After leaving the farm on Paros, Ryan and I headed for Crete via Santorini. We were so excited to finally be able to see more of Greece and especially the Greek islands. We were so isolated at the first farm -- when we finally left it felt like we had just arrived in Greece!
In Santorini we stayed at a very hip campsite where we were able to swim and relax by the very nice pool. We mostly followed the island life of waking up early, going out to walk around Thira or take a bus to another area, coming home to take a long siesta by the pool or in our tent, and then back out again for the rich night life. One of our day time explorations included a winery where we took a 4 euro tour through the underground vaults where animatronic characters acted out scenes of Santorini's wine making history. It was hilarious! And absolutely wonderful being in the cool tunnels out of the blazing sun. After our walk through what seemed like a decaying Disneyland ride (there were some very old animatronics and some other characters were pieced together with pieces from clothing store mannequins) the tour ended with a wine tasting. It was incredible! Ryan and I have been extremely disappointed in Greek wines. They always tend to be WAY too sweet, light, or completely flavorless. However, these wines we tried were amazing. Now look, nothing will compare with Italian wine. Especially the wine we had in Sardinia which I will always believe to be the best wine in the world. But at this winery in Santorini, the wine really was good.
After a few nights in Santorini we left for Crete! Thank you a billion times over Mom and Ken for treating us with the room for a week! We stayed in Chania, Crete. A beautiful town that was run by the Venetians, the Turks, and the Germans (pretty much EVERY town in Crete has this same history). Luckily, the Venetian architecture stands strong in the main part of the city. It truly could be called a "Little Venice." Just to the west of the town center called Old Town, are the beaches of Nea Hora where Ryan and I stayed in a WONDERFUL hotel called Arocaria run by Mr. Photis. Photis was an absolute delight. We were situated directly across from the beach and had an incredible view from our balcony of the bay with its many islets. Restaurants, bars and cafes were the consistency of our neighborhood on the waterfront. At night Ryan and I would sit on the balcony after eating the amazing octopus stifado (that we cook from scratch!) and listen to the live Cretan music pouring out from the pier where the restaurants set up tables and chairs. It really was magical. Even more so were the 1 euro ouzos we would have while we listened to these incredible musicians! One of our friends, Antonis who we met at Ilias's bar on our return to Athens, said that the Cretans are Greek but that they like to think of themselves primarily as Cretans. They purposely try to do everything different from other Greeks. I have to say that was not hard to notice! The music, the food, the dancing, the overall attitude was completely different from anywhere else we had been. We went out many times to see live music. All the musicians were intrigued by us because we were so interested in the music. One night, they even had Ryan and I go up and play! It was wonderful. The farm on Paros had been such a trial and it was so nice to be able to be travelers again and to meet people! So again, thank you Mom and Ken for that wonderful, relaxing week!!!
Before we left Chania, Ryan made an itinerary for the rest of our time in Crete. We left our bags with Photis who said, "Of course! Leave your things. You come back in 3 days, 1 week, 1 month! No problem." We headed for the famous Samaria Gorge. 15 km long, the biggest gorge in Southern Europe! Yes, we hiked the whole thing and then I couldn't walk for 3 days. I'm NOT kidding. That thing kicked my butt! Luckily, at the time I had no idea it was coming and so we thoroughly enjoyed it. We saw the mysterious Kri Kri which are the wild goats in the mountains. This place was just absolutely amazing. The gorge can go from 30 meters wide to just 3 meters towards the end. And when you come to the end, the gorge opens out onto the sea and you think you can even see a little piece of Africa in the distance. But you don't really care at that point and just run as fast as you can into the water! We then took a ferry to a classic hippy beach town called Sougia. Although it was very small, Sougia had something that Ryan and I really liked and we still are not even sure what it was. It was just beautiful! Then we took another ferry to Paleochora. All these little towns in southwest Crete are connected through small ferry lines. The ride was simply breathtaking. Towering cliffs and hidden caves with the turquoise blue Mediterranean below. The pictures do no justice. The southwest of Crete has to be the most beautiful landscape Ryan and I have seen yet (even more than Corfu! Crazy right?!)
We made it back up to Chania to retrieve our bags and move on to the capital of Crete, Iraklio (Heraklion, Iraklion, etc. there are like 3 different names for everywhere!) We only stayed for one night and planned to move out to a little town called Anogia the next day. AFTER we visited the Minoan palaces of Knossos. OH yea, in Santorini we went to the Minoan museum and were BLOWN AWAY. The Minoans were AMAZING! There was no sexual discrimination, they ran a VERY democratic community, the artists were incredible, and they made amazing wines! Seriously, I became obsessed with these people. Even more amazing to me is that they knew the volcano in Santorini was going to blow. No bodies were found under the ashes of Akrotiri because the inhabitants had known the eruption was coming and evacuated to Crete. So, Ryan and I felt like we had an affinity with them because they had to leave everything behind and move out whether they wanted to or not. After we visited the ruins of the palace in Knossos we quickly made it over to the local bus station to get to Anogia. Anogia is a little mountain town best known for maintaining Cretan tradition and culture. Oh, and really good lamb. So we got to the Iraklio bus station only to discover that we had missed the bus. Oh no! We did not want to stay in Iraklio again, so we looked to see where else we could go. Hmm, what about Matala? The Lonely Planet Greece book has this to say about Matala..."Small village with famous Roman tombs that are caves along the hill side next to the beach. In the 1960's hippies came and lived in these caves." Nothing really exciting but I thought, "Hey, there's a beach! Let's go!" With Matala decided and only 20 min. until the bus left Ryan and I researched on the Kindle about this unknown place on the southern coast. "What? Joni Mitchell went there? WHAT?? 'Carey' was written about this place?! OH MY GOD! "MATALA MOON!!!"" I cannot even describe how utterly ecstatic I was when we boarded the bus. We arrived in Matala in the late afternoon and quickly found a nice little place with a kitchen for the night. First of all, these caves really are incredible. Not just in beauty BUT it's the one ancient site I've been to that, 1. you do not have to pay for 2. it's open ALL night! You can go in and think about the great Romans that are buried there or of how Joni Mitchell, Cat Stevens, AND Bob Dylan most likely slept there. We had an ouzo and toast to J at the real Mermaid Cafe which is now called Waves. We watched World Cup games at these very funky pirate themed bars, and we hiked over the hill to Red Beach which is only accessible by foot or by boat. It is, to this day, my favorite beach in Greece. Coming down the rocky hill you see one little shack selling beverages and snacks. It is a very open beach with naturists all along the water. Ryan and I of course joined in and realized everyone wasn't looking at us because we were naked but because we were the YOUNGEST ones there and we were not self-conscious whatsoever. The water was perfect and we spent the entire day there laying in the sun, jumping in the water, and then doing it all over again.
I will NEVER forget Crete and I certainly will never forget Matala. Sometimes this adventure makes me feel as if I'm doing it because I won't have a chance again. I've had to throw away that idea because there is NOTHING that is going to stop me from returning to Matala. Discovering how easy it is to travel here, how inexpensive it is to rent a little place for a week or two (or even a month!) in June or July has made me ask myself why haven't I done this before?! What has really stopped me? Every time we have arrived in a new place it has been overwhelming and difficult. But after only an hour or two we start to get our bearings and relax and have the most incredible time! It like getting in the water here. ALWAYS so cold (and you know what I'm used to...the PERFECTION that is Pensacola) BUT once you've let yourself jump all the way in, you wouldn't take back that jump if your life depended on it.
After Crete, we returned to Athens to begin a Work Away job with a guy named Vasilis. Next blog is about our crazy experiences there...and you won't want to miss it. Oh no.
Love to all! Finally, pictures of Greece are UP!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Our First Greek Farm
Our first farm in Greece is on the island of Paros in the Cyclades chain of islands between Crete and mainland Greece. After three days in Athens we arrived on a ferry in the small town of Paroikia. The water is clear blue and beautiful, and the hills are sparse and dry, covered only with small juniper trees and bushes of wild sage and thyme.
We took a bus to the southern tip of the island, Alyki, where our host met us. Jim is a tall, middle-aged Englishman with long graying hair, and as we stepped off the bus he was sitting on a low rock wall by the beach, looking quite relaxed. He invited us to sit with him there for some initial chat. Jim and his longtime love Irini have spent most of their lives as working (and struggling) artists. After living in a collection of ruins on Paros for many years, they both came into unexpected inheritance, which they decided to use to create a grand creative arts retreat in a valley near the sea. This is where we are living and working now.
Over the last ten years Jim, Irini, and more than a hundred WWOOFers have constructed a massive garden complex with five guesthouses, numerous fountains and almond trees, olives, grape vines, and more. Everything has been built with the highest detail and craftsmanship imaginable, and they are close to finally starting their creative arts retreat. It is really one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. For the last week we have been busy working with rocks and concrete, mulching plants, and cutting weeds. The wet season is over, and almost every day has been hot with clear blue skies. It is wonderful after the long winter we've experienced here.
From the main house we can see far across the sea, across the numerous islands that form the Cyclades, and every night we watch the sun set over this mystical landscape. Some nights the air is very clear and everything glows in bright, solid colors as the sun sinks into the sea. Other nights a misty air settles about the mountains and the hazy red colors that illuminate the ridges create a Tolkienesque effect, like the mountains of Mordor or somewhere.
Here we sit with Jim discussing the state of the world from the vantage point of a "retreat," a word Jim used often on our first day to describe this place and his general outlook. Jim is a great talker, and loves to expound on his ideas about the modern world: how we work long hours in unrewarding jobs to make enough money to buy commodities that offer slight comfort in life, and one that is largely escapist. Meanwhile the privileged few grow wealthier, and the means of their accumulation are both sinister and sophisticated. At the same time, the products of traditional culture become mere commodities that quickly lose their depth of meaning. For Jim, the answer to these things may be in the form of retreat - which is what he hopes to accomplish with his arts center. By leaving behind the busy rat race and learning skills, real and practical skills, he believes people can gain a better sense of their own creative potential. At the same time perhaps they will learn to perceive the world more clearly, and in living closer to the land will learn to live without the products and entrapments of consumer culture. Jim has said several times that, "the peasants always get bad press," because they always live on the outside of the society that makes rules and doles out punishments. Perhaps the peasants had the good life all along, he speculates.
At any rate, we are living out his dream here. The work is definitely hard. But we are learning to handle it. The food is simple, but good. Gone are the two hour Italian lunches with wine and a good siesta afterward. Here we eat sandwiches for lunch and go back to work through the afternoon. It is a good change for us, and the times as well as the food Jim and Irini like to eat are virtually identical to ours. Irini is Greek and very hospitable. I think Medora and I both smiled when we first heard her voice, authentic Greek accent, earthy quality that Ilias has too. If you've ever seen "Never on Sunday," you know what I mean.
Paros is really a beautiful island, and we are looking forward to visiting a few other Cycladic islands such as Santorini, Delos, and Mykonos. The first ancient Greek lyric poet, Archilochus, was from Paros. There is something beautiful in thinking that lyric poetry was born on Paros and the surrounding islands. In fact, most of the lyric poets were from these islands, from Archilochus to Simonides to Sappho. The largely pastoral lifestyle would have made for a more introspective environment, while the desolate beauty lends a mystical feeling to the landscape. There is often a cool breeze blowing off the sea, and when it rustles the olive leaves it is almost natural to imagine the hand of some God behind it. The land is just so bare and prophetic, it seems that mystical creatures alone could ever be true natives of the island.
Website of Creative Arts Center...
http://tothegarden.org/wp/
We took a bus to the southern tip of the island, Alyki, where our host met us. Jim is a tall, middle-aged Englishman with long graying hair, and as we stepped off the bus he was sitting on a low rock wall by the beach, looking quite relaxed. He invited us to sit with him there for some initial chat. Jim and his longtime love Irini have spent most of their lives as working (and struggling) artists. After living in a collection of ruins on Paros for many years, they both came into unexpected inheritance, which they decided to use to create a grand creative arts retreat in a valley near the sea. This is where we are living and working now.
Over the last ten years Jim, Irini, and more than a hundred WWOOFers have constructed a massive garden complex with five guesthouses, numerous fountains and almond trees, olives, grape vines, and more. Everything has been built with the highest detail and craftsmanship imaginable, and they are close to finally starting their creative arts retreat. It is really one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. For the last week we have been busy working with rocks and concrete, mulching plants, and cutting weeds. The wet season is over, and almost every day has been hot with clear blue skies. It is wonderful after the long winter we've experienced here.
From the main house we can see far across the sea, across the numerous islands that form the Cyclades, and every night we watch the sun set over this mystical landscape. Some nights the air is very clear and everything glows in bright, solid colors as the sun sinks into the sea. Other nights a misty air settles about the mountains and the hazy red colors that illuminate the ridges create a Tolkienesque effect, like the mountains of Mordor or somewhere.
Here we sit with Jim discussing the state of the world from the vantage point of a "retreat," a word Jim used often on our first day to describe this place and his general outlook. Jim is a great talker, and loves to expound on his ideas about the modern world: how we work long hours in unrewarding jobs to make enough money to buy commodities that offer slight comfort in life, and one that is largely escapist. Meanwhile the privileged few grow wealthier, and the means of their accumulation are both sinister and sophisticated. At the same time, the products of traditional culture become mere commodities that quickly lose their depth of meaning. For Jim, the answer to these things may be in the form of retreat - which is what he hopes to accomplish with his arts center. By leaving behind the busy rat race and learning skills, real and practical skills, he believes people can gain a better sense of their own creative potential. At the same time perhaps they will learn to perceive the world more clearly, and in living closer to the land will learn to live without the products and entrapments of consumer culture. Jim has said several times that, "the peasants always get bad press," because they always live on the outside of the society that makes rules and doles out punishments. Perhaps the peasants had the good life all along, he speculates.
At any rate, we are living out his dream here. The work is definitely hard. But we are learning to handle it. The food is simple, but good. Gone are the two hour Italian lunches with wine and a good siesta afterward. Here we eat sandwiches for lunch and go back to work through the afternoon. It is a good change for us, and the times as well as the food Jim and Irini like to eat are virtually identical to ours. Irini is Greek and very hospitable. I think Medora and I both smiled when we first heard her voice, authentic Greek accent, earthy quality that Ilias has too. If you've ever seen "Never on Sunday," you know what I mean.
Paros is really a beautiful island, and we are looking forward to visiting a few other Cycladic islands such as Santorini, Delos, and Mykonos. The first ancient Greek lyric poet, Archilochus, was from Paros. There is something beautiful in thinking that lyric poetry was born on Paros and the surrounding islands. In fact, most of the lyric poets were from these islands, from Archilochus to Simonides to Sappho. The largely pastoral lifestyle would have made for a more introspective environment, while the desolate beauty lends a mystical feeling to the landscape. There is often a cool breeze blowing off the sea, and when it rustles the olive leaves it is almost natural to imagine the hand of some God behind it. The land is just so bare and prophetic, it seems that mystical creatures alone could ever be true natives of the island.
Website of Creative Arts Center...
http://tothegarden.org/wp/
Ilias the Greek
On our second night in Athens we were fortunate enough to meet Ilias, the owner of a small bar and our living introduction to everything Greek. We had spent that day wandering around the city on a Rick Steves tour, only to find that the Acropolis had closed at 3 PM. To compensate, we decided that we would hunt down some traditional Greek music that night. We took a cab to a place we'd read about only to find that it was closed as well. A bit dispirited, we started wandering back to our hotel. Medora had to use the bathroom so we ducked into a small bar, the owner barely nodding his head as we entered.
As I waited for Medora I watched the owner wander around performing his opening duties, scarcely acknowledging my presence. Some sixties rock played on his radio, and he was a man of middle height with a goatee and looked to be in his fifties. There was something reassuring about the place, the man and the music, so we decided to have a drink. In fits and starts, we slowly made friends with Ilias. First with questions about where to hear good music, the state of the Greek economy, etc. Finally Ilias came over with a picture of himself in his twenties. He was seated at a conga drum, long black hair and an outlandish hat bearing a close resemblance to a young Santana. So began our conversation that stretched across six hours, covering politics, Poseidon, the culture of the sixties and seventies, music, family, and Greek food.
We learned about the current economic situation in Greece, and about the way things used to be in Athens in the golden days of the sixties. Despite the oppressive rule of the Colonels, Athens was a thriving counter-cultural city in those days. We've heard about this from Medora's parents as well, who traveled a lot in Greece then. With Ilias we lamented the way consumerism has turned traditional culture into a cheap, artificial commodity, and how that cultural efflorescence of the sixties appears to be a singular event never again repeated. But Ilias loved the blues and rock music, and waxed poetic about his desire to go to the only place in America that had any appeal for him, the place where the music he loves started: our hometown.
In the course of our conversation a few friends and regulars of Ilias came into the bar, which sparked a discussion of Greek food. All of them were very interested in our farming work here, and were polite but vivacious conversationalists.
As the night grew later we felt that perhaps it was time to head back to hostel, but then Ilias would walk to his cooler saying "now I do something special" and bring a beer for us to share. I had started with Tsipouro, a Greek version of Grappa. I soon realized though that he would go on filling my glass with the firewater unless I said something, to which he responded, "yes, I understand you...after awhile it is not so good."
Ilias is about the same age as both of our parents, but never had any children. Medora speculated later that perhaps that is why we all developed such a close bond in so short a time. We really developed an intimacy with Ilias that I would not have believed possible had I not actually experienced it. As we parted that night Ilias said, "I love you, I really love you" to us, and we responded as naturally as if we were talking to an old, old friend. Ilias promised to come to New Orleans, and we hope that he will take us up on our offer of showing him around.
In retrospect it is difficult to convey just what an impression Ilias made on us. For me he seemed to embody everything wonderful about the modern as well as the ancient Greek world. He was brilliant and intelligent, yet very passionate and would grow heated about politics and culture. He had utter disdain for religion and churches, but spoke in obscure, mystical ways about the power of the sea god Poseidon, in such a way that there was nothing ridiculous or incredible about it. He was a great listener and would respond to you in a way that fully involved what you had just said, and not just some thought he had been holding on to and waiting to say. It was as if he knew you very well, and could speak to you at your deepest, most personal level.
For us he was nothing less than our living Zorba, and I cannot imagine a better person to have met in Athens. I am in awe of the fact that it all happened, how sheer coincidence appeared to have led us to this crucial, fateful encounter.
As I waited for Medora I watched the owner wander around performing his opening duties, scarcely acknowledging my presence. Some sixties rock played on his radio, and he was a man of middle height with a goatee and looked to be in his fifties. There was something reassuring about the place, the man and the music, so we decided to have a drink. In fits and starts, we slowly made friends with Ilias. First with questions about where to hear good music, the state of the Greek economy, etc. Finally Ilias came over with a picture of himself in his twenties. He was seated at a conga drum, long black hair and an outlandish hat bearing a close resemblance to a young Santana. So began our conversation that stretched across six hours, covering politics, Poseidon, the culture of the sixties and seventies, music, family, and Greek food.
We learned about the current economic situation in Greece, and about the way things used to be in Athens in the golden days of the sixties. Despite the oppressive rule of the Colonels, Athens was a thriving counter-cultural city in those days. We've heard about this from Medora's parents as well, who traveled a lot in Greece then. With Ilias we lamented the way consumerism has turned traditional culture into a cheap, artificial commodity, and how that cultural efflorescence of the sixties appears to be a singular event never again repeated. But Ilias loved the blues and rock music, and waxed poetic about his desire to go to the only place in America that had any appeal for him, the place where the music he loves started: our hometown.
In the course of our conversation a few friends and regulars of Ilias came into the bar, which sparked a discussion of Greek food. All of them were very interested in our farming work here, and were polite but vivacious conversationalists.
As the night grew later we felt that perhaps it was time to head back to hostel, but then Ilias would walk to his cooler saying "now I do something special" and bring a beer for us to share. I had started with Tsipouro, a Greek version of Grappa. I soon realized though that he would go on filling my glass with the firewater unless I said something, to which he responded, "yes, I understand you...after awhile it is not so good."
Ilias is about the same age as both of our parents, but never had any children. Medora speculated later that perhaps that is why we all developed such a close bond in so short a time. We really developed an intimacy with Ilias that I would not have believed possible had I not actually experienced it. As we parted that night Ilias said, "I love you, I really love you" to us, and we responded as naturally as if we were talking to an old, old friend. Ilias promised to come to New Orleans, and we hope that he will take us up on our offer of showing him around.
In retrospect it is difficult to convey just what an impression Ilias made on us. For me he seemed to embody everything wonderful about the modern as well as the ancient Greek world. He was brilliant and intelligent, yet very passionate and would grow heated about politics and culture. He had utter disdain for religion and churches, but spoke in obscure, mystical ways about the power of the sea god Poseidon, in such a way that there was nothing ridiculous or incredible about it. He was a great listener and would respond to you in a way that fully involved what you had just said, and not just some thought he had been holding on to and waiting to say. It was as if he knew you very well, and could speak to you at your deepest, most personal level.
For us he was nothing less than our living Zorba, and I cannot imagine a better person to have met in Athens. I am in awe of the fact that it all happened, how sheer coincidence appeared to have led us to this crucial, fateful encounter.
Athens At Last!
Five months after arriving in Europe we finally made it to Greece on April 26th, flying into Athens. The city itself is a sprawling metropolis, much of it built in a haphazard way just in the last century, but the downtown area is quaint and beautiful. We spent the afternoon walking through the old town Plaka area to the base of the Acropolis hill, where the ancient Agora, or marketplace stood. Now it is a massive, fenced in park strewn with columns, crumbling walls, and giant stones. The temple of Hephaestus stands alone on the far side of the ruins in near-perfect splendor.
It was late in the afternoon as we walked the path along the Agora that leads up to the Acropolis. The sun would soon set and a bronze haze settled over the skeletal remains of the ancient city. A cool wind blew and the scent of pine trees filled the air. To be there at the moment was a convergence of information taken in over many years, of poetry and legend, of history and imagination, and now I found myself standing where it all happened. I saw the rugged land rolling in high hills on all sides, breathed the cool, heady air beneath the great blue sky. I understood what the ancient Athenians experienced at the most physical level: a landscape stripped down to the bare essentials; earth, sea and sky in their purest forms. Here they scraped a living from an austere, invigorating land and it made them resilient, hardy and intelligent.
The soft wind seemed to convey something ethereal and profound, the feeling growing of time having passed but the spirit living still. Most of the remains in Athens are mere rubble heaps compared to what still stands in Rome, but the force of the place is remarkable. I found myself asking again and again: why did so many revolutionary things happen here? Why did the fire start in Athens?
It was late in the afternoon as we walked the path along the Agora that leads up to the Acropolis. The sun would soon set and a bronze haze settled over the skeletal remains of the ancient city. A cool wind blew and the scent of pine trees filled the air. To be there at the moment was a convergence of information taken in over many years, of poetry and legend, of history and imagination, and now I found myself standing where it all happened. I saw the rugged land rolling in high hills on all sides, breathed the cool, heady air beneath the great blue sky. I understood what the ancient Athenians experienced at the most physical level: a landscape stripped down to the bare essentials; earth, sea and sky in their purest forms. Here they scraped a living from an austere, invigorating land and it made them resilient, hardy and intelligent.
The soft wind seemed to convey something ethereal and profound, the feeling growing of time having passed but the spirit living still. Most of the remains in Athens are mere rubble heaps compared to what still stands in Rome, but the force of the place is remarkable. I found myself asking again and again: why did so many revolutionary things happen here? Why did the fire start in Athens?
Sardinia
After staying up all night in Livorno we met up with our friends, Vic and Ady, to catch the ferry to Sardinia. We met Vic and Ady while we were working at La Rocchetta. For some reason they took a liking to us and offered to take us to their summer house in Sardinia in exchange for help painting the place. We readily agreed and on the morning of April 12 we boarded a huge ferry for the four-hour ride to Sardinia, where we stayed for ten days. Here's a summary of our experiences:
Our Hosts: Vic is a prodigy of aging - the sharpest 80 year old I have ever met. He is passionate about languages and Spanish flamenco, and has a mean strumming/picking style which he taught himself on guitar. Ady is likewise a model for good aging, ten years younger than Vic and another twenty years younger in looks and vitality. They met when she was only seventeen, and the worldly Vic swept her off her feet and they've been traveling the world ever since. Together they made a great couple to be with, enjoying good food, good drink and good conversation - like Claudio and Michelle, they were our kind of people.
The Places: We arrived at the port of Olbia in the early afternoon and had our first glimpse of the Mediterranean island terrain, hilly and ruggedly beautiful, a shepherd's paradise. We drove across the entire island that afternoon and arrived at Vic and Ady's summer house in the southern part of the island, close to the capital city of Cagliari. The house sits in a half-circle of condominiums all deserted in April, looking out at the sea. The nearby town of Pula is a sleepy little place, but much changed in the last twenty years through the influence of tourism. The sea was still pretty cold for swimming, but very clear and deep blue. We took numerous little trips to see the ancient lighthouse dating back to Roman and Phoenician times, standing on the edges of steep cliffs looking out over the sea. Although much has changed in Sardinia, it is still possible to see herds of goats or sheep walking down the road, the shepherds willing to sell fresh cheese from their cars.
The Wine: Sardinia is one of the few places in Europe where the Phylloxera aphid did not destroy many of the ancient vines. As a result, all the Sardinian wines have a distinctive flavor that is delicious and cannot be found elsewhere. The island is also noted for its longevity and some have traced this effect to the daily consumption of local wine which is especially rich in the OPC class of antioxidants. For more on this read Roger Corder's book, The Red Wine Diet. Corder is a legitimate scientist and researcher, and I think the title must have been a conceit of the publisher to capitalize on the inexhaustible appetite for titles with the word "diet." In fact, I'm thinking of writing my own entitled "The Ancient Greek Diet: How Barley, Feta and Wine can make you fit as Apollo and smart as Socrates."
Music: The highlight of our trip was an afternoon spent at a locals bar in Pula, the sort of uniquely Italian cafe/bar where old men sit for hours talking. We were an odd sight there, three travelers outside of tourist season taking turns playing our guitar, Medora and Erin drinking Pernod in honor of Hemingway and Henry Miller. Curiosity soon overcame shyness and a revolving assortment of local characters came over to chat with us. The afternoon wore on and more people took up places out front. The owner tried out a couple of Italian pop songs on the guitar. The sky darkened and rain seemed imminent when the owner's friend appeared, who'd been summoned to play some Sardinian music. Suddenly everyone ushered us inside the cafe where they started to sing the "song that never ends," an alternating verse-chorus song where people take turns improvising verses and singing the chorus all together. The song is a battle between two sides, singers from one making jokes about the other that send everyone into hilarious laughter. We never could quite make sense of the cryptic Sardo dialect, but we were pretty sure that a few verses were at our expense, probably because I was foolish enough to enter the battle by improvising a verse.
We had many good meals with Vic and Ady, especially large lunches in the relaxed Italian fashion. We are so grateful to them for their generosity and friendship. It really was a wonderful and spontaneous opportunity, and we thank them for it.
Our Hosts: Vic is a prodigy of aging - the sharpest 80 year old I have ever met. He is passionate about languages and Spanish flamenco, and has a mean strumming/picking style which he taught himself on guitar. Ady is likewise a model for good aging, ten years younger than Vic and another twenty years younger in looks and vitality. They met when she was only seventeen, and the worldly Vic swept her off her feet and they've been traveling the world ever since. Together they made a great couple to be with, enjoying good food, good drink and good conversation - like Claudio and Michelle, they were our kind of people.
The Places: We arrived at the port of Olbia in the early afternoon and had our first glimpse of the Mediterranean island terrain, hilly and ruggedly beautiful, a shepherd's paradise. We drove across the entire island that afternoon and arrived at Vic and Ady's summer house in the southern part of the island, close to the capital city of Cagliari. The house sits in a half-circle of condominiums all deserted in April, looking out at the sea. The nearby town of Pula is a sleepy little place, but much changed in the last twenty years through the influence of tourism. The sea was still pretty cold for swimming, but very clear and deep blue. We took numerous little trips to see the ancient lighthouse dating back to Roman and Phoenician times, standing on the edges of steep cliffs looking out over the sea. Although much has changed in Sardinia, it is still possible to see herds of goats or sheep walking down the road, the shepherds willing to sell fresh cheese from their cars.
The Wine: Sardinia is one of the few places in Europe where the Phylloxera aphid did not destroy many of the ancient vines. As a result, all the Sardinian wines have a distinctive flavor that is delicious and cannot be found elsewhere. The island is also noted for its longevity and some have traced this effect to the daily consumption of local wine which is especially rich in the OPC class of antioxidants. For more on this read Roger Corder's book, The Red Wine Diet. Corder is a legitimate scientist and researcher, and I think the title must have been a conceit of the publisher to capitalize on the inexhaustible appetite for titles with the word "diet." In fact, I'm thinking of writing my own entitled "The Ancient Greek Diet: How Barley, Feta and Wine can make you fit as Apollo and smart as Socrates."
Music: The highlight of our trip was an afternoon spent at a locals bar in Pula, the sort of uniquely Italian cafe/bar where old men sit for hours talking. We were an odd sight there, three travelers outside of tourist season taking turns playing our guitar, Medora and Erin drinking Pernod in honor of Hemingway and Henry Miller. Curiosity soon overcame shyness and a revolving assortment of local characters came over to chat with us. The afternoon wore on and more people took up places out front. The owner tried out a couple of Italian pop songs on the guitar. The sky darkened and rain seemed imminent when the owner's friend appeared, who'd been summoned to play some Sardinian music. Suddenly everyone ushered us inside the cafe where they started to sing the "song that never ends," an alternating verse-chorus song where people take turns improvising verses and singing the chorus all together. The song is a battle between two sides, singers from one making jokes about the other that send everyone into hilarious laughter. We never could quite make sense of the cryptic Sardo dialect, but we were pretty sure that a few verses were at our expense, probably because I was foolish enough to enter the battle by improvising a verse.
We had many good meals with Vic and Ady, especially large lunches in the relaxed Italian fashion. We are so grateful to them for their generosity and friendship. It really was a wonderful and spontaneous opportunity, and we thank them for it.
Catching Up
So we left off with us about to go to a farm in Tuscany before going on to Sardinia, with ambitious plans to continue on to Sicily and Tunisia before finally working back to Greece. Well, the farm in Tuscany was great but we only stayed there a week, deciding in the end that if we had to wait to go to Sardinia, we might as well wait with our good friends at La Rocchetta. So we spent a happy week with Michelle, Claudio and Dani, where Medora's friend Erin spontaneously joined us.
On April 11th we took a train to Livorno, an old port town where we would catch the ferry to Sardinia in the morning. We wandered around asking at hotels but couldn't find a room anywhere. Eventually we settled in at a little bar outfitted like an old pirate ship where we wrote collaborative poems and made friends with the owners. They assured us that Livorno was a safe place at night, so we stayed at the pirate bar until closing and then walked over to the local fisherman's cafe, which was just opening for the early risers.
At dawn we met our friends and took the ferry to Sardinia, where we stayed for ten days. The proposed trip to Sicily and Tunisia looked too expensive so we opted to spend a few days in Rome before catching a flight to Athens. We stayed there a few days, and then took a ferry to the island of Paros, where we are now. So that's the general outline of of the last month and a half, and the following entries will go into more detail.
Check out our new pictures! They cover the time of the big lunch at La Rocchetta with Scott and his group, our travels with them to Florence and Venice, our time at the farm in Tuscany, Erin's arrival at La Rocchetta, and our trip to Sardinia.
Of course, right when we arrive in Greece Medora's camera stops working. Hopefully we will have pictures of Greece soon though.
On April 11th we took a train to Livorno, an old port town where we would catch the ferry to Sardinia in the morning. We wandered around asking at hotels but couldn't find a room anywhere. Eventually we settled in at a little bar outfitted like an old pirate ship where we wrote collaborative poems and made friends with the owners. They assured us that Livorno was a safe place at night, so we stayed at the pirate bar until closing and then walked over to the local fisherman's cafe, which was just opening for the early risers.
At dawn we met our friends and took the ferry to Sardinia, where we stayed for ten days. The proposed trip to Sicily and Tunisia looked too expensive so we opted to spend a few days in Rome before catching a flight to Athens. We stayed there a few days, and then took a ferry to the island of Paros, where we are now. So that's the general outline of of the last month and a half, and the following entries will go into more detail.
Check out our new pictures! They cover the time of the big lunch at La Rocchetta with Scott and his group, our travels with them to Florence and Venice, our time at the farm in Tuscany, Erin's arrival at La Rocchetta, and our trip to Sardinia.
Of course, right when we arrive in Greece Medora's camera stops working. Hopefully we will have pictures of Greece soon though.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Long Time, No See!
Well, it has been a long time. Unfortunately, we are not at liberty to write a very long blog but since we might not get another chance for a while here is an update...
A few weeks at La Rocchetta turned into two full months. We are so grateful to Claudio, Michelle, and Dani for making us feel at home and for all the endless kindnesses they showed us.
Many things were done on the farm since the last blog and pictures/stories will be posted soon.
10 days ago my dad arrived with Sophia and his student group of all girls in different clusters (visual, music, dance and theatre) from Arts Magnet. A very sweet, smart and funny group.
March 16th they came to the farm for a country lunch that was prepared by Claudio, Michelle, Ryan, me, and two new WWOOFers from New Zealand, Alyson and Simon. Thank you to Alyson and Simon for helping tremendously and making the lunch wonderful!
After the incredible lunch (which we will write more about later), we left La Rocchetta and went with the group to Florence. We had a beautiful time with many incredible dishes and of course the chance to see the museums. The Academy, the Uffizi, and Santa Croce. Then who can forget our fantastic meal at the Castle in Toscana. We finally were able to try boar sauce....it was delicious. Last day a few of us went to the Boboli gardens and it was just as beautiful as I remember on my first trips with my dad 2003 and 2004.
After a couple of days we left for Venezia and this is where it got REALLY exciting. The group and ourselves were in complete awe at the stunning beauty of the city. We ate well and thanks to Claudio were not ignorant of the famous Venetian dishes. Such as, cuttlefish in ink sauce, liver and onions, sardines marinated with onions, and Venetian tripe. All that had been made for us in La Rocchetta.
*More about Venice to come! Details and everything....
We were very sad to see the group go. So, to make up for it, Ryan and I stayed in Venice 3 more nights. My dads friend who owns the Pensione Guerrato where we stayed with the group gave Ryan and I an INCREDIBLE deal. Roberto, the owner, said "Anything for the daughter of Scott Davison." If you ever go to Venice, stay at the Pensione Guerrato. The friendliest staff, incredible prices, and most important BEST LOCATION. Only steps from The Rialto bridge. My dad's longtime friend, Sergio (who I cannot say more about now because then surprises would not be surprises) was SO kind to us.
Ryan and I spent our extra days walking around the enchanted city. Talking about the history and imagining Venice when it began as a Pirate city. We were of course led to think about the similarities of Venice and New Orleans. Founded by pirates, AWESOME navy force, and built in unlikely places. I love Venice and cannot wait to go back in the future.
Now, Ryan and I are in Florence leaving this afternoon for a town called Cecina, south of Livorno. We will be WWOOFing there for a couple of weeks and then meet Michelle and Claudio's friends, Ady and Vic, who will be taking us to Sardegna. We will be in Sardinia for about 10 days helping Ady and Vic get the guesthouse in order for the summer holidays. Then we will take a ferry to Sicily and stay a couple of days to look around, then another ferry to Tunisia and do the same as Sicily. THEN FINALLY.........GREECE!!!!!!!!! We plan to do some traveling first and work either with WWOOF and/or Work Away until August or so.
Then.....who knows?
Love to you all and hope all is well.
Medora and Ryan
PS videos to come soon from La Rocchetta!
A few weeks at La Rocchetta turned into two full months. We are so grateful to Claudio, Michelle, and Dani for making us feel at home and for all the endless kindnesses they showed us.
Many things were done on the farm since the last blog and pictures/stories will be posted soon.
10 days ago my dad arrived with Sophia and his student group of all girls in different clusters (visual, music, dance and theatre) from Arts Magnet. A very sweet, smart and funny group.
March 16th they came to the farm for a country lunch that was prepared by Claudio, Michelle, Ryan, me, and two new WWOOFers from New Zealand, Alyson and Simon. Thank you to Alyson and Simon for helping tremendously and making the lunch wonderful!
After the incredible lunch (which we will write more about later), we left La Rocchetta and went with the group to Florence. We had a beautiful time with many incredible dishes and of course the chance to see the museums. The Academy, the Uffizi, and Santa Croce. Then who can forget our fantastic meal at the Castle in Toscana. We finally were able to try boar sauce....it was delicious. Last day a few of us went to the Boboli gardens and it was just as beautiful as I remember on my first trips with my dad 2003 and 2004.
After a couple of days we left for Venezia and this is where it got REALLY exciting. The group and ourselves were in complete awe at the stunning beauty of the city. We ate well and thanks to Claudio were not ignorant of the famous Venetian dishes. Such as, cuttlefish in ink sauce, liver and onions, sardines marinated with onions, and Venetian tripe. All that had been made for us in La Rocchetta.
*More about Venice to come! Details and everything....
We were very sad to see the group go. So, to make up for it, Ryan and I stayed in Venice 3 more nights. My dads friend who owns the Pensione Guerrato where we stayed with the group gave Ryan and I an INCREDIBLE deal. Roberto, the owner, said "Anything for the daughter of Scott Davison." If you ever go to Venice, stay at the Pensione Guerrato. The friendliest staff, incredible prices, and most important BEST LOCATION. Only steps from The Rialto bridge. My dad's longtime friend, Sergio (who I cannot say more about now because then surprises would not be surprises) was SO kind to us.
Ryan and I spent our extra days walking around the enchanted city. Talking about the history and imagining Venice when it began as a Pirate city. We were of course led to think about the similarities of Venice and New Orleans. Founded by pirates, AWESOME navy force, and built in unlikely places. I love Venice and cannot wait to go back in the future.
Now, Ryan and I are in Florence leaving this afternoon for a town called Cecina, south of Livorno. We will be WWOOFing there for a couple of weeks and then meet Michelle and Claudio's friends, Ady and Vic, who will be taking us to Sardegna. We will be in Sardinia for about 10 days helping Ady and Vic get the guesthouse in order for the summer holidays. Then we will take a ferry to Sicily and stay a couple of days to look around, then another ferry to Tunisia and do the same as Sicily. THEN FINALLY.........GREECE!!!!!!!!! We plan to do some traveling first and work either with WWOOF and/or Work Away until August or so.
Then.....who knows?
Love to you all and hope all is well.
Medora and Ryan
PS videos to come soon from La Rocchetta!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Eating Like Wild Boars at La Rochetta
Maybe we've landed in paradise. We are living on top of a hill in Italy. Across a valley there stands an ancient village with a massive tower. Every day our hosts cook elaborate meals.
Oh, and it's surrounded by wild boars. One day we went to gather firewood in the forest and found many huge hoof marks in the mud, and lots of holes they dug looking for roots. A couple nights later they got kind of raucous (fighting or feasting or whatever else makes boars shriek like banshees) and we listened to them from the comfort of our warm bed. The rest of the night we hear owls - there are several species around here and Michelle says they are especially noisy because they don't have any dogs on the farm.
Here's the work we've been doing. We usually work from breakfast until about 1 and then have a break before lunch around 2:45.
- Building a raised garden area. We laid down about 344 bricks. The first row was really hard because the area is on a slope and we had to carefully level the ground to make the bricks straight. It's still not perfectly level but with 344 bricks down it's too late to go back.
- Building fires: There's a large area to build a fire in the kitchen. This takes little work. The other stove heats the water and we call it the Orange Beast. It uses a lot of wood and getting it going is a pain in the arse.
- Weeding: We are slowly weeding all the beds and weedwhacking in various places.
- Cooking: We've been making 1 or 2 loaves of fresh bread each day.
- Cleaning: After our lavish feasts someone has to clean up.
And the rest of the "work" time we spend chatting. Michelle loves to chat. Medora loves to chat. Ryan likes to chat once in a blue moon. Ryan isn't sure what a blue moon is so suffice it to say that Ryan has yet to chat.
Ryan (who is writing this and wonders why he is referring to himself in third person) just googled "blue moon": A blue moon is a full moon that is not timed to the monthly lunar pattern. I'm pretty sure that means Ryan hasn't chatted.
Here's what we've been eating:
Breakfast -
Farm eggs on toast. Homemade yogurt. Muesli. Strong Italian coffee.
Lunch -
Claudio is a master chef. I'd estimate that he spends about three hours every day in the kitchen. Every meal consists of at least five different items, in the Italian style. Ideally it is eaten in the following order: A first course, usually pasta or soup. A second course of meat or cheese. A contorno of various cooked vegetables followed by fresh salad greens lightly seasoned with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (which is amazing, has a consistency like syrup, and have never tasted its like outside Italy). Finally, dessert. Michelle specializes in making fruit pies. She slices up apples and pears, then lays them in a crust. Then she roles the crust over the fruit to make it a pie, and pours a generous amount of homemade jam over the top (blackberry and marmalade are a couple examples).
Here are some things Claudio has cooked:
Chicken which he cooks for about an hour in the oven. The chicken comes from a local woman who grows them at her house. She brought a fresh batch over on our second day here, and showed us how to chop off the heads and break the rib cages. Claudio throws the chicken pieces in the oven, skin on, bone-in, olive oil, pepper, salt, fresh sprigs of rosemary and thyme, and whole cloves of garlic.
Coq au vin: Various pieces of chicken slowly simmered in red wine, garlic, and herbs. We had this for lunch today.
Calamaro. Yes, that sounds like calamari - squid. In fact it means one squid as opposed to multiple ones, and this was the biggest squid I have ever seen, and it was delicious.
Octopus: Claudio first boils the Octopus for up to two hours, then lets it sit while the water cools to room temperature. This is is the trick to making Octopus tender. He then slices it up and mixes it with olive oil, lemon juice, and herbs.
Veal Piccata: First Claudio breads the veal and then simmers it in the rich, lemony Piccata sauce.
Polenta: Claudio often cooks a lot of polenta with homemade chicken broth, spreads it on a huge platter and then places grilled chicken and pork pieces over the top.
Gorgonzola Barley Risotto, Saffron Risotto, various pureed soups, Baked Rainbow Trout, and on and on. The only thing Claudio regularly makes are potatoes. First he boils them, skins them, cuts them into thin slices and arranges them in a pan. He adds olive oil and herbs and cooks them in the oven until they are crispy.
Also, Michelle has a recipe for mousse au chocolat which she perfected over the course of months. I assure you it is now perfect indeed, but her husband and son dread the mere mention of it due to having been her experimental taste-testers for the duration of the experiment.
I found a bread recipe online that is very easy, and we've been playing around with it every day. We've made olive bread, walnut bread, multi-grain bread, whole-wheat bread, corn bread, and goo. I'll post recipes later.
Christmas in Roma
This was a wonderful treat Ryan and I attended a few days after Christmas. A program of classic opera arias. Here is one of our favorites.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Second Farm-La Rocchetta
I really am going to have to write WWOOF a letter about this farm.
It is ridiculous. Not only are our hosts at La Rocchetta feeding us ALL the time but they are feeding us incredible food!
Claudio, one of our hosts, cooks every meal. This is what we usually find on our plates...
Oh, what a monstrous act.
Michelle, Claudio's wife, gives us chore after chore. And all the while she is either making decadent chocolate mousse or apple and pear tarts, or out buying things for us like Ryan's flax seeds or the muesli we like.
It all is truly horrific. And I haven't even mentioned our accommodation!
Our tower like room, perched atop the house, sits all on it's own three levels up. With a full size cast iron bed for Ryan and I to share. They expect us to SHARE! AND to look out our window and see the rolling hills of Tuscany and the town of Mugnano sitting on a hill across the valley.
And even more disturbing is the leering four tier bookshelf. This is no ordinary bookshelf, but an antique bookshelf Claudio used in a movie he did with Lucchino Visconti starring Burt Lancaster.
When we entered the room Michelle told us that we have all the books you could possibly need. The horror! They make us read EVERYTHING! Everyday Michelle comes in with a new book of something we had been discussing the night before. Gardening, dieting, nutrition, and cooking. It is like a bombardment of health! AH!
One last terrible thing that Ryan and I have noticed is that it seems as if Michelle knows the art of Legilimency. For those of you who are not familiar with that term it means the ability to read one's mind.
Whenever Ryan or I think of something we want to do or see Michelle always seems to know. For example, I was thinking about how I wanted to do a little window shopping. So, Michelle offers to take us to Viterbo (a small town where the Popes lived for a while). She drops us off in the middle of the town and makes a time for us to meet. In Viterbo, there were hundreds of wonderful little shops! However, after finding a study that many Italians loose an extra 500 hundred calories a week from window shopping, it led me to believe that Michelle did it for our HEALTH!
I hope that all this is obviously sarcastic because it is. Michelle and Claudio are the most gracious people I've ever met. We have been having such a wonderful time here. We've built a wall for a new garden area, carried and chopped wood for the fire, leveled the bricks around the bar-b-que pit, built steps, and are in the process of weeding the garden. It has been a real joy to see the result of our work. There are pictures here of all those jobs.
Claudio is one of the most amazing chefs I've ever met. Ryan mentioned once that he loves octopus. So, Claudio went out today and got a VERY large octopus and squid that he is cooking for dinner tonight.
Some of his delightful dishes have been baked chicken, veal with a piccata sauce, brocoletti soup, many delicious pastas, and well every meal is wonderful!
Michelle is a news journalist, so although we are somewhat isolated, we are able to watch all the great newscasters like Bill Moyer, Rachel Maddow, and Keith Olbermann. It is very fun and interesting to talk with Michelle about Italian and American politics. We hear something new everyday.
It really has been a great pleasure getting to know this family. We are planning to stay for another couple of weeks because we love the Cesarettis and we are so grateful to be a part of their home.
New pictures on the Picasa site! Link is to the right --->
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