t know where 100 people appeared from but all of the sudden there were easily 30 kids under the age of ten watching. We headed back to the AirBnB and likely called it a night before most of the preschoolers in town.
I love Italian supermarkets of all shapes and sizes. The “alimentari” on every other street corner sell delicious fruit, snacks, usually have a small dairy section and sometimes a deli counter. I would never buy from the small markets at home, or even CVS, what I buy here at the alimentari.
Conad, however, is the Italian supermarket chain. Some are the size of a CVS and others the size of a Super Stop n Shop. And the prices can’t be beat.
This morning, after Paul and D played basketball in the heat for 90 minutes, we enjoyed beachside cappuccinos and cornetti (plain croissants) for Paul and I, and a latte cocoa (warm milk with chocolate at the bottom of the glass for stirring) for D. Miss M slept in.
But then late morning, Miss M, Paul and I made a 15 minute drive to Conad: 12 huge bottles of water, 6 huge bottles of iced tea, butter, eggs, a box of cereal, ritz crackers, apricot cookies, a bag of hard candies, espresso pods, a container of nuts, shampoo, conditioner, bar soap, laundry detergent, mosquito repellant, 3 liters of milk, 16 yogurts and a bag of taralle …all for 67 euro.
We spent the afternoon at the beach, and the sun is hot. If we aren’t in the ocean, we’re in the shade under the umbrellas. Except for Miss M…she’s getting darker by the minute.
Late afternoon I worked from the Airbnb.
For dinner, Paul, D and I went back to Ristorante Mari for a delicious ball of burrata, swordfish carbonara for D and me, Paul had Filet of Orata (a white fish,) and we ended with tiramisu.
Ristorante Mari is on the main road, and the only thing separating the restaurant from the beach is the basketball court. In between courses D played with little kids, teaching them proper shooting form.
The main road…beach on the left, restaurants on the right
Lilla Travels 