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Volos, Summer 1999 |
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| Leaving Meteora late in the
afternoon on the 10th we headed toward Volos about 2 hours away, we struck upon our idea
of the trip: Volos needs a McDonalds. We pulled into Volos in the late afternoon (18:00
local time). Thea Irini and Thea Kassiani were waiting for us at home (courtesy of a
call placed earlier). After getting ourselves organized, we headed out for a walk to do
the rounds of the family. We went by Thea Maria and Theo Spyros' house, so we
stopped to see if they were home. They immediately made us feel at home with lots of melon
(watermelon was a regular at every meal in Greece) and welcome hugs and toys for the kids
to play with during their stay in Greece. We then went over to Vicky and John Spyros' to
meet them and their girls. The afternoon quickly disappeared and we found ourselves late
for dinner with Theo Menelaus and Thea Kassiani by the seaside. Nick and Katie get
a ride on Spyros' bike (990810). (large) ---> |
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Katie jumping into the
water at Kalifteri (large) |
We woke on the 11th headed for
the beach at Kalifteri with Vicky and the girls, Marilena and Fotini. After waterskiing
(Kevin only, but no still photos, so you'll have to wait for the video) and swimming we
went to the land to see the progress since last summer (Menelaus is unstoppable) and to
swim some more off the rocks. We also met Menelaus' little dog, "Rocky," who
left a big impression on Nick and Katie. We also found mounds of grapes and prunes and
figs and plums and other fruit grown by Menelaus on the land. At the end of the day
the kids finally got the flowers they'd been asking for at every stop of the vacation. |
Nick on beach at
Kalifteri (large) |
Fotini in the sea at
Kalifteri (large) |
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<-- Kids enjoying
bunches of grapes straight off the vine. (large) Kids with their bouquets
and Thea Irini. (large)
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| The next day, August 12,
involved lunch at Theo Menelaus and Thea Kassiani's. Nick and Katie met Mary, wife of
Dimitri, and her kids Katarina and Menelaus, and John Menelaus and his daughter
Kassianoula. The food was exactly as one would expect: superb and abundant.
Theo Menelaus with the
kids (large)
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Family at Ktima (large) |
 Ktima from the road (large) |
| On the 13th, we awoke and headed
for the land (Ktima). Another scorcher (each day was approximately 40C), we were coated
with sunblock and ready for the fruit and the rocks. Kevin had also invested in a pair of
flippers and mask and snorkel and was excited to get to the rocks to try them out. Ktima is a magical place with the olive trees and the sea. Walking
to the rocks we came across two boats moored side-by-side with the names Katie and
Nicolas. This is especially strange because Katie is not a name used in Greek (normally).
The photo to the left shows the kids in front of their respectively named boats.
Nick and Katie in front
of Nicolas and Katie boats. (large) --> |
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<-- Nick and Katie and
the church in which Daddy and Kate were married. (large) John and Vicky on beach at
Kalifteri. (large)
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| On the 14th we headed up to
Makrinitsa for lunch with John and Vicky and the girls. After a great visit to their
summer place, including a trek in which Katie exclaimed "We're lost in this
jungle," and much catching of butterflies and watering of the many plants and
flowers, we headed into Makrinitsa for lunch under the great tree. After a great lunch we went back down to Volos to see John and
Vicky's new house and then back to Kalifteri for more beach action and waterskiing.
Family shot at fountain
in Makrinitsa. (large)
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<-- Family shot in
the great tree of Makrinitsai. (large)
John, Vicky, Marilena,
and Fotini outside new house. (large)
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Sunset
from Kalifteri. (large)
<-- Sunset and kids at Kalifteri (large) |
| The 15th was a most remarkable
day as not a single still photo was taken with Kevin's camera. (Don't worry, there is
video!!) We spent an entire day without going out to Kalifteri, opting instead for Ktimi
and a visit to the rocks and the beach there and hanging out at the land. On the 16th we
found ourselves wandering in Volos and found this great swing (photo to the right) which
promptly made Kate and Daddy feel ill. We
also managed to find some cool electric bikes and cars for the kids to ride while Daddy
and Kate and Vicky drank at a cafe in the park beside the sea.
Nick and Katie on swing.
(large)
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<--
Katie on Ducati-like mini. (large)
Nick on mini dirtbike. (large) --> |
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| On the 17th we planned to
meet up with John Menelaus and Kassianoula for dinner on the paralea. The evening started
with a return to the park and electric bikes for drinks where we were joined by John and
Vicky and their family and Vicky's sister and husband and their two children. Drinks and
play were fun for all and then we walked down to La Gondola for the second time of this
visit. Nick and Kassianoula had an especially good time together with Kassianoula happy to
get affection from a very flirtatious Nick. Katie missed the entire evening as she crashed
out in Kate's lap. |
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<--
John Menelaus and cafe scene. (large)
Nick and Kassianoula on
the town. (large)
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Lemonade
by the Kaisers. (large) |
Lunch
with Thea Maria and Theo Spyros (large) |
| On the 18th we did some truly fine dining
and memorable visiting starting with group lemonade making with lemons picked from the
tree in the garden. Following the lemonade, we dropped in on Theo Spyros and Thea Maria
for an exceptional lunch with more than enough food to last a couple of days. Following that we headed out to Portaria to visit the beautiful summer
home of John Philip and Venia. (Photos to follow from the DV camera.) |
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| After the visit with John
Philip, Venia and Philippos, we walked over to see Aimilio and Sultana and join them for
dinner with Menelaus and Kassiani. Dinner was the outstanding, as usual, and as usual
involved ingesting more calories than a normal adult ingests in a typical week. Following
dinner we were shown Sultana's garden and the largest cucumber any of us had ever seen
before (approximately 1m in length!!). |
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Lemonade
by the Kaisers. (large) |
Lunch
with Thea Maria and Theo Spyros (large) |
| Our final full day in Volos
involved another visit to Kalifteri in the morning, followed by a tour of a couple of
houses Dimitri had designed up on the mountain. These places are really incredible and
convinced us beyond any doubt that we will hire Dimitri to design our Greek paradise when
we manage to become millionaires. We then headed out to Ktima for lunch, joined by Dimitri
and John and Kassianoula, Menelaus and Kassiani cooked up another fantastic meal with pork
on the barbecue.
French Alps | Italy | Metsovo | Volos | Athens
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