A few Septembers ago we had a family trip to Kalamata on the Peloponnese. I had not been to Greece before, and it was love at first sight – from the moment we left the airport. There had been a fierce summer that year with no rain and the earth looked parched. I don’t know what it was that spoke to me most – the rugged stony uplands, the everywhere-colonies of feathery phragmites reeds, the wild cyclamen, household clutter around the homesteads and olive groves, the olive groves themselves, the country lanes and then the views of the Taygetos Mountains across the Messinian Gulf. The only downside for us, though quite the opposite for the locals, we brought the rain on our heels, so there are stormy skies as well as china blue ones. It anyway seems like a dream now.
Tish Farrell 
Love your gallery and love Kalamata olives. If you’re a rain bringer, your officially invited to visit us any time. 🙂 We have a guest bedroom.
Oh that sounds lovely. I’d better cook up a good rain making spell, oh yes, and a broomstick to bring me 🙂
The room’s ready for you whenever you arrive.
🙂
I recall your Greek odyssey – a lovely holiday. And who does not love Kalamata olives!
Oh yes. Mmm. I’ve some in the cupboard.
oh stunning – a country I have to visit. My step daughters love it, one of these years I will make it there
Definitely you must.
I will once we get our head around our Portuguese winter sojourn complications
Oh dear. Such a shame all is so ravelled up.
Exactly!
I like the seemingly random list of things you loved most about the place, especially the household clutter you describe. Odd that would have a romantic quality but I see that, it’s a kind of authenticity about the place that’s very specific and true to itself. And something I can relate to from my travels too. Thanks for sharing Tish! Greetings to you and yours, this mid-October…😊
Happy fall, Bill and thanks for those thoughts. You caught my drift exactly 🙂
Oh, wonderful memories, Tish
Thanks, Sue.
Isn’t wonderful when you fall in love with a place straight from the airport?! It doesn’t always happen, as airports are rarely in the most beautiful places. But when it does it feels very special. I loved seeing your Kalamata images but I loved even more your descriptive prose of the things that spoke to you most about this place 🙂
Many thanks for that very thoughtful comment, Sarah.