SEPTEMBER 19, 2012
The town of Kastoria lies in northwest Greece and would be
the launching point for our journey to locate the tiny abandoned villages my
grandparents were raised in.
Kastoria is a really a neat town. Geographically it has all the requisite
characteristics I seek out – foothills of the mountains, surrounding a lake,
warm days, cool nights, long growing season.
Our accommodations that night are likely never to be
outdone. Hotel Chloi is owned by the
widow of the architect who designed it.
Needless to say it was beautiful.
The service was also what you would expect from a family run business
and despite being a huge hotel they treated every guest like they were running
a small B & B. Each morning they
brought me a huge plate of fruit, knowing that I didn’t eat the dozen other
things offered in the buffet. How sweet
is that?
Although little time was spent in Katoria proper, I really
enjoyed it and saw a mix of old world rural living and those making it happen
in the modern part of the small city/big town.
That night, my mom really enjoyed her chance to speak with
the owner about life in the area. And –
this is big – they actually knew how to direct us to the old villages that my
grandparents grew up in.
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