Summer Holidays in Greece

And now, as they say, for something completely different....

My wife, Jani, and I have taken the young 'un to Kephalonia in the past two years, so we fancied a slight change this year- the Peloponnese!

View from Ilyria

The Greek economy is highly reliant on tourism these days and we find the mixture of Summer heat, welcoming people and good Mediterranean food is a winning combination. 

Know your onions in Petalidi

Through our local Travel Agent in Chipping Norton, we were introduced to a lovely family-run place in the village of Chranoi, in the famous olive-growing region of Kalamata. We have two weeks to forget about everything which ususally crowds in and just relax as much as posible: this was the perfect place for that.
Jani and I could enjoy the relative peace and health of the sea a few metres away whilst young 'un enjoyed the company of others of his age in and around the pool. Bliss!

We decided to visit the local market one Friday morning, but after waiting for "Greek time" for the bus to arrive, it was the afternnon when we arrived at the harbour town of Petalidi. We stocked up on the juiciest, ripest peaches, massive tomatoes and dark plums. A good Greek salad lunch preceded another long wait for the bus back....

Watching the dragonflies

Following this experience, we sought a charming local who hired us a tiny car (the best sort when driving in this part of the world, some of the streets are VERY tight) so we could explore the area for a couple of days.

Once we had the car, we were able to travel to the lush forest surroundings of Polilimnio which has the most stunning setting of lakes and waterfalls, resplendent with wildlife. We enjoyed a long, cool walk with irridescent dragonflies fluttering around us as we made our way through the rustic path.

The waters are invitingly crystal clear, but beware of the freshwater crabs. There are some delightful myths surrounding the pools and falls which are told in an interesting translation on a few boards along the way. This walk would certainly not pass UK health and safety guidelines, being very treachorous in plases- all part of the fun!


There are a lot of Australian plants in Greece, including several varieties of Eucalyptus and bottle brush, but I was particularly taken with this fabulously colourful bush which we found in the mountain village of Kallithea. Can you identify this:

Fredo Cappuccino

Made a discovery whilst on holiday, as well. I do love my coffee, but it is just too hot for a mid-morning cappuccino, so we were both delighted to discover the refreshing delights of a Fredo Cappuccino...







Sadly, even the best holidays have to come to an end, and it was on a glorious morning that we had to say goodbye to this delightful little corner of Greece. Full of pounds of feta, olives, tomatoes, Total Greek yoghurt and baclava, we made our way back to our green and pleasant land...

Sunrise in Chranoi on our last day