Where's Home?,

I know it's been a long time since I posted a blog and for that I really do have to apologise. Last week, I was over happy and completely distracted by the beauty of the scenery in Greece and almost dying every time we were on the road. I wish I was kidding, but the route between our resort and the airport (and everything else) is littered with blind bends, but the Greeks don't seem to know that means you shouldn't be overtaking on the wrong side of the road. The over happy was added to when Ben arrived. I was so happy and so settled there that I cried getting on the plane and when the plane took off and when the plane flew back for a last look at the town and then turned back towards home. I cried more when Greece got through to the final 16 in the World Cup for the first time in the history of ever though. I was so proud, but it hurt a little inside that I wasn't in Greece to celebrate. I'm just settling down to watch their next game with all spare digits and limbs firmly crossed. I'm getting quite irritated though by all the wrong pronunciations of the Greek names!

Whilst I was out there, my awesome writing equipment collection was expanded by my acquisition of a glass blown quill. My parents and Ben foresaw it sitting at the bottom of drawer in my desk and that I would never use it, but I have been using it so far. It's amazing. It does mean that there are bottles of Quink across my coffee table at the moment though. 

Since I've been back, I've managed to complete a night shift (only the second of my life, and I'm still no fonder of them), join a temp agency, have a completely controlled, yet still unsuccessful trip to Oxford Street and have been given a full time temp job working in a field I'm actually both experienced and interested in! It's wonderful. Well, it will be until I have to get up at 6am again tomorrow. At least yesterday, and the rather soggy trip to Wimbledon, gave me a reminder of what that is like.

So after a fortnight where the biggest events were to do with overly large insects or tortoises or the lack of spinach pies in our favourite eatery, this week has been a pretty big culture shock. 

I have a lot to do at half time. Hopefully this will be a good match. 

Out of the Umberella,

So, as I said in the previous blog, you don't brag about your holiday until it is something to brag about weather wise, so yeah, until yesterday, every day would start brilliant, and then the clouds would start rolling over the paper looking mountains and bring with them a hell of a lot of rain and despair. This is not what we come to Greece for! Thank the Gods, it seems to be all cleared up now. But here is the question, what the hell do you do on a beachy holiday when the weather takes a turn like that? Around here there are a few answers. 

The first full day here, we went down to a lovely little village further up the coast called Kardamilli. There's not mass amounts there, but it's a nice little change of scenery with another square that glorifies the men of the Mani and their part in the libation of Greece from Turkish rule. (As a point of interest, there is also a statue in Kalamata celebrating the women of the Mani, who held the shores of the man, whilst the men took back the mountains). In the end, the best thing to do was to sit on the balcony and watch the world go by, but you can only do that for so long. 

So the next day came, and we decided that, whilst we had the weather, we would walk along the coastal road to Agos Nikalios - a pretty little fishing village about fifteen minutes drive up the coast where there is a taverna that serves cheese pies and spinach pies, and is called Gregg's. They also have some kick ass sangria. We were just about to head back and the weather decided to turn as well, so back to Gregg's we went for tea and biscuits whilst we waited for the worst of it to clear. On the way back, Mum and I saw a tortoise, which made me far, far too excited. 

The rest of the days have been a beautiful amalgamation of sun, sand and sea, with an excessive amount of food for an evening meal. Most have been delightful, only one has been utterly disappointing and even that was more to do with the service because their baked feta was TO DIE FOR. 

By the looks of things, we're about to have a fashion show on the beach, commentated by Takis the parrot. Kalimera. 

From a Little Corner in Paradise,

I think the general rule is that you don't post a blog about your lovely holiday spot until the weather is something to brag about, so ner ner na ner ner, it's been 30* here today, and it made me feel a bit dizzy....

Going back to one place in Greece isn't something my family and I tend to do, but we all agreed that Stoupa was worth it, so here we are, and I can't say that we have been disappointed. Last year we tried to cram an awful lot into one week, so there were a couple of things we unfortunately missed out on, and we're trying to hit them this year in the two weeks we have, as well as repeating some of our favourite things from last year. 

Rather than rely on the tour operators this year, we decided that we were going to hire a car, because the Kalamata one way system really isn't that difficult to navigate, but that wasn't going to be the first problem. Kalamata and Stoupa are both shielded by a pretty vast mountain range that make the weather somewhat unpredictable and also a little bit volatile at times. The Gatwick flight (my flight) was left circling the run way for half an hour as there were two thunder storms over Kalamata airport and there was a German plane that air traffic control wanted to get down and clear of the runway before we made our 'final descent' - otherwise known as that terrifying moment where everyone who doesn't like flying is convinced that they are about to die. 

Last year, I couldn't stop laughing because the customs office wasn't even manned, but this year topped even that, because my mother was waiting for my baggage at the carousel even before I made it through passport control. She later told me that there was a sign that no one was to pass through the sliding doors into the arrivals lounge, but no one was paying attention, so why would she? 

So before too long we were off out of the airport car park and towards Kalamata proper, with my dad and I attempting to remember the way around the one way system ( I have made the round trip more times than my parents, because of the trips I went on last year) but we somehow made a wrong turning through the system, however all was not lost. The general gist of it is to get all the way to the other side of the city and all the way to the sea front, turning up the road that goes into the mountains by the big posh hotel that looks kind of out of place in Greece. When you get onto that road it's pretty much a straight (hahaha, no, like Greek straight) road all the way to Stoupa. As in no junctions. Thankfully we have it about sussed because we're doing another airport run on Sunday to get Ben. 

With the delay and the drive, we didn't arrive 'in resort' as the Thomas Cook people say until about half past three in the afternoon, and with all the stuff like checking into the apartment, unpacking and sourcing water that is actually drinkable, it very soon got to hungry o'clock and we needed to choose which of the tavernas would be the first to stand the test of time, and memory. 

Our apartment is just up the road from two of our old favourites 'Yesterday and Today' and 'Pefko' and no one was really in the mood for a walk (and I was in the mood for my free 'half kilo of wine' as a lifetime member at Pefko so off we went to there. The feeling of 'it's good to be home' doesn't even cover it. Some people think that they were born in the wrong era, I was just born in the wrong country. Everything for the wine to the olives and the stuffed potatoes was utterly divine. I fell into bed more than happy that night. 

I wishi. Could say that the weather for the first two days was as glorious as today, but it wasn't, though my mother and I still managed to get a couple of sun burns to prove the contrary, but more on that later. It's getting close to midnight here and I don't want to be wasting sun light tomorrow morning. 

 

Greece 2013.2,

This is just getting written as and when I have time, and when we're somewhere that we can get wifi, which is usually some sort of pool or beach bar, or the tavernas where we're having our dinner. As such, the chronology has already gone out of the window. 

Thing is, I get over excited and want to include things, or I'll only remember things when I've already finished writing something about that day, so from here on out accept that it will be a jumbled mash up of all the days. 

As with most places in Greece, there are cats running around everywhere, because most of them are strays which are fed at the restaurants by tourists with leftovers. There is a lovely one who obviously thinks of the apartments we are in as his territory, and I've given him the nickname of George, because he's a curious little bugger. 

On the day that we arrived, he jumped onto my balcony and stood outside the screen like he was waiting to be let in. He's beautiful, and I'll be uploading a photo of him to the Facebook page just as soon as I get home. He has this wonderful habit of getting under my feet when I'm trying to get in the front door, this morning he was purring outside of it because I got up late and yesterday, when I was leaving the apartment with lots of things in my hands, he ran around the door before I could shut it, but he didn't try to jump onto my bed. Instead he just wandered around under it and was very well behaved. After the wild life that got into my dad's bed, I'm tempted to let him stay, although I'm not sure that even George loves me enough to protect me from something like that!

I've heard of horror movie titles like It Came From Under the Sink and stupid things like that, but this was It Came From the End of My Bed and Bit Me on the Ass. Okay, Dad says leg, but only just. 

Bugs in Greece tend to be a lot bigger than those back home, and I know exactly what this thing was, but quite frankly I do not need to see the photo of it before it went down the toilet. Besides, with my imagination the description of it as a six inch long centipede with a mouth at both ends is quite enough to stop me sleeping thank you! Thankfully we spent today on the beach, and I'm pretty sure I probably fell asleep on my sun bed at least one. 

There's a little beach about ten minutes walk from Stoupa Town Beach called Kalogria Beach. It's really beautiful and is fed by spring water from the mountains, which is really cold. There's also, on the very right hand side of the beach, a lovely plunge pool, that is colder than a witch's tit. I managed to get in up to just above my waist before deciding that was plenty enough for me, but it does make the sea feel a few degrees warmer afterwards which is a welcome reward from such an endeavour. The water around these parts is so clear as well that you can see right to the bottom even when it's more than a few feet deep. Nothing like Blackpool at all. :)

This is what I mean about the chronology being screwed - I'm jumping back a day now to tell you about the ancient city site of Messini which lies in a bowl valley under Mount Ithomi.

Ancient Messini is the biggest archeological site in Greece and I believe it is the longest running which is still currently being dug. After 25 years they have uncovered a Roman villa, a theatre, the baths, a stadium and a gymnasium. And you can walk around all of it. If you're a student in the EU it is free, if you're a non-EU student, under 18 or over 65 the price is 3euros and everyone else is 5euros. It's really not much to be able to go in and see all that they've unearthed. It's really worth a look if you're in the area. :P Admittedly our tour guide was more than a touch irritating. 

Anyway, I'm having my once a year foodie festival. Mediterranean food is definitely my favourite. 

Kalinicht guys,

Greece 2013,

For this to make the kind of sense that it should, I ned to explain a little something.

There are certain things in life that I just don't deal with. It's not that I don't deal with them well, or don't deal with them gracefully or anything like that, I just don't function like a person when they happen. Keep this in mind while reading:

I have a slightly more emphasised version of arachnophobia than some people insofar as I get the creeps at any word to describe them and anything which is generally in the insect category. I also - and I accept that this one is weird because I used to do indoor climbing and have also done some outdoor climbing - don't do well with heights, especially not the cliff drops next to certain roads in Greece. This year we're staying in a little resort in the Peloponnese mountains...

After eventually managing to get the Gatwick Express trains to, believe it or not, London Gatwick, we stayed the night in the Marriott Courtyard Hotel. Except for the exceptionally rude reception woman who checked us in and the rather irritating lack of signal, it was a pretty good hotel, but waking up anywhere at six o'clock in the morning is never going to make me happy - there again, it was necessary to get the plane over to Kalamata airport. We took off at 9:15 and somehow managed to get onto the Greek Tarmac early, and thankfully Kalamata isn't one of those island airports in Greece where space is limited and you look like you're going for your first swim much earlier than planned. You do still have to come at the runway over the sea though. For a little while, it looked like we were going to land in some poor farmers field. 

You'd think that landing early would be great, because it means that the coach transfer can go earlier and then you can settle into your apartment quicker and maybe get out into the afternoon... yeah, that didn't happen. Unfortunately, someone's bag had been damaged in transit, so we had to wait while the rep from our tour operator went and had some big discussion with the Greek baggage handlers BUT the plane was only about half full, meaning the hold could have only been about half full and they always warn you that things can move around and such in the overhead bins, so surely it was more to do with the flight than the... oh, never mind, we got going in the end. 

So, as I mentioned, Peloponnese MOUNTAINS. Shit, right? If you've never seen a Greek road then you probably can't comprehend the sheer terror involved with being in an old coach, with a bat shit mental Greek driver while you're going up roads and around corners which 30, 60 maybe even 100+ foot drops RIGHT NEXT TO THEM!!!! Most of the time, while the rep was encouraging us to look out of the window at the absolutely beautiful (this is his favourite saying by the way) views just to the left or the right of the coach, I had my head buried in a hoodie waiting for it to be over. 

As you can tell, I survived, even though certain roads made it look like we wouldn't. 

This is also not going to make much sense if you have never been to a small Greek village, but the best way I can explain it is this. The Greek definition of a super market that we're used to is less of a Sainsbury's Local and more a very small corner shop the day before they get a delivery. Generally, there's not much choice and if you recognise a brand then it's going to be astronomically expensive and you find yourself running for the hills (quite literally in a way, because most settlements in such places are found on the hills, because of strategic positioning and spring water). What we have this year is basically like the old Woolworth's!!! 

I'm being deadly serious when I say we were like kids in a candy store. There was almost too much of a choice, but I guess that is a really good thing. I even got some Nutella to put on toast in the mornings!! (As a side note to all Nutella fans: because the room temperature is generally so much higher here, that beloved chocolatey spread actually spreads without having to sit it in hot water first. It's quite literally, get out of bed, retrieve bed and spread... :D) 

Monday morning was then spent trying to find the welcome meeting, the over friendly welcome meeting with Stuart - the ex army chef for twenty five years but this is my first year as a rep, and my first year with this company any my first year in Stoupa and say something relevant because they all look bored JAZZ HANDS - and then a general suss out of where everything was, but dinner was something else. 

I think most people know that it takes a lot to make me a foodie, and I mean a lot. I very often cook a shed load of food, but then find that my appetite is nowhere near enough to actually eat it, but here that has changed. (Well, marginally. I want pretty much everything off the vegetarian menu, but having a starter and a main course makes me the kind of sleepy stuffed that is only really acceptable at Christmas or Thanksgiving.) 

My favourite Greek dish - aside from the Quorn versions of things which my mum makes at home - is something so simple it is most often overlooked. They call it cheese pies, they're actually pasties and the Dionysus restaurant in Stoupa does the best ones I've ever tasted. They also do that fantastic thing of giving you bread with the meal, and it's still warm from where they have only just got it out of the oven. My gosh, it's wonderful. 

Anyway, stay tuned for more, because I'm here all week,...

New Software

I just downloaded one of the free photo editors available on the App Store, which jams photographs together. And so I have made a couple of photograph jams — Greece, Eeyore and then a couple of vain ones for the fun of it. They all have my Taizé necklace in them. I'm struggling to remember a time when I didn't wear it...
I have a new one now to join it. Courtesy of mum. It's beautiful.

Charlie x

:D