KHELONE

Three years ago, we bought a crumbling ruin in which we immediately saw the present. 

 

Everyone thought we was crazy, except for our friend Joana, who together with her loyal craftsman, Altin, brought to life what we  sketched three years ago.

 

We always joked about one day having a house in which the whole space would be a kitchen - and now we have it for real: 

 

the whole of the original house is a cooking, dining, and hosting space, with a dining table for 12, built by Altin, old tavern chairs,

 

and a ceiling made of bamboo he picked and crafted personally, keeping the nearly 200 years old beams holding the once again, original roof tiles.  

 

The Master bedroom is our largest, and the only one connected to the main house - the kitchen, dining room and living room. It has two windows - 

 

one opens to the village and the other to the back garden, accessible through a door that leads to the private roof terrace with sea views.

 

True to its name, the Cave room is a natural cleft in the mountain behind our house, which we expanded into a room with two walls. 

 

There is a window on the door - which overlooks the entrance of the main house and the small square in front of it. 

 

This room is the closest to the bathroom, which is also located in a small cave. We also built a second bathroom, nestled between the rocks. 

 

The Lighthouse is the highest, sunniest point of the site, with windows facing the sea, and a terrace overlooking the village and the sea. 

 

It was once a donkey stable - the nearly 200-year-old stone walls have remained, the ceiling itself was raised. 

 

The Watchtower next to the gate is our only room with single beds - it is intended for those who like to share their room with another traveler. 

 

This building was once a workshop, used to store tools. Located next to the second bathroom, the large window on the door looks at the sea.

 

We also have a large sea & sunset view terrace overlooking the hills the locals call “The Sleeping Lady” - it’s where we hold our sharing circles. 

 

The name of our house is Khelone - by a nymph, who loved her home so much that she didn't even go to the wedding of Hera and Zeus,

 

instead she bathed at home when the son of the royal couple, Hermes, broke in on her, and because she was late for the wedding, 

 

as a punishment, he turned her into the world's first turtle in the world, according to Greek mythology. She is our chosen "patron saint".

 

Unbelievable, but only two weeks and the first team will arrive - and from then on, we will hold two 5-day retreats every month,

 

We named the house Khelone, after the nymph. The legend says that she was invited to the wedding of Zeus and Hera and when she did not come, Zeus himself came to her. 

 

He found her sitting in her bathtub and when he asked her how she dared not come to their wedding, she replied:

 

"I'm sorry, I love my house so much, I couldn't leave." Zeus as a response made the Khelone into the very first turtle in the world according to Greek mythology.