Heavenly Orange Picking With Kittens in Nafplio, Greece

Just when our teacher tour thought Nafplio, Greece couldn't get any more gorgeous and charming, the owner of our hill-top hotel invited us to go orange picking in his private orchard!

We decided to get our hands on those oranges on our last morning in Nafplio, as a heavenly pit-stop on our bus travel back to Athens.

Walk with me now as we pull into the orchard, climb off the bus, scamper past the goats, and revel in the glorious green, orange, blue, and gold of picking fruit in Greece! Oh, and keep your eyes out for some kittens...

The scent of orange blossoms wafted through the breeze. — The scent of orange blossoms swirled through the warm breeze, making us smile.

Look at the tiny people picking oranges! What must Zeus think? — Look at the tiny people picking oranges! What must Zeus have thought as he gazed on?

We began to clasp the round fruit and pluck it! — We began to clasp the round fruit and pluck it.

Would you like to have that house overlooking the grove? — Would you like to have that orchard house?

Goats abounded as we approached the orchard! — Goats clip-clopped in the hills around the orchard.

It's a rainbow in plant form. — It's a rainbow in plant form!

Straining hard to pick the fruit! Very difficult. — Straining hard to pick the fruit. Very difficult.

The first of fifteen oranges I picked. — Triumph! I picked it! First of 15.

It looks like her ideas have turned into oranges! — It looks like her ideas have turned into oranges.

It's time to rip open the succulent, sun-fresh oranges! — T'was time to open the succulent, sun-fresh oranges.

Look how luscious this orange section is. Chomp!

Suddenly a soft little kitten appeared! — Suddenly a soft little kitten appeared.

Famous writer, Sarah Ellis, befriended the kitten.

The kitten found a new friend. — A second fluffy kitten appeared!

Look at the fierce cat lurking under the heavy fruit trees. — Look at the fierce cat lurking under the fruit trees.

Cat, meet orange. Orange, meet cat. You look great.

You're not supposed to pick up stray animals abroad, but... — You're not supposed to pick up stray animals, but...

Flaming red flowers puckered kisses through the grass. — Flaming flowers puckered kisses through the grass.

Close-up of the freshest orange that's ever squirted on my tongue. — The freshest fruit that's ever squirted on my tongue, with that blue, blue sky winking behind it.

We had so many oranges at the end, we had to donate them to the hotel workers in Athens!

And that was our delicious day in Nafplio, the most delightful town in Greece that we toured. Who would have thought that picking fruit would be a highlight of our Greece teacher tour? I'm now adding this as a budget travel secret: For an inexpensive and awesome day activity, find a farm or orchard to cavort around! Fresh air plus fresh fruit equals fantastic-ness.

Lillie Marshall

The author, Lillie Marshall, is a 6-foot-tall National Board Certified Teacher of English, fitness fan, and mother of two who has been a public school educator since 2003. She launched Around the World “L” Travel and Life Blog in 2009, and over 4.2 million readers have now visited this site. Lillie also runs TeachingTraveling.com and DrawingsOf.com. Subscribe to her monthly newsletter, and follow @WorldLillie on social media!

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48 Comments

Diarmuid Bolger says:

March 8, 2013 at 9:59 am

May i refer you to "orange picking in greece" on YouTube

Alessandra A says:

June 19, 2012 at 3:15 pm

Awe the kittens are so adorable!! Why do you think they decided to come by? Maybe they smelled the oranges? Either way they are so cute. :)

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