Can you believe our little rascal is already 18 months old? We certainly can't but even so, here he is in all his 18 month old glory. He spent his big day celebrating with his favorite food and newest word: pizza! It sounds more like pitsa when we says it, but we get the picture. You will, too, when you see all the ways and places he enjoyed eating his birthday pie, pizza margherita, naturally. He can be such a napolitano sometimes!
Since my last post about all things edible here in our garden, I realized the walnut tree I had not noticed until now is hanging full of green, unripe nuts that in their hulls look more like small pears than the shell nuts we start seeing around the holidays. I noticed Antonio had cut one in half to check the progress of the nut inside, or so I thought. What he may have been doing was seeing how soft the shells still were. In many regions, Italians make an cordial from the unripe walnuts called nocino (walnuts are called noce). I have never been offered nocino here around Naples, but I read that it is the after-dinner drink of choice in Florence. 
Though back in Naples now, we are still dreaming of beautiful, pristine, and authentic Crete. Our recent trip exceeded our expectations for a relaxing and picturesque beach vacation. Access to the beaches in our area is very limited and those that can be reached are not really worth reaching for either the pollution or the crowds. It’s quite the contrary in Crete, where each beach you visited seemed more stunning than the previous one, and there was always an empty space for three more beachgoers. We had hoped to do more hiking on this trip, with Crete home to the longest gorge in Europe, but the soaring temperatures made this risky with a baby. We’ll just have to go back when Luke is older and can carry his own pack!
We flew into Chania, the eponymous capital city of the western province. We spent the first few days exploring the beaches of the Akrotiri Peninsula. We visited both Marathi and Kalathas beaches twice and made a drive-by visit to Stavos beach where the movie Zorba the Greek was filmed. All the beaches have nice tavernnas right there waterside for great fresh fish, Greek salads and strong, iced café frappes.
Every meal was delicious and we were glad to sample more authentic versions of favorite Greek dishes like cured olives, moussaka, lamb gyros, homemade feta, and the delicious fresh yogurt and honey. Our best meal was probably at a little tavernna in a home near the base. We stopped for dinner and the grandmother was sitting on the porch with a British expatriate who has lived in the area for 16 years. She translated for us and essentially helped us be adopted into the family for the night, sampling everything they ate in addition to the items we had ordered. The spread included fresh grilled lamb chops, dakos (crispbread topped with a cooked tomato, fresh cheese, and herbs), stuffed zucchini blossoms, stuffed grape leaves, fried potatoes, green beans stewed with tomatoes and onions, and a white bean soup flavored with rosemary and tomatoes. The grandmother even shared her special tiny olives cured in lemon and salt. Though we clearly didn’t speak Greek, the grandmother spoke kindly to us all evening and kept trying to get Luke to sit on her lap and eat at their table. It was like Sunday dinner at Grandma’s, Greek style. This dinner illustrates what we found to generally be true of the Cretan people; they are warm and accommodating and proud to use all the natural products they grow on whatever little parcel of earth they may tend. Eating local is simply a way of life there and makes dining a real joy when you know the people who grew and prepared the food.
From the northern coast, we took a couple hours’ drive to the southern coast city of Paleochora. Everyone said it would be beautiful and all were vindicated when we arrived on a balmy Saturday afternoon to find the bluest seas I’ve ever seen encircled by stunning rocky coastline. The town in situated on a small promontory, so one side boasts a sand beach and the other the stone beach. We found a very nice hotel, aptly named Hotel on the Rocks, with a gorgeous patio overlooking the water and good views right from our own balcony. We took in the sun, swam, and did a little hiking from here, always returning to the harbor side to enjoy the waterfront restaurants and walks in the evenings.
On the drive back north, we made a day-long detour to Elafonisi Beach, lured by photos we had seen of perfect white and pink sand beaches and constant recommendations by everyone we asked. Though there were more people there than we would have expected, nothing could detract from the remarkable beauty of the place. Perfect aquamarine lagoons of bathtub warm water, peculiar blushes of coral-pink sand, and the feeling that this could easily be the edge of the world.
We finished up our trip with visits to a couple monasteries, enjoying the quiet scenery and striking architecture. The monks we encountered seemed happy and glad to be there. That’s how we, too, felt for our nine days in Crete. A lovely island with gracious people and a simple, peaceful life. What more could you ask for?
Ben brought home a great surprise for Luke this week: his first Big Wheel tricycle. He was so excited when he saw the picture on the box and even "helped" Ben assemble it for the big test drive. Our friend Laure came to visit yesterday and took these photos of him and even some of Luke and me. Relatives beware: come September, Luke will be using this to ride circles around us all!
