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European Summer

maj - juli 2024
  • GoJenCalCarr
It’s that time again, we are heading off for another adventure! This trip will include many new experiences and countries! Come along with us. Läs mer
  • GoJenCalCarr

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  • Spanien Spanien
  • Grekland Grekland
  • Tyskland Tyskland
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Strand, Kryssning, Vandring, Fotgrafering, Tåg, Semester, Vilda djur
  • 30,7kantal resta kilometer
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  • Flyg19,8kkilometer
  • Kryssningsfartyg3 368kilometer
  • Buss619kilometer
  • Tåg597kilometer
  • Bil446kilometer
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  • 42fotavtryck
  • 75dagar
  • 722foton
  • 30gilla-markeringar
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Nyast först
  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    We took a walk the first evening we arrived and were treated to some pretty views of the city.
    Our 1st nights dinner at a Taverna near our hotel. Appetizer of eggplant & cheese, mussels in wine.The city is a melting pot of cultures/ethnicities.Roman Catholic Church, originally built in the 15th century.Next week is their equivalent of 4th of July so flags are starting to be put up in public areas.All around the city you see plants in bloom...I especially love the jacaranda trees.We decided to try the Greek tradition of a glass of Ouzo as a pre-dinner drink (digestivo).View of the Ionian Sea from the top of the Old Fort.View of Corfu Town from the Old Fort.Old palace that is now several museums.Our guide standing on the Durrells Villa gate trying to get the gardener's attention.Front door to Durrell's house (in tv show). Their actual house was smaller and down the road.Durrell house from the TV show.The kitchen of Durrell house which has only one area that looks like what we saw in the tv show.Living room ofvtge Durrelll house, brighter/lighter now but still looks the same.A recreation of market square as seen in the show. It looks authentic but is new & used for events.Sven's house in the tv show. Needs a little TLC.This is in a park named for the Durrells, honoring them & what they did for Corfu. Bringing tourism.

    Corfu Town and a visit to the Durrells

    15 maj 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    We’ve enjoyed the last few days exploring Corfu Town (largest/main city on Corfu island). It’s a beautiful town that reminds us a little of Italy. The old town is filled with little narrow streets and a nice mixture of locals and tourists. Buildings must meet a special criteria for color (limited pallet to choose from) and historic features (eg shutters that must be green). So it is very quaint and beautiful to see as you walk the cobblestone streets.
    One of the things that inspired this trip was the tv show The Durrells of Corfu which came out in 2015. We loved what we saw of the scenery and the way of life. So when we started planning our first trip to Greece, Corfu was at the top of our list of places to visit. Because of the show we decided to do a Durrells tour which would take us to places on the island that were where the Durrell family actually lived or where the tv show was filmed. We were lucky to have a guide that had worked on the set of the TV show (as a costume designer) and knew the locations well and many behind the scenes stories, Our guide had hutzpah and was able to get a Gardner at the main Durrell filming location to let us into the grounds. Then the owner of the house (villa) came out, remembered our guide and invited us into the house for a tour! It was amazing to see inside the house, much of which has been changed as it is now a high end vacation rental (20k will get you a week for 10 people). The only thing that looked familiar was the kitchen. The owner was super friendly and happy to show us around and tell a few stories (her family had owned the house for 6 generations and she worked with the producers on setting the show at the house). We also saw other key locations from the tv show- Sven’s house, the market square, the cafe where many scenes occurred. It was a fun experience.    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    Cal, me & Yorgos in his outdoor kitchen.
    Yorgos likes this lady so always buys from her. She was sweet, insisting we try some of her items.The tomatoes were so big and ripe, seems so early but Yorgos says they have them most of the year.Strawberries were very good, although I think the ones from our local stand at home are a bit betterSmoked tuna and several other types of fish for sale.The cheese shop was great. We tasted amazing feta and fresh yogurt.Our class and Yorgos.Our Greek Salad (without olives as myself and the other women are not fans). He served Cal some.Outdoor wood fired oven. They cook as much as they can in that oven.Pork knuckle just out of the oven.Yorgos helper Lola, grated cheese on the pork and put it back in the oven. It added a nice element.Sweet sayings on our napkins.Cal about to dig in.Not fancy but oh so delicious!The old ruins where a community olive press used to be. The wheel remains.300+ year old olive tree.The area where Yorgos lives made us think of the hill towns in Tuscany.Al fresco dining on Yorgos' patio.

    Cooking in Corfu

    17 maj 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

    We took a cooking class on our first full day in Corfu/Greece. It was a great introduction to Greek food and culture. The teacher (Yorgos aka George) took us to the local veggie/fish market, a cheese shop and bakery to get ingredients for our meal and then he took us to his home for the class. It was a Cal, me and two others and we made a pork knuckle (cooked low and slow in an outdoor wood fired oven), roasted potatoes and veggies, Greek salad and Tzatziki. Everything was yummy and while some recipes were similar to what I’d make at home there were a few unique twists based on Greek cooking style/techniques that made them different and new to us. .
    I was blown away by the amount of fruits and veggies (all grown on Corfu), especially the tomatoes as it seems very early to me to see such big/ripe ones this early in CA. We did not buy fish for the class but Cal and I will go back to the market to get some to take to our vacation rental to cook ourselves in a couple of days.
    While at George’s home he took us into his olive orchard (300 year old trees) and showed us the old olive press his great grandparents used.    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    1When the taverna owner learned it was our 1st day in town she brought us Baklava and Icecream.
    Our Durrells guide took us to a cafe with delicious treats.We had our first taste of Greek coffee and loved it. Strong & sweet!1Soumada is a Greek traditional drink made from orgeat syrup, made from almonds. Yum!These treats are loukoumades (donut balls with fillings) - Similar to beignets.They have savory and sweet options. We had a couple of each. I loved the savory!1Cal and our guide Alice enjoying the sweet ones - honey and feta.1We have had some great salads- tasty and fresh greens, tomatoes and figs.Our guide turned us on to this amazing pudding - from local dairy, made daily.Our guide turned us on to this spice shop. Bringing home several bags of special Greek mixtures.1Can't get enough of Greek bc salads and yummy feta.A traditional Greek meal, grilled sardines and mousaka (after a Greek salad).We had a great meal at a fish restaurant- one course was octopus and fava bean purée, so good!!At a Durrell site we saw a tree filled with what looked like blackberries- they were mulberries!1Our guide was very excited to find the tree with fruit and she picked a cup full!Corfu is known for its Limoncello digestivo liquor. Slightly different than Italy's.

    Delicious Food in Cortu Town

    18 maj 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    We’ve really been enjoying all the different types of food in Corfu. Some things we are familiar with but they taste better here (like Moussaka), some things have a unique Greek twist (Greek coffee), and many things are new to us (Greek donuts). Luckily we are walking a ton so hoping we are burning off what we eat. We’ve also been sharing meals vs getting our own, which we learned is the Greek way. Greeks are like the Spaniards in that they don’t eat dinner until 9:30/10 pm, or even 11. Last night (a Sunday) at 10 pm families with young children were just sitting down to dinner at restaurants we passed walking back to our hotel. Restaurants here stay open until midnight- luckily for us they open early for us tourists so we can eat earlier.
    We don’t have any one favorite dish, but we’ve loved a few more than others- a super tender grilled octopus with fava bean purée. And a shrimp tartare that was amazingly good. The fish that’s served is super fresh and you can taste that in the meals. The feta is made locally and is really good, I’m making myself hungry so will stop here. See pictures and captions for more. Hope you enjoy.    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    This is the town of Kassiopi. What was once mainly a fishing village now more a tourist beach town.
    There are olive trees everywhere, many are 100's of years old. They use nets to harvest them.A little fishy by still happening.Church tower and bells, Greek style. A kitty was happy to welcome Calvin.We visited Old Perithia, oldest village on Corfu.Old Perithia is also on the Corfu Trail so we saw many walkers in town having a lunch break.The town was abandoned in the 60's but has come back to life a bit as a tourist destination.Many of the old buildings are still standing, in some form. This is the old school house.Some of the old buildings...1View from our apartment balcony. And a beautiful Sunset. We can see Corfu Town across the water.1The village of Paleokastritsa. With gorgeous beaches on many sides of town.There is a gorgeous monastery at the top of the hill- Paleokastritsa.Monastery is from the 1300's, still in use and has a collection of Byzantine antiques in the museum.There are beautiful gardens in and around the monastery. Loved this succulent and flower.Most of our dinners are casual, but we treated ourselves to one special meal at the Whitehouse.This little guy was hoping we'd drop something from our dinner. Cats are everywhere in Corfu.Some of the roads go thru small villages...feels like the road is on the front doorstep of homes.These are mussel beds. We've had them a few times and they are delish!

    Exploring the Island of Corfu

    22 maj 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We’ve had a great time exploring the island of Corfu. We are now staying in a vacation rental in a small town (once a fishing village) called Nissaki. It’s relaxed and easy going here. We have our own pool and are a short walk to a nice taverna, a grocery store and a bakery/coffee place. We are taking the approach of relaxing one day and then going on a road/exploration the next. There many cute coastal villages that remind us of the coastal villages in CA and Oregon. We also went to an old village (oldest on Corfu)- old Perithia. A town that was abandoned in the 60’s when the inhabitants moved closer to the coast. But the architecture and environment are great representation of old villages on the island.

    The beaches here are mostly pebbly, which initially we did not like but then found it was better than getting all sandy :-).

    The towns we drive thru are quaint and are like many Tuscan/Italian towns we’ve visited - not surprising as Corfu was ruled by the Venetians for 4 centuries.

    The people are friendly and easy going. Food is delicious, with lots of seafood and traditional dishes. Most of the other tourists we see are British and the rest are from other European countries (we hear German, Swedish, Spanish and more). We are here for 5 more days then we head to the hustle and bustle of Athens.    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    This beach was small but had rocky cliffs around it with loungers. Our 1st pebbly beach!
    The beach in Kassiopi. Our loungers on the rocks are not easy to see but they are there.We decided to try a sandy beach the next time. Agios Georgios is in the bay in the distance.The one sandy beach we visited, Agios Georgios.We were not alone...These aren't the best loungers we've had, but not bad.Barbati beach has the best amenities thus far and it's close to our rental. Nice cushions & beach!An example of a pebbly (rocky) beach...Oh and Barbati also has great service with tasty drinks delivered!Calvin enjoying the water.Canal d'Amour is carved by the waves into a couple of channels with a tunnel between them.The legend is that if you swim through the tunnel between channels you'll find the love of your lifeAnother example of Mother Nature and the waves at work.So inviting but the water was murky because of a rain storm the previous night.Acharavi Beach was in front of the cafe we had lunch at. It was so pretty we decided to take a walkToday we heard the water tossing the pebbles (rocks) around.

    Beach Time on Corfu

    22 maj 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Many people come to Corfu just to relax at the beach. The beaches are a bit different in that most are pebbled vs sandy, and many have “organized” areas with lounge chairs and umbrellas available for a fee (8-15e depending on how nice a lounger and how nice a beach). We initially were turned off by the pebbly beach, but then after spending some time on a sandy beach we decided it was nice NOT to have to deal with sand. The water is pleasant, not warm but not too cool- instead very refreshing! It’s been in the mid 70’s most days. The water is clear so you see small fish around you, and in some areas people snorkel or scuba.
    We’ve tried to blend sightseeing with beach time. Most “organized” beach areas have changing areas so if it’s nice enough we change into our suits and find a comfy lounger to claim as our own for an hour or two. Photos are a sample of what we experienced on our beach outings. Heaven!    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    I've not edited this pic- the water is THAT color because of the color of the sand.
    The town of Gaios on the island of Paxos (pop 2500).Loved this building.Many fishing boats (big and small) amount the yachts and sailboats moored along the harbor area.We walked the narrow streets of Paxos and came upon this beautiful building.We both loved the shape and resilience of this olive tree.Greek Orthodox Church from the 1600's.Another building I liked along the harbor side.First time we've seen white bougainvillea (lots of pink and purple but 1st time for white).The boat we traveled on, about 2.5 hours from Corfu Town.Statue of a ship captain who skippered a fire ship during the Greek revolution in 1798.This is a beach area on Anti Paxo (smaller island near Paxos).The boat going into the "blue" cave is a sister vessel to ours - we go in a few minutes later.Our ship inside one of the blue caves. There are many along this area.Lots of private vessels around the blue caves, a few had kayaks to go into the caves.The cliffs are sandstone and occasionally there are slides, this was a big one.On the way back the two boats tried to stay next to each other so a DJ could play music for both.View of Corfu Town as we returned to port.4

    A day trip to Paxos

    28 maj 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 21 °C

    We took a boat trip to the islands of Paxos and AntiPaxos (part a group of islands called Paxi).

    In Greek mythology, Poseidon created the Paxos island by striking Corfu with his trident, so that he and wife Amphitrite could have some peace and quiet.

    It was a full day on a full boat. We were lucky with beautiful weather and while large groups of people on a boat are not normally our scene, we enjoyed the day and overall we had a nice time. It’s a beautiful area of the Ionian Sea, with gorgeous turquoise water along the shores and amazing “blue” caves Koo, some big enough for large boats to enter them.

    In addition to seeing the blue caves we visited the town of Gaios, the main town of Paxos. It’s a picturesque village, mainly focused on tourism but we enjoyed walking the small streets (after we had a delicious piece of Spanakopita at a local bakery).    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    Cheese pie is a typical late morning breakfast (philo dough and a local cheese).
    Cheese pies.Local cheeses, salami and a meat akin to prosciutto). Unique, mild in flavors and delish!The meat market is used by both restaurants and home cooks. They prefer to get their meat fresh.Next stop the meat market. They use every part of the animals.Next stop, the fish market.Lots of calamari.Last market to visit is the fresh fruit and vegetable market. The Greeks like fresh ingredients!A Greek coffee is always served with some sort of sweet. This came before lunch!Our 12 course lunch was amazing and we enjoyed the others on our tour.The pasta we liked and some tomato croquettes.1Pickled fish we enjoyed (anchovies I think). Similar to herring but lighter on the pickling.1They give you smaller plates which helps you keep your portions small.The last stop- famous donut place.Donuts coming out of the fryer. Look more like our donut holes- served with honey or other sauces.

    Food of Athens

    1 juni 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    One thing we like to do in a new city/country is to take a food tour. We learn a lot about the food but also a lot about the culture and history. And after the tours we find ourselves being more adventurous when we eat out on our own.
    Our food tour in Athens was a lot of fun, educational, delicious and filling. And even though we’ve been in Greece for a couple of weeks we still were introduced to several new foods/dishes. The first couple of stops were light bites but then when we stopped for lunch we had 12 different courses to try. All delicious, but our favorite items were pickled fish, calamari, a pasta with sun dried tomatoes and a pork dish that I don’t remember the name of! We were so stuffed and then our guide surprised us with two more stops. One for a gyro sandwich and one for a special donut. We found room for the donut but gave our gyros to a family we saw in a park by our hotel (appeared to be homeless/begging).
    Needless to say Athens has some amazing food. Luckily the culture expects you to share plates (which we like to do) and we walked so much that we hope we reduced the expansion of our waistlines.    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    At the Acropolis, in front of Parthenon Temple.
    The Erechtheion, an ancient temple from 421 BC. Housed special statue of Athena.These were originally on the Erechtheion temple (reproductions are now outside on the temple).1As I mentioned there were a ton of people at the site.Theatre of Herodes Atticus built in 161 AD, seats 5000 and still used for performances today.1Temple of Hephaestus, one of the best-preserved temples of Greek antiquity (over 2000 years old).These are Ionic column relics on display in the archeological museum.Clay figures of angels in the entrance hall to the Archaeological Museum.The museum was designed to mimic the architecture of the Parthenon.Almost every block you walk down in the historic center has a beautiful building on it.The street art (both formal and adhoc) is amazing. Every surface is covered with some sort of image.Loved the juxtaposition of the gorgeous picture above to the graffiti below.Every now and then you come across a dilapidated building like this one. Too expensive to repair.2Sunset colors on Acropolis Hill (view from the roof of our hotel).1Sunset over the sprawling city of Athens. 6m people live in the city.

    Exploring historic and modern Athens

    2 juni 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Athens is a big change from our time on Corfu. It is a vibrant city with historic sites intermingled with modern buildings and amazing street art. It also has many more tourists (including many Americans which we only saw a few of on Corfu).
    We spent some time on our own exploring, we took a food tour (see other post) and we had an organized tour with a group joining us on the island of Syros (other clients of our financial planner). We covered a lot of ground, but there is a ton of things to do and see in the city. The cafe scene is amazing (all sorts of interesting bars and cafes), tons of great food options (both high-end and inexpensive) and lots of shopping opportunities.
    Even with the heat and the crowds, we both really enjoyed visiting the historic sites, including the Acropolis, Parthenon, Theatre of Herodes Atticus, Theatre of Dionysus and more. And the Acropolis Museum was very impressive- in the design and the items on display. We were only in the museum for an hour or so but I could see spending double that amount of time if we had it.
    I’ve attempted to describe the items/places in the photos but may not have it 100% or as complete as I’d like (due to space limitations).
    Now we are off to the beautiful island of Syros for a week.    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    We loved swimming in the sea but the pool was also really nice!
    Our first morning at the villa...loved waking up to the view and the beauty of the area!There are three little inlets off this bay so it's known as three lagoons.Thought this image from Google maps would show the geography a little better.The colors of this rock and its reflections change throughout the day based on the sun's location.Evenings are just as beautiful as mornings.That's me down there on a paddleboard (the white dot on the left).This seagull decided to visit the pool while I was sitting nearby (having morning coffee).View of BluEros patio from the pool.11Last night was "Greek night" at the villa. Everyone was required to wear white and to dance!The group all in white and ready for Greek night!George has a great staff at the villa! They've taken such good care of us!Katarina and Calvin at the patio bar. She makes a mean mojito (and gives great Thai massages).A great crew- Katarina, Zeo, Taki and Harrah!A group picture on one of our outings around the island.Christos & Zeo are hard to see but they are in the outdoor kitchen making our fabulous bbq dinner.One of many delicious meals we had at the vila.And after our Greek bbq it was time for some Greek dancing!

    A bit of heaven on the island of Syros

    4 juni 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We’ve had a great time the last week at BluEros, a beautiful villa on the island of Syros. Our host is our fabulous financial advisor George Papadoyannis (from Ameriprise). George and his brother own this beautiful villa and George and a great crew hosts groups of his clients every summer (it’s also available as a vacation rental). There are 17 of us in this group, three families with great kids (older teens), a couple of sisters and Cal & me. The villa has plenty of room for us all, allowing us to spend time relaxing on our own or hanging out with others. Everyone is super nice and friendly and since they are also George’s clients they are from CA so we can all reconnect there.
    The lagoon in front of the property is a great place to go for a swim or take out a standup paddle board. But the pool is closer and is also very nice. In addition to being a great host at the villa, George has taken us on some excursions around the island. Our stay with George on Syros has been a nice treat and we feel very fortunate to have him as our financial advisor and friend,    Läs mer

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  • GoJenCalCarrResenärEuropean Summer
    In the village of Kini in front of a statue of a mermaid holding a fisherman.
    Statue honors fisherman who've died at sea.With our gracious and fun host, George Papadayonnis.Beautiful beach in Poseidonia.The first windmills of Greece were built in the 12th century.This is not original, but good example.Path up the hill to the Catholic Church. Syros population is half catholic, half Greek Orthodox.Cal with a monastery in the background.The main town of Syros is Ermoupoli. Main industries are ship building, gov admin and tourism.Greek Orthodox Church with beautiful lion statue in front of it.Greek Orthodox Church (blue dome) in the background as seen from patio cafe on the coast.1Statue of Nike holding a wreath of victory and a large sword, known as National Resistance Monument.Sunset over the harbor in Ermoupoli.We had a great dinner at a family run taverna on a hill above Ermoupoli.Lighting is odd, but great shot of our group at dinner. Delicious lamb, pork, all slow roasted.Wood fired oven used at the taverna.While walking around the Orthodox Church we heard a ceremony with chanting.

    The island of Syros

    4 juni 2024, Grekland ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    We have spent the last few days on the island of Syros, a Greek island in the Cyclades, in the Aegean Sea. It is 78 nautical miles south-east of Athens. The name (Cyclades) refers to the archipelago of 220 islands forming a circle around the sacred island of Delos.
    It is a big contrast to Corfu as it does not have the greenery/trees, but it is beautiful in its own way. And its main town (Ermoupoli) is quaint with fun small streets to explore. All the streets are paved with local marble and most are pedestrian only (although scooters sometimes motor by). The harbor is lined with gorgeous boats- sail boats and yachts. We are staying in a private villa (see other post on that topic) and enjoying peaceful and relaxing days.    Läs mer

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