Black Coffee Band

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We arrived at the restaurant Taverna Venexia (see previous post) to discover that we were too early. The restaurant was not due to open for another hour and a half. We decided to go across the street to a “happy hour” bar for some wine to pass the time. It must have been serendipity for we happened to have chosen the one night that Black Coffee were playing.
Black Coffee is a 2-piece band consisting of Fischer, guitar and Giorgio |Marinaro, bass who are talented artists in their own right. The singer, Samantha Giordano is phenomenal. This young woman has great control of her voice. Her range and tone are superb.

 

I am not a music critic but anyone would have to be deaf not to recognize this enormous talent. Samantha not only sings blues and jazz but can also rock with the best of them. Why someone has not discovered her is a mystery.
Here are a few of her songs. Hope you enjoy them. Click on “follow” to get all the songs she has recorded

Taverna Venexia

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Mira Porte
I have always believed that you meet people or events happen for a reason. Therefore, with that in mind, it was no surprise when we arrived at the bus stop in Mira Porte, which was in front of Taverna Venexia. It was nighttime and even though we had excellent directions from our landlord, everything looked different in the dark from his description. We were unsure of where to go so we went into the restaurant to ask if they would call our landlord to pick us up. They were kind enough to agree to do so and while we waited, we enjoyed a glass of wine. We spoke to one of the owners, Andrea and from our short conversation decided to have dinner there later. It turned out to be one of our better ideas.
The following evening we left our cottage and headed towards the restaurant. We arrived too early and so decided to have a drink across the street at Bar Agrodolce, a happy hour bar. We heard the most fantastic singer but more on that in the next post.
When walking into the restaurant you will see a unique bar to the right. To the left is the dining area with sofas around a fireplace and tables and chairs. I would say the style was casual elegance.
They always give a free appetizer at the beginning of the meal. We started our meal with crostini with salt cod. Then we decided to have another appetizer. I chose tomino piemontese wrapped in thin slices of zucchini with pumpkin crème and crunchy pumpkin flowers. Heavenly does not begin to describe the taste. My friend had the shrimp and parmesan sauce. Excellent as well. We could hardly wait for the main course. I had the ravilone with meatless Roquefort sauce. To say this meal was divine is an understatement. My mouth is watering with the memory!
The restaurant opened September 1, 2013. The restaurant is owned and operated by one family who are investing their time and talents. Nicola, the chef has cooked for the likes of Paris Hilton.
Palmiro – father
Nicola – son and chef.
Andrea – son and maitre’d
Antonella – wife of Umberto who also is a maitre’d
Umberto – son-in-law and 2nd cook
Marina – mother and chef’s help
Some of the family members do this without pay.
Above the restaurant are 8 rooms, 7 with balconies that they rent out. If we had known, we might have stayed there. Imagine having a first class restaurant a few feet from your room. Heavenly.
I normally do not spend a whole post on one restaurant but this one certainly deserves it. If you are anywhere in the Mira Porte or Venice area, the restaurant is only about 20 minutes away from Venice and it is well worth the trip.

 

Venice

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I am starting this post with a warning. After purchasing our train tickets for Venice, we made a dash for the train as we had only minutes to spare. We were offered help from a man to find our car and he “kindly” helped us with our luggage and in finding our seats. I KNEW better but forgot the warnings in our haste. I gave the man a tip and I do not know how he did it or if he had help but once the train started rolling, I discovered my wallet was missing. Warning #1: Do not accept help from anyone other than officials. I knew that but……. Warning #2: Do not put everything in one place. I knew that as well. I had a slash proof, pickpocket proof backpack (say that 5 times quickly) and a money belt but I did not use them as intended. Everything was in my wallet, passport, drivers licence, credit card, money etc. Thankfully, there was Wi-Fi on the train and I was able to contact the banks to cancel the cards. More on this ongoing story later.
We arrived in Venice 4 hours later and took a local bus to Chioggia, a quaint little town on a canal approximately 20 minutes from Venice. Our apartment was a comfortable loft right on the canal. The only drawback was the stairs, many, many stairs. Our landlords welcomed us with homemade goodies. They also helped me file a police report and made sure that I had everything I needed for my trip back to Rome to get my new passport. Because I had to go back to Rome to the Canadian Embassy, I could not spend a lot of time in this lovely town.
Not sure if this is a misinterpretation or???

The canal in front of our apartment

 

to the right of our door

 

Our landlord

 

 

Nicola at right
Fortunately, I was able to have a couple of meals at Osteria da Nicola, a little restaurant overlooking the canal. The owner/chef Nicola does an amazing job creating meals that has you wanting more. He is one talented chef. Well worth  checking this restaurant out.

 

 

 

VATICAN

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VATICAN

We took the “hop on hop off” tour bus to the Vatican. For 20 euros, it is a good deal for a mini tour of Rome. We planned, time permitting, to stop at one or two other sights.

Our first stop was at the road leading to the Vatican. Walking along the wide street is surreal. Everything is quiet and subdued, as if preparing you for the Vatican itself. I did not hear one person honking their car horn. Perhaps that is an order from the Vatican?

 

 

chairs on the left are for the Wednesday Mass when the Pope is there

The museum had closed so we joined the long line for the Vatican. It is free admission. We thought we would be in line for a while but the line moved quickly. The outside is impressive but once inside it literally astounded us. One word I heard uttered repeatedly was incredible. Even for non-Catholics, it was awe-inspiring. Words fail at this point so I hope the pictures will do it justice.

My friend, who is Catholic, was able to take mass. She was extremely happy at the opportunity. I was outside waiting for her when she came out. She told me it was awe-inspiring but she did not stay for the communion because she knew we had to get the tour bus at a scheduled time. I had made other plans while waiting for her and told her to go back in. she would never have another opportunity like this. She did and was the last person to have communion, including the priests. She has quite the story to tell now.
We decided we had time to see the Trevi Fountain. The sun had set and that is the best time to see the fountain with all the lights. The fountain was incredibly beautiful but very crowded with tourists. The vendors were also there plying their wares.

 

We found a lovely little restaurant off the Trevi Square. The food and wine were excellent. This seems to be an ongoing theme in my travels! We met some people at the restaurant including a mandolin player who serenaded us, for a fee of course and so ended our last night in Rome.

ROME

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ROME
Travelling around Europe is easy and relatively inexpensive. For short hauls, the train system is the best, fast and plenty of connections. Airplane travel is also reasonable. I was surprised at the size of the planes for short jaunts. I was expecting little “puddle jumpers.” The ferry systems between the Greek islands, especially the fast ferries, are also an inexpensive, efficient way to travel.
We took the overnight ferry from Patros, Greece to Bari, Italy. The ship was very nice with escalators up to the main deck, a couple of restaurants, small casino, and helpful staff. One staff member took a liking to me and offered to bring us food and wine later. He thought I was 10 years younger than I am. Very flattering but……. We met some interesting people and enjoyed a pleasant evening their company.
 
 
When we landed in Bari the next day, we got the train to Rome, which took about 4 hours. We arrived at our lovely accommodations and met our landlady, Marie. She helped us with anything we needed.
 

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we explored the Roman forum, Coliseum, and the Palatine. I will not go into details but one thing I would recommend; pay for a guide which you can find outside the coliseum. I didn’t and was sorry that I did not take that opportunity. Unless you have done a lot of research, a guide can help you understand what you are viewing. Still, it was a fascinating day. You have to be there to appreciate the scope and beauty of it all fully – pictures do not do it justice but I will try!

Just imagine, as you view these pictures, Rome in all its glory approximately 2,000 years ago. All the action; lions, gladiators, Christians and all the drama with the politicians. Even the reality shows today can’t beat that. Well, maybe with the exception of Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.

Coliseum
area where they kept the lions and gladiators or any other form of entertainment

 

entrance to coliseum


drawing depicting how it might have looked with the spectators
 
 
 

SYROS

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SYROS
Syros was not on my original list of Greek islands to visit but as my friend’s niece lived there, Syros of course made it on the list. It turned out to be a good decision.

 

Syros is a beautiful island. What little we did manage to see certainly impressed me. We stayed at the lovely Hotel Hermes with a fantastic sea view.  I stepped out onto the balcony and to my right on another balcony was someone who was born in my town. Definitely a small world indeed.
Hotel Hermes

 

view from front of hotel
Along the waterfront, there are many restaurants. The tables are on the waterside and the restaurants are across the street. It is interesting to watch the waiters dash back and forth with trays of food and drinks. Thankfully, there is little traffic.

 

There are many shops along the waterfront as well, but it seems like the nicer stores are on the next street.

 

One shop in particular, Lithos, is owned by a wonderfully kind man, Michael. He was very interesting to talk about Greece’s economy and Greece in general. At one point he succinctly said, “What you give from the heart, it is like a mirror, you get back”. His shop is full of gemstones, too many to list here. His prices are very good and he will ship to any place in the world. His store is a must see when you are in Syros.

 

We decided to walk around the town and came across a Casino. Beside the casino was a church. I suppose that if you gambled all your money away you could go to the church and ask for forgiveness!
The church was open so we decided to have a look inside. It was impressive. As I was looking around, this little old lady kept trying to talk to me. She was attempting to tell me something but I couldn’t understand her. At first I thought that perhaps she wanted some money but that wasn’t the case. She seemed happy when I sat down next to her just outside the main rooms.  Once I saw the pictures, I realized what she was so concerned about. I did not have my arms covered.  I know better but forgot and did not bring a shawl just for things like this.

 

 

 

You can see her hand on my bare shoulder

Each morning at the hotel, there was a free buffet breakfast. I learned how to make Greek coffee. Heavenly.

you put the coffee in the brown container

 

This pot is hot and contains sand or something similar You put the little pot in the hot material for about 5 minutes and voila, you have perfect Greek coffee.

MYKONOS

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MYKONOS
In Greek mythology, Mykonos was the location of the battle between Zeus and the Titans and the island was named in honor of Mykonos, grandson of Apollo.
Due to the ferry schedule, we had to overnight in Mykonos, of Shirley Valentine fame. It is a charming island with windmills and loads of character. Mykonos is also known for its nightlife.

 

We had booked a two-room place through a travel agent. When we arrived and found our place thru the narrow streets, our first thoughts were, ‘how quaint’. It was so close to the shops across the street that you could almost touch them from our doorway. ‘Quaint’ faded a bit when we opened the door to discover that we did not have two rooms but one. In that one room – did I mention that it was small – were three single beds all in a row with perhaps a foot, if that, between them. Goldilocks and the three bears came to mind. Quaint went out the door with the discovery of cockroaches. We made sure our luggage was zipped properly as we did not want any uninvited guests. We left for dinner and to try to figure out what to do next. We certainly did not want to stay there.

 

The door to the “quaint” room

 

We went to a local restaurant and had a very good meal. We met a great couple from New Zealand and spent a pleasant couple of hours in their company. We have been invited to visit them in New Zealand. I hope that one day we can do that.
As far as our accommodations, we agreed that we could not stay there. The landlady offered another place to us but it too was not suitable.
We headed out to look for another accommodation and someone suggested what we thought was said, “Georges” which was actually Zorzis. After wandering a bit, we found it and thankfully it had a buzzer outside as it was around 12:30 a.m. A young woman came to the door and we explained our situation to her. She called her boss, Johnathan, who very kindly gave us two rooms for a reasonable rate. The rooms were clean, nice and very comfortable.

 

 

 

 

The next day, we met Johnathan, who not only arranged transportation to the ferry but also called the travel agency to ream them out for sending us to the other place.
If you are ever in Mykonos, I would highly recommend Zorzis. You will not be disappointed.
Our transportation was so typical. The picture is not of the one we took, as ours did not have a cab, it was totally open and the back resembled a wagon with wood slates. My friend rode in the back with the luggage while I was in front. Tearing through the narrow winding streets and managing not to hit anyone, our driver then headed out the highway to the ferry. An exciting end to our stay on Mykonos.

 

SANTORINI

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SANTORINI

The fast ferry system in Greece is very efficient and a pleasure to be on. As we approached Santorini, it appeared like a glimmering jewel against the deep blue sea. The views were breathtaking.

According to Wikipedia, “ Santorini is essentially what remains after an enormous volcanic explosion that destroyed the earliest settlements on a formerly single island…..The island is the site of one of the largest volcanic eruptions in recorded history….and may have indirectly led to the collapse of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete through a gigantic tsunami. Another popular theory holds that the eruption is the shource of the legend of Atlantis.”
Once we landed, we were picked up by the hotel shuttle and taken up the winding road to the top. Our room overlooked the pool and had a panoramic view of the countryside and sea. Once again, breakfast was included and I developed another addiction, Greek yogurt with Greek honey.
I would recommend that you rent a vehicle; in fact, it is almost essential.
The first evening we went to the other side of the island to see, as the locals put it, the sun dive into the sea. We found a charming little restaurant,   it had a perfect view, good food and the nicest family who owned and operated it.
Mom: Eugenia
Dad: Stephanos
Son: Giann’s age 9
Son: Panayiotis age 15
Son: Dimitris age 17 who is not in the picture. We were pretty sure that mom said he was working at her families other restaurant.The next day we went to the “old town” where there is a working archeological site enclosed in a building. The site is the ancient city of Akrotiri and is the most important prehistoric settlement found anywhere in the Eastern Mediterranean.
First toilet seat?

On the way to the old town, we stopped at a local bakery where we met this man, a Maori from New Zealand. We could not help but notice his tattoos, all of them representing something significant to him and his culture.

On our return, we stopped at a winery; after all, we needed refreshment after a day of exploring. We had a wine sampling. You could choose 6 or 12 sample tastings. I felt I could only handle six. Then of course, off to the store to purchase wine. I could not believe that this land which looked as though it was only rock, could produce such fine wine.

Santorini is very beautiful but after seeing the main tourist sites, we felt it was time to move on.

 

Milos

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We started our tour of the sun-kissed Greek islands with Milos. Milos is a volcanic island, known as the island of colors, mainly due to its spectacular, colorful rock formations. Also known as “The Island of Lovers” because of the discovery of the statue Venus de Milo, the ancient Greek goddess of love and beauty.

We stayed at the Hotel Portiani in the port town of Adamas. We had a very nice two bedroom overlooking the town. Our breakfast, which was free, was a smorgasbord of typical Greek food, sweets, Greek yogurt, honey, sliced meats, fresh orange juice, bread and more. In the lobby, each day was a different liqueur and some treats for the guests after a grueling day of sightseeing!  The desk clerk that was there during the day was so delightful and her colourful outfits matched her personality.
view from our hotel
hotel entrance
Milos is famous for its more than 70 unique beaches, unlike most beaches with long white sand, these have a stark beauty all their own. The one we managed to get to was unusual with the white smooth hills surrounding it. From a distance, it appeared as though the hills were made of sand.  A good place for snorkeling, which I tried for the first time. It was so much fun.  I discovered what appeared to be catacombs but was unable to go very far into them, as I did not have a flashlight. Who knew you needed a flashlight when you go swimming?
man made tomb
road to the beach
We went into the old town of Plaka. It is a very unque place, full of character. The streets are very narrow and filled with shops and restaurants of every description. I bought a beautiful silver ring there. Our dinner was also excellent.
I developed a bit of a cold so I went to the local pharmacy for something. The pharmacist asked if I wanted chemicals or natural!  Putting it that way, I opted for natural.
My friend needed some money so we went to the closest bank machine. She tried a couple of times unsuccessfully and then the machine took her card.  We were not panicked as we thought we could go into the bank the next day and get her card. The next day she was told that no, it has to go to Athens for some unknown reason and if we understood correctly, she had to pick it up there. My friend explained that she needed the card now to continue her journey. The bank clerk shows her a stack of cards that the machine took and told her that the machine was malfunctioning. After a lengthy discussion, the clerk agreed to give her the card.  So be warned, do not let the machine eat your card!
Another warning – beware of Freddo Cappuccino. They are addictive!
Our short stay on this island had us wanting more and it would definitely be on my list to visit again.

Acropolis

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Today we went to see the Acropolis. To say that it was impressive would be an understatement. Although we have all seen the pictures, seeing the immense columns in person was awe-inspiring. Words cannot describe the dramatic beauty of the place.  Therefore, in that vein, this blog will be mostly pictures.

 

 

steps up to the main area

 

Notice the pillars on the left how they are out of place but still standing

 

entrance way to the Acropolis

 

 

 

 

When I saw the repair work being done, I couldn’t help but how they managed to do everything with only crude tools and their hands and now we need all this machinery

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Athena

 

 

view of Athens from the Acropolis

After a long day at the Acropolis and touring around the city, we headed for the travel agency for our ferry tickets to the islands that we would be going to and the hotel accommodations.  The agent was busy so another agent brought out a table and chairs, made us the most delicious greek coffee and entertained us with amusing stories. Apparently he is a travel agent and a part time Greek dancer.  Nice way to end our stay in Athens.