Monday, July 21, 2014

The Beachy Rosemary Mystery


Yesterday, we made our way
 to the cove of Paleokastro, (Old Castle), 
for our first salty swim of the season.


Sailboats, floating on a splashy
 surface of sparkling waves,


glided past cliffy coastlines, signed by
stiff, sunburnt branches,


and rough and rocky shores, where aromatic rosemary
 seasoned the breeze with savoury/sweet bouquets.

The Venetian Fortress of Paleokastro of Malevizio, 1573

 I wonder, could this fragrant herb have been
 planted by palace proprietors, or the castle's cooks,

 

  who braved the descent down to the pebbly beach
   to snip the leaves for rich ragouts and scented brews?


One thing's for sure: 
the corns and calluses
 of the castle's culinary crew 
must have been
 pampered and pumiced
 with a weekly, pedicure!


Thanks for visiting 
and have a wonderful week!

40 comments:

  1. The scents and sounds of the sea are always wonderful ...and this just adds to the mystery! Love your beautiful photos and your colorful banner. Hope your flowers are staying pretty in the summer heat! Sweet hugs, Diane

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  2. Amazing photos! A breath of fresh air to start the week. Thank you!

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  3. Beautiful place!!!! What a nice thought to assume the rosemary were planted by the cooks of the castle!!! They should be classed historical plants then, lol !!!!
    Have a nice week, dear Poppy and enjoy your summer swimming!

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  4. You live in Heaven when I see your posts. The water is so blue and pretty. I love rosemary and I can imagine them planting it.

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  5. Poppy...breathtaking photos, my friend! I can almost smell the scent of the salty sea water AND the rosemary! Wonderful post!

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  6. Gorgeous photos! Thanks so much for sharing at AMAZE ME MONDAY...
    Blessings,
    Cindy

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  7. Such breathtaking photos of the sea and landscape of Greece. The old castle and rosemary bush woven into a sweet tale - your views inspire the imagination.

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  8. Poppy, what a lovely place.. I love the sea and waterscape shots.. Your photos are beautiful, they make me wish I was there too. Have a happy week!

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  9. Such a beautiful beach, Poppy. I love the landscape there. I have rosemary growing here in my desert front yard and it's so wonderful after a rain.

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  10. When we went to Crete we visited Rethymnon and I remember the beauty of the old Venetian buildings, you make me want to go again. Thank you for sharing such stunning views, what a wonderful way to spend a day.

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  11. Poppy, I know I say this every time I visit, but you really do live in such a beautiful place. And you have a way with words as you show us around your world.

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  12. Oh, Poppy you have such a vivid imagination and extraordinary way with words. I loved this post so much I made my Italian-descended husband read it. He loved it too. Thank you, sweet friend.

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  13. Your writing is always filled with the most imaginative alliterations Poppy, and the words seem to flow effortlessly, which is, of course, the mark of a gifted writer.

    I wonder if one day we can say 'we knew her when'!. I think so :).

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  14. This is definitely a lovely place to hang out, Poppy.

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  15. Poppy, you are so lucky to be surrounded by such beauty. I enjoy reading the way you describe your surrounding as much as much as I enjoy seeing your surrounding through your photos. Have a great week, Poppy. Christa

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  16. Goodness me, what a lovely spot! Love that the rosemary adds a bit of mystery to this place.

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  17. Now that is a beautiful spot and the Rosemary must be divine...as it always is. I love it when whiffs of scents come out of no where its a moment the we should stop and breathe in. :)

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  18. What a beautiful place. You can almost smell the ocean and rosemary just by looking at your pictures.Thank you for sharing at Tuesdays at Our Home! Have a great week! Maria

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  19. Poppy, Your photos are wonderful and this looks like such a beautiful place. How wonderful to live in an area with such amazing history and gorgeous views.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

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  20. Filenada,I always recall sweet memories when I see your photos and I wish I were there.Miss you !!!

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  21. Thank you for sharing these lovely views. What a special place you can call home.

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  22. What a wonderful journey to take with you. It is beautiful!!! Thank you. xx

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  23. You write about the stuff of our dreams, Poppy. Who needs Calgon anymore when Poppy View is here to take us away?

    I can't even begin to imagine these places, being there, swimming in that sea of every blue, rosemary growing wild scenting the air, history found in every neighborhood instead of between the pages of a book.

    Thank you from this armchair traveler,
    Dewena

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  24. I love the sea and yet you took me this morning also where I fear to be and yet I was not afraid, for I was safe in my bedside as I sailed along in your boat ride. Just marvelous, beautiful images. I use Rosemary and it does enhance in a lovely way. Thank you Poppy for allowing me to brave to ride ;) PS, I cannot swim and deep waters frighten me~

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  25. What a lovely place, Poppy. I can just imagine the sound of the water and the scent of the rosemary.

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  26. Loved the tour and the pebble beach. Beautiful photo's and as usual, I love how you take us there!
    Hugs my friend across the sea,
    Wanda Ann @ Memories by the Mile

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  27. Hi Poppy, wow what a beautiful beach! Lovely photos and the water looks so nice! I hope you had a fun day there. Thanks for sharing your day at the beach. Enjoy the rest of the week Poppy!

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  28. Thanks for bringing the sounds and smells of the sea to us on this rainy first-morning back in Kirkland. A lovely post as always and a reminder of how much we love Crete.

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  29. Good Morning Poppy, How lovely it would be to dip my toes in the lovely blue waters.... to take a swim and then to turn on my back to float amongst the waves.... it would be heaven.
    I find it amazing how plants grow..... they find the smallest of crevices and once they take hold, they flourish. You would imagine that the sea spray would stop them in their tracks.
    This was a beautiful post Poppy and I loved reading your words.
    Best Wishes
    Daphne

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  30. So absolutely gorgeous there Poppy - I want to visit some day!
    Great pics -

    Mary x

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  31. Oh what a lovely beach Poppy. Your photo's are stunning - I almost felt like I was there with the salt water splashing on my face. Thanks so much for sharing.
    Mary
    PS I'm off tomorrow to spend a few days with my son and granddaughter for my Bday - will be back blogging next week.
    M

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  32. Πολύ ωραίες οι φωτογραφίες σου Πόπη!Γιατί άργησαν τόσο οι βουτιές στη θάλασσα;Μήπως φυσάει και στην Κρήτη συνεχώς όπως εδώ;
    Καλό ξημέρωμα!

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  33. Love your fabulous photos. Some place I want to visit one day. You have inspired me.

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  34. Gorgeous photography, Poppy! When I first saw the title of this post at blog parties, I was sure it was a blog post about Rosemary Beach in Florida, USA! Such a surprize to see that it is about actual rosemary plants in a beautiful beach setting. Coming to Greece is on my bucket list!

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  35. Que imagens marinhas lindas, Poppy!!

    Adoraria conhecer.

    Parabéns pelas belas fotos.

    tenha um bom dia,

    beijinhos,

    Lígia e =^.^=

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  36. Thanks for sharing the photos of your current home, they are breathtakingly beautiful! Visiting Greece is also on my bucket list and your glimpses of the beautiful scenery show me I should do it really soon! Oh, how lucky you are to be living there!
    Julie @ Sweet and Spicy Monkey

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  37. The sea looks the same as here, but the coast is so different! Thanks for taking so beautiful pictures for us.

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  38. This is wonderful! I appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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  39. Congratulations Poppy - you are our Featured Friend at this week's Friendship Friday Party #131!
    Thank you for being such an awesome friend and for spreading joy and loveliness around the blogosphere each week! :-)

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Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment. I really appreciate hearing from all of you! Have a great day!