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Post by Tre on Jun 11, 2017 20:40:16 GMT
Give her a break Dennis. After all they've apparently had thunderstorms & rain today. Kate, I'm sure you're making the most of it & don't doubt you'll report back at some point. Enjoy. Small point though Dennis, though I'm known as Tre, or even just "T" I do like my full title to include the "H" THERESA! No offence intended
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Post by dennisn on Jun 12, 2017 5:18:06 GMT
Ho, I do apologise Theresa. Actually as I read back what I wrote, I thought "Has that got a H?"
It reminds me of many years ago when our organisation decided to have everybody wear necklaces with photos and names on. When mine arrived I was named Denise. I emailed our head of HR to get it put right, addressing her as Dennis because her name was Denise.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 12, 2017 9:48:19 GMT
Now look here, Far be it for me to be grumpy or critical. BUT....
Surely the trees have been put back up again, the electricity cables strung back along the poles, wi-fi restored, the mud washed off the roads, there's beer and gyros. Much longer and this will turn into feedback after the event.
Or am I being impatient?
I've had my holiday haircut and suddenly it's cold out here. It's getting ever so close to going to warmer climes (daughter and son in law go to Areti tomorrow - I told them the wrong dates for our holiday - I said we usually go after the 15th to be home for grandson's birthday - and they booked to be there at the same time, only it isn't. OOOPS, Embarassing and not much by way of brownie points!).
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Post by Tre on Jun 12, 2017 12:02:38 GMT
Obviously Kate is far too busy enjoying herself. Hopefully she'll find a few moments at some point to feed back to us. Hope your daughter & son in law enjoy. Maybe you could give us feedback on their behalf.
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Post by philipt22 on Jun 12, 2017 17:40:04 GMT
Katet please write a little something. Dennis seems to be experiencing cold-turkey symptoms.
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Post by katet on Jun 27, 2017 17:54:14 GMT
Oops! So sorry, please don't ex-communicate me for being rubbish at fulfilling my promises ..which I am, but only on holiday. Thank you for wondering what had happened. Yes, Tre, I WAS having a fabulous time and I don't know where it all went! And Dennis - you're not at ALL grumpy - but I am, in part, blaming it on the WiFi. We had non existent in our studio and then when we were out it would have been very rude of me to distance myself from our group, closeted with my ipad. I can't do posting reports on my rubbish phone - it just about copes with facebook & I did the odd What'sApp message to the family, but any actual typing stuff is out. I sort of believe the free roaming Vodafone thing - but will only trust them if the next bill arrives & is normal. Anyway - SORRY! Here's my feedback ........ Day 1: Meet & Greet at Manchester successfully negotiated (though Paul did manage to leave all the money in the car, meaning I had to RUN back to M&G from T1 to retrieve it). Airport horrendously busy, eventually got through security & met up with our friends (we're in a group of 6) and some other friends - another 6 - and boarded on time. We flew with Thomas Cook & it was an Airbus ~ we thought very cramped seats. Just as we started to move from the stand a chap in front of us became ill and passed out - it looked as if it was serious, but after half an hour he was deemed well enough & we took off. The cabin staff were great with him - congratulations to them. Arrived approximately on time to a lovely surprise in arrivals - a couple from Kent that we only meet up with in Skiathos had just come in from Gatwick & hadn't told us! They always stay at the Amalia in Koukounaries, next to the Myrtia, so we would see them a lot. We grabbed our bags and found a taxi easily, sharing with another couple who were staying at the Skiathos Palace - still charged two full fares (30 euro per couple), but we know the drivers always do this. We dumped our cases outside our studio as Dora & George (our hosts) weren't around and hot-footed it over to the Myrtia bar for some much-needed refreshments (beers!)- exactly one hour from landing to the bar . We received a lovely welcome there from Vlatco - we love that guy! The rest of our group arrived and we stayed far too long - oops! A quick shower and change in the room and then back to the bar for a 7 pm meet up. (Unusually for me, I decided that unpacking could wait until next morning.) We left the others there & Paul and I nipped down the road to the Agustera to say hello to our lovely friends Efi and Dino. Back at the Myrtia for our first meal. Needless to say, we were all in a very happy place by this time and probably didn't do the delicious food justice. They have a new chef for the evening meals and he has created some lovely specials. I had chicken in a ginger sauce and Paul had lamb chops (fat ones!) and we shared the Myrtia salad, delicious dressing on the leaves with strawberries and cranberries. I had a couple of gin slings and Paul drank Mythos - 30 euro in total .. lovely. After another couple of hours, we called it a day and slept soundly until 9 am on Saturday ..... most unusual for us! Day 2: Quick shopping trip at First supermarket and then unpacking. We were all feeling a bit 'tired', so decided on a pool day. That evening the six of us watched some (very boring) England football in the Agustera and then ate at Under the Pines. We were pleased to see that they have made even more improvements there this season (the toilets are very swish!) and the food was as good (and reasonably priced) as ever. Three of us had the crispy belly pork and the other three had variations on gyros; Mythos and rose wine to drink and the bill was just over 80 euro in total! Back to Agustera for a nightcap and home to bed. Day 3: Rain stopped play! We had intended a beach day, but ended up with just Paul and I at the Agustera for a long lunch as we didn't fancy wandering round town in the rain. The others had picked up a hire car and went shopping, bumping into Goldie on Papa D Street (well - they were in Portobello and she walked past!) Paul and I had a lovely afternoon in the Agustera and and were re-united with the lovely Sue, who we had met up with many times there over the years with her late husband John. By evening the rain had stopped and we ate in Stamelos' new restaurant (a new owner last year - Steve from Yorkshire!) The food was lovely, but I can only remember what I had ~ freshly home-baked bread with delicious kleftico. I think it was reasonably priced!! My amnesia was caused by Steve's ouzo - I only had two, but later found out that he has the 40% stuff rather than the 20-something% sold in most places .... oops. After this, I do remember dancing in the Agustera to very good music, but the walk home was a bit difficult (due to my silly shoes, of course!) This may become a bit lengthy, so I'll continue tomorrow ....... honest!
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Post by katet on Jun 27, 2017 18:25:30 GMT
Our little home in the woods (next to the Myrtia)
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Post by Tre on Jun 27, 2017 18:58:19 GMT
Yeh! Just what I needed this evening (Bad day with mother) Can't wait for the next instalment to help me get motivated for dare I say......packing! Seems like it's getting even hotter over there as the weekend approaches. Let us know if this is the case. Enjoy, enjoy
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Post by katet on Jun 28, 2017 13:48:29 GMT
Yes Tre - reports are that it is scorchio today! We left on Friday & it was about 33 degrees at lunchtime (so hot that we caught a taxi from Limanaki to the airport as we couldn't face the walk up the road!) Sorry to hear about your mum and tough times ..... I've been exactly where you are and it is very difficult. Whatever you do makes you feel guilty ~ when you're not with her you're guilt-ridden & when you are you feel you're neglecting all else in your life. Anyway .... Day 4: The weather was still a bit cloudy, so after taking our time getting up we wandered over to the Myrtia bar and had brunch. I had a lovely Special Omelette ~ ham, cheese, onions, peppers and mushrooms served with salad and a frappé and Paul had a full English breakfast (without the beans, as he likes them separate in a little pot as at the Agustera). Paul had a couple of Mythos – 17 euro and we were stuffed! The weather had started to improve, so we lay by the pool for a little while, had a very brief swim (the water wasn't very warm) and then went to get changed to catch the 6.30 pm bus into town. The six of us managed to get seats – but only because the (very kind) driver stopped at bus stop 23 on the way down to the beach and beckoned us over the road. Crowds from the beach filled the rest of the bus at No 26, so we would have been standing for much of the journey, which can be fun if you've good sea legs! We got off at the terminus and had a leisurely stroll along the new and old ports to Ginfish – our favourite cocktail destination. I took lots of photos and felt quite choked-up at being back in town. It was a lovely golden evening and we were all so happy to be back. Cocktails during Happy Hour were still 6 euro each, plus they bring you complimentary water, fruit and nibbles. I think it's really good value ~ and the cocktails are quite strong and very delicious :-) After trying two each – my favourite was the ginger-rum one – we wandered over to Papadiamantis street and Paul went on ahead to see if we could get a table at O Paraxenos – one of our favourite restaurants. We had a quarter of an hour to kill, so the shops lured us girls in! Both Karen & I had previously bought bracelets (in 2014) from Phaedra, so we had to check out what was new. I bought a silver/citrine bracelet to match my silver/aquamarine one and Karen bought a peridot/silver ring to match her bracelet. Jill somehow resisted temptation!! The boys were getting fidgety, so we headed off to Paraxenos. The courtyard setting in the restaurant is just perfect – very romantic and secluded. Various celebs have visited over the years (there are some photos by the entrance), but we didn't spot any that evening ….. only us lot! We have dined here many times, and were welcomed accordingly, however, our favourite waiter wasn't there and the service wasn't quite as good as usual. We had quite a long wait for food – having to ask where it was, eventually. To be fair to them, they were very busy – something we noticed this June. There are definitely more visitors on the island than previous years. (Stefanos, part-owner of the Myrtia bar, told us that Skiathos was already almost at capacity …. very good news for locals, but less so for us visitors!) Food arrived – Paul had his usual pork chop (huge & delicious) and I was loyal to my favourite Piccolo Mondi (pasta with veg, ham and blue cheese sauce). Jill had kleftico, which she didn't enjoy as it was a lamb shank and could have done with more time in the oven, Nick had pork fillet in sauce (very good) and Karen and Tony had moussaka, which came as a slab rather than in a pot, so they were disappointed, too. We had a large carafe of good red wine and complimentary coffee liqueur to finish. The bill came to just under 30 euro per couple, which we rounded up to leave a reasonable tip. Afterwards, we were regretful that we didn't try Basilikos (the new one opposite) instead, as this has been receiving excellent reports. It wasn't a poor meal …. just didn't quite live up to our expectations. We caught the bus from 0 back to 23 and trekked down the track to the Myrtia for a quieter evening ~ in bed for midnight! Brunch location at the Myrtia:
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jun 28, 2017 16:04:32 GMT
Katet, this sounds great.
As I'm going to Koukounaries in a few weeks I'm more than interested in your experiences.
Keep 'em coming.
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Post by *Di* on Jun 28, 2017 19:34:27 GMT
Brilliant so far and really worth waiting for, thank you Katet
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Post by dennisn on Jun 28, 2017 20:38:05 GMT
Wow, with reporting this good I was unjustified in my impatience. Stunning, Kate, I owe you a large lump of humble pie!
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Post by Tre on Jun 28, 2017 23:05:18 GMT
Love it Kate. Thank you. After my day (Care home fact finding visit) just what I needed!! x
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Post by katet on Jun 30, 2017 15:17:59 GMT
Day 5: Paul decided on a lie in and a quiet day, so five of us headed off to Koukounaries beach. We arrived at 10 am, so got sea-front beds easily enough and settled down for some serious sunbathing/reading. Nick gets restless, so at mid-day he suggested getting the next water taxi into town for lunch … good plan! The water taxis are always exciting ~ especially the Koukounaries one as it is speedy. Just outside town, Captain Nikolas slowed right down so we could all have a nosey at the sleek super-yacht moored there. It was called Ace and I think could be chartered for a modest 250,000 euro a week! Arriving at the old port, we were all in favour of eating at Kabourelias (blue checked tablecloths, as Jill calls it as she can't pronounce some words!!) If you haven't tried eating here please do – it's always busy, often with locals, and the food is simple but delicious. I chose sea bream, which came with a few oven potatoes and a large chunk of lemon .. perfect! Jill decided upon Saganaki mussels, but her pronunciation had them as Nagasaki – the waiter pretended to be horrified However, Jill pronounced them to be delicious. Karen and Nick chose kleftico, which is lovely there and Tony had meatballs. We had a couple of carafes of house red (which Jill calls a cravat of house red ) and we managed to fill the two hours until the three pm taxi quite mellow-ly. The bill was around 20 euro each – but I can't remember as they wouldn't let me pay …. nice friends! Back at the beach, I had a quick sunbathe/sleep and then thought I had best go to check on Paul, in case he was missing me. He was sitting demurely by the bar at the Myrtia – looking very innocent. I later discovered that he had been on a mini bar-crawl to fill in the time and had been to: Myrtia, la Bussola, Stamelos, Agustera (where he had lunch), then Stamelos, la Bussola and back to the Myrtia ….... Bad boy!! Following a rest in the room and quick shower, we decided to stay put at the Myrtia to eat. Paul had lamb chops and I had salmon with chick pea purée, courgette and peppers and some sort of drizzle (all arranged with great artistry). This was so delicious that I had it a couple more times during our stay! Jill and Karen shared a pizza and Myrtia salad and Nick and Tony both had moussaka ~ we all had a jolly good time (with lots of house red) and the bill was paid next day! Mama Mia was being shown, so we did some obligatory singing, as you do. Paul thought we should end the evening at the Agustera, but we only made it as far as the end of the track before agreeing that this would probably be most unwise .... and so to bed. (PS I have a great pics of the water taxi, Kabourelias and the salmon dish, but it's on my phone & my email has gone wonky - don't know how to send them to the pc.)
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Post by kelso on Jun 30, 2017 17:35:25 GMT
Another great report. Thanks Katet. Mind you, I couldn't eat as much at lunch time and again at dinner! 🙈 Bob
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