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FeaturedWelcome to Olives and Islands
“It takes a lifetime for someone to discover Greece, but it only takes an instant to fall in love with her.” Henry Miller
“May you feel rich in experiences, grateful for the journey so far, and excited for all the roads still waiting for you.” Elizabeth Villiger Toufexis
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Featured
How I Got to Athens /What I Write About
August, late 1970’s. All cities look better in the dawn, writes Pico Iyer in an essay on Bombay, and dawn was my first glimpse of Athens. From the old airport in Hellinikon around 4 am I get a taxi to the Plaka, where I find a hotel (who made reservations in advance then?), the kind… Read more
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Italian Riviera: Postcards from Portofino, Cinque Terre and Genoa
The month of October is when the crowds go home, right? Well this might be true for Genoa but not for Portofino or Cinque Terre! Capital of Liguria, Genoa (or Italian Genova) along the Italian Riviera and reputed birthplace of Christopher Columbus, is indeed a jewel but a little unpolished. As a major port city,… Read more
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From Olympia to the World: The Ancient Olympic Games
Interested in finding out more about the ancient sanctuary and archaeological site of Olympia? Explore the site and learn about the importance of the Olympics to the ancient world and influences on the modern Olympic games.
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END OF SUMMER UPDATE Newsletter #1
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CRETE: Beyond Chania — A Day Trip to Balos and Gramvousa
We have 20 years or so of staying in the old town of Chania (or Hania) and never tiring of its beauty. This lovely town on the north coast of Crete has a long and fascinating history from ancient times and invaders that have all left their mark, but especially the Venetians: in the harbor,… Read more
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Monemvasia and beyond: A Road Trip through coastal Arcadia and Laconia
Ah the Peloponnese! An area surely blessed with its towering mountains, clear seas, cypress and pine forests, olive groves, lakes, rivers, waterfalls, caves, castles, archaeological sites… Steeped in history from the Homeric bronze age, classical and Hellenistic times, through Roman, Byzantine, Venetian and Ottoman invasions to modern times. This year we explored the southeast side… Read more
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Between Stone and Sea: A Journey Through Puglia and Magna Graecia
In Puglia olive trees dot the dry landscape. Infinite rows of them are planted, along with grape vineyards and every so often, you see an old trullo, a small dwelling with a cone shaped roof. More on trulli later. In this dry riverless land with chronic water shortages, the olive tree has sustained people for… Read more
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Springtime tourists in NYC and DC
When our dear friends Sotiris and Olina suggested last fall that they would love to come with us to New York the next time we visit, I thought oh what a nice idea, but didn’t think it would really happen! But lo and behold, it came to pass. New York City in springtime is a… Read more
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A Conversation with Julian Hoffman, author of the award winning “Lifelines: Searching for Home in the Mountains of Greece”
“It’s one of those sharp winter days that make the nights tremble with light. When no clouds conceal the vastness to come, so that the gathering dark is shot through with a cold so deep and clarifying that our galaxy seems sleeved in winter ice. When stars shine with the intensity of fireworks.”from Lifelines: Searching… Read more
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