The Twelfth Week

Day 82 - Friday 20.6.14

Lovely sunny, hot day after the storms Dot  packed her bag this morning. We drove to Sheila and Keiths house for a late lunch.

It was a lovely, long relaxing lunch, with great views and chat.

I saw the most beautiful Swallowtail butterfly in the garden.

We left Dot at Sheilas and drove back to Arillas. We have to see her before she flies out as she has accidentally left her passport and ticket here.

Day 83 - Saturday 21.6.14

Lazy morning again, we went to Sharon's for lunch. Had a chat with Kevin and Kay. Phil and I went swimming in the sea and sunbathed, we left Poppy at home as we didn't want to torment her with not being able to swim yet. We went to the Marvel for dinner and had a game of darts with Spiros. We met some more people who are enjoying reading this blog - still amazed at how many people read it.

Day 84 - Sunday 22.6.14

21 deg at 9am - not a cloud in the sky! Dot called for her passport. I did some housework and washing - getting some things sorted for going home. I also did an online shop from Tesco for the day we return home. Phil went over to the Marvel to watch the Grand Prix. I spent the afternoon reading. It was still 30 deg at 6pm. We went to Brouklis for a meal tonight - spit roast chicken - it was delicious. then we walked down to meet Terry and Helen Warner and had a drink with them in the Acti - it was great to meet them at long last, we have been friends on the Forum and Facebook for years. They only had one drink and retired to bed at the Horizon as they had been up since 6am yesterday morning. We popped into the Coconut for a nightcap.

Day 85 - Monday 23.6.14

Today we drove south to Moraitika to meet up with our Danish friend Connie, who has lived there for the last 3 years. We went to her house for a glass of wine and then parked the campervan up for the night, as we stayed over in it. We walked down to the beach, Poppy had a lovely swim and a cool off.

Connie and I walking to the beach

Happy Poppy

Then we walked up to Connie's favourite restaurant Edesma Taverna for a meal. We had been there two years ago when we visited with Sue and Dave. 

We were joined by Connie's friend Scarlett - she is such a lovely, bubbly person and very comical.

We had a long leisurely meal with lots of wine and chat. Then we walked back to the van, Connie went home and we took Poppy for a quick run before we all settled down for the night.




Day 86 - Tuesday 24.6.14

We parked up for the night next to a supermarket, behind it there was a gated courtyard with some kittens in it, they were that tiny that they could squeeze through the rails and came running over to us - hoping to be fed. We picked Connie up and drove further South to Lake Korission. I was hoping the flamingoes would be there but it must be the wrong time of the year.

We stopped off at a beach bar and had a cooling drink, I am getting to like Iced coffee, very much. Poppy had a run and a swim in the sea.

This is the view we were looking out at.












Then we went to a traditional taverna for lunch, the lady, who I think was the cook as well as the waiter spoke very little English. .

While I went to the loo Phil ordered some wine, we all wanted white but apparently she said no only red - and pointed to the red square  on the checked tablecloth,  but she made a point of telling him that it was not from a supermarket, she had made it herself from her own grapes. Therefore the tablecloth depicts red, white and rose according to Phil.

The menu was very limited and was mainly in Greek, but there were a few English words added, like fish and chicken.  Connie opted for fish and Phil and I had Greek salad, tzatziki and bread.  It was all very tasty.

We were lovely and cool, sitting in the shade of the
olive trees with a beautiful view of the lake.

We dropped Connie off and made our way North, stopping off at Pontikonisi Cafe for an ice cream. We watched planes taking off and landing over Pontikonisi Island or Mouse Island as it is more commonly known.

We watched people swimming down below in the crystal clear water,















 also a yacht trying to sail, but just drifting about as there was no wind.

An idyllic spot to spend a couple of hours!














'Pontikonisi Island is situated just south of Corfu town near the resort of Perama and Kanoni, it is a small island which houses the Byzantine church of Pantokrator, which was built in the 11th or 12th century. The Byzantine chapel that is on the top of the island encloses the memorial tablets of Elizabeth Empress of Austria and Rodolfo archduke.
Pontikonisi Island means ‘Mouse Island’ in Greek and it is from this that it gets it more famous name and viewed from afar the island gives the impression of a mouse. According to Greek legend the boat of Odysseus was turned into this island by Poseidon.
You can reach the island by a small boat in the summer month, which leaves from the small port opposite but you should be aware that you will not be allowed to walk around the island or the church. The only day of the year the church is open to visitors is on August 6th, which is a celebration day called ‘The Transfiguration of Jesus’ and pilgrims are taken to the island.'

We made our way North, back to Arillas for a snooze and shower, then out for a pizza and a nightcap at the Marvel. We watched Greece win their football match against The Ivory Coast. There were certainly some happy Greeks tonight.

Day 87 - Wednesday 25.6.14

We had some visitors this morning, Steve and Carol, they have been reading this blog and came to introduce themselves, they also said they are thinking of bringing their campervan over next year. They had a look round our apartment and said they would like to rent it next year. We are hoping to come back April, May and June and they would like it July, August and September.

The aircon on Mercy (campervan) has given up the ghost,  we decided to take her into the garage this morning. The mechanic was a lovely. helpful man, who tested it and found out we have a hole in one of the pipes, he said it would have to have the engine stripped down and the pipe go to Corfu town to be mended. We decided not to do it - in case it took too long, we have read the book, Avrio never comes by John Waller - and bearing in mind we are leaving next Tuesday, we dare not risk it. We had a lazy afternoon, the temperature was around 34 deg, lunch at the Marvel and then back to the apartment for a snooze and a read. We stayed in tonight and had beans on toast as we have had a hectic few days and the heat is beginning to take it's toll on us. It was still 28 deg outside at 7pm.

Day 88 - Thursday 26.6.14

I have been a busy bee, washing clothes, packing some things away and tidying up. Trouble is it looks messy now as I have little piles of things all over ready to be packed away in Mercy.
It was very cloudy today, I don't think we saw the sun at all, Hot and humid all day. We drove down to San Stefanos - Phil bought a new pair of beach shoes, then we went to Waves taverna for lunch, after which Poppy had a swim in the sea. Snoozing and reading this afternoon.  We stayed in again tonight - I made a chicken pizza - we are trying to use all the bits in the freezer.


We are just about to spend our last four days on Corfu - we leave on Tuesday for the journey home. I will  publish a blog on Tuesday if I get chance. Then we will be on the road until Sunday 6th July.

The Eleventh Week

Day 75 - Friday 13.6.14

27 deg at 11am   30 deg at 5pm.
A friend has posted on Facebook, some Stoneart they have done on the beach - I think they are lovely.































Today we all went up to Bardis Sun Studios for Lunch. At last Larissa has met Bobby and George - I hoped they would want to marry my granddaughters years ago - seems it is not to be. Bobby has married the beautiful Katerina - so that only leaves George now - so still hopeful! Then we had a drive up to the Night Owl. We only had icecreams but the girls met Linda and loved all the owls and especially the baby swallows in their nests.

Emma at Night owl

Lila at Night owl

Swallows at Night owl
every time the parents
flew in, 5 heads popped
up and 5 little beaks opened

Then we went down to Sharons for the girls to have a swim - we sat with a glass of wine and watched the world go by. It was 30 deg in the shade at 5pm. This evening I dropped the girls off in Sidari and we came back and had a delicious Bifteki in Armourada.

Armourada looking pretty

Apparently the girls had a good night, they had a nice meal and then went round some bars - drinking cocktails and having a good laugh. They got a taxi back at 6am. Oh to be young again!

Day 76 - Saturday 14.6.14

Dot and I drove to Sidari to get her prescription made up - she has high blood pressure according to Dr. Yannis. The girls slept in this morning, then got up and went down to the beach to meet some friends. Phil, Dot and I decided to go over to San Stefanos beach to see if dogs were allowed. We didn't see any signs - as soon as we opened the back door, Poppy took off for a swim. She found a stick and had a good play. Then we sat in The Waves taverna - right on the beach - for our lunch. It was a lovely meal and the view was great. The bonus was Poppy being able to swim - sorry Arillas but you are loosing out on our custom during the day. There is a webcam viewing the beach, sited on top of Waves Taverna.

 http://corfu-info.com/main/webcam.html

Tonight we went for a Pizza with the girls at Pizza Lithero - delicious food once again, they made friends with Dimitri the waiter and Vas the chef. Then we went to the Coconut for a nightcap, and met up with Grace and Chris.

 Dot, Phil and I left the girls to watch the England match which started at 1am Greek time.

Day 77 - Sunday 15.6.14

We all decided to go to San Stefanos today - same place for lunch and we all went swimming - it was a fabulous day.
Tonight we walked down to Thalassa for the last supper with the girls - gorgeous meal again, I had my usual Fillets of Sole with an Ouzo and cream sauce, with mashed potato. Larissa had Grilled Octopus for her starter and really enjoyed it.

Think she likes it!

Getting stuck in!

Then we popped into Portofino for the girls to say goodbye to Spiros and Spiros the waiter. We left the girls at the Coconut and walked home.





Day 78 - Monday 16.6.14

Dot went to Portofino to have breakfast with her friends who go home today.

Then we went to Brouklis for lunch and had a good chat to Dimitris. We saw his new kittens too.















 I walked down to retrieve Larissa and Emma off the beach - they had had a swim and were asleep on sunbeds - serves them right for staying up so late lol. I met Kevin and Dawn Gable while I was down there, they are staying in one of the apartments at the poolbar - nice spot.  The girls went back to the Marvel  to finish their packing as they leave at 6pm. They have had a good holiday - even with us oldies in tow some of the time, but Larissa says her grandparents are 'cool' - and say they are definitely returning next year. It is always difficult when you tell someone how good a place is - you just hope they like it as much as you. It certainly seems that we have two new Arillas Addicts! Phil, Dot and I stayed in tonight and had a simple meal with salad. We have eaten out every night with the girls and are fed up of getting glammed up - we had a lazy night.

Day 79 - Tuesday 17.6.14

This morning Dot went off with her friend Brenda to have a breakfast which they won in a quiz last week. Phil and I took Poppy to the vets in Roda as she has some bites on her leg, and has licked it raw. Another injection, antibiotics and a spray for her. Another 50 euros - good job we love her. No swimming for the next 10 days! Poor Poppy she has such a sensitive skin, a bit like me actually. I always have a bad reaction to mossy bites and any jewelry that has nickel in it. We stopped off for lunch halfway between Roda and Sidari. It was really high up with a tiny view of the sea, their flowers were very healthy and cared for.


























Then went shopping for some coffee and dog food. There has been quite a change in the weather today, rain in the night, cloudy all day and cool. Tonight we drove up to the Night Owl, we took Chris and Grace as they have never been. The food was delicious again, Dot and Chris both had the biggest Pork Chops I have ever seen.  We came home after the meal as I had a migraine.



Day 80 - Wednesday 18.6.14

We all went up to Gravia for lunch today, it was very hot with a lovely cooling breeze. It is a few years since we have been here, there are new owners running it and they have made some improvements, especially the bar which runs the full length of the cafe - a great place to watch people walking the donkey path between Arillas and San Stefanos, they look like dwarfs, it was funny to see an umbrella bouncing along being used as a sun shade.

This evening we went to the Rainbow for a fun darts match - nothing serious and no finishing on a double. It was a real good laugh.

Day 81 - Thursday 19.6.14

Dot went off early with friends. They drove to Corfu port and then took a boat to visit Island Vidos. It is a small island just off the coast of Corfu - less than one kilometer in diameter.

 According to the history of the island:-

During the First World War, the island of Corfu served as an island hospital and quarantine for sick Serbian soldiers following the epic retreat of the Serbian army and part of the civilian population through Montenegro and Albania in 1915 following the Austro-German-Bulgarian invasion of Serbia (see Serbian Campaign (World War I)). While the main camps of the recuperating army were on Corfu itself (a contingent was sent to Bizerte as well, and many of the civilian refugees were accepted by France), the sick and near-dying, mostly soldiers, were treated on Vido to prevent epidemics. In spite of Allied material help, the conditions of both the improvised medical facilities and many of the patients on the island resulted in a high fatality rate. Due to small area of the island and its rocky soil, it soon became necessary to bury the dead in the sea (by weighting the corpses with rocks to prevent them from floating). Over 5,000 people were buried at sea near the island of Vido.

A monument of gratitude to the Greek nation was erected at Vido by Serbs in the 1930s.

The waters around Vido island are sometimes referred to as the Blue Sea Tomb

Dot enjoyed her day - we went over to the Marvel for lunch. At 6.30pm there was a storm, very heavy rain and thunder. We walked down to Portofino for Dot's last supper with us as she is going to stay with Sheila and Keith for her last 4 days before she returns to the UK. We went into the Coconut to watch England loose, and to say goodbye to Chris and Grace as they go home tomorrow. Kostas was there as Hannah and baby are home now - it was a bit noisy to have a good chat to him - hope to see him/them soon. While we were walking up the hill it started thundering and lightening - we just got in and Dot made a hasty retreat to the campervan before the heavens opened. The storm went on until 4am.

The end of the eleventh week, it is speeding by now - only just over a week to go before we start our journey back home. 150 days without a cig for me, I am so proud of myself, especially when I am around people who are smoking.

The Tenth Week

Day 68 - Friday 6.6.14

22.3 deg at Midday - 28 deg at 2pm. Lynne called to say goodbye as they are going home today - poor Gary is still not well and she is hoping he is not sick at the airport before they board the plane.  Dot took Poppy for a walk this morning but by the time she got to Brouklis - Poppy had had three squats and it wasn't wee. So she had to bring her home, hopefully now she has had a clear out she will feel better. Still very lethargic, but drinking plenty.
We drove over to San Stefanos to a restaurant Bill and Dot used to visit quite a bit called '2 Star'. Yannis the owner is a lovely man, we had a nice lunch. Then we went for a wander round and visited 'Hippopots' they have some very unusual items in there - I am looking forward to making something to take home. We called in at a swish handbag shop to say hello to an English girl who works in there, she went to the same university as Dot's grandson - they had a good catchup.

George and Dot

 On the way back to Arillas we called in to see George, he was Dot's landlord when she had the apartment under his. We invited him to join us for dinner at Portofino tonight. He was in the Merchant Navy, so he and Phil have a lot in common.

View from the balcony

We called at the Marvel to say goodbye to Joy and Cliff they are going home tonight then we walked down to Portofino. On the way were stopped by a lady called Ann, to say how much she is enjoying reading the blog - thanks for taking the time to say hello - we are amazed how many people have done this - complete strangers saying they are reading the blog.  We had a great evening, George is such an interesting guy - was great for Phil to reminisce about all the places they have sailed to. George has even been to Grimsby and Immingham.

Dot, Me, Grace, Chris and Phil

We called into the Coconut for a drink and had a chat to Grace and Chris who arrived today. Was great to meet them at long last. I also met Glenda Routledge and her hubby for the first time, sat in Geordie corner.









Day 69 - Saturday 7.6.14  
 

Our beautiful grand daughter, Emily is 9 years old today. I was really organised before I left home, I sent her card and money.











 It is a hot one today - 25 deg at 11am. 28 deg by 1pm . We went down to Sharons for lunch, and for Poppy to have a swim. There was a lovely breeze so it wasn't too hot. Grace came and had a drink with us and a chat.

We went to Kostas on the beach for our meal tonight it was delicious. I mentioned in an earlier blog about the bench on the jetty and how it came about - this is written on their menu:-

Learn a little Greek

Day 70 - Sunday 8.6.14

Dot took Poppy for a walk down the front and for her swim this morning. Then we all went to Rainbow for a full English breakfast. Dot went to watch the Tennis this afternoon, Phil and I had a lazy afternoon reading, the temperature was 31 deg at 3pm I laid on the bed in the cool as my feet are swollen again. Dot went out to dinner with friends. We ate at home and then Phil went to the Marvel to watch the Grand Prix from Canada tonight. It was still 26 deg at 11pm.

           This is the forecast for next week!

Day 71 - Monday 9.6.14

Dot took Poppy for a swim first thing. Then Dot and I went to Sidari to the pharmacy only to find it is a Bank holiday and it was closed. We did manage to get some presents for Spiros 60th birthday on Wednesday though. When we came back we walked down to the front, had a snack in Sharons then went in the sea for a swim. After our meal, Phil and I went over to meet our grand daughter Larissa and her friend Emma who arrived tonight. After they had settled into their room, they came to say hello to Poppy then we all walked down to the front. We had one drink in Portofino, then moved on to the Coconut.

A friend who lives in Arillas said tonight's sunset was the most spectacular she has seen in all the years she has lived here.

Day 72 - Tuesday 10.6.14

25 deg at 10am. Larissa and Emma went down to the beach and had a swim. We all went to Seamonkeys in Sidari for lunch, after calling at the pharmacy. The girls and I went for a swim, then spent a pleasant afternoon watching the world go by. Poppy loves it there as Andy and Fiona's dog Toffee has lots of toys which she shares. I think Poppy overdid all the running and swimming today as she is limping a bit. We came home, for showers etc. then Dot went off with some friends to a Quiz - their team won. The girls, Phil and I had a meal in the Marvel, then walked down to listen to the band in the Coconut. While we were there we learned that Hannah had a baby girl at 10am. this morning. I am so pleased for them as they have been trying for about 15 years.

We met Christine and Steve in there, they asked us to go to Portofino as the staff were giving Spiros his birthday cake at midnight. It was a good laugh - he liked his cake with a naked lady on it.

It was really hot tonight - first time we have needed the aircon on. There was also another beautiful sunset.












Day 73 - Wednesday 11.6.14

22 deg this morning and 28 deg by 2pm.  Leisurely morning for us and then Quiz at Sharons this afternoon. Was good fun but we were rubbish. We took Poppy swimming but were told by Pedros that 'dogs on the beach are not allowed' apparently it is the law and the police are now patrolling and fining people 500€. We are very upset about this as she has been on the beach almost every day since the beginning of April. She does not run amok like some of the stray dogs, and on the two occasions she has 'been' on the beach we have picked up.
We went to Portofino for a meal tonight and to give Spiro his cards and presents - he loved his T-shirt - and wore it straight away. Great evening! There were 18 of us altogether including, Dot, Larissa, Emma, George, Christine, and Steve.

Another Cake everyone gets a 69th
cake at Portofino

New T shirt

Laissa, George
and Emma

Larissa, Spiros the waiter and Emma

Day 74 - Thursday 12.6.14

We all went to Akrotiri for lunch today - we just love the food there, and the amazing view. It was 30 deg this afternoon.
























At 4pm the girls went off on a coach with Dot to explore Corfu town. We stayed in and had a siesta. Another day another birthday, we went to Vinceremo this evening as our friend Brenda was celebrating her birthday there. Phil and I had a lovely Meze, then the girls joined us when they got back from Corfu. We moved on to the Coconut for just one drink. We left Larissa and Emma in there with Brenda's son Jody.

Another week over - time is going so quickly now!