Greece 2011, Sick, Suicidal or just Anti-Social

This year in our hotel room on the island of Amorgos I was amused to find in the guest information folder a helpful copy of the Regulations, Article 8 of the Law 1652/30-10-86 which is a list of rules associated with renting a room. These made amusing reading and these extracts were the pick of the bunch:

Article 1

“The hotelier may refuse the leasing if the clients a) Looks conspicuously ill, b) is under the influence of alcohol or c) has an untidy appearance.”

This seems a bit harsh, whilst I agree that a hotel might not want to let a room to a drunk what if someone who needs a room had suffered from sea sickness on the ferry and was looking a bit green or was just a bet dishevelled at the end of a long day back packing? Who decides what constitutes being untidy I wonder?

Article 8

“If the room is leased for a fixed time the hotelier has not the right to break the lease unless the client a) transgresses the regulations, b) is taken ill suffering from a contagious disease or any other disease causing inconvenience to other clients, or c) behaves against the commonly accepted moral law.”

This seems a bit unfair on anyone feeling a bit unwell or has a cold with an annoying cough for example and I would be intrigued to know exactly what the commonly accepted moral law is?

Article 20

“The client on arrival at the hotel must hand over to the hotelier or to the competent director the precious or of considerable value articles and the money that he carries with him, against receipt.”

Can’t help thinking that is going to be a bit inconvenient, especially the money bit, how are you supposed to eat?

Article 21

“In case of illness due to an infectious or contagious or mental disease as well as in the case of death or suicide of a client the hotelier is entitled to compensation by the client for the expenses he underwent as a result of the happening.”

My advice is try not to have any sort of illness that might be messy, such as diarrhoea for example, and if you are going to kill yourself do it in a way that is quick to clear up otherwise your family are going to end up with a large bill. On the other hand I’m not sure how relevant this illness rule is because under Article 8 a sick client will already have been thrown out on the street and that includes the mental cases who might do themselves in.

My personal favourite:

Article 23

“It is forbidden a) the preparations of meals or decorations by the clients in the hotel room also the taking of meals in the room with the exception of sick clients, b) the use of petrol engines or electrical appliances, c) the use of electrical current for other purposes than lighting or shaving”.

You will have spotted the inconsistency here because clients aren’t allowed to be sick (see article 8), who in their right mind is going to use a petrol engine in a hotel room and why is it ok to use electricity to shave but presumably not to dry your hair?

It goes on “d) the washing of linen or clothing, e) the placing of luggage in the corridors, f) the changing of position of the rooms furniture and the operating of holes into the walls for hanging photographs, g) the keeping of domestic animals, h) gambling, i) noisy music and songs which might cause inconvenience to others.

This is a pretty comprehensive list of don’ts and I have personally broken at least half of these rules. I have certainly eaten food in my room, used electrical appliances, washed my dirty underpants out in the sink, played cards for money, encouraged a cat to come in, reorganised the furniture on the balcony and put my bag down for a moment or two in the corridor. On the other hand I haven’t ever used a petrol engine or a Black and Decker drill to make holes in the wall or organised a rave in my room.

Article 24

“If the client violates the provisions of the regulations, continually makes noise and behaves in an improper way he may be considered as undesirable and asked to leave the hotel within twenty-four hours and evacuate his room”

I wonder why, if someone was behaving so badly, they get twenty-four hours notice to leave when a sick person, it would seem, has to vacate immediately – this hardly seems fair!

Greece 2009 - Milos, Pollonia

Adamas was busy but not as much as I was expecting and there wasn’t even the usual throng of room to let pests waiting to meet the boat. We walked around the harbour but it was over two hours before the next bus to Pollonia where we were staying and we didn’t fancy lugging the bags about for that long. It was just about now when I got the first pang of uncertainty that rises like sap in the stomach, Pollonia was ten kilometres away and Adamas looked busy and exciting and I worried that we had made a mistake. Rather than hang around for two hours fretting we broke one of our normal rules and took a taxi for €12 to Pollonia, generally we try to avoid expensive taxis and this was the first time since Naxos last year.

It was about a fifteen-minute drive along the coast road and my feelings of uncertainty rose to defcom red and started to fill my chest and my throat especially as we drove through the village and into a rather scruffy little place with half finished buildings and overflowing rubbish bins. Finally the taxi drove down a dusty street towards the sea and we arrived at the Nefeli Sunset Apartments and I really shouldn’t have worried because they were absolutely brilliant! We had a simple white room with cornflower blue doors and windows and a balcony with a stunning view over a wild and restless sea on the exposed side of the village. It was a perfect setting and we sat for a while and watched huge waves crashing in and breaking over black rocky outcrops in the sea.

Sent to the shops I walked the short distance into the village but in the middle of the afternoon the mini-market was closed so I admitted defeat and started to walk back but then it suddenly occurred to me that there must be a bakery so I walked back and sure enough I was right and I was able to buy alcohol and snacks and take them back. I got lost on the way back and ended up at the sea some way from the apartments but that was lucky because it was a lovely walk back along the cliffs with the wind howling in and the salt spray leaping up over the rocks.

As we sat and had a beer the blue sky started to reassert itself and the clouds slipped away and despite the wind, or perhaps even because of it, this was a perfect place and we congratulated ourselves on a good choice of hotel.

With the weather improving we walked into the little village to do important things like check the bus and ferry time-tables, see where we might like to eat later tonight and find a little bar for an afternoon mythos. All along the harbour side there were tavernas and bars and in the late afternoon they weren’t too busy and we attracted the unwanted attention of waiters who were anxious for business and we explained to them all that we weren’t eating right now but if they left us alone then we might come back later. One was especially persistent so we resolved that we wouldn’t eat there out of principle. We stopped for a drink at the taverna next door, liked the menu and agreed that this would be where we would eat tonight.

While we sat the grey clouds returned and it looked like the day was a write-off and we wouldn’t be enjoying a Nefeli sunset tonight. But the weather can change quickly in the Cyclades and an hour later the Nefeli lived up to its name and the clouds broke into a thousand pieces of unwanted grey and just like the Greece football team at Euro 2004 the sun waits for a chance and scores a break away goal in the final minutes. The sun reasserted itself to its rightful position in the sky and we were treated to the crowning glory of a glorious sunset streaming in from the west over a raging sea and wild crashing waves, more like being in Cornwall than being in Greece! There was a kaleidoscope sky with ever changing views of red, yellow, amber and milky white and an angry green sea and bubbling white surf crashing on and around the multi coloured rocks.

The weather was wild and a temporary power cut made the place even more moody and wild but it didn’t last long and once the sunset entertainment was over we dressed and got ready to go back to the village. It was much cooler tonight and for the first time since I can remember I had to wear two layers of clothing tonight. We ate where we planned and had a nice meal before returning to the apartments and before we fell asleep we listened to the hissing wind and the restless sea and we wondered what tomorrow might bring.

http://www.milos-nefelistudios.gr/

Greece 2009 - Sifnos to Milos in a Force 7

In the morning it was clear that we should have taken notice of the weather forecast of doom because overnight the weather had changed just as predicted by all of those who knew better than us. From the balcony all that could be seen were dark and threatening clouds scudding in from the north and obscuring the sun, which was struggling for some sort of recognition of its presence in the sky. The weather forecast has got worse and the breakfast television weather map showed Greece with rain predictions for the mainland and the north and force seven winds in the Cyclades.

Fortunately for us the islands stay mostly dry but when I fetched the breakfast pie the lady in the bakery said that on the island they were hoping for rain because they hadn’t had any for several months since the winter and I could tell from the scorched fields and parched earth that definitely wasn’t exaggerating. I agreed with her about awful that must be but didn’t let on that personally I hoped the rain stays away for a couple more weeks at least, just long enough for us to finish our holiday.

It was windy and much colder so while we packed we choose suitable clothing for a rough sea voyage and after we had settled up at the hotel and said goodbye we slung our packs on our backs and wandered off down to the port. Kim went off to do some last minute shopping and purchase the pottery she had selected, which was going to be a bit of a nuisance because we were going to have to lug it about with us for ten days after that. I waited for her at the Captain’s Bar and ordered a mythos that came with peanuts so I guessed it was going to be expensive! The sun was fighting back by now and was beginning to get the upper hand, the cloud was breaking up and thinning out but there was no sign of the wind dropping and I wondered if the ferry would be on time.

I was fairly sure that it would be late so when Kim turned up I ordered more beer and sat down and prepared to wait. I shouldn’t have been so pessimistic because less than halfway down the bottle the ferry announced its arrival with a blast of its horn and we had to finish in a hurry and make our way to the port and back on board the Agios Georgios for the journey to Milos. The sea was choppy but not on a sea sick scale and we settled down again on the open top deck. If this was a force seven gale I wasn’t worried because the boat seemed more than capable of dealing with it . Wind speed is measured on the Beaufort Scale that was developed in 1805 by Admiral Sir Francis Beaufort who divided weather conditions into twelve for the purposes of reporting consistency. Force seven is a near gale, force eight is a gale and so on all the way to force twelve, which is a hurricane.

I settled down with a mythos to enjoy the journey and then there was an amusing little accident when the two back legs on my plastic deck chair snapped off and one minute I was sitting comfortably like an English gentleman abroad and the next I was in an undignified heap on the deck. Still, it made everyone laugh and luckily I didn’t spill any of my beer.

As we made progress towards Milos the sea got a bit rougher and the clouds thickened again and the day didn’t look promising at all. The strong wind made the Greek flag dance wildly at the back of the ferry as we passed the gnarled coastline of Kimolos and made steady progress towards our destination. Closer to Milos we passed the cliffs scarred by old abandoned mine workings, the iconic white beaches of the island and the gaily coloured fishermen’s villages and just after lunchtime we docked on time in Adamas.

Greece 2009 - Day 7 Sifnos, Kastro

On the way to the village to buy breakfast I stopped at a car hire shop and negotiated the hire of 150cc orange quad bike. We had used one last year with mixed success so were determined to give it a second try. After all how difficult can it be? I have seen whole families driving around on one bike sometimes carrying plants and furniture and a whole weeks shopping as well.

We carefully planned our route, first to the beach village at Vathi and then a visit to the monastery at Panagia Chryssopigi, a swim off the rocks and then on to Kastro for a meal. We left promptly after breakfast and the route away from the harbour was unexpectedly green and attractive with olive and fig trees on either side and little fields, allotments really, full of peppers and tomatoes ripening in the sun.

I drove quite slowly at first, I imagined myself as peter Fonda in Easyrider but I was a long way from achieving that. I had to be careful especially after a momentary lapse of concentration and a slide onto the wrong side of the road. I have always advised my children not to use these things and I was feeling a complete hypocrite. Kim had suggested a scooter but that was too much for me, I have seen too many people wandering around with open flesh wounds and scabs on their legs from falling off to convince me. I would only do it if I had a full set of TT grand prix leathers and even then I doubt I would get above twenty kilometres an hour!

It took about forty minutes to reach Vathi where there was picturesque beach and harbour with expensive yachts moored up or anchored out in the bay. It was a get away from it sort of place where pretentious rahs and hooray henry’s were busy bragging away to each other about their lives. We didn’t stay long and after we had walked the beach and had a mid morning drink we set off again for Chryssopigi just a few kilometres away.

The little church over a bridge was very busy this lunchtime and more and more people were turning up for what was clearly going to be a wedding. Like everything else in Greece it was a friendly laid back affair with guests dressed casually and enjoying each other’s company as they waited for the bride. It was a complete contrast to the stressful, tight arsed, stuffed shirt weddings we have back home and I thought this was so much better. Kim didn’t agree with me and while she waited for the bride I got fidgety and wandered off. At the entrance to the monastery there was a fabulous argument in full flow. Two women were shouting at each other and gesticulating wildly and using the diplomatic services of a priest as an umpire. He wasn’t doing terribly well and I was sure that they would eventually come to blows. They didn’t but it lasted a full ten minutes and although I had no way of knowing what it was about I enjoyed every minute of it.



After the arrival of the bride we went to the rocks for a swim and we glad to get into the sea because it was by now a very hot day. Everyone was telling us that the weather would change again tomorrow and the winds would be back but that didn’t seem very likely right now as we swam for several minutes and then dried off on the rocks in perfect conditions for sunbathing. When we were dry we left and continued to our final destination of Kastro, which is the old capital on the opposite side of the island to Kamares.

When we arrived the town was quiet in a cathedral sort of way so it felt rude to talk in anything but a whisper but it was quite perfect. There were cats on every corner just minding their own business and waiting for the tavernas to open and meandering alleys and crooked streets that all led eventually to the castle at the top of the town. The narrow streets were shady and we were glad of that because this was becoming one of the hottest days of the holiday and we were glad of the cool spots and the shadows of the houses. We were hungry so we stopped a taverna with an elevated view over the redundant terraced fields and the little port below and we had a lovely meal of lamb cooked in lemon sauce and after we had finished we left and explored the village on foot.

Kastro is a traditional whitewashed Cycladic cubic village where most of the local council’s money must go on white paint and where people live in houses on the edge of the world in a cosy huddle of homes, shops, churches and pretty shaded squares with hospitable tavernas and everywhere pots full of blazing geraniums outside intense whitewashed houses with brightly coloured balconies and staircases and blue painted doors and windows. My favourite doors are in the Cyclades where, next to the white that we all associate with the islands, the prevailing colour is blue. It turns out that the widespread use emanates from an ancient belief that the sky-blue shade of turquoise has the power to keep evil away. It is believed that the radiation of the colour composes a sort of invisible shield, which prevents the approach of bad spirits. Blue is used everywhere in the Cyclades, church cupolas, windows, doors, walls, staircases, fences and also blue ‘belts’ around buildings, which supposedly provide protection against evil

It was late afternoon now so after a final mythos it was back to the hotel at Kamara and the bike was driving really smoothly now. There was a warning notice near the ignition that said that it shouldn’t be operated after drinking alcohol but to be honest I have to say that it seemed to handle a whole lot better after a couple of beers.

The rest of the day was squandered away sitting on the terrace, admiring the view and disbelieving all the weather warnings, even from the Greek lady next door who was clearly in a better position to know than we were. I enjoyed watching the ferries coming in and going out and it suddenly occurred to me that I was beginning to recognise them and there was a familiarity about them that accompanied my increased desire to visit more and more Greek islands. There are approximately one thousand four hundred islands and islets and I have visited only twenty-four so it is unlikely that I will ever run out of new places to visit.

Later the elderly couple next door said they had seen a quad bike outside so there must be a young couple in the hotel, we told them it was ours, they were impressed and we were flattered.

Greece 2009 - Day 5 Sifnos, Kamares

Once on board we made our way to the open top deck and made ourselves comfortable in the sun. We knew all about the Agios Georgios because we had used it last year so we knew the best place to sit. After the commotion of leaving the harbour the ferry settled down on course for neighbouring Sifnos and it was quite perfect. There was a calm blue sea, electric sunshine and a cloudless sky, with a mythos in hand I could have stayed there on the top deck for a fortnight but it was only a short forty-five minute journey and as we watched Serifos disappear behind us in haze of heat we quickly approached Sifnos where we had stayed last year but needed more time to see the things we missed.

The boat arrived in the port of Kamares early in the afternoon and the apartment owner met us in the busy main street and drove us no more than five hundred metres to the hotel and without any fuss showed us to our little room at the top of the pretty little hotel complex. It was absolutely delightful with traditional decoration and furniture and a terrace with a glorious view over the beach and the surrounding countryside and although I cannot adequately explain why we felt immediately at home.

It was a beautiful day and from the balcony there was an unbroken blue sky and we were surrounded by scrubby hills that were not attractive at all but paradoxically very attractive indeed. Apparently the whole of the summer through late July and August had been spoilt by continuous high winds but today there was not a hint of wind and the place was simply idyllic.

On the downside, somewhere along the way I lost my sunglasses. I was very attached to those sunglasses, I found them on a golf course in 2003 and they have been with me ever since.

After we had settled in we wasted no time in going back to the harbour where there was a great selection of tavernas set along the side of the water with the sea lapping gently in a soporific sort of way and an enormous amount of fish swimming around in the expectation of being thrown chunks of left over bread. Kamara is a lovely sort of shabby chic village with a strip of lively, colourful shops on one side of the main road and temping tavernas and bars on the other. It is all nicely understated and feels warm, friendly and safe. We choose a table at the water’s edge and had a leisurely meal that probably included Greek salad and calamari but I was just so relaxed that I simply cannot remember, I was so happy it was like being wrapped in a comfort blanket.

After lunch we picked a spot on the beach and lay in the sun and went for a swim and squandered the rest of the afternoon as it just casually slipped slowly away towards sunset time. Back at the Sifnaika Konaika apartments we enjoyed early evening on the balcony of exactly the same room as last year that we had liked so much we specially requested again. I had a cup of tea and then came to my senses and followed it up with a mythos and then there was the best part of the day when Kim found my sunglasses – I had left them in the car on the journey from the port to the hotel – what a relief!

Later we walked back to the port and we ate in the harbour of course, at a taverna with green tablecloths and a traditional rustic menu and we spent a whole evening eating, drinking and feeding the fish with the over generous portions of bread that were served with the meal. We both liked Serifos but we liked it here better, it seemed more relaxed, more friendly and best of all less expensive. When we had finished our meal we climbed the hill back to the apartments and sat on the balcony with a bottle of red wine until very late.

http://www.sifnaikakonakia.com/index.htm