The Last Hurrah (or maybe I should say "ΖΗΤΩ!")

The view from our balcony, as I was eating breakfast.  Horses and sea in the far left.

T's godparents recently purchased a home in a village just outside of Nafplio, a city that B and I have loved since our college semester abroad days.  When we were invited to spend a little time with them and their family right before our departure for the States, we jumped at the chance.  Oh, friends, we had the most relaxing and heavenly weekend.  Despite the fact that all of their furniture was stuck in customs (things here just take a bit longer than scheduled), our friends showed us their beautiful new home, and they remained wonderful hosts.

Where, O Where, can I find such tile in the US?

We stayed at the charming Christina Apartments, which are every bit as elysian as the website makes them sound.  For some reason the tile in the bathroom made me smile.  We have definitely added this place to the list of "Must-See Again."  

Ready for our last trip to the beach, and scoping out the horses to visit.

The big kids loved the beach, and T warmed to it by the end of our stay.  For the rest of the time he chose to sit well away from the gently lapping Argolic Gulf, and yell "Scat, Water!"(in Greek, of course) whenever he felt it moved too close.  I have never been so thankful for a child who will stay put on the beach.  I was never afraid that he would wander too close to the water.  This bodes well for our trip to Lake Michigan later this summer!  

The big kids adored playing with T's god-brothers and god-sister, who are a bit older, and wonderful role-models.  My favorite memory is of Z and M chasing a school of fish, trying to catch the "teacher,"  the one fish bigger than the rest.  Z declared that the teacher must have let the fish out for recess when they saw her coming, because those wily fish would just. not. be. caught.  

Asleep on the bus ride home after a full day of beach and play

After this lovely weekend, we boarded the bus for Athens and home, at least for now.  I am so thankful for the chance to reconnect with our American friends, whom we will see so very shortly.

And walking home from "our" metro stop was so very sad.  It was the last time the kids and I would do it.  The weather had changed for the cooler and breezier, making it difficult to want to leave.

Today we said farewell to some of our neighborhood friends--most of them have gone to their villages, and we said our good-byes ages ago.  We'll miss visiting Miss Poppy at her school store everyday after school, and we'll miss the woman in the grocery store who pinches T's legs and once gave him balloons.  We'll miss the man who runs the pharmacy on the corner.  Every time I walk by, he waves hello, and he has been so patient with my poor Greek descriptions of symptoms.

Yes, I am eager to go home, but I am suddenly so very heartbroken to do so.