… a small fishing village near Olympia, home of the first Olympics. We’ve been to Olympia before, so we went to the Magna Grecia Farm, an agriturismo venture in the country. We were welcomed by the farm’s owners, who offered us a glass of locally produced white wine, and an appetizer which unfortunately turned out to be primarily feta cheese and lamb, two of my least favorite foods! The owner of the farm told about growing and harvesting olives, and then let us walk through the farm, with its turkeys, chickens, ducks, pigeons, goats, sheep, rabbits, and peacocks. The farm dogs were Greek Shepherds, exceptionally cuddly and personable. The farm primarily produces Kalamata olives and olive oil, as well as wine; it is a labor of love for the owners, who have jobs elsewhere.
A delicious lunch of local delicacies was served, including bruschetta, black-eyed peas, sausage, feta cheese, and more, with local red wine. Dessert was local strawberries and a special honey cake, baked only during the Easter holidays; this is the Greek Orthodox Holy Week, and Easter will be this coming Sunday. A wonderful cinnamon and honey grappa was served as our after dinner drink, along with ouzo, the anise-flavored Greek liqueur.
One of the most surprising finds at the farm’s gift shop were some handmade pottery plaques. Do they remind my Pennsylvania Dutch friends of anything? Take a look!
When I saw them I was so surprised that I actually said “Distelfinks!” out loud. The woman standing next to me asked if I was from Pennsylvania. Turns out she’s from Lebanon County – and yes, she bought a few plaques as well!
We took the bus back to Katakolon and walked and shopped the village streets for a few hours until it was time to leave. It is a shopper’s paradise; tacky souvenir shops alternate with fine jewelry stores selling exquisite Greek jewelry, most in 18K gold. Some is done in the Byzantine style, incorporating gold granulation, or small designs of raised gold dots and ropes, with small precious stones. Almost all Byzantine pieces are totally handmade, and they are all beautiful.
Back on the ship, we played cards, and attended our next-door neighbor’s 85th birthday party before our formal dinner. We ended the night with a performance by the group Journey South, two brothers who appeared on the British TV show X Factor with Simon Cowell, coming in third, and are now the #1 group in South Africa, with smash hits in the UK as well. A great time was had by all!
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