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Post by kat212 on Jul 1, 2017 8:14:23 GMT
Day One:
Being nudged awake at 5am by 5 hungry cats is something I am no stranger to but I would have loved an extra hour in bed. Our flight was at 12:20 from Gatwick and in my wisdom I booked at cab for 8:30, giving us one extra hour to get there in case of traffic. Needless to say... we didn't need that hour. A quick and easy check in and time for some last minute shopping. Breakfast at one of Jamie Olivers chains. That man seems to own half of the airport.
My husband is not a good flyer and over the years his nerves have rubbed off on me slightly. As a treat had pre-ordered a bottle of champers which was going down very well. Right as I was thinking to myself that the flight was by far the smoothest I'd experienced in years we hit turbulence. Plastic glasses everywhere. My camera, out to film the flight ready for some You Tube vlogging goes and crashes on my leg. 30 seconds of chaos and for the rest of the flight I'm on edge. I looked like a maniac, smile plastered to my face. Kudos to the pilot for adding some humour to the situation.
Passport control is strict in Skiathos. It works by someone seeing you carry your passport so therefore they don't need to look at the passport. Slight delay for the baggage collection and onto the transfer coach. We are at the hotel by 6:30pm.
The rep has told us the island is in a heat wave. I checked my phone at 7pm. When it's 37 degrees at that time of day you're not kidding are you? The part that took my pale gothic soul a moment to consider was the rest of the information. It could hit 45 this weekend. If you see a melted whale by the pool don't call Greenpeace. Splash with water to hydrate and feed it ice.
The Maria Yiannis Apartments had been chosen by myself after some research. The room, number 11, is run down but functional. By no means the best place we've stayed but as it turns out a very chilled. Manos, our host, well it turns out we know him. Our last visit to the island was 10 years ago. We stayed, as we are now, in Troulos. Our haunt was Frog Bar. We met a young lad who was constantly on the look out for a girlfriend and who loved the club strip in town. He still remembers us... I swear we are not that rowdy couple. Not all the time anyway. We were also recognised by a lovely couple who stayed at the same hotel as us two years ago in Thassos. It's a small world.
After throwing, quite literally, our bags into our room we headed to the bar for the first Mythos of the holiday. Manos insisted we try Fix. The drink in my new fix. That right there is a little piece of me.
Dinner was at Victoria Taverna. After a day of travelling neither of us had much of an appetite so mains only. A litre of house red, a bottle of water, rack of lamb and chicken souvlaki was 32€. Service was good and the food wasn't too bad. A free dessert of chocolate brownie and ice cream to share. The taverna had a fusion feel to it, something I think the island is quite taken with at the moment. Being into traditional Greek food Manos has suggested we try Captain Nicos. He also promised my his mum's homemade Briam. I forgot how much I love this island.
Back to the hotel bar where, after another couple of beers Manos and hubby Steve decide they want to try to create new cocktails with ouzo or metaxa. For the record, mextaxa, peach schnapps and pineapple juice really works. My head this morning does not. Let's see if a hair of the dog works.
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Post by katet on Jul 1, 2017 8:55:34 GMT
Hahaha - hope it does, kat212! Great first report - looking forwards to your adventures 😎
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Post by Tre on Jul 1, 2017 16:27:45 GMT
kat212 Fab, love it.  As mentioned, security at 8:30 last night was that strict, they were invisibly checking!! The word "H*T has been banned today!! Not allowed to complain about the heat. After all we left the UK in 11 degrees! Have a fabulous evening. |
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Post by kat212 on Jul 2, 2017 8:43:51 GMT
Day two: Saturday
I'm not a breakfast person. The thought of food within two hours of my waking up is a no no. Steve on the other hand seems to think it is the best meal of the day. With my fragile disposition from the night before I was dreading the walk to hunt down something fried and breakfast like. The gods smiled at me though as it would seem cheese pies were the need for the day. Standing in the supermarket watching the OH try to work out the difference between cheese, cheese and spinach and fillings I would rather not see between pastry before 12pm was comical. He successfully found the cheese but was not impressed by the flavour. 1.50€ was worth it though. Anything to avoid a 10 minute hike to a taverna. My breakfast consisted of ibuprofen and his friend orange juice.
A lazy day by the pool and thankfully the temperature did not meet the dizzying 45 degrees. Come Monday the temperature is set to dip to a more manageable late 20's. I relish nothing more than the smell of pine and the sound of cicada. Watching the birds flit about and not having to count the minutes or seconds. I will even say I can cope with the heat (laughable if you know me as I am a winter fiend, praying for the day we get snow drifts). The island is working it's magic.
We arranged with the Skiathos Cat Charity to volunteer our services this coming Thursday. I need to try and find a supermarket that sells cat food. The few packets of treats I packed aren't going to go far. I was on the hunt for hungry kitties on the way to dinner. The instinct to feed stray animals is strong in this one - ‘Crazy Cat Lady pesters local cat population'.
Our host introduced us to Morti. A baby swallow who had fallen from the nest and is now being hand reared. If you’re in the Troulos area and you see a strange woman hunting for ants and flies that's me. Seriously, a sucker for any animal in need.
Dinner was at Captain Nikos. A pleasant setting just down from the Y junction in Troulos. We were given complimentary shots of ouzo and cherry liquor before we ordered. Cheese and shrimp saganaki for starters with meatballs in tomato sauce and lamb in basil sauce for main. With bread, a litre of house red and a bottle of water it came to 43€. The lamb was cooked to perfection falling off the bone and the meatballs well presented, though a little more seasoning wouldn't have gone amiss.
Back to the pool bar were Manos has ordered in some other Greek beers for us to try. If you are able to find it, I recommend Eza. Smooth like an ale but refreshing and light.
Had to stop and stare at the sky, taking in the stars. It's such a beautiful sky. Shame the lights of London block my home view.
Tomorrow we are heading into town for some wine tasting and a mooch around the harbour.
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Post by amy114 on Jul 2, 2017 9:38:11 GMT
Lovely reports kat212, really enjoying your prose and sense of humour and looking forward to more :-):-):-)
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Post by kat212 on Jul 2, 2017 9:54:00 GMT
Thank you amy114. Never know if my odd sense of humour is hit of miss 😃 not that it matters too much. Crazy makes the world go round hehehe.
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Post by amy114 on Jul 2, 2017 10:08:52 GMT
Works for me :-):-):-)
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trebor
Junior Member
Going to Villa Maria, Troulos in July
Posts: 48 
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Post by trebor on Jul 2, 2017 21:48:02 GMT
First visit to Troulos and Skiathos so your descriptions make the coming Friday something to really look forward to.
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Post by kat212 on Jul 3, 2017 6:46:31 GMT
Day Three: Sunday
Attendance to wine tasting 101 this evening so the general rule for today is veg. There was some debate about whether or not to go to the beach, it ended up being a pool day.
Breakfast was easy. Pool bar for an omelette (which I am sure used up half the islands reserve of mushrooms) and two coffees. Add two bottles of water and the bill was 13€.
I spent the first half hour knocking up yesterdays report followed by the next hour swallow watching. The hotel has about eight nests in total and of course little Morti who remains behind the bar.
It felt a little cooler today so I wasn’t fighting the urge to follow the shade of the umbrella so much. Something I will later regret. We've gone from beached whale to ‘when lobsters attack'. My back is a little tender now. Gordon Ramsey would call it over cooked.
We made the decision to eat before wine tasting... just in case. Frog bar has since gone and now stands a Gyros place. Quick and easy food that should fill the hole. They offer wraps, cheaper (2.50€) and closer to the kebabs of home and they offer portions (8 to 10€) meat on bread. Now when it comes to food I will confess, I am a picky eater. By picky eater I mean, fish is evil, cows are planning to take over the world, pigs are the cows wingmen, sheep want their coats back, rabbits are waiting for the order from the Over-Lords of them all, the spiders. That leaves the humble chicken. But there was no chicken, they’d run out. Resort to plan b, not loved but I can if I have too – beef. Nope, no beef. In fairness to hubby, I was offered a get out of jail free card but I refused. Pork it was. Way wrong move. I hate leaving food on my plate when in Greece. It often starts questions of if everything was alright. As it wasn't but I didn't want to go through the process of explaining I would like some food with my salt, ninja bag time. Yes, I admit it... I wrapped up the wrap and threw it in my bag.
Wine tasting was at the Crazy Cow restaurant. Micheal was very informative and knew his stuff. A good evening out. Who knew Greece was now producing some lovely wines. After, a quick trip into town. The town is a little busier than 10 years ago, but not by much and not enough to cause any discomfort. A number of ice cream bars where identified for possible targets of our return day visit tomorrow. A number of bars have also been ear-marked.
The harbour front is as always, majestic capturing the imagination. Mainly imagining what it would be like to be rich enough to own a yacht. We spent a few minutes watching the lights play across the water before heading back to Troulos – 4€ for two adults. Or one adult and one man-child. As it was later there were no sardines on the bus back. We'll see how it is in the morning when we return.
A night cap at the lively Victoria taverna/bar. Worth a visit if you're in the area as the staff are very welcoming.
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Post by kevb on Jul 3, 2017 13:01:55 GMT
Thanks for posting these, my last trip to the island was Troulos based but I was a bit further up the road from you opposite the Y junction. I'm coming back in August but will be at Meg Ammos this time. Hope you have a great remainder of your holiday.
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Post by Tre on Jul 4, 2017 6:14:51 GMT
Liking your humour & glad I'm not on my own when I travel home with a napkin of "won't eats" in my bag! Have a great day.
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Post by kat212 on Jul 4, 2017 7:07:21 GMT
Thank you Kevb and Tre 😁
Day Four: Monday
Memo to self, when people look at you like you've list the plot chances are they might be right. We told a number of people last night that we would be visiting town today. They all asked is if we were sure. Why wouldn't we be sure? See Skiathos by the light of the sun. And the heat. Oh god, the heat. We left at 9am, got off at bus stop 4 and wandered to stop 3 where there is a large supermarket. Nipped in to buy some essentials – 2 bottles of water and 3 bags of cat biscuits. Then a slight back track to a side street that links to the main street.
We wander down to the harbour front where we stop for a quick coffee and cheese pies. 13€ in total. Paying for the privilege of sitting at the water front I guess. We take a slow wander round to the Bourtzi. A perfect spot for some video footage and a few photos. I would have loved to have sat and let the time pass for a bit but the other half isn't much of one for just stopping and smelling the roses. We went through to the old side of town but due to the heat we decide not to negate the uphill winding pathways. Later in the week in the evening may be a better time. There was a breeze but it wasn't cooling enough for a hike.
Back to the main street where we investigate a number of small craft stores. There are some lovely shops just off the beaten path. Trying to get to them can be fun. Remember the game with the frog that you had to get across a river, then a road? Like that! The town has not lost it's charm even with companies investing more money into the island.
A slow wander down to the club strip to have a look at what tavernas are down there before heading back to the hotel. He denies this but the significant other couldn't understand why the BBC where on the island. I think on the way back he clicked. Not one for nightlife of the dancing kind I often wonder how each club competes when it comes to volume and music. Maybe I should venture past one night rest my curiosity.
The wind picked up in the evening. The locals reckoned gale forces during the night. Here's to hoping the wind dies to a breeze for a beach day tomorrow.
Dinner at Salt and Pepper. I'd been doing my research on TA and many good reviews, some not so great. We experienced very attentive service. We went quite early so we didn't have to book. The menu was a little limited for my own personal pickiness but most people would easily find the food choices many. Meatballs and octopus starters, both very well cooked and presented. Chicken escalope and fried small fish for main. We found the portion sizes on the large side and struggled towards the end. Coffee and a panacota to finish. The result was a surprisingly reasonable 53€. Will return? It's a possiblity.
I starting to think tomorrow may not be a beach day. Looking at the forcast it will be much cooler. Maybe we should return to town for a hike around old town. Or is that too much like exercise?
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Post by kevb on Jul 4, 2017 11:12:31 GMT
Interesting what you say about S&P, I went in on spec one night when I stayed in Troulos (late Aug/Early Sep)only to be told they were full, first time it had ever happened to me on Skiathos. However,when I looked at the menu board as I was leaving I realised that there wasn't anything that really floated my boat anyway. I had been doing a lot of walking that day so just too tired to go any further and opted for 'Zorbas' on the opposite side of the road from S&P, which turned out to be one of the poorest meals I've ever had in 3 Skiathos trips!
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Post by kat212 on Jul 4, 2017 12:06:38 GMT
I remember eating at Zorbas on our last visit kevb, I don't recall being that impressed. Everyone said we should pre-book a table at S&P but we were in by 7:30, too early for some I think. A couple of families of 4 were asked to wait in the bar area but even they were seated after 20 minutes or so. I was pleasantly surprised. I think it was missing a personal touch though. We had a waitress seat us, a waiter to bring water, one for bread, another the starter. A train of people but rarely did you see the same one twice.
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Post by kevb on Jul 4, 2017 14:26:30 GMT
Of the places in Troulos I ate at last time I think I liked the atmosphere at Ratatoullie the most. They don't fuss but are friendly, the food is wholesome 'holiday Greek' fayre at sensible prices and its just tucked far back enough from the main road to feel quiet but still an easy walk to/from bus stop.
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