Thursday, May 18, 2017

Updating, Celebrating and Recuperating!

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The pic above
 is pure storybook, is it not:
cute, candy coloured cottages 
nestled between the deep, blue sea 
and hilly, gorgeous, greenery? 
Ah, and to add some mystery, 
what hides, we wonder, behind
all that rough and rocky scenery?


Of course, every story needs a leading lady,
and this one, set in the fjords of Norway,
 features my darling daughter, Liberty,
who, by the way, is celebrating
 her 28th birthday today! Yay!

Happy Birthday, my love!


 Helping Libby get ready for her
5 month work and leisure holiday
is what kept me super busy 
(gathering documents, issuing a passport, 
shopping, writing recipes, packing),
until April 30th, when she 
spread her wings and flew away.



Luckily, my nephew, Christian, and his girlfriend, Erica,
were flying in from Canada within a week, so I needed to
get the house ready for their visit. It was a blessing, since
all the preparation for them kept me busy, again.
Spending 5 days together, (their first visit to Greece!),
was fun; I always enjoy introducing Crete to our guests.



The kids and I hiked to the village of Agios Myronas 
(St. Myron), which is about a 45 minute trek uphill, 
but the gleaming glory of the young grapevines, 
along the way, kept us steady and on track.


The village is home to the church that bears its name. 
Initially, an Early Christian basilica, Agios Myronas was 
converted into a four-pillard, cross-in-square domed
church in the 11th-12th century. It was the seat of an
Orthodox Diocese from the Early Byzantine era 
to period of the Venetian rule.

The chapel of Agios Myronas.

The church is home to the tomb of St. Myron, where the saint
 lived as a monk, and which now serves as a chapel. There, an
 icon of the saint, which dates back to possibly the 16th century,
 and thus considered miraculous, can be viewed.



At Koules, or "Castello a Mare" (1540)
Heraklion's Venetian fortress, 
 Christian claims his Greek roots! 



Stunning Santorini! Paradise on the planet! The kids snapped 
a sample of the signature architecture of this idyllic island
just north of us, soon after they arrived there.


Talk about a room with a view! Unbelievably beautiful, isn't it?


A cheery and charming bunch of beauties welcome visitors at a house near the entrance of the village

And finally, on this 18th day of May, 2017, I am also celebrating Poppy View's 5th year anniversary! I would shout with joy, but I've been battling a bout of laryngitis.It's been a pleasure getting to know each and every one of you. Thanks so much for your visits and comments and friendship. This little blog has been my creative outlet and my connection to so many wonderful people across the globe. I am grateful for your readership and for your sweet emails; 
they mean the world to me.


Red and pink pretties playfully adorn the perimeters of another home's balcony

 What's been keeping you busy, lately?

  Thanks for visiting!
xo
Poppy

Sharing at:
Amaze Me Monday 
Make it Pretty Monday
Mosaic Monday
The Art of Home-Making Mondays  

33 comments:

  1. Oh what lovely photos!Doesn't each country have its own beauties?
    Many happy returns for Liberty and for your blog!AriadnefromGreece!

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  2. Happy belated birthday to your daughter! Happy 5th anniversary of your blog!
    Greece, both mainland and islands is charming, with stunning landscapes and friendly people. I'm sure your nephew and his girfriend had a terrific experience during their visit in Crete and Santorini.

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  3. Congratulations on your fifth anniversary!! That's great! It has been so much fun getting to know you and your beautiful countryside.

    Get well soon,

    Judy

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  4. Happy Birthday to Libby! She is beautiful! Your photos are gorgeous! Take good care of yourself, and I hope you get better fast! Hugs. :)

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  5. excuse me a moment while a pick my jaw up off the floor;-)) WOWEE! what wonderful photos and thank-you for letting us tag along on your treks!
    Happy Birthday to your beautiful daughter Liberty.
    Congratulations on 5 years!! that means I'm one of your 'newer-bie' readers.
    Always a pleasure. thank-you!

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  6. Happy Anniversary Poppy - and a very Happy Birthday to your traveling daughter!

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  7. Happy Birthday, dear Liberty! What a beautiful country you're visiting! Storybook, indeed, so keep the pictures coming!

    Happy 5th anniversary, dear Poppy View! I'm so thankful for this lovely place to visit and forever grateful for the friendship of its author.

    Christian and Erica are cute as can be and look so happy to be there. I know you loved having them and introducing them to your favorite places. I was thrilled to see them at Santorini and remember that my mother visited there also.

    Safe traveling to all your dear ones, Poppy, and a swift return to health to you, my dear friend,
    Dewena

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  8. Your pictures are beautiful. Happy Birthday to Liberty and congratulations on 5 years.

    My dear Poppy, I have so enjoyed our posts and emails, feel like I known you for years.

    The visit to the church is stunning, oh so beautiful. Thank you for showing me all the beauty of your country.

    What have I been doing? When you get old it take more time to get your chores accomplished - daily it's feed the dogs and me of course. Do the dishes, clean up the kitchen, shower, make the bed and I head outdoors to putter around. Then its back into's and use the swifter, dust the furniture, clean the bathrooms- time for lunch and it's nap time. Then get up and do a little more. Right now I am really thinking of going in and putting my night gown on and going to bed early. But, I really want to watch Scandal. Will tape it just in case. LOL

    Got a perm today from my girl friend, so it's curley time....
    Take care my dear friend and thank so much for the tour. Feel better, if I was there would take care of you and get you back on your feet quickly.

    Hugs,
    Mary

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  9. Your posts are always filled with the most glorious pictures, Poppy!! Thank you, I don't need a travel magazine!! ;-D

    I am so happy for Liberty. She is as smart as she is beautiful. I know she will do a great job and have a wonderful time in Norway.

    You must have really made your nephew and his friend happy. The hike looks fun but I'm afraid I might not be quite in shape for that. The view is fantastic!!!

    Congrats on all of these blogging years. We love you! You bring a part of the world to me that I don't think I'll ever see in person. I thank you for that!

    Jane x

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  10. Such beautiful pictures of the countryside of Greece and I thank
    you for sharing. Phyllis

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    1. Thanks so much for visiting, Phyllis.

      Poppy:)

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  11. Am I the only one who thinks Erica and Libby look alike? Perhaps there's no shared DNA but whooaaaa! They could be twins! Uncanny!

    Crete and Santorini are on my bucket list, and I just happen to know someone there who loves to give tours and make killer lemon cookies just for me ;).

    So Libby is there for just five months? I would never want to leave that amazingly beautiful place, unless of course it's to go to Crete, which is every bit as beautiful.

    xxx

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  12. oh good grief! beauty overload!!!
    both human and vistas.
    little liberty looks like she's about 16 years old not 28! happy birthday liberty!
    don't tell her i said that. maybe she's glad she's no longer 16. LOL!
    she has very good and beautiful genes! just look at poppy.
    such sweet pictures of christian and erica. they're also beautiful!
    and knowing all the preparations you did for them i see it was more than worth it!
    seeing your village and realizing the history of it is always astounding to me. there is just something about being in an ancient civilization that is so incredible to me. the city I live in is 128 years old.
    I love seeing crete and the rest of greece through your eyes. thank you!
    and bless you and your blog! congratulations on FIVE YEARS! YAYYY!
    with great affection and major snoopy hugs ... you must now get well SOON!
    WOW. I just went back and looked at all the pictures again.
    and the FOOD! set a place for me. it looks delicious and so bountiful! XOXOXO♥

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  13. Oh so beautiful pictures!! What a paradise Santorini is...
    Have a happy weekend, take care now!
    Titti

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  14. How wonderful to live in paradise and then be able to share it with guests. The towns look like they are out of a story book. Happy Blog Anniversary and Happy Birthday to Liberty! I hope you find your voice again soon.

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  15. First congratulations with your daughter χρονια της πολλα !!!!
    What a beautiful pictures .. I hope they enjoyed Greece ...
    I like to read your blog Poppy .. and I hope to read it for a long time
    Happy 5th anniversary !!! have a nice weekend ...Φιλακια

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  16. Hello Poppy,

    Happy Anniversary and of course birthday wishes to Liberty. What a wonderful age. It must be wonderful having Christian and Erica with you and so joyful in showing them "your Crete". I hope their stay is a long one. The images of Santorini are spectacular too.

    Fondest wishes for a glorious weekend
    Helen xx

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  17. Well, Happy Birthday to your adorable Liberty and Happy Bloggiversary to you, Poppy dear! What a stunning array of photos of this idyllic place! You are right, it looks like it could be in a story book. I hope your throat will soon be back to normal and enjoy your guests....HUGS & BLESSINGS!

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  18. Happy Birthday to Liberty and Happy Bloggiversary to you!!! I hope your beautiful girl will have a great time in Norway, Poppy. It's wonderful that your nephew and his girlfriend came visiting. I'm sure they enjoyed all the beautiful places you showed them as well as the yummy Greek food.
    Have a lovely weekend!
    xo Julia

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  19. The world is full of beauty everywhere! Gorgeous photos, Poppy. Happy Birthday to Liberty and I wish her much joy on her working holiday. Congratulations on 5 years of blogging! Your posts are always lovely.
    Enjoy the sunshine and I hope your laryngitis gets better soon.

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  20. Well congratulations on your fifth anniversary. Had you not written this blog, we'd have never met. . .that's a frightening thought to my way of thinking. In our corner of Greece, we've been gardening, 'staycationing' and enjoying our rare set of houseguests who spent a few days with us (our friends in the States, seem to think we've gone to the far ends of the earth and show no desire in visiting. . .sigh, if they only knew what they were missing. Right?)

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  21. Congratulations on your blog birthday! We are also enjoying discovering Crete and it's villages, monasteries and amazing scenery. Sadly we leave tomorrow but I'm sure we'll be back again next year to experience the wonderful Cretan hospitality. How blessed you are to live in such a beautiful place.

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  22. happy birthday liberty! Well congratulations on your fifth anniversary.
    Your posts are always lovely. I like your blog.
    Big kisses from Turkei.

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  23. Beautiful and informative series of photos Poppy....thank you! Congratulations on your fifth anniversary.
    Wishing you a speedy recovery!
    Ruby

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  24. Happy Birthday to Liberty! Looks like she has a wonderful adventure ahead of her. So nice to have your nephew and his lady visit and thank you for sharing -- learning more about your fabulous islands! Happy Monday! (Happy blogbirthday, too)

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  25. Thank you for sharing some beautiful views of your home and family Poppy.
    Joy

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  26. What a delight to read this post and share in your adventures! Norway looks amazing!!! And how wonderful to have visitors after Liberty left! The climb up the hill was so amazing and an incredible view!! Hope you get to feeling better quickly!!!

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  27. Happy blog birthday to you!

    A lovely post with super photographs.
    I just love the room with a view ... it is unbelievably beautiful.

    Hope you feel better soon.

    All the best Jan

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  28. Liberty is her Mother's Daughter -- off for her own adventures in this wonderful life! Best wishes to her and happy Blog-i-versary to you. Your posts are always so cheerful and warm and happy -- I feel like I know what it would be like to live in Crete just from visiting your blog.

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  29. Amazing photos! Everything looks so breathtaking, Poppy. Happy birthday to your daughter....Christine

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  30. What gorgeous photos! Thanks for taking me away this morning. It's a little dreary here in Georgia this morning and your beautiful pictures brightened my day.

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  31. Happy birthday to Liberty! I hope you are feeling better by now. {{hugs}}

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  32. Happy Belated Birthday to your Libby and thanks most sincerely for sharing such a beautiful, gorgeous post, darling Poppy !
    I'm following you here too, truth is that I so love also this blog of yours !

    Wishing you a most lovely remainder of your week,
    I'm sending hugs and love to you

    XOXO Daniela at - My little old world -

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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!