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Post by dennisn on Jun 30, 2015 18:13:50 GMT
Tuesday 30th June. Today was our second (and last) day with the Jimny. But to start the day, we made our usual visit for an early morning swim on Troulos beach. The sea was the calmest we've had all holiday, barely a ripple of sea touching the sand. I need hardly mention that I got in at the same moment as Vera - either I'm getting tougher, or the water is warmer, or I'm just plain stupid.
We toddled off to have a look at the airport from the Idiot's Lookout Point - where they stand to get blasted by takeoff throwback. We drove up to Xanemos beach, but it's not to our liking, so we turned round. We do so like the tomato fields there - three stages of plants today, very small newbies, medium not yet in flower and almost ready with small to medium tomatoes still green. The 10am flight (from Venice ?) had long since landed and was loading to depart. It waited whilst a Thomas Cook flight came in - I think it was a foreign based one, because it was in different livery and I hadn't seen it on the scheduled arrivals list.
Then off up the back road hill, past Panorama Taverna. We didn't stop there last September and again drove past today, heading for the place which offered us refuge in the storm last September, Platanos Taverna. This time in the absence of torrential rain, we were able to sit on the outside balcony for uninterrupted views down to Skiathos town. We had a tzatsiki, followed by a Platanos Toast each, very tasty. Vera had a frappé, whilst the driver had a peach juice. €19.50.
We idled back towards Troulos, following a right turn signposted Olive Thea, but didn't follow to the restaurant. Instead we carried on along the road where in last September's rains I had chosen discretion rather than bravado and turned back. This time, the road appeared to have been recently re-graded and was in quite good nick for a Skiathos track. It brought us back to Ayia Paraskevi, past Elizabeth studios where Vera had stayed many years ago with her daughter and son-in-law, long before the current explosion of accommodation and tourist infrastructure was formed.
We drove past our place in Troulos and on to Asselinos beach, just to pass a little more time. We didn't stay, because the puddle we parked in last year had disappeared. Arriving back at Villa Maria, we had a covering of raindrops on the windscreen. Bearing in mind Angela's recommendation for swimming in the rain, we got our cozzies on and went out to be greeted by glorious sunshine. Angela's daughter Stamatia was fuming - she too had donned her bikini for a rainy swim and now went in to sulk!
When we came in to change for our meal out, the rain started, but it had long been clouded over and the temperature had dropped, so Stamatia was not going out again.
We ate at Ratatouille, just a few yards up the road, fortunately but we wore our pacamacs to get there nevertheless. Tzatsiki, chicken souvlaki, chicken a la creme, 1.5 litre water and an Amstel. €27.50. Complimentary tiny choc ices on sticks. Both chicken dishes beautifully cooked, moist and tasty, not dry cardboard as can happen in some places.
Today the dashcam had a mind of its own, on and off to its own program, so whether I have any useful stuff for any more video remains to be seen.
Over the two days, we drove a total of 80km (50 miles) and the 15 Euros of petrol (8.75 litres) was not completely used up.
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Post by dennisn on Jul 1, 2015 7:45:29 GMT
Just a couple of small additions to yesterday's report. First, we met the goat/chicken/veg/grill man as we went down to the beach. Chatting (in Greek which he understands, Vera doesn't and I ), he revealed that he had just finished the milking. So now he is goat/chicken/veg/grill/milk man! Regular readers will know that I fantasise about meeting Goldie Hawn here some day - I won't bother her by speaking, of course, just admire from afar. I fear I may have missed my chance again this June, because yesterday at the airport I snapped a picture of this light aircraft taking off. Dunno if it was her, but the registration looks a bit likely.
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Post by amy114 on Jul 1, 2015 18:49:45 GMT
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Post by dennisn on Jul 1, 2015 19:39:10 GMT
Thanks Amy, I had already read that, before we came - coz I'm a geek, innit?
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Post by amy114 on Jul 1, 2015 19:45:18 GMT
Old news is no news eh Dennis! :-)
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Post by dennisn on Jul 2, 2015 7:38:43 GMT
Not at all, Amy. It was kind of you to post that link - just think if I hadn't already seen it what I would have missed.
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Post by dennisn on Jul 2, 2015 18:52:06 GMT
Thursday 2nd July Well, dear readers, our last two days are drawing to a close, very gently as we have just wound down and chilled (even elderlies chill). Yesterday morning, the sea was the best of the holiday, glassy calm. It at last produced a decent shoal of skittering fishes and one single fish about a foot long, surfing in and out to escape some monster of the deep - it jumped and flew over a distance of maybe 20 yards before it disappeared - maybe it escaped, maybe the monster got it. We were also treated to a show from a cormorant (which probably isn't, but that's the only identity I could come up with). It regularly dived for long periods, but was too far away for us to see if its fishing trips were fruitful (or fishful). Also yesterday was one of our quietest on the beach, even though the weather was great. We put that down to Wednesday big changeover day - leavers didn't have time to go down there and arrivals hadn't yet arrived. This morning it was a different story. Similar sea conditions, just slightly rippled/chopped and no fleeing fishes again. This time the cormorant was washing itself just like the birds in my pond's waterfall, ducking, shaking and flapping. We went down at a very leisurely pace and were half an hour later than usual. The magic towel brigade arrived in swarms, to practice the sunbed sciences. Curiously, we noticed that in the majority of cases, when a couple actually set up, it was the man who was directed in positioning his lady's bed - it takes ages! And his own bed was left hardly moved at all. Our winding down days were both made up of a trip into town, yesterday for a Gyros at our usual haunt, today the sandwich shop at Tries Hierarchies, both days followed by a stroll up onto the Bourtzi for a drink, to lounge with a drink and lord it over our kingdom, with our boats and ships and things coming and going. We saw Di's plane from Manchester arrive and waved from the new harbour, but we couldn't see if she waved back. A gentle bus back to Troulos for an afternoon swim then out for a meal. Last night at Salt and Pepper, €29 for kalamari and spare ribs and a beer. Tonight at Vareli where we pushed the boat out - tsatsiki, lamb kleftiko for both of us (Vera's recommendation after she had it there a few days ago, turned out to be truthful, both my plastic teeth sets and I DID enjoy it), water for Vera, beer for me, finished with a fruit salad topped with yoghurt for Vera, small icecream with cointreau for me. €39. We declined the offer of a free thingy or whatever, simply full to bursting, no room for even a small one! We have said our farewells to all our nice Greeks, tempered by adding that we'll be back here in 10 weeks, with big grins of anticipation. The referendum is on Sunday, Angela has been to get her hair done in readiness for it. We've told our Greek friends to get it all sorted before we come back, because we SHALL be back, and Greece will still be here and we shall still be in love with Skiathos. And hopefully, lots of people will go read the Web Cam Poll thread and will feel able to make a small pledge towards getting the webcam back up and running, for the benefit of all of us - old hands, newbies and yet to get theres. Dammit! I've packed away the mozzie machine and now we've got two, no, three in the room, going to bite us as a going away present. I've tried to squat them without success. Hah, got one. Trouble is, I can't sleep with them buzzing me - it wouldn't matter if they'd just bite my leg or arm and get on with it. But no, they've got to terrorise me by buzzing my ear. Grrrr!
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Post by Tre on Jul 2, 2015 19:13:38 GMT
Safe homeward journey Dennis. We're packed & ready for the off Can't promise to match your "diary input" but will endeavour to post. Here's to Skiathos 2015!
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Post by dennisn on Jul 2, 2015 19:30:12 GMT
I just got another, one to go. But I'm getting tired and Vera's getting fed up with me glaring and patrolling the room, so I'll call it a day and bury my head under the sheets.
Welcome in advance Tre, have a great time and make sure Sunday's referendum puts an end to the nonsense.
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Post by amy114 on Jul 2, 2015 19:30:18 GMT
Thanks Dennis, have enjoyed reading your diary. Have a safe journey home, hope there are no delays. Only 10 weeks to your next visit.... you will be back before you know it. :-)
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Post by dennisn on Jul 3, 2015 4:30:23 GMT
What a night - to plagiarise a title, a night of the long mosquitoes. They never stopped coming and it was very hot cowering under the sheets. Then when we thought we might have killed them all, our neighbours came out on their balcony to discuss in normal voice volume all the world's problems - we couldn't understand the words, but the sound only feet away was enough to keep us on guard for the next mosquito dive bomber. At half past midnight, just a few hours after our normal bedtime, we ended another mozzie battle and crept under the sheets again, only to be up again at 1:30 for more. Where do they come from? We haven't had a single one in the past fortnight, why now? (Answer, surely because I had unplugged the machine and dumped the virtually exhausted bottle of glop). Don't they ever sleep? How do they see in the dark? Actually I know the answer to that - the human body gives off a sort of mozzie attracting thing which floats out and about. Mozzies just zigzag along the improving trace until they hit the human.
we tossed and turned until 5:30, then blearily gave up and put the kettle and the light on. I immediately was able to kill half a dozen mozzies, even stepping on the bloated little monsters on the floor, they were so lethargic and bloated. Whilst it was satisfying for their patch of floor tile to turn red, it was dismaying to think our blood had provided the colourant.
What is the advantage of a nightmare like that? It means that tonight our own bed will cuddle us in for a luxurious sleep!
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Post by kelso on Jul 3, 2015 6:17:37 GMT
It's been great reading your posts Dennis and I look forward to reading more in ten weeks time. I hope that your airport experience and flight are pleasant. Bob
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Post by Tre on Jul 3, 2015 21:43:49 GMT
Hope you're home safely Dennis. We had a very good flight in with EnterAir.
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Post by dennisn on Jul 5, 2015 7:14:36 GMT
Just to tie this off....
Outside the airport, the Desires Taverna was still in business and this time we did rather better on the service front (it was slightly less busy than last September). Really, how the waiters cope I don't know.
They are beginning to use a little extra space on the apron, so there were three planes at a time. The fourth plane arrives and before it taxis back along the runway to enter the parking area, the next departure pulls out and down to the starting blocks and the 4th plane then runs back along the runway and pulls into the parking zone. That's just using a small bit of extra space. The apron extension has tarmac on it, but they're not using it yet - I hate to think of the checkin terminal congestion when they get more than three planes at a time, maybe they'll be improving terminal facilities?
Our incoming flight arrived on time and they called us to board well in advance of scheduled departure - we were onboard probably three quarters of an hour before takeoff, which made for a very good basis for getting away on time. BUT we had to wait for an incoming flight first. Thomson apparently had the majority of tourists murdered in Tunisia, so the whole company was joining the one minute silence at noon, UK time. Our captain intended to perform this whilst at the start point of takeoff, but with only two minutes to go, Skiathos instructed him to get off the runway and the cabin crew did the announcement only about one minute after takeoff.
Back at Birmingham our cases seemed to take ages coming off, so we left the airport just in time for the M42 rush hour variable speed cameras to take effect! I was immediately made to feel completely at home as we negotiated the exit roads out of the airport - I was seriously cut up by a black VW. Then at the roundabout to get onto M42, again, by a black Range Rover. Situation back to normal then, I HATE black cars! Of course, being a Friday, our journey down the M5 back to Bristol suffered from all the lemmings heading for Devon and Cornwall. So we eventually got home at 6:30pm. These actually are really good flight timings. But it would be lovely if Thomson started flying to Skiathos from Bristol airport, 20 minutes away.
After our nightmare pre-flight night, Vera was swelling seriously from bites all over. But lumpy things, not mosquitoes, so the mosquito glop didn't do anything for her. I had absolutely nothing, but she began to feel quite bad. Why does it always happen to her? Maybe being a diabetic makes her blood so much more attractive? No idea what they were, a histamine tablet at home started to improve her, but she's going to have to suffer for a little time yet.
Lost another fish. My neighbour said it had got itself stuck and turned upside down. He got it out and put it in a plastic bag for me to see in one of my compost bins and I wish he hadn't - it was crawling and the smell was about the worst I have ever experienced! One of my gooseberry bushes had such a heavy load of fruit, a branch broke off just before we got home - it was all still green, so I picked them and got pounds and pounds of them, big, fat and so tasty. It's not a bush, but a standard variety - upright trunk about three feet then it branches out. The lost branch is about a third of it and I shall have to pick the rest today, together with all the other same variety plant. The big cucumber didn't survive our absence and the screaming heat, so we only have the small one left. The tomatoes are only just beginning to ripen and the fig tree is well laden, but quite some time away from ripe.
And so, I've just amended my signature to get us back on track with a ticker for our first booking next year and chosen our seats for this September's flights. All, we need now is for loads of people to go make pledges for the webcam PLEASE.
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Post by kelso on Jul 5, 2015 7:42:34 GMT
Another great read Dennis. I can't wait for September. I hope that Vera soon recovers from her bites. Bob
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