2 May–7 May

A Family Visit

Ann’s brother David and his wife Lyndsey arrived in Athens on May 1st and made there way to Finikounda via Kalamata, where Jonathan and Manny picked them up the following afternoon. We took the scenic cutoff behind Pylos, into the hilly terrain and past many kilometers of olive orchards, vineyards, and hillsides stewn with red poppies and yellow wildflowers.

It is a pleasant change to have family visiting, and a great opportunity to show them “our village.” Ann’s sister Lena and her travel partner arrived from Franfurt, Germany, on Tuesday after dark in Pylos—very hungry and in need of a glass of wine. We accomplished both (with copious refills) until 3 a.m. on Wednesday.

Everyone's visit will be short-lived: David and Lynsdey will set off for western Europe on Friday—taking the overnight ferry from Patras, in the western Peloponnese, to Brindisi, Italy. From there, they will head to Venice by train. Lena and her friend Laura are ending their tour in Greece and will fly back to the States on Sunday.

This is a nice break for all of us. A chance to show our family around southern Messenia, laugh, swim...and, of course, eat.

On Saturday night we had dinner at Elena restaurant, over the small harbor, with David and Lyndsey, and our landlady’s daughter Yiota. The live music began at 10 p.m. and we all got a flavor of it before leaving for drinks at our friend Chris’s establishment.

We met for coffee along the waterfront the following morning, secured a rental car for David and Lyndsey, and set off caravan style for a leisurely day in Koroni. The seven of us strolled through Koroni’s back streets, eventually winding our way up to the kastro, for a view of the town from above. We spent an hour or more in the palaiometroloyitis monastery—where we were shown great hospitality by the sisters.

We ended the daylight portion of our day with a swim at the big beach--Lucia, Evyenia, and Jonathan swam without any loud gasps, much to David and Lyndsey’s astonishment. (They felt the water temperature with their toes and could not quiet fathom our fortitude. The ocean is unusually cool for mid-May.) Then in a moment of great spontaneity, Lyndsey dove into the waves, swam briefly in the direction of Libya, and promptly retreated to the warm sand. Mission accomplished!

Lena and Laura arrived in twilight of Lena’s twenty-ninth birthday, which we all anticipated and had planned for. We set off (early) for dinner…at around 11 p.m. and ended the night at 3 a.m. Lena and Laura each had a marriage proposal—from the same man that brought to our cafeneion table a very rich caramel cake, ablaze with candles and sparklers —who promised to each of them, on separate occasions, that “your friend can always come visit us here Finikounda.”

On Wednesday the nine of us hiked to (but not inside, owing to Jonathan and Lena's unsure relationship with big snakes) the Palaio Kastro in Pylos, ending with a slow ascent to Nestor’s Cave, high above the sand dunes and the stunning blue natural harbor of Voidokalia. In the dying light we head to the mountain village of Chysoskeralia for drinks at the new cafeneion there.

Thursday is shaping up to be a beach day. We are relieved to report that the rain has finally ended and a small taste of an eastern Mediterranean summer lies ahead.

For our last long weekend in Finikounda, we are planning several meals out with many of the new friends we have made over the past three months--taverna nights, cafenenion days--and a few more local adventures.