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Post by amy114 on Jun 27, 2015 18:36:50 GMT
I do so enjoy your descriptions of your complimentary sweets Dennis. I must remember, when next in Skiathos, to ask for "Brown glop" if offered a sweet! :-):-):-)
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Post by dennisn on Jun 27, 2015 20:12:08 GMT
Nah, don't do that - it's just decoration, y'know, like those chefs on telly scribble on plates. This gets scribbled on top of the white milky jelly stuff. Oh, and you're not asked, it comes beside the bill. And at Sunrise they also pop a small handful (six or so) of tiny sweets in different coloured wrappers on top of the bill. We bring them back for the 8-year old daughter of the villa owner. She's not usually there when we get back and I try to arrange them artistically on a table outside their door. Tonight I did a straight line.
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Post by amy114 on Jun 28, 2015 7:02:45 GMT
Nice :-)
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Post by dennisn on Jun 28, 2015 19:50:57 GMT
Sunday 28th June. We woke to a beautiful morning, sunshine, blue sky just a few small clouds. Actually, we woke (as usual) long before that lot became obvious - our villa is to the south west of a lump of landscape, so the sun strikes Nectar and Ambrosia atop its hill opposite long before it gets down to us. But you know what I mean - it was a great morning. Once again, a SULC sea entry, both of us together at 8am. It is completely tolerable once we're in and we spent almost an hour dawdle swimming up and down Troulos beach. Yesterday there were no more than a couple of intrepid bed grabbers. This morning, they were already starting to pounce as we started to swim. Sunday is, of course, also Greek local participation day, so they were arriving to add bodies. As we left at about five to nine, there were a heck of a lot of beds already claimed by magic flying towels. As we walked back, there was a constant flow of beachward people, far more than we've ever seen before in previous years.
Half of us needed to get some serious suntan time in, so we've had a day in, with her on a sunbed by the pool, whilst I had a good swim in the pool after cowering away in whatever shade I could find, eating junk food, drinking junk beer and toying idly with the laptop. I see one BBC report suggesting that Der Tag of judgement is upon us for Greece and the banks may all be closed tomorrow. Come what may, we love Greece, especially Skiathos, so we'll be back - and that may have something to do with us already having booked at Villa Maria for this September and next June and September.
We ate in the Chinese restaurant again tonight, only this time we were sensible and didn't over order. Vera had a curry - she asked for one which wasn't too hot and got one which she said wasn't much curry taste at all. I had four things from the starters menu - chicken and sweetcorn soup, fried prawns, spring rolls and spare ribs. I had expected smaller portions and was pushed to eat it all. 1.5ltr water for Vera and an Amstel for me. €33.75. One of our more costly meals and compared unfavourably with last night's feast at Sunrise. But we shall go there again (in September).
Jimny arriving tomorrow between 9 and 9:30, so we shall have to curtail our early swim to get back in time - last September he arrived whilst I was still showering the salt off.
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Post by kelso on Jun 28, 2015 20:12:09 GMT
Tut, tut. Another excuse for jettisoning your morning swim!!! Bob
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Post by dennisn on Jun 29, 2015 5:48:43 GMT
Well, nuts to you, Bob. We went early and are now back, showered and waiting complete with shoes on for driving, for the Jimny man to arrive.
The weather app says right now we are having a thunderstorm - it's gloriously sunny!
We're ready for the off and I have four micro SD cards, so this year we won't run out of filming capacity, so there should be a record of Kechria beach approach road.
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Post by exgreekgod on Jun 29, 2015 6:07:59 GMT
Morning Dennis we are off to Kechria this morning and then on to Ligharies for lunch at the lovely taverna near the small carpark and then on to Mandraki beach. I will look out for you!
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Post by kelso on Jun 29, 2015 7:24:46 GMT
I'm impressed Dennis and look forward to your video(s). Bob
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Post by Woody (Admin) on Jun 29, 2015 8:39:09 GMT
Dennis, if you think the road to Kechria is bad, try driving down to Nikotsara Port, last time I went down it was probably the worst track I have seen on the island. This is the place, but this was taken on a grotty weather day.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 29, 2015 19:40:38 GMT
Monday 29th June. Woody, we can't do that port - when we went to Kechria it was on the strict understanding that we walked down the steps, not drove the track.
So, despite the Weather App telling me we were in the midst of a thunderstorm, today dawned beautifully. We arose and went down to the beach half an hour earlier than normal in order to get back in time to take delivery of our Jimny. I must tell you how amused we are by the magic towels brigade. Every morning, we see people making their way to the beach with towels under their arms. As usual, they all sort of slyly speed up as they walk, so as to be unnoticed as they nonchalently accelerate to beat the others to the best bed. It's hilarious. Then they give us more entertainment as they claim the beds, then proceed to adjust them to the right position and angle for the sun - they'll shove the next nearby beds over to make room for theirs. Last year we saw some almost come to blows when the moved bed person protested to the bed moved person.
Got ourselves a bit of petrol at our nearest pump - 15 Euros worth, about 8.75 litres, should be enough for two days meandering. Which we started off by first nipping into Kanapitsa Beach Taverna to book a table for tonight - we have been pestered long enough to go there, so now we did. The man was a little surprised we were so early, but booked us in.
Then off to Kechria Beach. I have enough SD cards this time to make sure I don't overwrite them, so I have a video of Troulos to Kechria. I'm not sure I can youtube it before we go home - wouldn't want some of the ladies accusing me of geekyness, would I? There was quite a bit of grunty drive - Jimny suspension is designed to stick to the road, so every bit of rough produces grunts from both driver and passenger! Vera only agreed to Kechria if we didn't drive down, it is too hairy for her. So I parked at the top and we walked (walked?!?) down the natural finish steps - "natural" means dug into the ground, with occasional stones and roots to help keep it together. It's far too steep to be a straight run, so it wanders a bit. 50% of us was very pleased with it, the other 50% thought it definitely didn't beat Jimnying the descent. Once at the bottom, I got permission to climb back up alone, drive down to complete the video, then drive back up and walk back down again. I did NOT fall in love with those quaint steps and when we left and did the uphill (second time for me) I fell even less in love with it. Before I stopped smoking about ten years ago, I was on 80 a day, so you can imagine I have very little breathing capacity left, making those steps a labour of hate!
The taverna wasn't open when we got there, so we waited and became the first customers. Just a Greek salad, bread, 2 frappés and a small beer and two ice creams, €23.00. We think this is a lovely setting. Whilst sitting enjoying the ice creams, this man and family came down the steps of doom, walked past, then turned back and asked if I was Dennis and when I confessed, he owned up to being god (ex greek). I should have known really, as he had a sort of halo - less hair than me, so his pate reflected the sun. I didn't think he was as slim as me - before coming out here I weighed myself at a mere 15st 10lbs. Very nice Mrs god and Miss god.
And so up the dreaded stairs to the Jimny. We drove back the way we had come to Troulos, then had a jaunt down to Koukounaries where I selected a right turn with lots of beaches signposted. There followed a very pleasant drive around, up and down. We love driving through the countryside here, the sea is so blue somebody must have filled it with blue paint, the beaches so gleaming they have been painted with sand and the countryside so green - you get the picture, I'm sure. We eventually came back onto the Troulos road and back to the villa for a late afternooon swim, then off to Kanapitsa.
At Kanapitsa Beach Taverna, our reserved table was at the edge of the beach and sea, lovely. Tzatsiki (not A-star, but good), Moussaka, chicken a la creme, water and a beer, €33.50. One of our dearer meals, but still not prohibitive and we got a very good view for it. I decided we could see the Bourtzi, Tsougria and Skopelos - with nobody to contradict me, I was quite the little tour guide for a time.
On the way 'home', a light came up on the instrument panel and as we were passing anyway, I called in and told the man. He asked if it was an engine symbol on the left and I said yes, and he said that's OK then, carry on, all the Jimnies in Skiathos do that. So I said goodbye and drove off into the sunset. We've driven 48 km since the petrol station, so we should have enough for tomorrow.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 29, 2015 19:54:38 GMT
Kechria Steps of Doom
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Post by exgreekgod on Jun 30, 2015 6:31:16 GMT
Actually dennis I think I am probably nearer half your size and we almost trotted up your Steps of Doom!
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Post by dennisn on Jun 30, 2015 17:16:09 GMT
And for anybody who thinks I was being serious yesterday, let me assure them that exgreekgod is nowhere near my size - he was svelte and fit and I hated not being that shape!
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Post by kelso on Jun 30, 2015 17:24:04 GMT
Ah, don't you just love a good bromance! Bob
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Post by dennisn on Jun 30, 2015 17:32:44 GMT
What's a bromance?
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