A Little Bit of Everything

Here are a few things going on right now...

 I went into Samos Town yesterday for a visit. I am obsessed with this building. It is right on the main boulevard, and you probably wouldn't give it a second glance since it's so run down. I love it.

Just around the corner is this new remodeled building that I can't help but admire.

Wow!

 Makis was feeding the pigeons in the main square. He is growing up to be such a funny little guy.

Helping me make the apple pie.

 And he is an amazing brother. He loves his little Maria so much, and he always keeps her entertained.

Which brings me to Maria turning one years old already next week!

 My attempt at making an "ombre" cake. Obviously the next cake will have thinner layers, but I have the technique down so that's what matters!

 I've been trying out fonts for the banner I want to hang on  Maria's cake. Still trying to figure that one out!

 I am working on a custom order for initial pillows this week. I spent the last week gathering materials, and mixing and matching. I wish I had a craft room where all my stuff was in one place. Right now I have everything scattered under beds in containers, in luggages, in our storage room, in closets. It is a mess.

 and finally, my next village walkthrough will be of Konteika! Stay tuned!

Village Walkthrough- Manolates

So we've already toured Vourliotes,  Paleokastro, and Stavrinides... now I want to show you my tour of Manolates! I mentioned in an earlier post that this is probably the most popular village in all of Samos. Everyone knows Manolates. Guests at the hotel ask me, "where do you live?" and when I say Ambelos, they look at me like "huh?" and then I say..."well, you know where Manolates is?" (and they get excited because YES, or course they know where Manolates is) So anyway, Manolates took it's name from the first settlers of the village, the Manolas family. The one thing I like about this village is it's full of old houses. One thing I don't like is that there are a ton of pottery shops, souvenir shops, and way too many tavernas to really be classified as a "traditional village" Please don't send me hate mail, that is my personal opinion!

From the town of Agios Konstantinos, it's about a 4 kilometer drive through the "Valley of the Nightingales"

The drive is really picturesque!

A map of the various shops, restaurants, and cafes right off the parking lot.

The first pottery shop. You can either go right or left..

So we went left on this dead end street

with a cute souvenir shop. I remember from a previous visit to Manolates this shop has a rug loom. The owner was out when we came this time, so I couldn't get any more info on it, what a bummer!

Love!

a very pretty pottery shop

My dad waiting for me like always!

A garden with old pottery pots!

Another shop with knick knacks!

and another one!

We ran into some people we know.

A co-worker of mine's mother!

The post office/town hall.

My troopers!

I love this narrow alley!

A restaurant's terrace with a fountain.

Nice stone work. I like when remodeled houses  keep the charm of the old Greek style.

I love the combination of stone and stucco.

My dad Leon!

As we were leaving this caught my eye.

Manolates from afar

Thank you for touring Manolates Village with me!

Friday Show and Tell

Hello!
Today I want to share with you a blanket I knit and finished about 4 years ago when Makis was still only 2 months old. This was a THREE (!!!) year long project for me...not that I'm a slow knitter, but just that I got kinda lazy! Every tiny square you see took me at the very least 1 hour to knit, so imagine how many hours I sat and knitted!...I then sewed by hand the blocks together, and then put the "X" design in for a little bit more design. Finally, I sewed the whole thing onto an airplane blanket I had (Of course I asked the stewardess if I could keep the blanket from the plane because I had a very long layover one time in London, thank you BA!) The whole blanket measures 48" X 76" It is kinda heavy, ohh so warm, and probably NOT a project I would like to do anytime soon again!

Thank you to my photographer Makis!

Would look better on a twin bed or on a crib.

...or draped on a couch!

So there you have it. It may have taken three years to finish, but what's that saying?...better late than never!

Village Walkthrough- Vourliotes

One of the more popular villages on Samos is the village of Vourliotes. This village, which has around 500 occupants year round, sits about 300 meters above sea level. It's one of the first villages to be built on Samos around the 17th century. The first inhibitants came from a place called "Vourla" in Asia Minor. There are tons of interesting houses and tavernas, and most of the locals survive on agriculture.

The drive up to Vourliotes

I thought this was so pretty!

The beautiful view from the road

This used to be the old police station. I love the view, and that it is fenced in!

Walking towards the plateia...

We came upon this gem. I love the balcony with it's cascading flowers and there is a balcony in the back, too!

The view from one of the parking lots

Makis is saying "this way mama!"

Impressive! I'd love to see what's inside!

I love the balcony of course....and also that it's half brick on the upstairs!

What a pretty sign!

One of the kafenions. Looks like the old men are busy!

I love the painting done on this, but there is a balcony missing!

One of the alleyways

A very old house for sale. There were many for sale on this road.

I love these kinds of doors!

We had a drink in the plateia but Makis was getting restless!

A double entry to two different residences!

It was getting late and we had to leave, so this was my last photo..behind that wall is literally nothing left, it's all fallen in.

So there you have it...Vourliotes Village, in my opinion the second most popular village on all of Samos. Next stop....Manolates!