Odyssey in times of Corona
- On 22 Mar 2020
- In Blog
- By Katerina Sakelliou
- 43 Comments
In a short time all of our lives have been turned upside down because of Corona virus. Our daily programmes have dramatically changed; we are trying to cope with this new reality and nobody can tell what the near future is going to bring. Every day we hear something new that we did not think of the day before. At Odyssey we should right now be preparing the building and finishing the refurbishing of the rooms. We should be cleaning with family and staff, getting ready for Easter and anxiously await the first customers’ arrivals and our season to start.
Preparations on hold
Instead, all we can do is follow the instructions and stay at home. Dora and Vangelis are walking their dog Roy and take care of the people around them, instead of painting the bistro and cleaning the garden. Roula and Stella are staying at home instead of preparing the kitchen and bistro. Michelle is taking good care of her family and stays home instead of preparing the rooms. In a few weeks the rest of the staff should start working too. Vagia and Alexis would be coming to Poros to prepare new recipes and menus for the bistro. Mafalda and Adonia would start soon after as well. All this is on hold. We are missing our family a lot, and the usual buzz at this time of the year at Odyssey and on Poros.
In 2020 we are actually celebrating the 25-year anniversary of Odyssey. In the upcoming weeks we were supposed to be having the first celebrations that we prepared with love and fun. Twenty-five years of hard work, fun, happiness, some problems and difficulties as well, which we overcame to bring us to where we are today. We had planned some parties and beautiful moments for this summer. A party with some presents for all our friends and our extended ‘Odyssey family’ members who all those years believed in us and supported us with their presence and their return visits. But that too is on hold this year.
Taking care of each other
We should not complain of course as we have each other (via the telephone) and we are in a small paradise where even looking out of our windows in those beautiful and glorious days can lift up our spirits.
We will take care of our family and extended Odyssey family. We will take care of the rest of the people by staying at home. We will take care of our garden so in the Summer we can cook with our own harvest and pick our olives in October. We will passionately wait for the moment that we can welcome our guests, friends and family again at Odyssey. Like all problems we had in the past, small and big, this too will pass. We will remember it and talk about it with a nice glass of wine and some fabulous food and music.
Katerina’s Kouzina continues
I asked myself if in a time like this it would be right to keep posting my blogs. To post something happy. But I decided that I want to continue posting especially in a time like this. I think we need something positive, and to keep our passion for cooking alive and enjoy stories that will take our mind off things. So while we are all waiting for things to change for the better, we can have a nice time together online and keep enjoying good food.
Stay safe, stay good, take care of yourselves and your loved ones. Let’s hope all of us can meet each other soon.
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Katerina's Kouzina Blog Post
LOVE and virtual hugs to all of you, dear Katerina. You are in my heart.
Hi Charlotte , thank you very much. Many hugs back to you!
It’s So Wonderful to hear what all of you are up to during this difficult time!!! It always does my heart good to think of all of you and remember how absolutely great you were to all of us.
Hi Karen
thank you very much , was great to have you with us when all was “normal”
We are all waiting for the “normal” again! we are all waiting and waiting to see where all this new situation will take us!
But it is great to be able to communicate with our friends that have been to Odyssey and remember that all this will be over one day and we are going to start again and continue
Thank you very much for reaching out and sending this beautiful message.
much love from Poros and Odyssey.
God bless you Katarina and Rik. Our time at Odyssey will be a bright happy memory that will help us get through this difficult time. We pray that you and your family, and the wonderful extended Odyssey family stay healthy and well. Thank you for the wonderful post and pictures.
Hi Kathy , thank you for your sweet note. It is nice to hear that you have enjoyed your time with us so much. We all hope for better times for everyone! we will keep you posted with all latest news!
Thank you for this beautiful post, Katerina. I had tears when I saw your faces. I opened a soap that Ken bought me in Poros. I saved it for just such a time as this, when I want to have my mind filled with happy memories rather than worry. Ken and I wish our Poros beloved ones to be well and to have wellbeing, always, and we hope eventually to return.
Hi Helen, I have the picture in my mind that you are opening the Poros olive oil soap and I see a smile in you face! the same smile I remember from Poros. Take care of you and yours, stay safe and hopefully see each other again after those strange times are over.
Please keep posting! Sarah x
I will Sarah , keep reading and trying recipes!
Dear people of Odessy. Take care and stay safe.
the world will get true this and we WILL see eahother some time in te future,
Ermy
Hi Ermy , thank you so much. So happy that we met, even for a little time, a few weeks ago. Preciouse moments. Nobody would have thought then that all that would follow. See you soon and we will remember all that as a small strange dream. take care of you and the family.
Greetings from Wisconsin, USA, Katerina!
Just this morning I was thinking of you and your very fun cooking class (2017) where we learned to make several wonderful dishes. I made your fabulous beet salad just this morning! When I don’t make it for guests, I don’t get all fancy and hollow out the beets, but rather just chop them all up and mix the ingredients in a bowl.
Dennis and I are also relishing our visit last year when we went on the hike with your daughter and the hiking group, cleaned the beach and then enjoyed beers together in the warm sunshine. Also the delicious dinner we shared with you and Magdalena one evening last April.
We send warm wishes to you all and hope soon you will be writing that you are ready to open and all is well.
Best wishes to all, Happy (early) Easter! Pat & Dennis DuBoux (Live-Bio Guests 2017 and 2019)
Hi Patricia and Dennis,
Aren’t we lucky to have those beautiful memory’s? So Wonderfull to be able to share moments like that? Moments that we will keep always in our harts. Such a fan to cook together and then eat and share food and laughs. We send you all our love and hugs from Poros. Hopefully this strange times will come to an end soon and we will only remember some small things. Hopefully we will see each other soon here and cook again together.
Greetings Katerina
Thanks for such a beautiful message so full of love and care. It is so easy to be overwhelmed with anxiety at this time, I read this post at exactly the right time. I needed this. Sending all my love to my Odyssey Family.
Hello Ingrid,
Thank you very much for your lovely note. In a few weeks we will remember together the nice time we had with the Greek Easter just a couple of years ago, and will seem so far away. But we are so lucky to have that in our harts and have that beautiful memory (and many more of course )
Take care of yourself Ingrid and lets meet again soon.
Greetings
Katerina
Katerina, I have thought of you and the Odyssey family so often since this catastrophe has descended on us. I have lived vicariously through photos and postings since my visit to Poros and had hoped SO much to return this summer. However that was not to be even before the virus, but my friend Diann Rice promised to return with me in 2021 (she and her lovely man friend are hoping to go to Africa in September.) Know that you are in my heart and that I trust you will prevail over this enormous difficulty. We and our children and (15) grandchildren are fine at present. Take care, stay well and my love to you all. Vann Atwater
Hello Vann , Thank you very much for your message. We missed you last year.
Lets hope that soon all this nightmare will be over and we will be able to meet again and you will make more of those fantastic pictures.
Take care of yourself and your family. Lets hope that your and your friend will come next year !
many kisses and hugs
Katerina
Thanks for your post, you should definitely keep sharing and cheering us all up. Stay safe. X
Thank you for your note Joanna, Yes I will go on posting, Take care of yourself , hugs From Poros and Odyssey , Katerina
Dear Katerina,
Your words are as warm as your hart. The photo’s are full of joy and happiness. And yes, we must try to stay happy and positive, alltough that wo’nt be easy sometimes.
All the best for you and the Odyssey family. See you soon.
Egbert always nice and hartwarming to get your messages. We will meet again hopefully sooner than later.
many greetings Katerina
Katarina
Thanks you so much for telling us what is happening and not on your beautiful island. It is so hard to believe what a world wide dilemma we are all facing. It is good to hear how others are handling such a hard stop to their lives especially with so much to do when spring finally comes. Picturing us all with a raised glass of wine this summer in your wonderful courtyard is a welcome thought. Keep sending those promises.
Ann Florian from the USA
Hi Ann, thank you very much for your lovely message.
How our lives changed in such a small time is unbelievable to everyone. How we will all come out of it is only to see. I hope that only positive things will come , like taking care of each other, taking care for ourselves and stay good and true to us and ours, (even a bit better cooks with all the time we have in our hands).
Spring is here, the Corona virus did not delay spring(haha) and we are in the farm where we will start preparing the land.
Promise to drink a glass of wine even if it is in our own home.
many greetings Katerina
Great to know you are taking the best out of the present situation to prepare Odyssey return.
I share with my my friends who love fine food and cooking.
Amitié
Pierre
Hey Pierre , Thank you very much. Take care of you and yours , cook and drink , enjoy it all. Soon we will be running around again.
Kisses , filakia
Katerina
Katerina – that you for your post. My husband and I were at the Odyssey with the Cutter group in the summer of 2018 and it was one of my favorite adventures! So much has changed since then – the most significant is losing our friend Mike last November.
Please take care and hopefully things will turn around sooner than we think at this time.
Hi Kathy
Thank you very much for your note.So many things have changed in such a small time. Losing Mike was a huge shock that we are still trying to overcome. I am happy for the times we had together and very sad for the moments we planned and will not happen anymore.
Thank you for your reply and your kind words , Stay safe and take care
“We will passionately wait for the moment that we can welcome our guests, friends and family again at Odyssey.” The most beautiful statement I’ve seen thus far. Thank you for sharing the beauty of life on your island and in your heart.
Dear Alicia , thank you for your sweet comment. Reading it made me feel good and happy. In those difficult moments it is important to try and stay with each other even from far apart, and look forward to a better future. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
We miss you and our Italy friends. These are serious times and I pray for all of us. I know it will pass and I look forward to relaxing with you all when it does!!!!!!! Stay safe sweet people and God bless you all. Julie and Frank Davidson
Hello Jullie , of course we will see each other soon again. I hope that all your friends and family at your home in Italy are well and healthy, What a disaster there. You must be happy to be in USA at the moment. Say to Frank to plant extra tomatoes for this year.
Take care of you and your friends that have been with you to Odyssey all those years.
Hugs from Odyssey
Wishing you and Rik all the best as the whole world tries to adjust. Fondly remember my week at Odyssey in 2018, especially when I have the urge to spend a lot of time chopping ingredients to make one of Katerina’s wonderful recipes!
Hi Jerry, Thank you very much and yes get ready for more nice recipes the the coming weeks, make sure you have enough olive oil at home and some basic herbs(haha) take care of yourself, stay in as much as you can .
katerina
To my dear friends-like-family at Odyssey,
I am thinking of you all, and how far away plans to join you again this summer now are, from my side of the world, but Yes, you must write, and post, uplifting stories of food and love, and light, and the people who shine, so that we hold these thoughts close as we wait for the colour to return to the world, and the canvas that the Odyssey blogs paint !
Hello my dearest friend Al. Thank you very much for your note. What beautiful way to describe it. “Wait for the color to come back to our world” and “The canvas and the paints of Odyssey”. thank you. You are a part of our family and we will miss you this year. But specially you and your lovely wife have to take very good care of yourselves. We need all the doctors and the nurses, so eat well have a glass of wine and be good.
many kisses and love
Katerina
Stay safe my Poros friends! Courtland, our 2 year old grandson ask his Mom to put the Greece olive oil on his toast , NO BUTTER!! Bruce and I loved our time at Odyssey and hope one day to return to your beautiful island. We think about all of y’all with fond memories!
Take care ❤️ Joni
Hi Joni. Our love back to you! What a lovely time we had last summer. It feels like a lot of time ago. But it is only a year that you was laughing with the jokes of Rik ( so funny) NO BUTTER is the new thing, only olive oil, good Greek olive oil. I hope to see you again at Poros , when things are more quit and more ‘normal’ . I hope that you and your family are well.
My love and greetings from Poros.
You are one of the brightest spots on the planet, creating the most welcoming atmosphere even though you work your tushies off to do so. As guests, we have been treated like visiting royalty and count our experiences with you as the best highlights of our lives. We extend much love and gratitude to all of you that make up your Odyssey family and to your precious and priceless island.
Dearest Erin
Thank you so much for your beautiful message. Thank you thank you thank you.
We had such a wonderful time with your painters, family and friends. Times to remember. It does us good to be able to look back to those beautiful moments we shared and feel the warmth and love we shared all the times we met!
I hope that you and your friends and family are well and keeping well in all that is happening in the world.
Your paintings are making my days more beautiful at home. THANK YOU
So wish we could be there in June as planned but it’s so much more important to keep everyone safe. We will possibly be spending time with a grumpy Scotsman instead.
We miss you all and the summer won’t be the same without our annual trip to Odyssey but, be warned, we will be back!
Roll on June 2021 ?
OHHHH Bev
Summer this year with out you will be so strange ! The world is upside down and I have been thinking of you a lot! 2021 it is for sure and then we have to drink, eat, kayak, dance and have fun for 2 years instead for 1 !
So glad Pamela posted this again because it did my heart good to read all the posts and Katerina’s gracious responses. You and Odyssey are what bring peace, joy, and healing to our broken world. Thank you,