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Post by katet on Apr 9, 2024 12:57:30 GMT
Well, this strange 🤔. I was sure that I started this thread yesterday but now it’s vanished into thin air. Perhaps I forgot to actually press the button at the bottom … quite probable, actually! Anyway, hello forum friends 🇬🇷 … 3 weeks on Friday will be here in a flash, I suspect. (Plus I’ve a five-day art trip to Crete to contend with just beforehand, so am trying to get organised now.)
I’ve just checked in online and booked airport parking and the hotel has confirmed that I can add my friend to the room booking - for a small fee, of course. I was a bit concerned that I was going to have to smuggle her in under cover of darkness, but that excitement won’t now be necessary!
A friend sent me a short video of last year’s celebrations. I’m not really sure what to expect, but it’s very exciting. Just hope we don’t take this awful weather with us!
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Pascha
Apr 9, 2024 16:26:06 GMT
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katet likes this
Post by yorkshiremouth on Apr 9, 2024 16:26:06 GMT
The weather looks almost perfect at the moment.
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Post by katet on Apr 9, 2024 21:05:59 GMT
It does YM … but we’ll go prepared. It looks as though the island will be ready for the influx this year, though not sure about the beaches.
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Post by katet on May 3, 2024 2:24:55 GMT
Today’s the day … will be on my way in half an hour 💙🇬🇷💙
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Pascha
May 4, 2024 10:36:31 GMT
Post by yorkshiremouth on May 4, 2024 10:36:31 GMT
Today’s the day … will be on my way in half an hour 💙🇬🇷💙 Hope you've arrived and settled in okay.
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Post by katet on May 9, 2024 12:02:52 GMT
Apologies - just been a little busy over here, especially last weekend. I’ve hardly been in the room apart from to sleep, so yes … it’s been a great holiday.
Will catch up at the weekend from home 😊
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Post by katet on May 10, 2024 7:13:46 GMT
Whenever I get home, that is! A 24 hour delay announced by Jet2 so am waiting to see what they will do with us. Fortunately I’d booked this week as a package, which I don’t usually do.
Oh well ~ Stranded in Skiathos could be the title of my first novel!!!! 😁🇬🇷
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Pascha
May 10, 2024 9:13:19 GMT
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Post by kevb on May 10, 2024 9:13:19 GMT
I guess if whoever was booked into your room next can't actually get there then maybe they just let you stay and the turnround moves on a day or will you be obliged to be relocated for the extra night?
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Pascha
May 11, 2024 6:08:04 GMT
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Post by kevb on May 11, 2024 6:08:04 GMT
Looking much better weather there this morning so I guess you will finally be on your way. Safe journey home Kate.
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Post by katet on May 14, 2024 9:44:51 GMT
Yes, Saturday dawned clear and sunny and I arrived back, safe and sound and just 24 hours late - no problem for me at all as I got to have two ‘last nights’ with my friends! I phoned Manchester airport as I’d booked the meet and greet parking and they charge extra unless you tell them, so all was well. It was a bonus to get home to lovely sunshine too!
The only slight negative is that I developed a really heavy cough & cold over there and haven’t felt that great. I lost my voice totally at one point and it still sounds weird now! I’ve been really shattered since arriving home and slept a lot. (I even did a Covid test, just in case).
I feel brighter today and am just off for a haircut and then tackle the unpacking when I get home! I’ll probably just leave the case out as will be off again in four weeks 😎. There’s lots to write about Pascha week, so need a good hour or so to sit down and get my thoughts in order.
To be continued ….
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Pascha
May 15, 2024 12:20:14 GMT
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Post by yorkshiremouth on May 15, 2024 12:20:14 GMT
Yes, Saturday dawned clear and sunny and I arrived back, safe and sound and just 24 hours late - no problem for me at all as I got to have two ‘last nights’ with my friends! I phoned Manchester airport as I’d booked the meet and greet parking and they charge extra unless you tell them, so all was well. It was a bonus to get home to lovely sunshine too! The only slight negative is that I developed a really heavy cough & cold over there and haven’t felt that great. I lost my voice totally at one point and it still sounds weird now! I’ve been really shattered since arriving home and slept a lot. (I even did a Covid test, just in case). I feel brighter today and am just off for a haircut and then tackle the unpacking when I get home! I’ll probably just leave the case out as will be off again in four weeks 😎. There’s lots to write about Pascha week, so need a good hour or so to sit down and get my thoughts in order. To be continued …. I look forward to it.
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Post by dennisn on May 15, 2024 16:57:24 GMT
Yes, Saturday dawned clear and sunny and I arrived back, safe and sound and just 24 hours late - no problem for me at all as I got to have two ‘last nights’ with my friends! I phoned Manchester airport as I’d booked the meet and greet parking and they charge extra unless you tell them, so all was well. It was a bonus to get home to lovely sunshine too! The only slight negative is that I developed a really heavy cough & cold over there and haven’t felt that great. I lost my voice totally at one point and it still sounds weird now! I’ve been really shattered since arriving home and slept a lot. (I even did a Covid test, just in case). I feel brighter today and am just off for a haircut and then tackle the unpacking when I get home! I’ll probably just leave the case out as will be off again in four weeks 😎. There’s lots to write about Pascha week, so need a good hour or so to sit down and get my thoughts in order. To be continued …. I look forward to it. So do I.
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Post by katet on May 23, 2024 21:53:29 GMT
Well, that didn’t go to plan. Have had a resurrection of the virus (or whatever it was) and felt quite ill this past week so haven’t felt like doing much more than the bare essentials. Sorry about the delay - hope my memory hasn’t taken a hit too!!
Cath and I arrived at the Alkyon after a straightforward trip withJet2 and she was very impressed by the hotel and the lovely front sea view room I’d booked for my birthday treat. We were on the ground floor, just past reception, and the beds had been made up as twins, as I’d requested. There was even a kettle in the room! Though no mugs, spoons or anything else remotely useful for drink-making. Oh well!
We dropped our bags off and headed for a walk round the new & old ports, with a couple of refreshment stops (7Sins and SeaU) where we met up with some of my friends. It was lovely and sunny, but quite breezy. I showed Cath where Papadiamantis Street is (many shops and bars were closed with it being Good Friday) and then we walked round to the Bourtzi and down to the rocks to show her where we had sprinkled some of Paul’s ashes. Back to the hotel to unpack, after stopping to buy mugs, water and milk for a much-needed cuppa.
That night we were tired so had a walk along club strip and back for dinner at Liminaki, which was ok but I won’t rush back there. We had been invited to join the 4am Holy Saturday walk later on but had been up since 3am on Friday so decided to get a good nights sleep, which we gratefully did.
Saturday 4th: After a hearty breakfast on the lovely roof terrace we headed out to Koukounaries on the bus, which is now 3 euros each from 0-26 (2 euros from 0-16). There were no sun beds on the whole of the beach - which looked amazing - although the Elivi had some piled up and they were out at their end on the Monday when we went back. The weather was lovely, though breezy again, and we spent an hour sitting on the gorgeous sand. I (along with many others) aren’t keen on Koukounaries beach when it’s busy but it certainly is beautiful out of season. Cath was extremely impressed and said that it’s one of the nicest beaches she’s been on - which made me v happy as she’s been quite a traveller in younger days. Afterwards we walked along the beach to the bridge and then through the nature reserve, which was very overgrown and made us hope there were no snakes hiding there! There were masses of beautiful wild flowers, though, so it took us a while as we kept stopping to take photos of them. We crossed over by bus stop 23 and took the path behind the Caravos/Captain’s complex and through the forest to Mandraki Elias. It’s a beautiful walk and so much easier when it’s a little cooler. I was shocked to see a huge landslide to the left of the path, just before Mandraki. It had been caused by Storm Daniel, last September, and has created a huge ravine and brought lots of trees down. We arrived at the beautiful deserted beach to find the taverna was still being prepared/painted and then it rained quite heavily for a short time. Never mind - we’d bought a pastry and bottles of water from the First Supermarket so that was lunch. After the rain shower we headed back through the forest into Koukounaries and a beer and lovely welcome at the Agustera. For those of you who know it just the left hand half was open as a big spring clean was in progress, in readiness for the season and I was lucky to see the whole family ~ Efi, Dino, the twins, Maverick and the two Sofias - all looking well and happy. Because of the buses being only half hourly it meant that we had to have two drinks instead of one, before heading back to the hotel. That evening we went out a little later and had a stroll along Pap Street, inspecting the tempting jewellery, clothes, bags etc on offer. We were strong though and resisted temptation as we thought we deserved a cocktail or two instead after all the hiking we’d done. We stopped at Three Heirarches church first though to buy our candles for the Pasing of the Light service later on, then decided on Venue for cocktails as it had started to rain again and it was closest to the action later. Nice cocktails and the same lovely, smiley waitress as the past couple of years. We ate at Lo&La and it was a s tasty as ever - with the same great service as usual. It has been redecorated this year with a lemon theme, which looks very fresh. Cath had shrimp linguine (which she said was delicious) and I had Penne Lorenzo (ham, cream and cheese) which was very tasty indeed. Each of the mains was under 15 euro, plus a glass of wine each, making the bill around 40 euros plus a tip. We walked down to the church square in time to see the Holy Light procession arrive, accompanied by dignitaries and a brass band dressed in all white. It was still rainy so we walked along to Seagull to have another glass of rose and wait until it was time to go into the Church, about half an hour before midnight.
I had been advised (by a good and very wise friend) to go upstairs to the balcony if there was room, which there was. The singing of the priests was extremely moving and, as expected, the body of the Church was packed. Just before midnight the lights were switched off and the Church was in total darkness apart from the one small flame in the lantern which had travelled from Jerusalem to Athens and then on to Skiathos. One by one, the priests went forwards to light their candles and then the light spread through the whole Church, then outside to the waiting hundreds of people. It was a spine-tingling and very special experience - only marred a little by the fact that it was so wet & windy that our candles kept going out! (Or perhaps it’s because we weren’t of the Faith?!). What a memorable evening it was. I’m very happy that I was able to experience it first-hand. We walked back to the old port for the fireworks, which were mostly a few young boys flinging fire crackers around (and I believe a fishing boat became a casualty!) so we decided to call it a night and head back to base.
Sunday: My birthday, so Cath made the morning tea and after another hearty rooftop breakfast we had a walk through town and a lovely beach day at Siferi, with lunch at Cafe del Mar followed by birthday dinner at Basilikos (tender lamb in the oven with roast potatoes for us both). It was lovely, although my first two choices of the Final Step or Paraxenos weren’t yet open. We had a nightcap at Seagull, then back to the hotel.
Monday: Early-ish bus to Koukounaries for the St George’s Day traditional horse race by the lake - which was delayed until the afternoon - leaving enough time for a few hours on the beach (where it was quite hot so I bravely had a dip in the freezing sea!) Then back to town for shopping and out to the new Vesuvio in AP for dinner with friends; 9 of us altogether and a great evening. Pasta again for me, plus my favourite mastiha to finish!! Was starting to feel a bit rough from the virus but the alcohol helped! 😄
Tuesday: We were up early as Cath was going home. We walked up to the clocktower so she could see the lovely views, then we had breakfast at Meltemi brunch cafe for a change and managed to fit in a walk round Plakes before catching a bus to the airport. I was sad to wave Cath off, but have a feeling she’ll be back. I went for lunch at Milos, and as usual met several people that I previously only know through fb groups. Met friends for cocktails at Spira, which has recently re-opened, followed by dinner at Helinikon (what a lovely welcome). I had pastitsio accompanied by a glass of delicious rosé blush - which I’ve not often seen in Skiathos. I enjoy wine, but am finding as I get older that the sulphites (I think) give me a terrible headache. Spirits are fine, which leads me to think it’s sulphites.
Wednesday: I caught a bus at half ten to stop no 25 and walked up the hill & down again to Agia Eleni for a lovely beach day. I was delighted to find my first-ever Skiathos pearls, after many beach wanders over the years. I had coffee with some chatty ladies from Yorkshire and a little later some of my friends arrived so we had long, late lunch after which I had a lift to the bus stop on the back of a motorbike, thus avoiding the up & down walk - result! I had started to feel poorly again, so had some paracetamol and a nap when I got back to the hotel. The sleep did the trick, luckily, and I managed to get to the Blind Dog later to meet up with friends I’d not managed to see yet and then on to Totem, which was really good as a couple of the ‘old’ band members are back this year, thank goodness. However all the talking in a noisy environment led to a totally lost voice! I walked back to the Alkyon with a lovely couple I’d met that evening and was in by 2.30.
Thursday: A fairly quiet last day round town (especially as I still had no voice!) - I went to one of the pharmacies for something to soothe my very painful throat and was given the most disgusting medicine I’ve ever tasted - though it was very effective. For my last dinner 5 of us went to Paraxenos, where the welcome was warm and the food lovely. I had mushroom soup & sea bass on a fava bean purée, both very easy to swallow and delicious. An early night for me, as I still had some packing to finish.
Friday: Well, the weather gods have got it in for me - woke to lashing rain and strong winds and a 24 hr flight delay! There’s something about me and the weather. After hanging around for a while I was told that I could stay in the room. There were no Jet2 flights coming in, though TUI managed to land a couple of their planes. The weather was poor, so I had a fairly quiet day with a walk round town when the rain lessened in the afternoon. That evening I enjoyed another last dinner! We went for drinks at the Old Port House & ate at Mouria, where I had a lovely chicken fillet in a spicy curry sauce and we were given complimentary puddings to share - delicious and rather large! We ended the evening with a hot chocolate at Gerani, which had only just opened for the summer. A perfect way to finish!
Saturday: It was, thankfully, sunny & bright so I checked out (again!) and my friends gave me a lift to the airport, which was very quiet. The upstairs cafe wasn’t serving so I bought tea and a cheese pie from the one downstairs and sat upstairs to wait in more comfort than the departure area. I was the only one there for a while - until Sarah Moore & family came to join me! (For those who don’t watch tv Sarah made a Channel 4 series about renovating a cottage in Plakes and she’s also got a series about recycling). There were no further delays, thank goodness, and I arrived home at tea time (stopping off for a chippy tea as I was absolutely starving!)
Sorry this is all at once and rather lengthy. I’m a bit of a blatherer! As I said, I’ve felt pretty ropey since getting back but in the past couple of days seem to have shaken the virus off. I’ve stopped coughing now and the aches have gone away.
It’s serious countdown to the next one now 17 days ….. ooops!
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Post by balddave on May 24, 2024 5:12:01 GMT
Fabulous kate, thank you. We fly out on Wednesday , a relief to be going as Sue has been very poorly and in and out of hospital over the past few months, only made the decision to go last weekend.
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Pascha
May 24, 2024 5:53:45 GMT
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Post by kevb on May 24, 2024 5:53:45 GMT
Great stuff Kate. I'd got to the point where I was ready for a break from Skiathos (heresy I know but I've skipped some years in the past) but your posts have made me look forward even more to my next visit. Hope you manage to stay well throughout your next trip.
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