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Post by dennisn on Jun 22, 2022 18:43:34 GMT
Well, having earlier checked in online, I've just downloaded and printed our boarding cards, so I reckon it's close enough to feedback time. Let's hope that this time tomorrow I'll be fast asleep waiting for my alarm to wake us for the drive to Bristol airport at crack of predawn on Friday. There's a great theory that all is going to go well - we'll arrive at Meet and Greet, park at the cabin or whatever and dump the van, get on the nearby phone marked Assistance and a staunch young man will soon arrive with a wheelchair for Vera. (Wheelchair in order to avoid long standing and walking, not because she's a total non-ambulatory person). Said staunch young man will wheel her (with me and two suitcases in tow and cabin baggage on our backs) right up to the front of the queue for self drop baggage, where we will divest ourselves of the suitcases. Whereupon, staunch young man will wheel us right past amazed security defenders to a comfy spot at departures, close to a toilet for last minute unloading before boarding. Then he'll wheel us onto a mobile crane thingy and we'll be hoisted up into BY6558. Then it will take off on time (06:35). It will subsequently land happily in Skiathos at 12:00 noon and I shall be glowing from my ham and cheese melt together with six Baileys and we shall both be very happy, being offloaded into the clanky mobile crane thing, wheeled past amazed security defenders and into baggage reclaim, then out to meet a TUI person who will take pity on us and send us by taxi (to save Vera the mountaineering effort of stairs into the coach) to Villa Maria, where we shall both be ensconced iin room number 1 and be even more happy than merely very.
So there.
Ready for webcam watchers, here's an idea of where I shall endeavour to give you all two fingers from somewhere close to where X marks the spot - I will post on this thread to say that I'm doing it. This will be a challenge. Not everybody will be able to see the same view, so when I post that I'm here, odds are uncertain as to whether anyone can see me there - the viewpoint will change just as I appear, so I shall probably have to stand there like some sort of plonker, arm raised to be noticeable, for ages, waiting for the camera to go for this view and have people say that they have seen me. No prizes this year, I shall reward myself instead if there is a success. I apologise for not offering a view from in front of the camera, but it will be quite beyond me to scale the steps up there. And anyway, Yorkshiremouth didn't either.
ANYBODY WHO "QUOTES" INSTEAD OF "REPLYING" TO THIS POST, IS A SCHMUCK!!!
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Post by cariad23 on Jun 23, 2022 7:46:37 GMT
fingers crossed for a smooth journey, see you on the other side in a week or so
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Post by dennisn on Jun 23, 2022 8:21:58 GMT
Yes, but probably not on the beach as Vera is not allowed to swim with her arm. Best chance might be in Ratatouille when we eat there from time to time, although we go earlier than most people. We generally circulate restaurants, Vareli, Jasteri, Ratatouille and Sunrise.
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Post by cariad23 on Jun 23, 2022 8:34:44 GMT
Any particular taverna you recommend for fish in troulos, i like sea bream.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 23, 2022 9:04:01 GMT
I don’t like bream so much as sea bass, which we have (fillet) in Jasteri. But that’s because we are somewhat creatures of habit and we had a good one there. Nobody seems to eat in Zorbas, which claims to be a fish place - we are put off by the odour.
Posh rich people rave about Sklithri for fish (between bus stops 11 and 12). We went once and paid at least twice our usual evening meal cost! Lovely location, right on the water’s edge. One of the waiters was fishing with a handline whilst we were there and he caught a nice big fish (the ones that hunt the skittering fish) and also hooked an octopus. You can choose your fish from their display cabinet.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jun 23, 2022 9:29:54 GMT
Whilst there this year my dad had swordfish twice.
First time he said it was the best he’d ever had.
Second time he said it was just as good.
Dennis, I hope you both have a fantastic time. I’ll try to pop in regularly to see your heads up for the webcam.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 23, 2022 10:00:50 GMT
I’ve never had swordfish, or tuna done as a steak like that. Just doesn’t appeal to me. I guess I’m just unappealing.
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Post by exgreekgod on Jun 23, 2022 10:18:07 GMT
Make sure you bring plenty of suncream and a good hat, it's blinking hot out here🤪
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Post by dennisn on Jun 23, 2022 10:51:24 GMT
I have two hats, a travelling hat and a walking round hat. And I walk in the shade.
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Post by cariad23 on Jun 23, 2022 13:01:39 GMT
i like swordfish too ym, in fact most fish and octopus husband loves sardines, found a place in stoupa that sold them butterflied completely filleted served with garlic butter, best ive ever eaten. we love lobster usually treat ourselves once during holiday and have gyros next night to balance out the cost.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Jun 23, 2022 15:51:01 GMT
Swordfish is quite meaty in texture, and not very fishy.
If you’re unsure, do what I do. Wait until someone else in your party orders some, then ask if you can try a bit. :-)
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Post by dennisn on Jun 23, 2022 17:40:55 GMT
It'll be a while - we don't have any someone elses in our party of two!!! And I know how I'd feel if a stranger came over and asked for a taste of my fish n taters, so I can't do it to a someone else in another person's party.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 24, 2022 4:35:43 GMT
Waiting to be loaded. Bristol airport has not been a happy experience. More later after we get settled into Villa Maria.
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Post by dennisn on Jun 24, 2022 4:39:40 GMT
I know it’s only 5:40am, but I’d murder for a freezing cold beer right now!!!
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Post by dennisn on Jun 24, 2022 10:26:05 GMT
Hurray, 1:20pm Skiathos time and we are here.
Here’s what I wrote on the plane with six Baileys inside me :-
Right. Mid air to Skiathos, this is intended to be saved, then copy/pasted into the forum.
It all started less than greatly. Went to bed early for 1:15am alarm, but it was 15 degrees so we couldn’t get off to sleep until perhaps 10pm. Then we both woke for the elderly folks night call at 12:30 and gave up on sleep. I’m booked into Bristol airport Meet and Greet for 3am, it says ring 15 minutes before arrival so I did (a little early) to be greeted by the answer machine saying “Meet and greet is closed from midnight to 4am.” So we sat in the car park and waited. At 3:50am I loaded Vera into a wheelchair and parked her near the Assistance phone and went back for the suitcases. By which time the meet and greet cabin had opened and a whole bunch of other travellers were in a queue in front of me!
Got rid of the keys and phoned the assistance people to come and get us - wheelchair, two suitcases and two hand baggages a bit too much for me - I’m a (Word Deleted) elderly for goodness sake! They were very busy so it would be a wait. However, a yellow hi-viz boy asked what we were doing and offered to wheel us in. He took us to the assistance desk even though he was nothing to do with Assistance, and refused to accept a cash tip - we tried very hard to persuade him but he simply would not take it. All we could give was a very heartfelt thank you.
Assistance desk was a nightmare, only one lady to deal with a lot of us and she was overwhelmed. I dipped out to drop our cases, in the hope we’d get through with less delay. But sadly, all the other Assistance passengers didn’t behave like proper queueing English people, so we were queue-jumped by many of them! At long last we were adopted by a lovely young girl who wheeled us to and through Security. Thank goodness, the numbers there were unbelievable, honestly. I had to take off my braces and walk through with my hands in my pockets!
the lovely young girl took us through Security - I had to take my braces off and clung to my trouser pockets to the other sidE, where we sat waiting to be called. Flight schedule departure 06:35, we were eventually called at about 7:10, taken out to the lifty thing which eventually put us into the plane at about 7:25am. But we then waited for baggage and real passengers for another age - so long that cabin crew brought us a nice cuppa to keep us going.
So we took off eventually and here we are at whatever feet and mph with about another hour or so to Skiathos. I got my six Baileys without any worry and the ham and cheese melts are now ham and cheese toasties, but they are still just as disgusting as ever, maybe even more so when it transpired they were toasted one side and raw the other.
But I’m as happy as a pig in muck - about an hour and I’ll be there and loving it!
Has this saved, or copied or something? I’ll be sick if not!
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