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Post by balddave on Sept 13, 2021 19:36:07 GMT
Good stuff Dennis, enjoying your updates, even the duplicates 🤣
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Sept 14, 2021 8:15:21 GMT
Plane food never fails to diss appoint and very expensive As Hannibal Lecter says “ It isn’t even food, as I understand the definition.”
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Post by kelso on Sept 14, 2021 8:28:15 GMT
(Today, Monday) I duplicated one report, sorry!!!
So the comment in Nikos wasn’t far from the truth! 😂
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Post by kevb on Sept 14, 2021 9:52:32 GMT
Next time you see Nickos tell him I'm the bloke that gave him some of my baclava last week.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 14, 2021 19:54:52 GMT
Tuesday 14th September. What is it with right socks? I haven’t gone without a putter-onner for two years, so I knew it would be a challenge to come away without it. Left sock goes on fairly easily, but right sock is a nightmare! So it took ages yesterday and today, I mean, I have to factor in the absence of the putter-onner into my holiday going out timetable when driving demands trainers with socks . For those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about, there’s something between me and my feet that I can’t reach beyond - try wearing a life ring around your middle and putting your socks on and maybe you’ll understand.
So after breakfast, off we went into town to attend the Katsonis remembrance ceremony. Parked behind the school and walked off. We crossed the road at the taxi rank and Vera stumbled on the kerb and came down. At least three taxi drivers appeared immediately out of nowhere to pick her up and enquire how she was. She had grazed her knee and hand. So we trudged along to the nearest pharmacy for some sticking plasters.
The ceremony was somber and moving as usual, except that the submarine didn’t come - apparently due to Covid restrictions. As a softy, I always have a damp eye throughout and profound admiration for Skiathos whose only true connection to it is that the Katsonis (submarine) was sunk not far away and some crew actually swam to Skiathos to survive.
On the way back to the Jimmy, we paused for a magnum and I offered to take a photo of mum and two little girls to help with her selfie - she awarded me at least one brownie point in thanks.
Then onwards to Xanemos (pretty much deserted), then 4WD up round the coast to bypass the monastery and arrive at Platanos where the nice man guided us into a parking space. We were (as usual) recognised and greeted warmly. Once seated we ordered a tsatsiki, then two Platanos omelettes and two Mythos alcohol free. All very tasty, 32 Euros before tip.
Gently back down into the Ayia Paraskevi valley and return to Troulos. Into the pool for our afternoon plunge.
Whereupon disaster struck. Whilst getting out, Vera tripped and fell a purler on the edge of the pool. We ended up with Angela calling an ambulance and after a couple of the female guests got her out of her costume and into a dress off we went to hospital. X-ray showed she hadn’t broken anything and a multitude of other tests and a pain killer injection allowed her to leave in a taxi. She’s now in bed and in pain. Maybe she’ll sleep, I hope so.
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Post by kevb on Sept 14, 2021 21:10:55 GMT
Really sorry to hear about Vera, hope she recovers as quickly as possible. With her not being fully confident in the sea yet, the last thing she needed was a fall by the pool.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 15, 2021 3:46:18 GMT
I’m afraid it’s going to be much more than confidence. They gave me the x-ray (to keep) and although I have absolutely no idea, it’s her entire pelvis and now she can’t walk with last year’s hip from falling down stairs added to by this fall on the other side.
so I’m building a right head of angry steam over TUI. I have several text messages from them about downloading the TUI app as there will not be rep visits. You can contact us Monday to Sunday on xxx - UK phone number to book an excursion. Guess what? I don’t want to book a (Word Deleted) excursion, I want to enquire if they can get me a wheelchair for the rest of the holiday and airport assistance both ends for the return home. One of the several text messages says I can contact them 24/7 via the online Chat in the app - after several perusals I cannot find the online Chat and the Search facility is solely to find a lovely excursion. I’m getting a bit grrr and if daybreak ever breaks (it’s been a long night), I’ll ask Angela for the phone number of her local TUI agent to do grrr at.
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Post by balddave on Sept 15, 2021 6:54:48 GMT
Sorry to hear about Vera having a fall, although thankfully nothing broken still sounds quite serious. With regards to holiday reps, apart from the airport , I don’t recollect seeing a single one this year, normally you spy them rushing around town or gathering in groups at the end of their shift. It’s annoying when companies give you details of their 24/7 helpline then fail to man it, I can appreciate your angst. I enjoyed your report about the submarine ceremony, I was going to press the like button until I read about Vera fall.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Sept 15, 2021 7:03:18 GMT
Sorry to hear about Vera’s falls. A real shame TUI aren’t coming through for you on this.
All my best wishes to you both for the rest of the holiday. I hope you. An still get some enjoyment from it.
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Post by kevb on Sept 15, 2021 8:21:35 GMT
I recall seeing a cabin type building up near La Piscine Art which had the TUI logo on the side but I guess they have probably abandoned it. Best plan is probably drive down to the airport some time before a TUI is due in or out when the reps have a bit more time and enquire about the procedure for airport assistance. It might be possible to hire a wheelchair from one of the medical centres though there would probably be some charge for it.
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Post by *Di* on Sept 15, 2021 8:23:31 GMT
So sorry to read this about Vera Dennis… I know Angela will go above and beyond to help. But I dont understand why no reps available to you? I know Helen the regular TUI rep is there as she socialises a bit with the lovely owners at Boudouriani so she is working but to what extent Lord only knows. They should be there to help if needed surely? I do hope you get sorted asap regarding help for Vera… thinking of you both ❤️
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Post by cariad23 on Sept 15, 2021 10:22:03 GMT
Oh Dennis you have waited so long for this holiday too. Hope she feels better soon . They can arrange on plane for assistance Bristol end. Try looking on trip advisor butting in wheelchair I’m sure someone asked this question a while ago
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Post by dennisn on Sept 15, 2021 11:52:15 GMT
Thank you everybody. The progress is as follows :- in one of their texts I found they said that UK phone number is 24/7, so I rang it at 7am Greek time. First answer before the pressing stuff was This call may be recorded for training purposes - which I (Word Deleted) hope they did because it was useless. The first few presses were for excursions, more holiday bookings and so forth. I pressed the eventual one for Medical Emergency. To their credit they answered quickly. I gave our booking reference, then told her my partner had a fall, went to hospital for x-ray and was discharged, but I need to rent a Zimmer frame and a wheelchair. She replied that she would phone my hotel to see if they knew anywhere renting those. I said I’m not in a hotel, I’m in a 16 room Villa and the owner lives on site. Are you telling me all you’re going to do is ring her, I might as well do that myself. And she agreed that would be OK because that was all she’d do. I said if she (owner) doesn’t have any info I call you again and she agreed. So I said goodbye abruptly and ended the call. 14 holidays, how many thousands have we paid TUI and that’s the service they offer!!! Grrr. Angela suggested trying the hospital, but thought it unlikely. So alternative would be next door, the private health place - if there’s anything to be made, no doubt they’ll go for it. That proved to be the case when I drove in there, wheelchair 10 Euros a day. Had a real adventure getting back here. Before that, when I went out to get in the Jimny I couldn’t find the key. In desperation I checked the ignition and there it was, been there all night. So the battery was flat. But the nice man is only 200 yards up the road and he came with jump leads and I didn’t actually say about the key being in all night. Anyway, in town I tried to put the wheelchair into the back, but there wasn’t enough space. The answer was to drop the rear seats and create an estate wagon type space, but Skiathos Jimnys are not renowned for mechanical pulchritude and I couldn’t for the life of me find a thingy to push or pull or slide. So I opened the passenger door, managed to pull the seat forwards and tilt the back forwards too and managed to shove the wheelchair into the back seats. With the passenger seat a bit folded, it became a loose doings, so a firm go with the brakes saw it shoot forwards and bash into the dashboard, followed by the wheelchair. A good bang on the accelerator on an uphil bit pushed them all back again. But the next braking saw the wheelchair come forwards to lean across the gearstick onto my arm and so we passed on back to Troulos where I stopped and asked the man to show me the hidden secret (rusty, broken) pulling things that drop the rear seats. By the way, since the flat battery episode, the speedo is now frozen on 85km/hr - most unfair when I drive here at elderly grandad pace. And I discovered that without a passenger, the thing has a life of its own in the matter of road holding! And Angela has returned from town with a lovely Zimmer frame which Vera loves like a pig in muck. I’m having a to get the price out of Angela, but I shall persevere.
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amy115
Full Member
Posts: 340
Visits to Skiathos: 5
Accommodation Stayed At: Thymis House Hotel
Dream House
Elizabeth Studios
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Post by amy115 on Sept 15, 2021 13:29:22 GMT
Dennis i'm really sorry to hear about Vera's falls. I hope that the devices you and Angela have managed to secure for her help her to enjoy the remainder of her holiday.
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Post by kelso on Sept 15, 2021 15:21:41 GMT
Dennis I’m so sorry to hear about Vera’s accident and the abismal service from Tui. They used to have an office in town, opposite the bus stop and the primary school, on the left as you go up the hill. I hope they do eventually come through for you with assistance at both airports.
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