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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 24, 2022 7:09:18 GMT
Well, I’ve woken up to a forecast of thunderstorms when we land, and rain all day tomorrow.
On the bright side (pun intended) it’s wall-to-wall sunshine for the rest of our week.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 24, 2022 13:16:56 GMT
On the plane, on the runway. Setting off in 10 minutes.
Dave, Kev, if the runway at Skiathos is wet, could you get down there with a couple of towels for us, make sure it’s dry.
Cheers.
🤣
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 24, 2022 17:46:01 GMT
Landed.
It’s as dry as a bone.
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Post by balddave on Aug 24, 2022 19:38:32 GMT
It turned out to be a pleasant evening, at least your here, forecast for tomorrow not great but can change by the hour.
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Post by kevb on Aug 25, 2022 5:48:45 GMT
Landed. It’s as dry as a bone. Glad you appreciated it, took a bit of doing with only one squeegee but got there in the end.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 25, 2022 7:28:59 GMT
Right then.
Dropped at the hotel late, maybe 10:30pm? Up to reception, no one there, a sign saying to ring the bell. Which we did, but had quite a wait. We have two rooms, which aren’t next to each other, but close enough.
First impressions. Room is small, but clean and nice. Not enough sockets, and not in the right places. Not enough cupboard/drawer space (almost none), so I’m using my suitcase and hand luggage (one of those like a mini suitcase) to help out, which is sort of working. That aside, absolutely fine.
No unpacking last night, straight to Under the Pine Tree. When we passed it on the bus transfer it was rammed, when we got there it was half full. No starters. I had pork belly steak, which was very nice. The now-traditional 2 x 0.5l carafes, one white one rose. It has become the norm now, if we stay in Koukounaries, as it’s handy.
On to Agustera and a warm greeting with plenty of smiles. It’s good to be back.
It was chucking it down when we woke, but it’s stopped now. Hope it holds off.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 25, 2022 8:05:11 GMT
How can I miss things in such a small room. 🤣 Okay, the aircon is great. It takes the room from the same temperature as outside, to ‘very ’ in minutes. However, when turned off, the room soon warms up again. The keys. You know that electronic card holder, so it knows to switch the leccy on when you’re in the room? And when you take it out you’ve got a 30 second delay to vacate the room before the lights go out? Well, there’s no delay. The bathroom. Tiny. And it’s got that typically Greek thing. It’s a ‘wet room’ with a tiled floor and a drain, so you don’t need a shower cubicle or curtain. And yet they have a tiny, square shower footprint of about 80cm each way, and a shower curtain which, if closed, would stick to you. Yeah, it’s one of those. Once nice touch, the bathroom door swings both ways (not a euphemism), which helps a bit. Great idea.
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Post by balddave on Aug 25, 2022 8:37:30 GMT
Would that be a ‘Bi’fold door
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 25, 2022 8:46:56 GMT
No, it just opens either into the bathroom, or out to the main room.
Ah, sorry, I see what you did there. 🤣
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2022 6:37:04 GMT
Thursday. Some heavy rain in the morning, but stopped by 11 or so. We used the time to help finish unpacking. Went to the supermarket for brunch, coffee and ‘buns’.
Ate on the balcony back at the hotel, then decided on Koukounaries. Very changeable weather, very light drizzle at its worst, baking sunshine at its best.
The kids went on the crazy sofa, and loved it. I listened to the cricket (a good day!).
Evening, (new) bus into town. I like this now. The frequency and late running buses mean you no longer have to think or plan around then. You can just rock up at a stop, and one will be there in a few minutes. And we could stay at the beach longer, because we didn’t have to worry about having enough time to shower, get a bus to town, eat, and still catch the last bus back.
Beer at Mythos, pizza at Gravisi (great, as always). Freya had penne bol, us 3 shared 2 pizzas, a ‘special’ - effectively a meat feast - and a margarita. And, we had the garlic bread, which we’d had before. Not your typical garlic bread, though. Sort of a cross between garlic bread, calzone, and a quesadilla, with just melted cheese for a filling. Smashing. It’s listed as a starter, but we asked for it to come as a main, and shared it along with the pizzas.
Bus back, quick beer at Agustera, and back to the rooms. Great day.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2022 6:42:02 GMT
A quick note, which I wanted to make separately.
Town is heaving. It’s packed. And last night was, according to the waitress at Mythos, quiet due to the earlier rain.
But all over, during the last 2 nights, there’s been one very clear issue. Short staffing. I’ve been told it’s a problem all over Greece for the hospitality sector.
So far, I’ve seen both staff and customers handle it with patience. But waiting times are long, and there’s a palpable sense of nerves getting frayed.
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Post by katet on Aug 26, 2022 8:33:05 GMT
So pleased you didn’t have a problem with arrival - that would have been horrible. I remember Robert moaning about the tiny shower room at the Lakes and everything getting wet! (Mind you, in one room we had at the Atlas I had to remember to move the loo roll out of the bathroom before either of us showered as otherwise it got soaked)
You’re in an ideal location there - rather like our stays at the Panorama. Very convenient for Agustera nightcaps! Enjoy 😊
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2022 11:15:24 GMT
The secret with the shower is, just pull the curtain right back - hook it over something if possible - and use it like a wet room. Just keep stuff that you might not want to get wet outside.
Well, it works for me.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Aug 26, 2022 11:17:48 GMT
Right, on Koukounaries again, and once again I have to flag this up.
The gents toilets are abysmal.
Six cubicles. Three now out of order. Two with broken locks. All three with no toilet seat.
The sink…well, the tap works. But no soap. And no paper towels. No hand dryer obviously (it wouldn’t be working anyway).
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Post by dennisn on Aug 26, 2022 12:38:22 GMT
Right, on Koukounaries again, and once again I have to flag this up. The gents toilets are abysmal. Six cubicles. Three now out of order. Two with broken locks. All three with no toilet seat. The sink…well, the tap works. But no soap. And no paper towels. No hand dryer obviously (it wouldn’t be working anyway). Some people are never satisfied!!! How many toilets do you need? (most people only use one). In the toilet, sit on your hands (keeps them out of mischief, you can't scribble grafiti with them). Stick one leg out to shove your foot against the door and you don't need a lock. This trick doesn't work in toilets which have a large gap at the bottom of the door. In that case, stick one foot out the door to indicate it's occupied.
Rinse your hands with just water (they won't need soap if you sat on them). Flap them in the sun to dry.
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