amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 20, 2018 6:31:59 GMT
Thank you bvrc. I am fortunate that I do not have an allergic reaction, just so irritating. The bites on the shin can be quite sore and the 'poison' tends to spread out with these creating ugly, red patches. Those on fleshier parts itch like crazy and can drive me quite mad, especially at night.
I like the sound of the 4 o'clock shrub but have never seen one. I know there is a succulent here that grows with different colours on the same plant, Maria at Hidden Beach has them in hanging baskets.
I wish you look with your seeds, I hope they grow for you. 🤣
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Post by kevb on Sept 20, 2018 7:46:36 GMT
Too late now but for future ref try taking anti histimines for a couple of weeks before the holiday. Reduces itching if you get bitten.
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 20, 2018 7:59:40 GMT
Day 5, 18 September
So another windy start to the day and kitty waiting for my door to open. I miss my own girl when I go on holiday so having her to fuss over helps, even though she is constantly demanding my attention for affection to the point that she will lie on my tablet whilst I am typing. Proper little madam! This wind is also making the cats quite frisky, chasing and playing with anything that floats by.
After my usual ritual of several cups of tea and watching the comings and goings of the complex from my balcony, I met up with the girls and V and off we went in the car around 1.00 pm heading for Koukanaries and a return trip to Kriti Amos to see Maria for the afternoon. She was just as delighted to see us as she had been in June but admonished V for not having seen her in a while. Greetings over we sat down to frappé (my friends) and orange for me and Maria joined us for a catch-up with V. I love watching them conversing in Greek. Even though I don’t know the language, i can generally get the gist of the conversation via facial expressions. V does then let us know what they have been discussing so in a way, we are not left out of the conversation. It doesn’t feel rude at all, besides which, I am just happy to sit there and take in the scenery and atmosphere.
At some point we decided to order lunch. A meze of our own making – calamari accompanied by a small dollop of spicy cheese dip, cavros with the same, separate plates of fried aubergine and fried zukini, both accompanied by small dollops of creamy tzatiki (home made by Maria), a Greek salad and a small plate of chips and bread. Yum, yum, yum, and of course, the ubiquitous alcohol! We had a LOL moment when we were putting two tables together, one in shade, as one of our party is so fair skinned she cannot sit in full sun, with the second I the sun, when Maria pointed out the tables on the side of the taverna were actually shaded by parosols! Sheepishly we moved across to the amusement of Maria.
Our food started to arrived delivered by a young man who had been in the taverna when we arrived. I thought he was a replacement helper following Maria's sons departure to university in Athens but not so. He was a tourist who first visited last year, found Hidden Beach with his girlfriend, and spent their days there. He was back again for another holiday. They were Sorin (who for some odd reason called himself Bob) and Lowra and they were visiting from Rumania.
After demolishing the meze we went to the beach for what I thought was going to be a very pleasant hour sunbathing, reading, swimming (for some of us) but no that didn’t happen. After 10 minutes Maria appeared and told us we had to come back to the taverna pronto, grabbed the hand of one of the girls and took her off. The rest of us followed wondering what it was all about only to find a table laid out with dishes, glasses, bottles of a mastic liquer, gin, bitter lemon and a wonderful birthday cake sprouting a single for candle. We were informed that it was a birthday surprise for Lowra and she was due off the beach in minutes. As soon as she arrived we sang happy birthday to her before she had even got to the table. Another young couple had also been roped in so there were 10 of us for the celebration. Dare I say, we consumed everything (the came was delicious) and Lowra said it was the best birthday she had ever had. Needless to say, we did not see the beach again although one of our party did manage to get her swim in!
It was nearly 7.00 pm when we left but not before we paid our bill. We had such a good time that when Maria told us the actual cost, then the mates rates, we declined the latter and paid her the real cost with a tip. Well worth the hospitality that we had received!
Dinner that evening was in Kohyli, where we were greeted by Christo, who's motor skills had improved in the few short months since my last visit. He told Costas that any drinks we ordered were on the house and we settled down to peruse the menu. I went for the chicken ala crème only to get the chicken in mushroom sauce! I still enjoyed it but far too much for me. I did make a suggestion to Costas that I would take it with me (to feed the growing colony of cats at the Calma) but that fell on deaf ears as there was no package at the end of the night! Another time kitties. It ended up being a very cheap night for us, (55 euros) so we each put in 15 and said our goodbyes.
Back at Elisabeth’s, I had a coffee or two, then said my goodnights and was in my studio by 11.40 pm, my first early night of the holiday! 🤣
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 20, 2018 8:00:09 GMT
Thanks for the tip Kev, one to bear in mind!
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Post by bvrc on Sept 20, 2018 16:05:25 GMT
Thank you bvrc. I am fortunate that I do not have an allergic reaction, just so irritating. The bites on the shin can be quite sore and the 'poison' tends to spread out with these creating ugly, red patches. Those on fleshier parts itch like crazy and can drive me quite mad, especially at night. I like the sound of the 4 o'clock shrub but have never seen one. I know there is a succulent here that grows with different colours on the same plant, Maria at Hidden Beach has them in hanging baskets. I wish you look with your seeds, I hope they grow for you. 🤣 These shrubs are plentiful all over the island, I prefer the red or purple ones but saw pink/yellow ones up at the monastery. The plant you describe with different colours on the same plant may well be them - closed up until early eveving and then once dark falls, they’re totally open - apparently they grow like weeds on Skiathos & self seed. I picked up a lot of seeds when there recently so will give them a go!
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Post by katet on Sept 20, 2018 17:38:57 GMT
We saw lots of something very similar this time - the moths loved them. I think what we saw are in the nicotiana family - tobacco plant.
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Post by katet on Sept 20, 2018 17:49:46 GMT
What a great day, Amy! We've never been down to Krifi Ammos, hopefully next year when we're there for longer & will hire a car. The food sounds fabulous - what lovely friends you've made. Keep on enjoying x
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 21, 2018 7:12:28 GMT
Spent a !omg time typing up day six and trying to post but keep getting the 'oops there has been an error's notification so thing wi-fi today is a little iffy! Will try again later.
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Post by kevb on Sept 21, 2018 12:11:25 GMT
Save it as a text document then paste it in to post when you have a clear signal. If it fails you still have the original text document.
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 22, 2018 5:40:20 GMT
Thanks Kev. I normally create in a Word document but unfortunately it is a cut and paste job as it does not have the copy and paste function. I managed to save the post by hitting the back button, copying and transferring to an email but every time I copied it back to the form, I got the same notification. I am thinking that maybe I need to split the thread for it to work?
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 22, 2018 5:44:31 GMT
Day 6, 19 September
Another breezy start to the day and a good morning from kitty. I don’t know where her friend is, haven’t seen her for a couple of days. Hope she is ok, as the cat she was with in June is nowhere around either!
Despite the breeze it is another hot day so after writing my post, I got myself ready and nipped to the bar for brunch. The girls were already ensconced drinking their morning frappé so after greeting them, I spoke to Elizabeth and mentioned I would like some breakfast. I was expecting to be given the menu but she said ok and disappeared into the kitchen. Some other guests arrived ready to order food also, so I sat down with the girls to await her return to the bar. I mentioned what had just occurred and when they asked me what I had said I replied that I was after some breakfast. They said that I should go to the kitchen quickly as breakfast to Elizabeth is a full English! Sure enough, the bacon and sausage was already on the grill so I just asked her for no beans and returned to the bar. I only wanted eggs on toast! Breakfast duly arrived, bacon, sausage, tomatoes, eggs, toast, tea and orange and I have to say that I did enjoy it and managed to eat it all!
I went back to the studio to get ready for a spot of sunbathing around the pool but it was so peaceful I decided to stay on the balcony and enjoy the sun there. At some point in the afternoon, Taki and a couple of chaps appeared in the garden and he came up the path when he spied me sitting there with my Kindle and asked if they could go in my room for five minutes as he was thinking of making some changes in the complex. I agreed to his request but inwardly squirmed thinking of the chaos that would greet them on entering!
They stayed inside for quite some time jabbering away both on and off the phone before thanking me and leaving. I am not aware of the upgrade that Taki is planning as without a complete gut and reconfiguration, the only possibility would be a redecoration. Oh well, if I dont manage to get it direct from the horse’s mouth, I may well find out for myself at some time in the future.
I continued to read my Kindle with kitty peacefully sleeping on another chair, and joined the girls around 5.30 pm for a pre-dinner drink, or in their words, 'beer o'clock'!
Being quiz night at the Iguana, we agreed to meet up and go to My Stop for a quick snack before the quiz and here, my first disappointment of the holiday and the evening. In June, everyone else’s meal had looked so much more appetising than mine, so I thought I would choose one of their previous dishes – giros on a plate rather than in a pitta. When it eventually arrived, the meat was barely warm and the chips were cold. The waitress had said to one of my friends that as her chips were the last out of tray, they may be cold but she would bring her a plate of hot ones out. We ended up sharing these when when they arrived. I could have sent my meal back but we were time constrained and the service in there can be slow, so when we asked for the bill and she asked if everything was ok, I told her that my meal had been cold. She apologized and I asked her to box the meal as I knew that the cat colony at the Calma would enjoy it, we paid the bill and left.
We arrived at the Iguana and eventually managed to get seats around a table that we shared with another couple. I went to the bar to get a drink. There was only one barman on and it was busy but I stood at the bar and waited for him to serve a customer as I was next in line. Another chap came to the bar and he asked him what he wanted. When he came to my end to draw the beer, I explained that I had arrived before that chap and the response I received was I will serve you in a minute! A couple of more chaps arrived and on finishing the order for that customer he asked who was next. I called that I was (as he knew that) and he promptly turned to one of the chaps and asked what he wanted! I was not amused at this point, so when he came down to the pump I pointed out that I had been next to be served and he once again said he would serve me in a minute! I told him not to bother and rejoined my friends at the table. I think he was a !ittle surprised at my response.
Ok, you may now be thinking that it is a bit extreme and I need to chill out as I am on holiday but any bar person worth their salt should have the skill of awareness of their customers regardless of how busy they are. I have been a barmaid myself and no matter how many customers called out their orders or waved their money in my face, they only got served in order of arrival.
Rant over!!!!!!!!
Enjoyed the quiz though, so all was not lost, and we managed to score 43 points out of a possible 52. Some hard questions tonight. The couple we were sat with won the toilet roll only managing to get 34 points but the team that came in second place gave their prize to his wife, much to her delight. The quiz raised 230+ euros tonight for the dog shelter. Next Wednesday will be the 20th quiz and the last of the season.
On arriving at the Calma we only saw one cat but as soon as I opened the box of food I was surrounded. Tried to give the kittens as much as possible but it was a case of survival of the fittest I’m afraid although they did manage to get at least one piece of meat each!
On to the bar for a special coffee then bed at 1.00 pm.
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 22, 2018 7:33:12 GMT
Day 7, 20 September
Usual morning greeting by kitty and yet again, another breezy day.
I have been here a week now and although I have eaten at Pegasus, I have not seen Voulla to say hello. They have been busy every time I have passed but for the last two days especially so as they are expecting around 70 German visitors who are celebrating Octoberfest on the island and descending on the Pegasus around 5.00 pm today.
Whilst on my balcony drinking tea and writing my post about 50 of them passed by on their way for a trek. It so reminded me of my first trip when I stayed on Skopolos and the morning the school children arrived for a visit to the site opposite my accommodation. A very noisy 'crocodile' that disappeared behind the wall only to emerge a while later extremely quiet and orderly.
We are spending the afternoon on Kolios beach today, with a friend of V's, another ex-pat, who can finally relax after finishing her very busy job for the season. At 1.00 pm, we loaded the car and set off, four women and a small dog, and shortly after arriving and finding enough empty sunbeds, her friend arrived with her lovely little dog, who went absolutely wild when she saw V. Greetings over we all settled down. The weather was not being kind to us, lots of clouds covering the sun but every so often, we had a glimpse of it, so all was not lost.
V's friend introduced her dog to the joys of swimming whilst keeping her on her leash. She was not amused and with nose pointing to the beach, tried her hardest to make the safety of the sand. V and her dog joined in and he showed her how it was done, leisurely swimming up and down and even turning in circles. No, didn't impress her one bit. After they all returned to the sunbed the look on the face of the little dog was an absolute picture.
It wasn't long before this wolf like, big, black, rangy dog appeared. Our little dogs set up growling and barking the nearer he got to us. Although he was wearing a collar, his side's and underbelly were matted, so wasn't that well cared for, but it transpired that he was a gentle soul, who was only looking for something to eat and some company to spend the day with. He showed off his playful side after going for a swim, leaving the water, shaking himself dry next to a chap, then promptly jumping on the chap's sunbed and sitting on his towel to a great burst of laughter. When the chap told him to get off, he immediately lay down, so the chap joined him and they had a very friendly tustle for ownership.
We were also treated to the site of a pair of white geese who stayed around for about 15 minutes before leaving our area of the beach and a cormorant in the water actively fishing.
V's friend took her dog in for a second swim and shortly after left us and we stayed on the beach for a couple of more hours. The clouds finally cleared around 4.00 pm, lovely blue sky and sun, and we left around 5.30 pm. A lovely afternoon.
I decided on Boubournakia (not sure of spelling) for dinner tonight as I had only been there once and the girls decided to join me and go to Orsa, their restaurant of choice, another night. It turned out to be a very good decision. I ordered the feta in filo pastry with seseme seeds and honey with my first moussaka of the holiday and their choices were a penne dish and a burger stuffed with cheese, these were accompanied by a small carafe of rose and a large water.
When my starter arrived, we all ended up sharing it, which was fine as it can be very filling. We agreed that our individual meals were lovely and after finishing them were all feeling quite replete! The waiter came to the table with another small carafe of rose which he said was on the house! This was followed shortly after by a complimentary sweet of orange cake, two scoops of chocolate ice-cream and chocolate sauce artfully drizzled on the plate, a twist of orange, a star of anise and three spoons. Over to you ladies! As wonderful as it looked, I could not eat any of it. One of the girls gamely tucked in and made a valiant effort to make it appear that we had all enjoyed the dish! As she hadn't eaten all of her meal we felt it was only fair. 🤣
I think the bill came to 48+ euros so after adding a tip and taking the goody bag of leftover burger, we left the restaurant. Opening the bag at the little cat colony caused a bit of a riot and a couple of spats but they all managed to get a bite so all was well but I did notice that one of the kittens was missing and hope it is ok.
In the bar I had a special coffee and left shortly after at 11.10 pm!
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 23, 2018 7:38:57 GMT
Good morning. No post today! I have attempted to add my post from Friday but after three attempts and the error message, I am throwing in the towel! Will attempt again later in the hope I will be more successful 🤣
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Sept 23, 2018 11:57:31 GMT
No worries.
Feel free to write them up on to word, then post them when you get home.
Alternately, if your wi-fi is playing up, use your phone as a wi-fi hotspot. I found last year that this was far more reliable than using wi-fi.
Wi-fi on Skiathos connects you to the hotel/taverna's cabled router, and internet speeds on the island are notoriously slow and unreliable. In comparison the 4G is very good indeed.
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 339
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 24, 2018 6:05:44 GMT
Day 8, 21 September
This morning when I opened the door to my balcony, I was greeted to a calm day (no wind) and no kitty and the morning felt cooler than it has been all week. Settled down with a cuppa and to write up my post.
Before long, the sun was edging over the garden, a slight breeze started to blow and kitty appeared. She was in an affectionate mood this morning. She didn't stay long before she was off to look for cuddles elsewhere. As in the past few days, the clouds came in but the weather pattern we have been experiencing has been one that it is cloudy on and off all day, then around 4.00 pm the clouds disappear and it is baking sunshine for at least an hour.
Being Friday, we have a couple of leavers (2 studios) which later in the day were replaced by three sets of new arrivals. I nipped to the supermarket and got chatting to two chaps who were leaving us after just one week. They told me that they had only booked their holiday a week before, went into the travel agents and asked what was available. Was told Skiathos and learning that it was a laid-back destination, booked it. On arrival, not being used to the way things are done here, were quite surprised that they had to walk down the lane to the studios and having called in at the wrong place on the way, decided that they had chosen the wrong island to holiday on. However, after the false start they had a really good time and said they thought Greece was wonderful and would holiday here again. Maybe not Skiathos but another Greek destination!
The van arrived to collect their bags and once loaded we said goodbye as they were off to have their last frappé before heading to the Kohyli and their coach to the airport. I nipped into the supermarket, made my purchase and back to the studio to get ready for my trip into town for the elusive wrapping paper.
I timed my arrival at the bus stop to give me 10 minutes before the bus was arriving and i hadn't been waiting long before V and one of my friends pulled up in the car and told me to jump in. They were on their way to the airport to pick up another holiday friend arriving at 2.00 pm and the friend's daughter arriving at 3.00 pm. I was dropped off at bus stop 4 and called in at the first supermarket. No wrapping paper so enquired as to where I might purchase in town. I was told the shop that supplied the books, pens, etc, for the school children but no indication as to where it was located. So I set off, heading towards bus stop 3, to call in another supermarket, found one which wasn't trading and rather than following the main road, cut down one of the side roads into town.
I walked through a section of town I had not been in before and was surprised at how many small hotels there were tucked into the side streets. I made my way to the two bakeries at the top of Papadiamanti Street and called into the one that was next to the chemist and had been closed the day I called in for a coffee back in June. I ordered a baklava and coffee. The machine was off so he made one from the kettle. I expected that it would be strong but was pleasantly surprised when it arrived.
As he was near to closing for the day and he had no other customers, he came out to chat and asked me what I thought of the coffee and baklava. I said both were very good and did he do all the baking himself. He said that he did and the baklava was very special, unlike that you could buy anywhere else. Ok, I'm game I thought, so asked him why it was special. Was it due to the nuts, pastry or honey? No, it is special because it has the scent of the goat and not the cow! Oh really (I mean, what else was there to say) I was a little loath to ask him to go into detail so smiled and agreed that it was special.
I asked my question, could he tell me where I might find wrapping paper and he said yes, try that shop just there, and as I looked to where he pointed, it was three doors up and there was a rack outside displaying greeting cards. Umm, I wondered how many times I had passed that shop and never really seen it!
He left me to finish my goodies then came out with a bag of bread (by this time it was past closing) and informed me he was just going to take an old lady her bread but I could stay as he would be back shortly. I said that unfortunately I wasn't zble to stay so paid him, thanked him for his hospitality and said goodbye.
Yes folks, I did get the elusive wrapping paper and think this was the shop the supermarket assistant meant, the dead giveaway being the childrens' backpacks in the back of the shop!
A nice slow meander down Papa Street, calling in a few of the shops whilst making my way to the port. Watched the last of the loading of the Hellenic Seaways ferry before making my way back to the terminus and catching the bus that had just pulled in.
Back at the studios, the new arrivals were ensconced so I joined them for a red berries strongbow (really refreshing) and a chat, then off to my studio to get ready for dinner. We would be five tonight and Pegasus was the restaurant of choice.
We met up at 8.00 pm and walked down the lane together and on arriving at Pegasus, managed to get a table under the veranda big enough to seat us all. I decided on the plaka for dinner, cannot remember what the others ordered and we had cheesy garlic bread for our starter. Carafe of rose, carafe of red and large water completed the order. I enjoyed my meal although the plaka was not as tender as the other two times I chose it. Not tough by any means but think another 30 minutes in the oven and it would have fallen apart at the touch of the fork, just the way I like it. When the bill arrived and after adding a tip, we each put 15 euros on the table.
Walking past the little cat colony I noticed two of the kittens but mum and the third sibling were missing. I do hope they are ok. Nothing to give them tonight.
At the studios, more red wine was consumed before leaving for my bed at 1.30 am. It was a relief to get inside as it was quite warm compared to the night. The temperature drops around 9/9.30 pm and it gets quite cold. A lot of people now wearing fleeces and thicker jackets.
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