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Post by kelso on Sept 15, 2022 7:44:21 GMT
Wow Dennis, mixing with the dignitaries. Well done. I hope you took the opportunity to ask the mayor to get up to your webcam with his chamois! 😉
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Post by dennisn on Sept 16, 2022 6:48:17 GMT
Yes Cariad we got the white glop at Sunrise, but this time it wasn’t set like usual, very runny, had to hold the dish under my chin! It’s usually set like white munch but the blob of chocolate stuff was pretty much ready to sink into the middle.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 16, 2022 7:46:23 GMT
Thursday. To cheer my day I got an email from Evri, the new name for Hermes, the moral of the story being that if you get a bad name, change it. Announcing that my package had been delivered and left in my safe place, greenhouse, with a photo of it in situ. Sadly, she had walked past the greenhouse (in both directions) and left it in the middle of the wooden table on our decking, under the gazebo which has a (brown canvas) roof but no sides.
We had intended having a day in, but remembered some shopping still unshopped so into town we went, taking our chances with a new bus. Seems they have two sorts - low floor easy wide access, cast iron seats, straps to hang onto, driver with ambition - epic narrow acces up high steps, lovely comfy seats and driver (very slightly) less ambitious. We prefer the latter if there is no green bus.
The shopping was successful but very hard work. So I made an exception and had two gyroseseses and two beers. We came back on a nice green bus with the happy conductor who introduced us to bhus sister sitting across the aisle from us. He let me call out the stops but I didn’t have his confidence to belt them out loud and clear, so he repeated them after me. The whole bus was a happy summer holiday. Sister got off at 18 with us and walked a few steps with us, but Lesley had FaceTimed me on the bus inviting us to join them for a beer. I had picked up a leaflet for a boat trip but can’t get through to them even today. When we left, we collected some proper shopping from the supermarket, tomatoes, peaches, that sort of thing and repaired to Villa Maria for a swim.
When we left to go for evening meal at ratatouille, I got accosted. A nice you lady called across the road as we went out our gate “Are you the famous Dennis?” I replied I dunno about famous but my name is Dennis so she crossed over and chatted. Didn’t give her name and said she’s just a lurker on the site. So Hello, Lurker, thank you for the accosting and please do a post to prove to everybody that you’re not a figment of my imagination.
At ratatouille Vera had belly pork and I had the most delicious lamb in origami and lemon sauce and I actually managed to eat it all for once. When we got back, I walked up to the jeep shop and reserved one for Ian to drive Sunday and Monday. Still no joy getting on to a boat.
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jaydeecee
New Member
Posts: 8
Visits to Skiathos: More than 10
Accommodation Stayed At: Maria Yiannis, La Luna,
Beltsios, Thanos, Nikos, Aphrodite
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Post by jaydeecee on Sept 16, 2022 10:16:54 GMT
Hello Dennis and Vera it's lurker here. It was myself and my husband who accosted you. Jacquie and Andy here, hello. I always read the forum but don't really post. Nice to see you and your lovely wife. Sorry about the arm 😕 Love the t.shirt Mr Grumpy. We too had a lovely meal in Ratatouille. We are staying at the Almira ( previously Beltsios) Anna the owner is so lovely, even giving us the option to swap rooms to a bigger apartment on Saturday. As it is we have a fabulous room with a private balcony can't fault it. Maybe bump into you again before you leave.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 16, 2022 15:03:54 GMT
Hurray!!! What a great result. A self-confessed lurker bursts out amongst us, welcome jacquie. But I wouldn’t rate you as a lurker as you have posted valuable content here already. Keep up the good work and you will become as well known as many others.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 17, 2022 6:22:04 GMT
Friday we decided to have the day in that we had missed on Thursday so started off by doing nothing for ages. Breakfast I had almost the rest of our fruit stock, plums, banana, peach and grapes from the fridge, plus a few bun sized cakes from the patisserie at BS18. Late morning we went down to the pool and i watched the children playing with the pool toys, woggles, lilos and blowup shark, then i had a cheeseburger and small portion of chips with beer, but I was still full of fruit and cakes, so to my shame I couldn’t finish them, not even the beer! So i went into the pool and trolled about single-handedly until the chill got me a bit uncomfortable.
We had booked a table at Jasteri for my birthday do, so joined Ian and Lesley to stroll down there. Couldn’t remember whether we’d booked for 7 or 7:30, did a Greek time and got there at 7:15. Where we found a noticeboard saying Dear guests we are closed now until Monday, sorry. Which disappointed me no end - when I booked, I had wanted Saturday but he said they were closed for his wedding day, so he accepted a booking for Friday. If I get over it and we go to Jasteri again, I shall let him know. So we had to choose between Vareli, Nectar and Ambrosia and Salt and Pepper. We opted for S&P, to give them a try as we hadn’t been since they changed chef not to our taste some years ago, knowing it had changed again and give it another chance. The menu was noticeably more expensive, as it was my treat, Ian joked that he’d have the beef thing that was priced at €85, but actually chose a seafood pasta with mussels, prawns, shrimps and little bits of octopus and whatever else was in it. Lesley had the largest lump of Moussaka I’ve ever seen, Vera had beef stifado and I went adventurous and ordered octopus, in memory of a very tasty bit I’d had in Corfu years ago. The tzatziki was strange - a built round cake thing with a base of chips of cucumber and other things, with white stuff on top flecked with red things and dusted with red stuff. I ate some, but it wasn’t our type of the thing. Vera found the stifado too sweet for her diabetes although she ate all the meat. Lesley found that the moussaka was enough to feed a family - must have been six inches square and four inches high! Ian was the only one of us to polish off his (enormous) plateful. My octopus came in a black sauce. Ian had to cut it up for me and I ate it. I shall not be ordering it again. Cocktails (happy hour price), beer, water and bread, total bill €117.50.
Ian had already said that he would take us out for a true date birthday meal tonight, so we shall hope for a bit more success and are having another day in, for me to deal with my bag of origami crisps.
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Post by cariad23 on Sept 17, 2022 8:23:12 GMT
i had that seafood pasta at s&p well we had a starter and the pasta between us and that was plenty, we just cant manage huge meals. i had that lamb dish you had at ratatouille gorgeous. i love that cake shop at bus stop 18 bought cake most days that we has after evening meal or lunchtime. we are not usually cake eaters especially my husband hes now hooked on baklava. Has veras son and wife been to skiathos before ? are they enjoying it.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 17, 2022 9:27:21 GMT
Is anybody (other than diabetics) not hooked on baklava? I remember when I used to be an unhappy married man, baklava was one small blessing! Ian and Les first time in Skiathos and we do hope they are enjoying it. Vera’s son in law doesn’t want to be on holiday with geriatrics so we worry that Ian and Les might not enjoy, but they seem to be - we are keeping clear of them more often than not and they seem to enjoy finding their own way around and occasionally joining us. We have certainly loved being with them whenever.
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Post by yorkshiremouth on Sept 17, 2022 13:13:31 GMT
Far, far too rich for me.
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Post by cariad23 on Sept 17, 2022 16:06:24 GMT
the secret is to only eat small piece, galaktoboureko (custard cake) my absolute favourite
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Post by dennisn on Sept 20, 2022 7:24:00 GMT
Saturday, my actual birthday, and Ian and Lesley arrived with a bag full of cards, Mavrodaphne and three-pack of ready salted (they know i only eat ready salted back home and I don’t think they have heard of origami). I ended up having burger and small chips from the bar instead of crisps.
Evening meal was Ian’s treat and we went to town aiming at George Grill again for their mixed grill. I knew the way from BS4 so I led them along a perfectly horrendous route of rough streets with so many fish bone cobbles and steep steps that Vera really struggled, as did i, but being liable i was not entitled to sympathy or assistance. Ian and Lesley coped easily. Lovely food again, but I chose a lamb dish rather than face the faint embarrassment of having my meat cut up for me. Lesley had the same as lamb is her favourite, whilst Vera and Ian went with the mixed grill for two again. Ian paid the bill so I don’t know how much, but less than €100 including a litre of house white.
Sunday was first jeep day so we walked up the road to join Ian at the jeep shop, then off and away. Fuel at BS19 fuel shop, to Koukounaries then off into the wild along the coast. Lesley is as bad with mountain tracks and precipices as she is with waves on the sea, so she struggled a bit. We set off with me in front passenger seat, Lesley and Vera in the back, but when we arrived at Asselinos, it was obviously too bad for Vera’s knee getting in and out, so i swapped places with her. At asselinos, they were still recovering from Jasteri wedding day celebrations, so we waited half an hour for admittance for drinks only. Ian had Nescafé with milk, Lesley capucino with milk, Vera a white frappé and I thought my command of Greek ordered another Nescafé with milk, but it was a Greek coffee, y’know, the ones in the bottom half inch of a thimble, black as sin, with sugar to stand a spoon up if it doesn’t already from the raw coffee. I was too clever to admit the error, so i had the taste in my mouth until we got to Ligaries! Where we had a lovely (but large) lunch. After which we walked over to the beach for Ian to have a swim - with some difficulty, on the northern side of the island with quite a chop to the sea. We returned via our usual route, up to the tarmac road then off by OLive Thea and down into Ayia Paraskevi valley and so back to Troulos.
Taking advantage of the jeep, we drove into town for evening meal, with Ian and Lesley having been recommended to try (amongst many others) Lo & La. Parked at BS4 and followed Ian’s guidance instead of mine. Which fortunately led us past a tops shop, because we needed two tops for Monday. After a large lunch Ian, Vera and I had sea bass, Lesley lamb with no tzatziki. I swear that’s the best sea bass I’ve ever had in a restaurant, the others wholeheartedly agreed.
Monday the tops both proved to be wrong, so Vera wore something else. First stop the car park to join (the edge of) the normal group of viewers to see the departure of town flights - they got sand blasted and blown close to the sea, but we were too smart. And then on to Xanemos, where Ian declined the opportunity to attempt swimming in the lively sea. Wise choice. And so onwards round the mountain tracks to Kalivia and the monastery, where we had a lovely tranquil wander around. Then onwards and upwards to Platanos for lunch. Three of us had the Platanos omelette, really delicious and Ian the moussaka. Sorry again, I can’t remember the price, because Vera insisted it was her treat. Back in Troulos, we split up to go our separate ways for pool time. Vera and I ate at Jasteri, where we were first in as usual, to be greeted by the new groom who came to give us both the traditional wedding gift to guests, two delightful parcels of sweeties, beautifully wrapped. He apologised for the missing Friday reservation - his caterers had fallen short of coping with 150 guests, so they did it in Jasteri. Looking round as he restaurant filled up, we couldn’t see any other guests being given the parcels, so we felt special. Just time after the meal to grab a (very packed) bus to town to cure the tops problem by buying a dress instead. And a new purse.
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Post by kevb on Sept 20, 2022 8:58:57 GMT
Making the most of the jeep Dennis, think you have done more of the island than I did in 4 days! We were to-ing and fro-ing whether to go to Platanos for a meal or Panorama but we decided on Panorama in the end and it turned out to be one of the best meals of the holiday.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 20, 2022 11:47:05 GMT
Kev, it’s like I always say, there’s a lot of chance about favourites here. By chance go somewhere and have a good meal, it’s what FB-ers call their “fave”. But that’s how we fell in love with Platanos - I drove into Panorama, but it was belting down with rain and the car park was a mud bath, so I pulled out again and went on to find Platanos which we now visit every holiday. It’s probably how they discovered Australia and Yorkshire.
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Post by kevb on Sept 20, 2022 12:46:52 GMT
I just dropped my lot off at the entrance to Panorama and then parked at the side of the road turning the jeep round so we were pointing back up the hill where we came from. Didn't like the look of going down the hill past Panorama in the dark so we went back the way we had come even though it's a long way round. I would probably have been OK in daylight though. I only tried engaging 4 wheel drive once, when we left the parking area at Kechria but I think it would have made it without.
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Post by dennisn on Sept 20, 2022 13:45:18 GMT
Kechria road was quite thrilling when it was unsurfaced, the new concrete surface was laid by Kostas, Villa Maria’s husband and it’s still worth 4WD (the crawl I drive at). We got an impressive wheelspin when Ian went up a hill in the area without 4WD, but he drives rather quicker than I do (he’s sort of squeaky bum speeds everywhere including the mountain tracks - as a very bad passenger, I’m on the brakes and grab handles most of the time). We only hired for two days, so it’s back to suicidal buses for the rest of our time here.
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