We are now in Kalamata, and it is a truly wonderful place. I can honestly say we had a single perfect day today with simple pleasures, and unique experiences that can only happen while traveling far from home. The hotel, Messina Bay, is absolutely wonderful, and is a hidden gem. When you go to popular places you always have the option of staying on the main drag, or of staying a bit out of town with property that is a bit more natural to the environment with a more relaxed vibe. This hotel is the latter. It has 4 levels of balconies over looking the sea, and a pool and private beach that you have almost completely to yourself during the off-season. Our day started out with breakfast by the sea at the hotel. and swimming for 6 hours straight. The girls explored the beach, and found sea urchins everywhere, they collected rocks, swam, and tried to catch fish in a bucket. When they were cold from the sea they would cuddle up on the beach chair with me, and try to guess what shape the clouds looked like. Why don't we ever do that at home? I am not sure why we can never seem to slow down enough while at home to dream about the clouds, but we took full advantage while on vacation!
Daphne looks so grown up!
After all that swimming we were all starving, so we went for lunch at Del Mar restaurant on the main drag on the sea. The girls were able to swim while we ate and drank Ouzo. After lunch we walked down the beach to a giant obstacle course. The girls had a great time, but it was a bit more than the grown ups bargained for... Giant obstacles in an angry sea - It was a bit scary for us, but the girls had a great time.
After a long day of swimming we decided to make the drive to Arfara, a small town outside of Kalamata. This is where Irene's cousin Elias has property that we have been hearing about for years, and we wanted to take the time to check it out while in the south central Peleponese. On our way there we were stuck going about 10 miles an hour, and could not figure out why everyone was out of their houses on the street waving. It turns out we were stuck behind a horse and carriage for a Roma wedding, and we were stuck in the middle of the procession. Now that is not something that happens everyday!
Once we arrived at Elias house we were able to get a tour of his amazing property and garden! The very first thing we saw was a fig tree, and it was in season. We pulled the figs off the tree and ate them as we walked! There were lemon trees, lime trees, a pomegranate tree, pecan tree, peach trees, olive trees, grape vines everywhere, rosemarry bushes the size of a small house, Daphne bushes, and many, many other fruits and vegetables.
At the end of the tour we stopped at the chicken coup where they pulled eggs out of the hen house for us to cook for breakfast tomorrow. They let Daphne hold the chicken, and it was really quite the event! It was funny because the rouster went crazy, and there was a major debacle in the hen house! Both Chloe and Daphne went running and screaming out of the hen house being chased by a rooster! That would not happen in Illinois!
After a long day, we were all exhausted, but we were also starving. So when Irene suggested a restaurant that people drive to from all over, named Mylos in Pidima, I was sceptical. I've got two exhausted kids, and it is now 9 PM; however, I decided to go with the flow, and I am REALLY glad I did! This place was magical! One of the most amazing restaurants that I have ever been to in my life. It had swans, and fairy doors, and the outdoor seating was just amazing. The food was excellent, but it was the outdoor area that was absolutely stunning. Daphne is absolutely convinced that a fairy really lives inside that fairy door, and that the door was it's wing. All in all it really was an absolutely perfect day.
