Oh it's THAT kind of party - and That's all folks!

Well the days have carried on being a mixture of dancing, aquafit and lazing on one beach or another and the nights have been spent on my balcony reading yet another book on my kindle (approx. 40 at last count!) or meeting up with friends.  There was another ouzo meze night last week where we had some wonderful food including mussels, prawns, sardines, salads, various dips, artichokes and many more dishes, all washed down with the local brew, Tsipouro.  All this for 15 euro per head....no, eating out in Greece is not expensive!
It was a fun night, for some of us, at Milia Bay last weekend at one of the many music nights on the island.  One of the guys at the table apparently got major cramp in his lower leg so his lady was kneeling down rubbing his leg.  Unfortunately all we could see at the other end of the table was Mark leaning back in his chair with his hands behind his head pulling all kinds of faces while Lizzie's head appeared to be bobbing up and down in his lap!!!!  Well, as you can imagine, I got the helpless giggles, along with Netty & Lynne who I'd alerted to the scene at the other end of the table by nudging them and pointing out that I didn't realise it was going to be THAT kind of party.  We were soon crying with laughter while poor Mark & Lizzie were completely oblivious to the fact that they were the source of our amusement...sorry guys!
There was a fire in Panselinos on Friday afternoon (where I go dancing). Luckily no-one was hurt but there has been a lot of smoke damage so a big clean up operation was going on over the weekend.  Greeks and non Greeks alike all mucked in to clean floors, ceiling and glasses and hopefully things will get back to normal pretty quickly.
It's nearly the end of my summer in Alonissos and I am going to miss it so much.  I have had and am still having a great time.  My skin is perfect, although I think I need a new liver so perhaps one out weighs the other!  I'm off to an Art exhibition tonight and then planning a day on the beach tomorrow.  I'll be hosting the quiz on Weds...eek! A trip to Skopelos is on the agenda for Thursday and the Paul comes over on Friday to spend my final two weeks with me.  He's already got a BBQ and pool party to come to on Sunday and a couple of people to meet up with on Saturday night...no rest just yet! 
So, this has been my last blog. I hope you've enjoyed reading about my summer as much as I've enjoyed actually living it.  Thank you to everyone on Alonissos for making me feel so welcome and for all the invites to parties, nights out, days out etc but most of all, THANK YOU to my husband for letting me pursue my dream while he slaved away at work and looked after everything at home.
I have absolutely no regrets about stepping away from my job and would say to anyone out there, if you've got a dream then stop dreaming and go for it ....what's the worst that can happen? 

Yammas! (cheers)

Quiet....ish!

So, following my hectic week I've managed to slow the pace down .... a little anyway!  That's not to say the past 2 weeks have been without incident!! 

There is an amazing 'spit' of land at the other end of the island to Patitiri called 'Agios Dimitrios'.  It has stunning views from the beach and I have been meaning to visit all summer!  There is a bus that has been making the 40 minute journey twice a week so I hopped aboard on Sun last and soon wished I hadn't!!!  The bus was far too big for the 90 degree hairpin bends that had sheer drops each side.  One particular bend was just too much and we had to stop on the edge of the bend.  The driver put the bus in reverse and forward it went,,,to large intakes of breath from all the passengers (especially me as I was in the front seat!).  After another attempt at reverse in which it went forward again, a couple of girls asked to get off the bus so the doors were duly opened and off they got....quickly followed by the rest of us!!!!  Poor bus driver, if that thing was going over the edge then he was the only one going with it.  He finally managed to get it in reverse and back onto the safety of the tarmac to a round of applause from his cowardly passengers.




               Agios Dimitrios





It obviously wasn't my week with regard to buses as on Thurs the same week we waited and waited for the bus to pick everyone up from Leftos Yialos until eventually 2 cars pulled up.  It transpired that the bus had broken down and they had sent the cars to ferry us to another bus that was waiting half way back to Patitiri.  Why they didn't just send that bus I will never know...Greek male logic for you!!!
Karen invited me to a BBQ on the roof on Saturday night where a couple of local bouzouki players were going to entertain us.  I purposely didn't eat much that day as I had seen the kind of spread that Karen lays on.....the party started, ie the drinking, at 8.30 but men being men, the bbq wasn't fired up until 9.30 and wasn't ready to be cooked on until 10pm.   We finally got fed around 10.30 by which time I was starving hungry and half cut!!  It was a lovely evening though and I got to bed around 2am!  Tuesday night the same muscians played a the Black Cat in Patitiri so I popped along to listen for an hour or two.
The island is very busy apparently although I don't think it is that bad.  Although you can still get a table in the taverna's in Patitiri without too much trouble there is not a car or moped to be had for hire!! The poor people who have arrived without booking ahead are having to use the local bus or horror of horrors, walk everywhere....just like me!!
So, it's now 4 1/2 weeks until I leave the island for the UK.  I am making the most of the sunshine and will carry on enjoying the island until I leave.  It's quiz night tonight and will be my last as a participant as I will be hosting the next one!  That's it for now....if I get my pics button to work I'll update the post at a later date. Until next time x

All wined out!

Wow, what a week....I'm absolutely shattered having spent far too many late nights out drinking too much wine....so much so that I went to bed at 10pm last night!!!  Sunday had been that wonderful trip out on the boat so Monday was a day on the beach, Tuesday the same group from the boat went to Leftos Yialos to a taverna called Elionas to watch Akis and Yorgos play.  We had a great time and managed to get home around 1am.


me and the ladies at Elionas

Wednesday was Quiz Night so I walked over to the taverna at Roussoum beach and our team came in second, only 1.5 points behind the winners...pah! There is one more quiz and then it is my turn to host the one I have written!!  After the quiz (and half a litre of wine) I went to the Black Cat to hear Akis play but it was pretty empty so I gave it a miss.  Unfortunately I bumped into Nikki which led to a couple more glasses of wine and another late night!  I also managed to frighten the life out of Paul as he got a rather sloshed phone call which inferred I wanted to stay for winter and that I wouldn't be coming back with him in Sept! I assured him via email the next morning that I would be coming back and that it was just the wine talking.  I had a night off the wine on Thursday and then it was THE festival.  Panagia is the festival of the Assumption of Mary and there is a re-creation of a traditional wedding, lots of dancing and free wedding sweets, ouzo and wine along with goat spaghetti cooked in huge stainless steel vats over charcoal fires.  It seemed as though every tourist on the island, along with most of the locals, turned up for this event and there were huge swathes of people following the procession of the wedding party.

Panagia crowd

The Wedding Party





Once the 'wedding' had finished it was back to Panselinos taverna for dancing, food and wine and more wine and a bit more wine for luck!!  I went to catch the bus at midnight but the queues were ridiculous to I decided to walk home.  I went via the donkey track (very dark and very slippery with the cobbles) which was obviously not the best way but that's what happens when there is wine involved! Luckily I ended up sharing the flashlight of a lovely young couple from Athens and we chatted all the way back (45 mins walk).  There were hugs and kisses all round on our return to Patitiri and I staggered to bed at around 1am...again!

Saturday was another music night at Milia Bay and by this time I couldn't face any more wine so I smuggled in some vodka disguised as orange squash and just added Sprite.....much better! Yesterday there was a crowd of us invited to a BBQ at a lovely house near Leftos Yialos so I spent the day by and in a pool, eating lovely food, chatting to lots of people and drinking the odd glass of wine.  I managed to slope off around 7pm with Dave and Gerry and by 10pm I couldn't keep my eyes open any longer and went to bed! 

 

Gorgeous place for a BBQ

So that was my week, I'm attempting to stay in and off the wine, although Karen is back from Bulgaria tomorrow so god help me!! At this rate I'm going to need a full detox and another holiday to get over this one!

 

 
 

 

 





Unexpected pleasures

Over the past couple of weeks I've been out and about to various music events and have discovered a great taverna with fantastic views.  It's rather off the beaten track but well worth finding for the view alone. 

As you can see by the next photo, the people I have met are as daft as me which is probably why we get on!  This was an attempt at getting a nice photo of me during the evening.....I got photo bombed by Dave!!!!

 

A couple of days after this beautiful clear day we had an almighty storm which caused a rather interesting cascade of water down the steps across from my studio ... anyone got a canoe??

 

 

 

I went out with the same group the other night and was invited to join a few of them on a Caique (pronounced kyeekee) that a couple of them owned, Chris & Kate.  I gratefully accepted, thank you Kate)  and we had a fantastic day on the boat travelling up the coast to a little bay for a swim. I was very proud of myself as I was persuaded to swim from the boat in deep water, which I have always been afraid of (and no, I hadn't had a drink at this point!). We then sailed on to a village called Kalamakia for lunch and then back up the coast stopping along the way for more swimming....a gorgeous day and totally out of the blue.  I'm not sure life gets much better than this:)

 

Kalamakia bay

 

 

 

Alonissos has got Talent!

Last Tuesday saw the first ever evening showcasing the talented people of Alonissos.  There were some fabulous acts including Dave playing classical guitar and Anthony on ukulele:

 

Dave on classical guitar

Anthony on ukulele

 

As well as various other singers, dancers, comedy sketches, plays and poems...conducted in both English and Greek.

Netty & Annie 'There's a hole in my bucket dear Liza, dear Liza'

A greek (and English) tragedy !



The 'Illusion' Dance

Chester & Stelios














Everyone had a great time and money was raised for the local GITs (Greek Island Thespians).  It was a first time performance in front of a crowd for a lot of the performers so a lot of wine was consumed, both by the audience and the actors!!!
Well done to all.

Good things and Bad things!

Last week was a mixture of good things (2 celebrations) and bad...(a black eye!)
First the bad. I'd been to Helios Bar at the top of the hill from my studio


view from Helios Bar



and had enjoyed a meal that was rather large so I had plenty left over for one of the cats that lives around there.  It hopped up onto a low table and as I leant forward to shoo it off, it swiped at me and got me above and below my eye, ungrateful little bugger!  It bled like mad and the following day I had some interesting swelling and bruising.  With a view to staving off any infection I doused an eyeshadow applicator in boiling water and then in Vodka, which seemed to do the trick as the cuts never went nasty like most cat scratches do.  (see, I knew liking a drink would come in handy!!).


my black eye!

Now the good.....Friday night saw the procession of the icon of Agia Paraskevi  for the "name day" of the patron saint of the island. There was a full marching band, the priest and choirboys (or whatever the greek equivalent is) and lots of chanting and incense during the blessing of the icon.

In Greece, everyone celebrates the "Name Day" of the saint that bears the same name. They celebrate this day instead of their birthday.  Saturday was a night of celebration for Agia Paraskevi, it also happened to be a new friends "name day", so there was a table of 22 of us for a meal in our favourite taverna, Archipeligos. There was live greek music and professional dancers which included our dance instructor, Yorgos and Aubrey (previously mentioned as he bought me some lovely earrings for my birthday!).  I'm very glad that when I go to my dance classes that I don't have to get kitted out in what they have to wear for a performance!!

Aubrey in full greek dancing getup!

People from our table gradually started drifting away at around 1am but I met another group of people that I knew and I was grabbed to come and join them for another drink.  A few of us then joined in with the dancing and I eventually got to bed around 3am, which would have been all very well if I hadn't then woken up at what seems to be my usual time of 6.30!!!!  Sunday was spent quietly trying to recover but by 3pm my hangover was demanding something heavy in the food line so I went in search of a burger.  It came in the form of a burger with mushrooms, bacon & cheese and homemade chips....much better, although I'm definitely getting too old for this lark and will make sure I'm on the last bus back to Patitiri at 00:50 when the BIG celebration happens on August 15th for the Assumption of Mary, otherwise things might get slightly out of hand as there is music and dancing, goat spaghetti and free wine!!!!



An interesting man

Well it's back in the old routine since Paul left so I've been back to the dance classes and to aquafit, although lazing on the beach seems to be a big part of life at the moment!!  I've lost track of the amount of people who tell me I'm looking awfully red...think I'll get a T.Shirt printed that says 'Red?' on the front and 'Yes I know' on the back!                      I met an interesting man last week, Alexis (he is French & 85 years old before eyebrows start being raised!!) . I'd popped down to the Aloni Bar on the harbour front and in the space of 10 mins 5 or 6 people came by that I knew so they'd all stopped and we'd exchanged hello's etc, There was an older gent sat at the table next to me and he turned to me and said "do you know everyone on the island?" to which I laughed and said "No, it just feels like it sometimes" and we got chatting from there.  He told me the story of the abandoned hotel at the top of the ill overlooking the harbour, The Galaxy Hotel.  He used to be the manager there for 15 years until the 4 partners fell out over whether to sell or not.  None of them could agree so it was just abandoned and is still there today, complete with with glassware and cutlery etc filling it's cupboards....strange people!!  He was also the first Concierge at the New York Plaza hotel so has met many famous people including Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor and our Queen.  He left last Thursday and invited me to dine with him, which I did.  The subject of my pink skin came up...again, and the conversation went something like this. "Amanda you are very red, look at me, I am brown and I have only been here 1 week.  Yes, Alexis but you have olive skin, mine is very fair and damaged from eczema.  What do you use on your skin Amanda.  Factor 30 sunscreen.  No, you should try my recipe, I guarantee you will go brown.  What is that Alexis? Olive oil, lemon juice and water" . At which point I fell about laughing and said "Alexis, I would fry if I used that and would end up in the hospital with 3rd degree burns"  but he kept insisting it would be fine....but No, I'm not going to try it!

Paul has left the island :(

Well that's it, hubby has gone back home.   His second week seemed to fly by even though we slowed it down a bit and just had plenty of 'us' time.  He still visited lots of new places, came to aquafit at the Yalis pool where we stayed for the day.  Karen kindly took us to a beach that we couldn't get to on the local bus and we had an ouzo meze evening with 15 others which was a great chance for him to try lots of different things. We both went to Skiathos on Thursday and had a great night sipping champagne cocktails in the Rock 'n Roll bar (for those who know Skiathos) and then for the best pizza in town at Mary's which as well as having fantastic pizza, has an amazing mural covered restaurant depicting various fairy tale characters.

Mary's pizzeria

We ended the night in a very rowdy bar full of English holiday makers enjoying their last night....loudly!  Great fun though.  Friday morning was spent trying to find the fitflop shop!  Several of the ladies here had given me an order for new Fitflops and we spend a couple of hours going up and down Papiadiamantis street (the main street) looking for these blasted things.  After several texts and better directions we eventually found it and purchased 7 pairs of fitflops for the ladies.....hallelujah! What do people see in these things anyway??
Paul then waved me off back to Alonissos and I waved him off to his taxi for the flight home....sigh.

Blowing kisses from the harbour in Skiathos

So, back to life as a solo traveller.  I bumped into one of the musicians that plays at the beach nights and he invited me to one the next day so it was back to Milia bay for food, wine and music.  There was a full moon that night so the bay was lit up spectacularly by the end of the evening.


Moonlight across Mila Bay

Sunday was aqua at the Milia Bay hotel which led in turn to a rather boozy lunch with Netty and Theresa, a friend of Netty's who was staying with her. I had been lying in the sun for about half and hour when a lady who had been sitting on the opposite side of the pool came over to say how worried her and her friends were as I was looking very red....cheek!  I told her not to worry as I had been here 9 weeks now and this seems to be my new colour!!! Although actually now that the pink has calmed down, I have actually got what I call a tan! Best colour I've ever been.

Check out the tan line!!!

When I got back to my studio I fell into an alcohol fuelled slumber and woke up just in time to Skype my mum at 7!!  Karen chose this point to stick her head round the door and announce "Wine on the roof at 8" which turned into a little drinks and nibbles party with another 2 of her friends, a bottle of Prosecco and 2 bottles of Lanson champagne!  We also had the spectacular sight of 5 hawks circling the rooftop and diving between the building hunting bats....how they didn't crash into anything I will never know!
Monday was the start of my 'lose the weight that I put on when Paul was here' regime.  So 7.30 saw me in trainers, bikini bottoms and a vest top working out to Davina Intense....phew!!! This was followed at 9.30 with greek dancing with a couple of new dances with some pretty fast footwork....Yorgos must think we've all improved enough to cope! 
This morning dawned sunny and bright and I was all set to go to the beach when the clouds rolled in.  We had a huge rain storm with thunder and lightning, the works. So this gave me plenty of time for another exercise session...Pilates today.  Normal service has now been resumed and the sun is shining once again.  There is a family bbq on the roof tonight so I'll have to make myself scarce.  That's me, Game of Thrones and a glass of wine or two on my balcony then!
I gather things aren't going to well workwise back home, so to all those affected I hope things work out how you want them to...if not, I can recommend 5 months on a Greek island xxx

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Great nights out

I had a wonderful time on the 25th June for my birthday get together....people turned up that I didn't know were coming so the table got bigger and bigger.  I got cards and presents, an Alonissos Cats apron from Dave and Nettie to remind me of here when I go back to the uk, some lovely silver and lava earrings from Aubrey and Dave and Gerry have paid for my ferry tickets to Skopelos today.  All the music was good and the band even played Happy Birthday...embarrassing or what!! Got a bit of a hangover this morning though so a ferry might not be the best place to be but hey ho.
Unfortunately we had all met at the port in the morning and were told, "No tickets, the computer says the ferry is full" so our trip was postponed.  We watched the ferry come in and 20 people got off and 5 got on so I think their program needs some re development...any volunteers?!
Had a lovely day Thursday at Leftos Yialos relaxing on the beach and by the pool and then D day...Paul's arrival on the Friday evening.  I got ready and went for a drink at the bar nearest to the harbour dock and waited for his arrival at 8.30 and waited and waited.  10pm the boat finally turned up by which time I was starving and probably slightly crumpled but never mind, hubby was here and said I was looking great.  I even had more of a tan than he had!!!  We spent the following day on the beach and then he was thrown into Alonissos night life....a music evening on the beach at Milia Bay.

Milia Bay

Not a bad start.  Sunday was back to Milia for Aquafit which he sat and watched and found highly amusing by all the gestures going on from the safety of his sunbed!  Monday was off to greek dancing where his video talents came to the fore and then off to Megalos Mortia. Tuesday night we went out to dinner with Jill and Mark my NZ neighbours who were leaving the following day.

Jill, me, Mark & Paul 

Wednesday night was quiz night at Roussoum and then we went up to the Old Village to listen to a duo called Barefoot Blues followed by a nightcap in the square hand feeding the local hedgehogs peanuts!!!  My landlady Karen had offered us the use of her apartment in the village....WOW. What a gorgeous pad and so quiet compared with the noise of Patitiri.

Old Village Apartment

view from apartment

Thursday morning we had a wander around the old village and then it was back to Patitiri to board the ferry for our postponed trip to Skopelos.  That evening there was a Bouzuki band over from the mainland playing up in the old village so it was back up on the bus for another evening of music and dancing.  

I'm in there somewhere!

We are now both rather tired after several nights of 1 & 2am finishes so are having a couple of quiet nights to ourselves....although we've just been invited to another beach party on Saturday night....eek!!

Footnote from Paul: Yassas everyone!....phew , as you can gather i'm coming back to blighty soon for a rest...It's easy to enjoy yourself when it is all organised for you. I've met some great people and am glad Mandy is settling in so well. Hardest part will be dragging her back in September. As a wise man (think it was Dave) said..you don't find Alonissos  , it finds you......

Now they tell me!!

So, the band with no name were actually very good so I had a lovely Thursday evening with some decent entertainment!  I was then invited to a beach party on Saturday night. There were about 20 of us and several people had brought guitars and each did a 'turn'.  It took me back to my youth when my biker friends used to set up a fire in a old quarry, play guitars and get stoned! (not this time of course:))
We had a great night and even my NZ neighbour, Jill, was persuaded to give us a song once we found out that she played the ukulele....much to her embarrassment (but she was great!).  However, during the meal Dave was telling everyone about my stint as a Marshall at the marathon.  He then proceeded to tell me that my white trousers had gone completely see through in the deluge and stated "nice arse Amanda"....I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me!  I had wondered why the same taxi passed me about 5 times, as did the local police car!
Karen invited myself and Mark and Jill out for Ouzo meze on Tuesday (24th) which was lovely and she then insisted that she and Kostas pay the bill....then we headed up to the roof terrace for a couple of lemoncello's and to put the world to rights!
Today is my birthday and I got a card and a bottle of fizz from K & K so that was lovely and had cards from home to open. Off to the old village this evening to listen to some music and have a meal and a few drinks.  Then tomorrow I'm off to Skopelos for the afternoon with Dave and Gerry and Paul (hubby) arrives on Friday so my blog will probably go very quiet for the next couple of weeks.
My eczema is non existent, as is my asthma and my hair is now platinum blonde and I actually have a tan...well for me anyway. Greece is obviously where I need to be, I just wish I could bring all the people I love with me and 'work from home' from my little studio!

End of the first month

So that's it, I'm completed my first month and I'm into my 5th week.  I'm shopping at the local butchers and asking for my meat in greek, although having looked up 'chicken' - kotopoolo I realised I didn't know how to ask for chicken breasts so I'll leave it up to you to imagine the mime!!!
The Aloni band were playing in the old village on Monday night and I was told they sound much better up there than in Patitiri because of the acoustics so I gave them another go along with my current neighbours, Jill and Mark......unfortunately they didn't! We caught the last bus back and I suggested we go up to the roof terrace to sample my 'lemoncello' (lemon juice, sugar syrup & tsiporo).  Karen joined us and we all had a tipple or two. Well, it hit me like a sledgehammer and I don't remember anything about the Skype call with my husband apart from slurring at him a lot which he found highly funny!!!
I gave aqua a miss on Tues as I didn't exactly feel 100%. It was a rather cloudy day but really humid so I spent the day chilling out with my kindle.
Went dancing Weds and met some more new neighbours, Colin and Delia and then went to a quiz night in aid of the Animal Protection Society.  We came 3rd out of 8 so were quite happy with our performance and then we went to pay the bill....there were 7 of us and we'd had 3 litres of wine, 2 large bottles of water and 2 cans of soda and we were charged 2 euro each.....mad!
Spent today by the pool and on the beach and Leftos Yialos and there is an inaugural performance by a band yet to be named tonight at the Sunset Bar near the old village so that's where the action is tonight..it's all go!

What a week!

 

Monday started a bit cloudy with a bit of a breeze so I decided to go dancing.  I'm getting better at the steps (I think) and was talking to one of the ladies about the festivals in the summer and whether there was any professional dancing. "Oh yes" she said, "and you'll be part of the group by then". When I enquired "what group?" the reply was "the dancing group"!!!!  So, I could be dancing in front of lots of tourists come August....eek! After the dancing I walked down to the beach and chilled/baked for a couple of hours and then started the laborious walk back. Having puffed to the top of the hill I surveyed my surroundings and thought...could I do this every year?  The answer is a resounding YES!

 

 

That evening there was the grand opening of a new dive shop in Patitiri so I went along to see what it was all about.  I was greeted by a taverna owner I had chatted to in Steni Vala with an embrace and kisses so I'm definitely feeling part of the community. There was plenty of free wine and lots of nibbles and a good time was had by all.  By 9pm I thought I'd better go home and have my dinner as several glasses of wine on not that much to eat was starting to tell!

 

Tuesday was Aquafit at the Yalis pool so I walked along to join the class and then spent a couple of hours by the pool.  On the way home I stopped off at Roussoum beach and chatted to a few of the ladies I have met.....one of the local children jumped of the side of the harbour but breathed in at the wrong time so came up coughing and spluttering and crying and promptly went back under.  Luckily a girl on the beach waded in and managed to get him out before he drowned! 

I appear to have a stalker as the greek man I extricated myself from the other day keeps popping up and inviting me to sit with him, which I keep declining.  I think I'm going to have to ask one of the taverna owners to tell him to leave me alone!

 

Yacht off Roussoum beach

                                           

Wednesday was dancing again and we became a bit of a tourist attraction!  We had just started 'Zorba's' when a coach party was dropped off and they all crowded into the taverna to watch.  There were photo's taken and a few video's and as the music got faster they all started clapping and then we had a huge round of applause at the end....bit embarrassing but all good fun!! 

That evening I wandered up to the roof terrace as it was rather stuffy in my studio but the table was laid for entertaining. I was about to leave when Kostas turned up and insisted I stay for a drink.  I ended up gate crashing the evening at their invitation and had a lovely time, although I drank far too much wine!!

 

 

The dance group with Yorgos (our teacher)

 

This morning I was feeling rather fuzzy headed (can't think why!) so I gave aquafit a miss but did end up going the venue with Karen later that morning.  There is a lovely beach, fabulous view and a pool.  The ladies were still there from aquafit, as was Ed.  A lovely Rhodesian Ridgeback cross that was found as stray as a puppy on the island and adopted by Julia.

 

 

Leftos Yialos

Ed

So that's now my life...a constant flow of dancing, aquafit, swimming, lazing by the pool, walking to the beach and generally getting involved and throwing myself into the whole experience of not getting up and going to sit behind a desk every day and so far, I'm loving every second.



Ladies who lunch

Once the challenge was complete and the trophies were handed out to the winners, I was invited to join Karen and some of her friends for lunch. We had a lovely couple of hours eating and drinking and chatting about Greece gone by and how the island has changed.  They are all lovely ladies and when I suggested some wine after the ouzo had been finished, they all agreed that I might just fit in quite nicely.  Pictured are Pauline (who is here on holiday), Julia (who owns a Rhodesian Ridgeback cross called Edward & lives on the island) Lesley ( who owns a house on the island and is here for the summer) and Karen (my landlady).  There was also another lady called Suzanne who was chatting to another table.

 

So that was Sunday.....it's now 4.30 and we've all gone for a lie down!  Tonight will be a quiet affair as I've spent up for the day...and what a day it had been!

Alonnisos Challenge

So, Friday evening there was a meeting to discuss what the volunteers would be doing and where they would be.  Unfortunately it was all in Greek and I didn't understand most of it!  I did manage to recognise my name and Votsi in the same sentence and once I had collected my T.Shirt I was free to leave!  I asked Kostas (husband of my landlady Karen) what my duties were and he said to point the runners and walkers in the right direction and to meet at the harbour front at 7.30am!  7.30AM....on holiday???
Having set my alarm for 6.30am, the day dawned bright but not too hot.  I put some long trousers and my Alonissos Challenge T.Shirt on and after a cup of tea and some toast, with homemade lemon marmalade and headed for the harbour. 

 

 A lovely lady drove me to my 'station' and dropped me off in the middle of the road saying Kostas would be along to show me the route for the runners/walkers to follow.  He duly turned up and said 'stand here and point this way'.  So that was it....I was left standing in the middle of the road, no table, no chair and most importantly, no umbrella!  I had been there all of 5 mins when it started to rain.  I had my sun hat but no brolly so I took shelter under an archway.  At this point various runners started to appear so I took my place in the middle of the road....at exactly the same time as there was a torrential downpour!!!  So, there I am, stopping traffic to allow the runners through whilst getting soaked to the skin....and that's how my morning began!  All I needed at some points was a hat a whistle and some white gloves and I could have been a NY traffic cop.  I could also have entered a wet t.shirt competition if someone had organised one! Once the last walkers (according to Kostas) had passed me I was able to leave my post. Unfortunately I couldn't get a lift back so I had to walk. By this time, I had been standing in soaking wet sandals for 2 hrs and they squelched when I walked so I ended up taking them off and walking back barefoot.  My sandals and hat will probably never be the same again! So that's it...my volunteering days are over, as are 6.30 starts to an alarm clock....my days are now my own once again!

A bit nippy & pulled!!

Monday was lovely and I spent the day on Roussoum beach which is the closest to me.  A couple of taverna's have opened now, Nostos, which is a snack bar and one I didn't see the name of.  Lots of people were going in the sea but by the sharp intake of breath it wasn't exactly warm so I didn't bother!!  Tuesday looked great to start with and I was all ready to go to Aquafit but as I stepped out of the door this bank of cloud came over and it got distinctly cooler so I changed my mind and thought I'd hop on the local bus to Steni Vala, a little fishing village popular with yachts and about 30 mins away.  I assumed the weather would improve so I just had my little sundress and lace shrug on ..... how wrong can you be??  I wandered around the headland and over to the beach on the other side, with the wind getting progressively cooler and wrapped myself in my sarong and read my kindle for a bit....not long after there were a few drops of rain so I headed back to the harbour.  I'd just bought a coffee when the heavens opened and they didn't shut for 2 days!!!!!  By the time I got back on the bus, 2 hrs later, I couldn't feel the backs of my hands!  My lovely landlady invited me for a glass of wine that evening..... a bottle later and I tottered downstairs to have my dinner and to apologise to Paul for being late by an hour for our evening chat.  I'm going to get my own back at some point and see how she goes with Vodka!
I went dancing again on Weds morning and met another couple who were there on hols and we got chatting so went for lunch.  I suggested meze and they were all for it so we went to the local Ouzeri.   Yesterday was nice again so I went to the pool as it was rather windy and had a nice evening reading a book Karen has lent me about this guy who eventually built a home on Skopelos having travelled around the Aegean...it's really good and tells of Greece in days gone by.
Tonight I have a meeting!!!!  I've volunteered to help out at the 10k walk and 30k marathon on Sunday and there's a volunteers meeting tonight at the town hall. End of the 3rd week and it's starting to feel like I belong.....I'm finding it way to easy to do nothing but relax all day (and all night too!).  Everyone is very friendly and I'm taking my little phrase book along to the butchers etc and trying new words.
We had another little earthquake this afternoon which was a bit disconcerting when you're lying on the beach and it moves!!!  I even ventured into the water today and yes, it's bloody cold.....ok once you've been in a while though, probably because you lose all feeling in your body!  No, it's not quite that bad!
Saturday was another lovely day so I headed for the beach and spent several hours dozing and reading.  Got peckish around 2.30 so headed for the nearest taverna. A guy at the next table said hello, so I said hello back.  Placed my order for Ouzo meze ( one drink and a little plate of food) and he said, you on your own, me on my own, come, come....so I joined him....mistake!  They brought my order and his and he tried to have a conversation which seemed to turn into, I am eating at taverna **** you come with me and me saying no, I've got other plans and I have a husband!  Didn't seem to sink in!  He ordered more food and ouzo and was telling me about his boutique (bric a brac shop) next to the Post Office and said he will drive me back so he can see where I am staying and I thought oh bloody hell, get out of this one!
I managed to make my escape on foot telling him I was meeting a girl friend around the corner. He looked rather disappointed but insisted on paying for lunch anyway.  Next time I'm taking my kindle and not engaging in polite conversation....it's safer that way!

Holiday period over!

Well that's it...I've officially been in Alonissos longer than the usual 2 week holiday period, so I suppose I'm gradually becoming a local from here onwards!  So, am I missing home? Honestly, the people I love and my cats obviously, my friends at work and even, dare I say it, the routine of work itself.....but only for a fraction of a second before my eyes drift back to the view in front of me.

and I think work, what work??
There was some excitement in town on Saturday night, we had a band playing on the harbour front!!  I strolled along to find a table in a tavern and to my amazement they were full! I'd not seen that many people in town since I've been here! Luckily I managed to find a table at a taverna I hadn't yet tried so settled in for the night. The band kicked off with 'Let me entertain you' and that they did.....not necessarily in time or singing/playing the same tune at the same time but hey, first gig of the season and all that! (Andy Holleran...get your band over here now!)
The taverna's at the beach closest to me, Rousoum, have finally started opening up, so I spent today on the beach and finished with a glass of wine before sprinting up the steps (yes really...got to get the heart pumping somehow!)  back to my studio. 
The two most annoying things I'm finding on this lovely island are the noise of the mopeds and the fact that everything shuts at 2pm and opens again at 5pm.  I come back from the beach/pool between 3 & 4 and would love an ice cream or to do my shopping on the way but no, I have to go back to my studio, fall asleep and go back out again when I wake up....I know, what a trauma!!!
So, that's it for now.  Aqua fit at the pool tomorrow and maybe some Greek dance lessons on Weds before quiz night Weds evening.....a whirlwind of activity me!!!

Greek dancing!

So today it was my first Greek dancing lesson!  Dave and Gerry had offered to give me a lift up to the old town to join in with the dancing so I gladly took up their offer.  We learnt 5 dances and had a lovely morning.  Then those immortal words were spoken ' you staying for a drink?'.  3 glasses of wine later, I was offered a lift back by a lady who had joined us, which I gratefully accepted! So, it is now 15:55 and I am off for a lie down!!!!

Pool invasion!!

Well, the 'season' has obviously started! My pool of choice for the last few days has been 'Yalis', which is in beautiful location and very quiet. However, this morning there was the first 'aqua fit' class so around 15 other people descended on MY pool!  They were actually all lovely people and the instructor, Di , introduced me to everyone. I decided that it would be cherlish not to join in so had an hour of keep fit!  After everyone had left I helped clear up and was offered a drink for a thank you...as it was lunch time, a glass of wine fitted the bill nicely!!

Kids

I had just finished a lovely meal at Taverna Ostria when I saw one of the kids sat at the bench in front of the taverna kick out at something and this was followed by lots of meowing from the harbour below. They had kicked a cat into the water and thought it was hilarious. Luckily there was a ledge that the cat had scrambled onto.  I went to the edge and demanded that as they threw it in that they got it out.  Not sure how much they understood but they must have got the idea as one of them got a canoe and rowed round to fetch the cat.  He grabbed hold of her, crying away, and when she could see the shore she leapt out of the canoe and swam for it before fleeing across the square.
Just goes to show that whether you live in the filthiest city or on a beautiful island, cruelty is never far away .... and if I ever see any of them do it again, I will push them in myself!

Lazy pool days....ish!

Having spent the previous few days endlessly walking, today was the day to find a pool.  There is a beautiful pool and bar in a hotel nearby but they are apparently not keen on non residents using it. Which is a shame as there is no-one using it whenever I walk past! I did wander in and dangled my legs in the pool and no-one threw me out so perhaps I'll try my luck in the next few days.
In the meantime, I have passed a small hotel called Yalis on my travels to Votsi and Rousoum. There is a lovely pool with sunbeds and a view to over the small harbour of Votsi so that was my destination for the day.  My Post title says 'ish' as it is still a 20 minute walk with several sets of steep steps to negotiate so by the time I got to the pool I needed a lie down! So, I chose my sunbed, laid out my towel and assumed a horizontal position for the day....bliss!  Unfortunately the pool bar is, surprise surprise, not open yet so I'll have to bring lunch tomorrow.  In the meantime, this was my view for the next couple of days...not bad huh.

Megalos Mourtias beach

So, Wednesday dawned bright and sunny and I set off to walk to what was apparently a lovely beach with a couple of tavernas that had sunbeds & umbrellas free to those who used the taverna. Easy trade off in my book.  Having already received directions from Karen I double checked with a friendly shop owner and off I went. I'd just got to the top of the first hill, it dawned on me that I'd forgotten my water.  Oh well, I thought I should be ok for the 30 mins that it will apparently take to get to the beach and there are the tavernas at the other end so I kept going.  I walked for what seemed to be ages but was only about 30 mins when I came across a track through the woods with Vythisma (or something similar!) painted on a tree with a large arrow. Luckily the shop owner had mentioned this name so off down the track I went. After another 20 mins I came to the end of the road!!!  Having heard English voices in the villas occupying this idyllic location, I asked for directions to Mortia and was told 'you're here'!.  He then showed me the track beside the villas leading to the beach and the much needed tavernas......which of course were SHUT!  I sat for a while taking in the view...which I'm sure you'll agree was rather gorgeous.

Having contemplated the world around me, I gathered my energy and started the walk back, still without water of course!  On my way back, the people who'd pointed me in the direction of the beach passed me...in a car...and didn't even ask if I wanted a lift....charming! So, I've now taken the decision that I am not walking anywhere further than 30 mins without the express knowledge that there are watering holes at my destination!

Walking and Wine

A beautiful morning on Sunday but with a cool breeze so I headed up to the Old Town...and up and up!  Good god, my legs were on fire by the time I got to the village 1 hour later!  I'd planned to join in with the Greek dancing lessons on a Tuesday but I'd be knackered by the time I got there so perhaps not! The views over the bay are fabulous but would you believe it .... my camera battery needed charging so I only got the one photo..doh! (Although it's not a bad one)

 

 

I visited a couple of other villages on the way back including Votsi, where I was hoping for a paddle.  Unfortunately the abundance of sea urchins put that idea on the back burner....I'll get my own back at some point though as I think they're on the menu of a few restaurants! One small taverna was open so I ordered a glass of wine and took in the view for a while.  When I came to ask Poso Kani? (how much) I was told 1 euro.....80p for a glass of wine....wish you were here?

 

That evening I popped my head around the door to say hi to Karen (my landlady) She invited me to stay for a drink, which turned into a bottle of Prosecco....I'm going to need a detox holiday to get over this one and it's only just begun!

The adventure begins!

Well that's it, I've arrived in Alonissos.  My studio is lovely with a sea view from my balcony and a roof top terrace with fantastic views and a BBQ. It's election time here on the island so my ferry arrived amongst an unusually busy waterfront and lots of loudhailers being used to encourage the locals to vote....not a good thing when all I wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep after a long day of travelling.
This morning my landlady, Karen, showed me all the necessary shops..supermarket, butcher, bakery etc...she introduced me to nearly everyone we met so I'm sure I'll soon be part of the village.  I was invited to join her for lunch at a lovely harbour side tavern where we had ouzo meze.  We were brought aubergine with tomato and long green peppers with local sausage...lovely.  Next thing I know, Karen is speaking to the owner who looked rather contrite and disappeared smartly.  She told him she was unhappy with the meze especially after recommending the restaurant to me and that she expected better!!!  He came back with a salad with pecorino cheese and a platter with prawns, gavros and tuna skewers!  I am now very full and having also had 3 double measures of Ouzo, rather sleepy.  No dinner required this evening!  I've stocked up on meat for the BBQ and have a bottle of wine in the fridge so that's me all set for my Greek odyssey.  Oh, and the weather is lovely, very warm out of the wind but cool enough with the wind to be able to explore...so that's the plan for tomorrow.

Love to all family and friends following this xxxx

Greek Ferries...aargh!!

Well, with 4 days to go I have hit the first hurdle ...I've received an email telling me the ferry I have booked is no longer travelling at that time and is leaving 2 hrs earlier....my plane hasn't landed by this time so looks like I'm swimming!!! I am now trying to get my money back for that one and re-book with a different company....what fun!(for all those Miranda fans out there!)

I'm sure I'll get there in the end and I'm remaining calm to get me in the mood for dealing with the lovely but highly disorganised Greeks!

Almost there!

Well, there are just under 3 weeks to go before I start my big adventure on Alonissos, a lovely island in the Greek Sporades islands near to Skopelos and Skiathos (both of Mamma Mia fame). I am staying for the duration of the summer and am looking forward to seeing what a Greek island is like in high season!!!
I'm on my third suitcase as my trial packing isn't exactly going to plan and I now seem to be taking less clothes for 4 months than I usually take for 2 weeks! 
I have booked a studio overlooking the harbour....it sounds idyllic so I hope it lives up to expectations. Did I mention, I have an amazing husband who is staying behind to look after the cats and to carry on paying the mortgage....I'm a very lucky lady.