Welcome To Nafplion To Do List

The tiny island of Bourtzi at night. 

After a week crossing Italy by car, we arrived in Greece. Anytime we get to Nafplion, we arrive to some new issues that need to be fixed.

The last few times (and years), among other things, it’s been the roof which leaked in various places. For a while, rainwater crept down the bedroom wall whenever a squall sailed its way across the Old Town. Once that was patched, water migrated to the kitchen where we could just perch a bucket precariously between the windowsill and the kitchen counter.

Bougainvillea still blooming in Greece

After finally replacing the roof, at nearly twice the cost of replacing our roof in the States, last year it was replacing the living room windows which had lost their seal and made the view of Palamidi, the 1700’s Venetian fortress just next to us, difficult to see, along with the hillside, the rooftops, and stairways. 

Palamidi

 I call it our Greek Money Pit. Ed, in response, says that it is our ‘Investment Property’ and please don’t call it that thing you call it. 

This time it’s the stairway lights not working (even though Ed climbed up on the ladder, replaced the bulbs, cleaned the sconces, etc.) Still not working. And we’re on the 4^th floor. So, we have to call an electrician back in (after being here last time to fix a few light fixtures that simply would no longer work among other electrical issues.)

One of the things we awoke to the first morning (besides the sunrise over the bay at 7:30am and the smell of the peanut factory’s exhaust across the bay toward Argos) was what sounded like someone on the ceiling opening and closing something heavy. Ed said he could also hear it during the night so guessing we have an animal in the space between our ceiling and roof. Not sure how it could sound like it’s opening and closing a sliding door or window since there’s not one up there. Now we need to call the roofer back in to see if he can get up there, find out what it is and get it out. 

Walk around Akronafplia

We can’t drink the water in the Old Town (where our place is located) so we spend a lot of time either hauling bottled water up all the stairs (there are 3 flights of stairs up to our pedestrian street from the street below and then the four flights up in our building) or filtering, boiling, cooling and refiltering the tap water to use for coffee/tea and drinking water. We realized last time, after boiling it for coffee/tea water, just how much plastic is in bottled water (it sticks to the side of the pot after boiling like a white film and is frankly shocking) so sometimes we now even filter the bottled water. 

But the last two days have been sunny and crystal clear (the latter sometimes being few and far between here with the nearby factories), making the bay its otherwise indescribable Mediterranean blue just past the Old Town buildings in their varying shades of tan and pink, and the rolling waves of ochre rooftops with rounded clay tiles.

My To Do List includes cleaning windows, washing linens, replacing damaged things, and buying household items including a few pieces of furniture to make the downstairs apartment more livable. With guests coming in the spring, it still needs much work. Besides that, trying to get a few workouts in at a close-by gym along with writing time and submissions done. This does not include Ed's To Do List which is another ball game completely involving the attorney, tax payments, the engineer, roofer, electrician, water and electrical bills, repainting the terrace furniture and sanding and re-staining the terrace railing, which needs to be done nearly every other visit. 

 The list of things to do here keeps my mind occupied from the unspeakable things in the news that are too horrific to describe or hold in one’s mind for too long. I know that we cannot look away and yet, I cannot look for long. I will make a point of watching more in-depth discussions to understand better and more deeply rather than the horrendous clips of unspeakable violence. They are meant to be watched with horror and fear and I won’t be a part of that aspect or help them fulfill that goal.

            Wishing you peace in your way of dealing with all you are seeing right now. May peace prevail at some point in the near future of our humanity. 

 

Old Town Nafplion, Part 1

(Arvanitia, city beach around the corner from us 

at the end of Old Town and beneath Palamidi Fortress and Akronafplia.) 

Last November, right after Thanksgiving,

we made an emergency roof repair trip to Greece,

knowing that our roof (and interior) could not withstand another winter of rain

without some patching. 

And we arrived in the midst of a major rain storm

which meant water flowing down the steps like a waterfall

and dripping into our bedroom.

But that's not what I want to show you. 

From the ancient rock wall of Akronafplia,

where some of the stone is still Byzantine,

one can look out over the rooftops

of old town Nafplion.

The old town and the bay lie on one side 

with the tiny island of Bourtzi in the background...

...on the other side... 

the Mediterranean.

Just next to us,

the fortress of Palamidi sits atop the hillside

looking over the city and far beyond. 

The ancient entrance to the old town

(refurbished)

is the symbolic gate between the old and new towns.

A few shots of one of my favorite walks in Greece

(which you can see more of Here)

which always has a plethora of lovingly-tended altars...

as well as wild prickly pear

and bougainvillea.

The walk swings around Akronafplia

and back into old town

just in front of Bourtzi.

I took several shots of these palm trees,

their gorgeous seeds in full color.

Sadly, that same week,

I witnessed workers hacking them off.

They all now stand bare along the shore.

The walk along the water brings us to our favorite spot

for a sunset drink

looking out over the bay,

Bourtzi and the sailboats. 

Our roof fix turned out far better than we'd hoped

(a true fix rather than a patch

and new tile to replace the beautiful but water-damaged parquet wood floors.)

We're hoping it won't take us as long to return.

Friends to see, walks to take,

books to write. 

*All photos copyright: Kirsten Steen

May not be reproduced.*

Favorite Walk in Greece~ Travelin' Tuesday

We are anticipating a possible business (paperwork) trip to Greece this fall

so my favorite walk is on my mind. 

For years I have craved, zoomed, snapped and framed

the colors of Earth's natural blues and greens together, 

against each other. 

Even though the camera never does them justice,

I can't help myself. 

They have become touchstones for me

and I honor them and my dreams together. 

This walk along the backside of Nafplion's Old Town

scales both the rocky cliffside and the water. 

And ends back around toward the Old Town 

with a cup of Greek coffee (not to be confused with Turkish),

a view of Bourtzi in the foreground

 and Argos across the bay.

And when the deep, rich, hot demitasse beverage made from the beans of a tree

have taken hold, 

a walk along the palm-lined waterfront to the Old Town is in order.

I'll save the town itself for another post. 

Fall is now upon us. 

Hope you are enjoying all that it brings. 

(Photos copyright: Kirsten Steen)

'Nother Bourtzi Day~ Travelin' Tuesday

(Photo copyright Kirsten Steen)

Thought you might enjoy another shot of Bourtzi from a different angle.
And a different boat.

The older gentleman who owns this sailboat

takes tourists out for a spin by the hour or the day.

And one of these days,

I'm gonna take him up on it.

Care to join me?

You bring the shrimp

and I'll bring the champagne.

Bourtzi~ Travelin' Tuesday

(Photograph copyright Kirsten Steen)

Today let's travel back to Greece!

Specifically Nafplion, a favorite haunt of ours.

Out beyond the little boat is the tiny Venetian castle

known as Bourtzi

also once known as home of The Executioner.

(Long ago, the town didn't believe the executioner should live within the city

so he was relegated to this teensy island.)

In Nafplion, Bourtzi is boasted to be the consummation place of

one of actress Melina Mercouri's marriages

(when it served as a hotel).

Mercouri was famous for several things:

actress, political activist and the first female Minister for Culture of Greece.

She starred as Ilya in the 1960 film

"Never on Sunday"

for which she won Best Actress at the 1960 Cannes Film Festival.

The film also featured her future husband, Jules Dassin,

who wrote, directed and starred.

Think I'll be putting this one on my queue.

Time for more things Greek!

(Poster photo thanks to Wikipedia)