Patio Season

 Melenos Lindos Hotel in Rhodes : image by Katherine GB@H

I love this season and the opportunities to sit outside for dinner.

For some reason the meal seems so much more flavourful when you eat out on the patio. 

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Of course it helps when you have the barbeque blasting with wonderful charcoal flavours. 

lunch on the pier in OIA, Santorini

I think I hear angels sing when I remember this patio experience in Greece.

Just sitting out in the sunshine ........ enjoying the simplicity of boards filled with cheeses and indulging in some wine tasting ............ it's a special treat.

The experience of a meal on the patio seems to encourage the gathering of friends and family. For us it always turns into a much more lavish event than just simply flipping a burger, but I love having everyone together to relax under the evening stars for dinner. 

Lindos, Greece                               image by Katherine @ GB@H

When the sun is shining you have to take advantage of every moment and curl up on the lounge to take in the beauty of the day. 

Hotel Particulier, Arles, France   image by Katherine GB@H

It's always a special treat to wake up early in the summer and sneak out to the patio with coffee {and maybe a croissant} before the noise of the day begins. 

Old Montreal, Quebec                    image by Katherine GB@H

If you don't have a patio of your own borrow a spot at a favourite local eatery. The bustle and the noise around adds to the fun of the summer. 

Central Park Boathouse Restaurant                  image by Katherine GB@H

And then there are those patio spots that just cannot compare, and you make a special effort to take it in each summer. The Boathouse restaurant at Central Park is one of those places with a very special view. 

The outdoor dining experience is about feeling the warm breeze around you, hearing the sounds of nature while you eat and the happy noise that summer evokes.

It's Patio Season -  ENJOY !

Central Park                                          image by Katherine GB@H

Beauty Aged

I took this picture in Rhodes, Greece, last year when we visited inside the Palace of the Grand Masters.
This is an arm rest on a bench that is in an antechamber. The beauty of the carved details brought me to stop and admire it for some time. I can't help but think the artists who carved these pieces, how many arms were supported against the rest, how many hands touched the curve of the wood.......... the whisper of the prayers from those waiting.
This is truly the beauty of aging.

At the market

We stopped by the Aberfoyle Antique market a few weeks ago on our way to visit family. It was the third weekend of the season and the weather had not been cooperating with the outdoor retail marketplace. Vendors were frustrated and the availability of items was more limited........ but we still managed to lighten the wallet.

We spotted these great dance hall wooden folding chairs, some of them were varnished and some thankfully had been left to breath. The vendor told us that they used the chairs for the movie 'Dirty Dancing'. mmmmm - maybe, or not. But just the thought of Patrick Swayze parked on one of them peaked my interest.

Richard decided that we could use ALL of the chairs. We currently do not have the room to use the chairs or store anything, we are in a stop-over home looking for 'the place'. But ......... he bought them...... all 16 for under $300.

SCORE !

We plan to use the chairs for our large family get gatherings .... a'la Christmas for 48 people. But the chairs will probably find their way out to a patio.... and I have a plan.



My dream plan patio includes reclaimed cobble base,  several wrought iron leg bases tables with rustic wood tops. I think having several square tables all similar will allow me to move the tables around and group them together when needed. The chairs we bought suit the plan well and can withstand being left out in lighter weather.

Melenos-Lindos Luxury Resort

I fell in love with the outdoor dining area at Melenos-Lindos luxury hotel in Greece (who wouldn't). And the simplicity of the elements could be replicated. It had great cobble stone foundation, a lush array of vines, flowering hedges and a full tree right in the middle of it all. Add an open lattice canopy to allow the vines to spread and to hang strings of lights across.

The idea of bench seating has always been appealing to me especially when it is combined with chairs. Multiple tables, chairs and benches would allow us to create one long communal table or vignettes throughout the space. Add an abundance of pillows in a variety of fabrics that speak to one another in pattern or colour.

Vintage linen table covers would anchor the ambiance on the tables. I love silver cutlery and vintage silver items, and have thought recently that it might be time to start a collection of a variety of patterns. Setting a table with mixed vintage plates, crystal and silverware creates a charming ambiance that is different every time you put the table together. The thought deserves another trip back to Aberfoyle market.

While in Lindos we dined under an outdoor canopy complete with several chandeliers made of these incredible glass globes. The resort had the chandeliers both inside the hotel dining room and outside under the canopy, it was so beautiful when lit up at night. A collection of globes or vintage chandeliers would create a romantic glow to any patio at night.

 

The piece de resistance is the gathering of friends and family, sitting on the chairs around the dinner tables. That is what makes the lights twinkle and the evening sparkle. Something magical happens when the people you love are all gathered together sharing.... laughing..... enjoying.


Outdoor dining doesn't get more Glamourous than this!



*images: 1, 2, 5 from my portfolio/ 3 - unknown/4 - refoundobjects/6 - elizabeth messina

Glorious Greece :: Rhodes

The Old City of Rhodes is the oldest medieval town in Europe. There are approximately 200 streets or lane ways, so getting lost is easy to do. Richard and I drove from Lindos over to Rhodes one afternoon and took in the vista of olive tree's and stone ruins along the way.

The port at the Old City is the point that cruise ships dock to allow travelers to disembark and explore beyond the stone walls. The street of Knights is the most beautiful part of Old City, it is restored and preserved. The street stretches from the New Hospital-Archaeological Museum to the Grand Master's Palace.
We slowly wandered up the streets taking in the beauty of the stone buildings and sculptures.

 

One of the most impressive sites is the Palace of the Grand Master. Within the walls are relics from the medieval period, ancient sculptures and room after room of mosaic pattern floors.

 

Among the endless streets are shops and of course restaurants; the difference in Rhodes is that the local tastes are more varied than traditional Greek food selections. We decided to stop and have lunch at a restaurant with a third floor balcony that offered a great view. After we ordered I headed out to find the ladies room to wash up; on my way I discovered on the walls some original photo's of a movie that had been filmed many years prior. I told Richard 'you have to go and look at the photographs'.

What a treasure for my film fanatic guy; the pictures were from the movie 'The Guns of Navarone'. Richard was thrilled and mentioned that he had thought of the movie when we first arrived because the vista reminded him of the 1961 classic film.

We frequent a Greek restaurant while at home, and prior to our trip the owner gave us details on his family restaurant in the Old City and suggested we visit. We managed to find the spot among the hundreds of shops and restaurants, albeit that we did not have the opportunity to eat there. The octopus was hung up to dry on a clothes line outside like a pair of pillowcases blowing in the wind.

We had a memorable trip, a thousand plus pictures and several quirky video's to remind us just how memorable the trip was. I can recall something very special at each point along our journey. But mostly, the thrill was that Richard was there holding my hand at every step we took and sharing the experiences together.

Greece is truly Glorious. Opa!

More Glorious Greece........... HERE.

Beyond the Threshold

I don't know what is it about DOORS that is so fascinating. No matter where you explore around the world the doorways, especial those that are beyond the norm, can seem to draw you in.
We have a set of antique doors from Egypt stored away at Richard's office just waiting for our new home to take their space of prominence again. I was so excited when we bought them; and yes, I did wrap my arms across the front of the doors for a big hug on a recent trip to his office.  Twelve feet high, warn and weathered, the doors added an artist element to the foyer of our former home.
In addition to the initial beauty and rustic charm, these doors offer a story of family and living just on the other side of the open doorway.

Here are a few Doors of Greece worth exploring..................

On the island of Santorini, Greece

 

 

Wish Beads

Komboloi Beads are used to relieve stress and pass the time; they are frequently referred to as worry beads. On a recent trip to Greece I was told by a local man that they are used to help keep your hands busy to stop smoking; he referred to the beads as 'wish beads'.
I discovered the wish beads in a wooden box that was on a table at Andronis Luxury Resort in Oia. I couldn't help but drag them out and trail them across the aged wood table to take this picture (yes, I stage everything in my path).

Wish Beads at Melenos Resort :: Lindos, Rhodes :: Greece

Third Eye ornaments :: Lindos, Rhodes, Greece