Greece - Walking the Islands

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

I'm totting up how many of these islands I have walked on, often without a map as none was available!

Why Greece won't go away

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16789046

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. Food disasters

The meals at one taverna sounded fine on the menu, but arrived smothered in peas. Not nice fresh-from-the pod peas but elderly peas, peas that put me in mind of the shops I saw in Communist Bulgaria stocked with little else but bags of firewood (too small for a decent fire, I wondered what was done with it) and peas. Large jars full of pickled or preserved peas with a yellowish tinge. Most unappetising. It may be that peas in tins look somewhat similar, but peas in tins cannot be seen through the metal of the tin. These bottled peas were not modest in the way that tinned peas are. You could see every wart and all.

And then there was the pea-green coloured tuna .....................................

I am reminded of the pies served in a student hall of residence. I was expecting the pie to contain brown meat and gravy. A green slime oozed out of the pie. The pie was supposed to be a curry pie.

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. Robert Leigh, and Andros in the late 1990s

I like buying books written in English about the places I visit. On Andros, I bought a book by Robert Leigh, an Englishman living in Menites, a village above Chora. Sunlight in the Wine, Life in a Greek Island Valley(George Dardanos, Athens, 1996), a very readable account giving a good insight into local customs.

As usual, I started browsing as soon as I could, that is the next time I sat down for a drink. In the evening, I carried on reading Robert Leigh's book. Dipping into the book, it was not always clear which season was being mentioned. I gained an impression of an island littered with busy tavernas serving food and drink all day.

Alas, the Andros I found was not like that. If any of the tavernas Robert Leigh mentioned were still around, they were not open for business at midday in October. Yorgo's taverna at Vourkoti has stopped serving food. Lucky I did not dash up there after reading his description of it earlier in the book. Still, it would have been no different to the shut tavernas I found in other places on Andros. Robert Leigh described another favourite taverna which, though the place is not mentioned by name, sounds like Ipsilou. (Looking at a map, the taverna that Robert Leigh mentions must be in Strapouris or Ipsilou.) I got there by mistake and the food was "off."

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. Tricks of Memory

It is strange - but perhaps not when you think about it - how places in different parts of Greece have the same name. When you think about it there are lots of place names repeated in different parts of England, e.g. because they describe a common feature. Think back to Italy. Every city seemed to have a Piazza Garibaldi. Now was that the bus station in Rome or Florence - or was it Naples. Sometimes in Greece when I want to catch a bus back to base, I have to stop and think what the place I am staying in is called, as travel tiredness dulls the memory. Is it Gialos or was that the last island? Only yesterday I was asked my postcode, and said the second bit was LS1. It is 1LS, and LS1 is an impossible postcode, but that is the trick that my memory played on me (naughty memory!).

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

Help Save Greece - Holiday There!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/HELP-SAVE-GREECE-HOLIDAY-THERE/324006742567?sk=wall-

I'm doing my bit - flights booked for my first visit in 2012!

Paros Life and Naxos Life Magazine

For information about Naxos and Paros (and Amorgos and the small Cyclades) see Paros Life and Naxos Life

For the latest information see Facebook - Paros Life and Naxos Life

A recent post by Vicki Preston, the publisher and editor, shows the difficulties of keeping a publication such as this going in the current economic climate. 

Animal Zone International, and the animals of Amorgos

Read about Animal Zone International, and their work with the animals of Amorgos.

Animal Zone International

Many of the cats in the Katapola area of Amorgos have little nicks cut out of their ears - a sign that the cats have been sterilised by Animal Zone International.

NAWS - Naxos Animal Welfare Society

How are animals faring in Greece ?  See the NAWS facebook page for recent successes and, sadly, tragedies.


Naxos Animal Welfare Society

 

Facebook - Support NAWS and the Animals on Naxos

Angela Merkel casts doubt on saving Greece from financial meltdown

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/25/angela-merkel-greece-financial-meltdown


and the follow up

Greece plays down reading of Angela Merkel's financial meltdown remarks

Pipped at the Post - frozen oranges

I was looking at the green shoots appearing in my garden in England yesterday, and wondered if they would be killed by frost.  But look at what Greek orange growers are having to contend with.

http://www.athensnews.gr/issue/13479/52529

Archaeology: Greece,the 10 most important discoveries of 2011

Archaeology: Greece,the 10 most important discoveries of 2011

Perhaps I'm not reading in the right places, but I don't recall reading about any of these before, e.g.
"The oldest legible epigraph ever discovered on European soil"

ΠΑΝΑΓΙΑ ΧΟΖΟΒΙΩΤΙΣΣΑ Facebook page

There is a Facebook page for the Chozoviotissa monastery on Amorgos.

Time for some homework - learn Greek!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/greek/

I've tried many times to learn Greek.  But so many Greeks speak good English.  I try and speak Greek in Greece, but often the Greek person repeats back to me what I have said in English, to check that they have understood me correctly.

The Athens News is 60!

http://www.facebook.com/AthensNews#

The Athens News will be 60 years old on January 29. We are planning to mark this remarkable achievement in our January 27 issue. As part of this effort, we would love to hear from our readers - our most valuable asset - on how important the Athens News has been to them over the years. So send us your thoughts, including a photo of yourself if possible, to letters@athensnews.eu and we will endeavour to include as many responses as we can.

Read the first issue of the Athens News

http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/52726

Greece predicts private debt write-off deal by weekend

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16607577

Panicked Greeks Hide Cash Under Pools and … Olive Trees

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/01/18/panicked-greeks-hide-cash-under-pools-and-olive-trees/

Costa Concordia: 'I was on a cruise liner that sank in Greece'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/16/costa-concordia-memories-greece?newsfeed=true

Experinces of a passenger on the Jupiter, a cruise ship that sank at Piraeus in 1988.

Books about Amorgos

I'm still learning how Amazon "widgets" work!
There are other books about Amorgos that are not listed on Amazon. Have a browse in Tassos's bookshop in Katapola.

Greek Island Hopping 2012

"Greek Island Hopping 2012" by Frewin Poffley is an essential guide for anyone visiting Greece for the first time, or exploring parts of Greece they don't know.  Athens hotels, information about boats and ports, maps of the main villages in the islands, tips on where to eat and sleep, and tips on sightseeing.

When I was exploring new-to-me parts of Greece this book was usually an essential part of my luggage.  I say "usually" as I am thinking of my first and only visit to Chios.  "Greek Island Hopping" was usually in my hand luggage.  At the airport in England there were announcements about increased security, and passengers were asked to take as little as possible into the cabin.  So I transferred my copy of "Greek Island Hopping" and much more from my cabin bag into my rucksack.  And "Greek Island Hopping" was in my rucksack many hours later when I arrived art Chios airport. 

I waited at the luggage arrival belt at Chios airport.  Othwer passengers collected their bags and went away.  There were no bags left on the belt.  I made some enquiries.  My rucksack was still in Athens, and would be sent on the next plane many hours later.  At least there was (at least then) more than one flight a day from Athens to Chios.

I didn't want to stay for hours at Chios airport, so I went into Chios town.  A town which I didn't know, and had no map.  And no "Greek Island Hopping".  I'd normally have done at least some homework about my destination.  But not on this occasion.  Chios had been on my agenda for some time, and may have been a last minute decision.

It was on this trip when I was "all alone" in Chios that I realised what a good companion "Greek Island Hopping" was when exploring the Greek islands.

Amazon shows that the 2012 edition will be published on 16 February 2012.  Surprisingly, there isn't a Kindle edition available.  But perhaps not so surprising if the maps won't reproduce well.

Costa Concordia

Cruise captain 'committed errors', say ship's owners

The capsize of the Costa Concordia set me thinking of Greek ferries and cruise ships.

On my first trip to Greece in 1981 I was travelling on a small ferry (she may have been the Ios, and if I recall correctly she was too small to have a car deck).  We were going from Paros to Santorini.  En route I remember seeing a stricken ship, one end pointing up out of the sea.  The stricken ship looked like the double of the ship I was travelling on.

Poseidon Express

HALF-SUNK PASSENGER SHIP TO BE REFLOATED BY GREEK COAST GUARD

I travelled on the Poseidon Express - one of the best ferries of her day.  In April 1996 she hit rocks near Paros.  I was on a ferry that valled in at Paros when The Poseidon Express was still lying on her side in the harbour.

Golden Vergina  / Express Samina

http://www.greekislandhopping.com/Updates/updatepages/u_disaster.html

The Express Samina, formerly the Golden Vergina, sank after hitting a rock near Paros in 2000.  82 passengers died.  I had travelled on the ship a year or so earlier (going from Samos to Naxos), when she was called the Golden Vergina. 

Sea Diamond

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Sea_Diamond

The Sea Diamond, a cruise ship, sank in 2007 after running aground near Santorini. I remember travelling on one of the Blue Star ferries soon afterwards, siiting in a loune at night half watching the news on TV.  The news was about the sinking of the Sea Diamond.  If I understood the Greek correctly, the gferry I was travelling on had been involved in the rescue.

Greece - the wrong sort of snow!

Ski resorts closed because of lack of snow.  Ski resorts closed because of too much snow............

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/01/14/dramas-mount-falakro-ski-resort-open-to-public-once-again/

See my photos of snow in Naxos
http://www.lulu.com/product/file-download/snow-in-naxos/745644

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. Dorniers

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

Naxos airport opened in 1992.  It is many years sicne I flew on one of the old Dorniers.

________________________________
Dorniers
　
In some ways ferry travel is one of the pleasures of travel in Greece: lazing on a sunny deck watching islands float by; getting up to watch the frenzy of activity at a port of call; then lazing again. In practice, ferry travel is not always idyllic. The sun does not always shine in Greece; sometimes the seas are rough. Ferries can be crowded. Back in the early 1990s, ferries were not as comfortable as they are today. Therefore, when Naxos airport opened in 1992, we were keen to sample the pleasures of air travel. I had know that the airport was being built and anticipated its opening with mixed feelings. Would fast travel mean that the island would become more touristy/ Certainly tourism has developed on Naxos since the early 1990s, but this can only be in very small part down to the airport. Most of the planes using the airport in the early days were 18 seat Dorniers. Some days a 50 seater was used. By the late 1990s the airport had been enlarged to take bigger planes (usually around 50 seats). However the numbers coming to Naxos by plane are very small when compared to those coming by ferry. But back to those Dorniers. You can still fly on Dorniers to some islands with small airports.

The aeroplanes are small, twin-engined, propeller- driven Dorniers. The planes are unpressurised, so that cloud sometimes seeps into the cabin. . Do not think that the planes are basic. They have a huge range of controls. Sitting behind the pilot (as one does, and the curtain dividing the passenger area from the cockpit is usually left open) you can see them all! I suspect that Dornier pilots need to be more skilled than those flying the larger planes are.

On our first flight from Naxos airport there was a minimum of formality (the airport has now been enlarged slightly, but not much Just before we were due to leave a police car arrived. The policeman got out a truncheon shaped detector, checked hand luggage, and drove off. The tiny terminal building then had about a dozen seats. The airport fire engine was a 1950-60ish machine - which looked as though it had been supplied by the local vintage vehicle club!

The seats are all singles except for one or two at the back; so most people get a window seat. The plane was unpressurised and cloud crept in through the emergency exit behind my seat. The views were excellent. The journey was very smooth apart from a bit of turbulence as we came round a mountain on the way into Athens. Baggage collection at Athens was very efficient. The little truckload of bags arrived before we did!
The problem with internal flights is that being so small the planes are often full. It is fine to book a ticket from Athens to your chosen island in advance, and to book your return ticket in advance if you know for sure which island you want to travel from. If you are island hopping, you can never be sure which island you will end up on. You can get to Athens by ferry more easily than you can get say from Anaphi to Naxos, so I do not usually book a return flight in advance. I have flown on internal flights a few times since; but usually the flights are all full.
　

Kalo Taxidi - the Sequel. Approaching Donoussa on the old Skopelitis

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

_______________________
APPROACHING DONOUSSA (1990s)

At Donoussa, larger ferries use the new harbour. The Skopelitis uses the older, smaller harbour nearer to the centre of the village. The Skopelitis no doubt continued to use the older quay as it was more conveniently placed for deliveries, especially in the days when there was even less in the way of wheeled transport than there is today. There is still little in the way of transport on Donoussa, but more than there was a few years ago. [Note from England: in summer 1998 the Express Skopelitis was brought into service; being larger than the old Skopelitis, she uses the new harbour. The Skopelitis I refer to here is the old, original, Skopelitis.]
On other islands the Skopelitis docks by way of her "car ramp," on the side of the ship at the back. "Car ramp" is probably too grand a word for a ramp to an area of the Skopelitis that could in theory carry two small cars. In practice, the area is so crammed full of boxes, parcels, and (especially at Easter) slaughtered lambs packaged up like mummies, that there is no room for a car.

At Donoussa, a small gate on the front deck is used for embarking and disembarking. The locals and regular travellers in these parts know this know this. Most other people see what is happening. However I have known passengers wait around at the back of the boat for the ship to dock - when the ship has docked and undocked at the front. I remember that at Donoussa one English chap was most irate about it. As the Skopelitis was pulling away from Donoussa, he kept demanding that he be returned to Donoussa, and that the Skopelitis should dock 'properly'. He was told words to the effect of "hard luck mate, we'll take you to Koufonissi and you can come back tonight." He had wanted to get off at Donoussa but he stayed on the boat. The only way back was by the same boat on the return trip. It is easy to laugh - but everyone has to learn the ropes somehow. If I had wanted to get off at Donoussa the first time I was on a ferry that called in there, I could well have missed it! I thought about my first trip to the Cyclades, when I was hovering at the ‘wrong’ end of the Panagia Tinou waiting for her to dock, without realising that the other end of the ship was tied up to the harbour. At least that chap knew that the island was Donoussa. The islands do not have name plates like railway stations, and often novices have no idea where they are. One young girl asked me once as we approached Katapola "The boat, does she go on to Chora!" For those who do not know, Chora is inland and uphill.

It is easy to laugh... But... At Naxos, the Skopelitis usually docks at the small boat harbour. Once when I was waiting to catch a fast boat at 3.15 (I hang my head in shame, the Skopelitis left at 3) the Skopelitis was moored in the big boats quay. Confusing. I never discovered why, and if I had wanted to catch her, I might have waited in vain at the wrong quay. I kept my head down - as I felt like a traitor not going on the local boat - but arriving at 5.30 instead of about 10.30 is quite an advantage.
　

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. A Final Encounter With An Andros Bus (late 1990s)

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

_______________________

A Final Encounter With An Andros Bus (late 1990s)

8 a.m. Went to bus station to check the day’s timetable. Blow! Today's drivers’ schedule has a 7.10 to Gavrion, the composite an 8.45. I checked last night but yesterday's drivers’ schedule was still up and the office was shut so I could not ask. I will go down for the 8.45 and hope it runs. I wondered what a taxi to Gavrion would cost. I would be happy to stay here in Andros until the end of the holiday, but having taken the decision to leave, packed up, etc., I want to go. A taxi cannot be more than 5000dr, can it? If I had known there was no 8.45 bus today, but say, one tomorrow I would have been happy leaving tomorrow. Much as I have enjoyed Andros as I am all packed up, I want somewhere to go to! In a way, it is like going home. I enjoy my travels, but find the journey home tedious. If a magic carpet (Greek, not Turkish) could whisk me from my hotel in Greece to home, I would be more than happy to miss out the intermediate slow journey. I feel more impatient on a plane home than I do say on the oh so slow Skopelitis.

I bought a cheese pie for breakfast on the way back from the bus station. My view of Greek youth has changed. Two Greek youths came in the cheese pie shop after me and shouted out their order as soon as the prop. came through from the back room. I looked pointedly at my watch when the prop's back was turned as he was getting the lads' cheese pies out of the oven. I hope they felt suitably chastened. I wanted the youths to see me looking at my watch, not the prop. – the prop. was not at fault, as he did not see who came in first.I thought of the pleasure of buying hot bread (or cheese pies) from the bakery. English supermarkets now sell hot bread. A cynic like me suspects the supermarket bread is imported from elsewhere and ‘finished off’ at the supermarket. I also wonder if supermarkets have an aerosol of ‘fresh bread’ fragrance that they squirt around the shop. The bread on the shelves is cold or cooling, but the shoppers ignore it, waiting to pounce on hot bread as soon as it lands on the shelves. By the time they have queued to get through the checkout the bread will be cold, never mind when they get home. What is the fascination of hot bread? A primordial instinct. Does the fact that a woman has touched the bread when hot make her feel maternal and / or possessory towards it?I went to the bus stop for the 8.45. A number of other people were waiting including the Swedes I had met earlier. The bus was running (heave a sigh of relief). A group of French walkers (the fish-lovers) arrived with metal sticks, the full works. They were equipped to climb Mont Blanc, not go for a walk in Andros. Two of the group had got lost, and the rest insisted that the bus wait until they turned up. They had a huge wad of maps and notes each, yet could not find Chora bus station! We waited and left late - I almost missed the ferry! In Messaria a taxi reversed to let bus through. I wondered if the meter went backwards when the taxi reversed? There were plenty of seats in the bus, yet someone (Greek) chose to sit in the courier’s seat, and had to stand up each time someone wanted to get on or off the bus which delayed the bus even more. Would we reach Gavrion in time for the ferry? I should have guessed that I would not leave Andros without a last session of fun and games on the buses. The bus pulled up at Stavropeda. Another bus was parked nearby. The other bus was pointing towards Gavrion. Our bus was pointing towards Korthi. Alarm bells started to ring in my head. There was no 8.45 bus to Gavrion on the driver’s schedule. I am on the Korthi bus. I asked, yes, this is the Korthi bus. I quickly explained this to the Swedes (the French had already got off) and we went across to the Gavrion bus. We set off to Gavrion. That was not quite the end of the saga…………….. I soon became aware of a bus charging along behind us. A race? No, the Korthi bus was racing to overtake the Gavrion bus. Both buses stopped. A sheepish looking passenger (Greek!) got off the Korthi bus and came onto the Gavrion bus. Even Greeks find Andros buses confusing! I had my eye on my watch. The boat was due. We approached Gavrion; she had not yet arrived. I dashed into a ticket office. As I emerged, with wet ink on my ticket, the ferry was coming into the harbour.

Kalo Taxidi - the Sequel - And more on Andros Buses

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

_________________________

And more on Andros Buses  (late 1990s)

Not only is there a composite bus timetable and a daily list that differs. The daily list lists all the buses by number. Some are 'off' on each day and each bus is allocated a driver. In addition, drivers are shown as switching buses. The mind boggles. The bus shown as going to Strapouries and Apikia...does it double back? I think there had been some new roads built that were not shown on my map. Even after bussing and walking in the area, I found it difficult to get my bearings. The bus to Stenies is at 13.50. When does it return? The bus goes to Syneti next, so it must return to Chora. It was difficult to understand the timetable after a week in Andros, when some of the abbreviations were recognisable to me as the names of villages. Imagine the depth of my confusion when I first arrived. I must learn to say in Greek "may I have a copy of the timetable for the week, please." Not that such a publication, if it existed, would be a practical proposition in Andros – the timetable would rival the bi-annual British railway timetable in size!

I decided to catch the 12.30 bus to Apikia. The buses have MANOUSSIS TOURS written on them. I think that is the name of the coffee roasting grocer’s shop. Just seen that the nice old boy who has been saying 'yassou' to me is the prop. of that shop. Strange, after all these trips to Greece, I still do not know which are the most common Greek surnames, the Greek Smith and the Greek Jones. A chap has just put the usual sized blue carrier bag containing one pair of trainers into the boot of the next bus. Why - do the trainers smell? I thought of the time when I hired a car in Crete with Graciela, an Argentinian lady (hello, Graciela!). Graciela soon insisted that I buy a pair of lightweight shoes. Graciela did not relish the prospect of sitting in a car next to my trainer-clad feet. Since then, I have learnt to avoid plastic trainers……………..

The bus engine has been running for 10 minutes. It was an old bus. There were a lot of fumes; it smelt as if the exhaust fumes were coming into the bus. Why was the engine left running? The driver eventually switched off the engine. The conductor walked through the bus and opened the windows. Now 12.40. Engine turned off. There is an ‘empty’ sort of sound when the driver seems to try to start bus. I think the battery was flat! We were given a push start! I am glad the engine did not stall on the hills as there was only me, the driver, the conductor, and one other passenger for the last part of the journey.

Three sweet girls aged about five got on the bus. I think they got on with their teacher (who did not travel on the bus) and the bus conductor 'mothered' them. The girls got off at different stops. One girl had a mass of blondish curly hair that the teacher kept stroking and admiring. At first, I thought that she was their mother. I thought of an incident in Lincoln, on the bus from Louth. A girl on the bus (probably in her late teens) had vivid auburn hair; an old chap said to her 'excuse me miss - but is that the real colour of your hair?' The young girl graciously did not thump him for his impudence and said that yes, it was the natural colour of her hair.

There were no further problems with the bus. The bus ride was spectacular. A far better 200 dr. worth than the trip to Messaria. As the bus wound up above the harbour, we passed a taverna, a pleasant old-fashioned looking taverna with a sea view. I made a mental note to call in there on the way back. (I am writing about the walk in the café next door, larger and with less character. The quaint looking taverna was shut when I got back). At the taverna I saw a number of tourists, red-faced and drinking. (That sounds ambiguous, I mean that they were red from exertion, not drinking!) As the bus went uphill, we passed sweaty hikers coming down. (Sweaty? Could I see sweat? Could I smell sweat?) Were there more of them and the red-faced drinkers than eight? There certainly seemed to be. I assume those that were sitting down were the quickest walkers! There must have been 30 or so hikers. It cannot just have been the French eight who abandoned the Akti as it had no fish. I hoped that the drinkers were not going to drink the taverna dry. Leave some beer for me!

The bus was timetabled to go to Strapouries and Apikia. The map shows Strapouries as a dead end, and Apikia on a road above. The bus went along a splendid road. If anything, Strapouries was even better situated than Apikia. Apikia is higher, but the view of Chora was obstructed by a ridge. We went up to Strapouries and to me we seemed to go far beyond that. I thought a new road had been built since the map was drawn and went from Strapouries to Apikia. Had we reached the end of the route? I did not want the bus to go back downhill with me on board. No. The conductor said, "wait." We retraced our route half way back to Chora (and a reprise of the splendid views) and up the Apikia turn that I had seen on the way up.

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. Andros buses (late 1990s)

I published my book "Kalo Taxidi - Notes from Greece and the Greek islands in July 2011. I am now working on my next book about Greece, and adding some extracts to my blog.

______________________

Andros buses (late 1990s)
　
Somewhere in Greece there must be a degree course on devising the Andros bus timetable! Each day there was a new hand-written schedule of the movements of drivers' and buses, that never tallied exactly with the other two timetables showing daily fixed departure times from Andros Chora to Batsi and Gavrion, and the other timetable showing a list of departures arranged by destination. What actually ran seemed to be something else again. Never before have I had to change bus in pitch dark on a deserted road, or seen even Greek passengers on the wrong bus, and a bus hurtling through the mountains after the bus that got away
To go back to the beginning, to my arrival at Gavrion, the port of Andros. I arrived in torrential rain. When it rains in Greece it reallyrains. There are no half measures. The rain in Gavrion was serious rain, and closely followed my wetter than wet experiences in Paros and Anti Paros. A leaking hotel roof, a collapsed building nearby, need I say more?

I had read that all ferries arriving at Andros were met by a Chora-bound bus, and I had not thought to question this advice. There were buses parked near the harbour. After all, Andros is a big island, and you would expect to find a good bus service.

How wrong I was, for I was about to be introduced to the mysteries of the Andros bus timetable. A man was sitting in the driver's seat of one of the buses. I asked him (in my best Greek) what time the bus left for Chora. "Epta," he said. I thought I had misheard.

"Epta." I counted on my fingers and reached seven. Seven? But it was only just after half past three. Surely, there was a bus before seven o'clock. I showed Mr Bus seven fingers, being careful not to produce anything that could be interpreted as a rude gesture. "Ne. Epta."

I went away and looked in my dictionary, knowing my numerical inadequacies in Greek. Yes, "epta" did mean seven. . No, 'epta' had no other meaning. Useful to know when I next wanted to buy a 7 star Metaxa. Not that useful to know when I wanted to catch a bus at half past three.. I went back to double check with Mr. Bus. He looked bored and said "epta" again. I wished my Greek had been good enough to ask why he was sitting in the driver's seat at 15.35 when the bus did not leave until 19.00. As far as I knew, the only bus route from the port of Gavrion went to Batsi and on to Chora. What was Mr Bus doing sitting in a bus that would not move for three and a half hours? Had he nothing better to do? Where was the bus going? All the time the rain was tipping down. This was my first introduction to the mysteries of the Andros bus timetable. Mr Bus looked bored. No wonder he looked bored if his task was to sit in the bus until 7 o'clock. How many Amstels could I drink by 7 o'clock? It would by then be dark. I would see nothing of the Andros countryside. A pity.

Things were happening; Gavrion was springing to life. At about a quarter to five the Superferry came in and two buses pulled up. There were now three buses at Gavrion. Surely, one of them would go to Chora before seven o'clock. Where else was there for buses to go to but Chora? One of the buses had a 'Bakoni' label stuck to the windscreen. 'Bakoni' sounded like a holiday company. The other bus had a 'Korthoi' sign. Korthi was the village beyond Chora I planned to visit. I went up to this bus - Mr Bus was sitting in the driver's seat. He said 'just a minute'. I brought my big rucksack across. I was getting somewhere, or so I thought until Mr Bus got into a taxi and drove off. Blow this, I thought - and asked another taxi driver the fare to Batsi.
　
And so I arrived in Batsi by taxi. Batsi is a few miles along the coast from Gavrion, the main holiday resort on the island and , importantly for me, on the bus route to Chora. Or at least, I thought that Batsi was on the bus route to Chora, but I am getting ahead of myself.

In Batsi I saw a bus timetable and wrote down the times. Those times must have been for the peak season only, for the 16.30 and 18.30 buses to Chora were not running. When travelling out of season in Greece it is annoying to find these seductive signs offering peak season treats such as plentiful buses and food in out of the way places. Often I have, hungry and thirsty, followed a sign to a taverna only to find the place bolted and barred. But I digress. I wondered later if there would have been an earlier bus if I had changed at Stavropeda but that is anticipating. On arrival, I had never heard of Stavropeda junction, the Crewe, or Clapham Junction of the Andros bus service. Somewhere I read that Stavropeda means junction. A place name with a meaning (as I suppose most of them do) like Karavostasis means boat stop.

The 19.00 met up with the boat from Rafina. The Andros bus timetable did not recognise the existence of the Haroula the vessel on which I had arrived. The Haroula was Rafina bound (I had caught her on Paros).
The shopkeeper in whose shop the timetable was posted saw me and said "Chora. Epta." Judging by the infrequency of the buses Andros seems to be an island of locals with cars and package tourists (who are driven from boat to rooms and sent on trips to line couriers’ pockets).

I lingered in a taverna waiting for the ‘epta’. Determined not to miss the long awaited bus I was out of the taverna by half past six. I sat on a seat near the bus stop, scanning the hills across the bay for signs of a bus. The rain had by now stopped. It was gradually getting dark. Seven o'clock arrived and there was still no sign of a bus. It was now impossible to tell if the lights descending the hill opposite belonged to a bus or a lorry, so I went across to the bus stop, or rather bus stopping place, for this was a patch of tarmac between the sea and the road, mostly filled with parked cars. I arranged myself and my luggage as best I could and waited. And waited. I began to think that after all my economy in waiting for the bus I would have to catch a taxi after all. No doubt, the taxi fare from Gavrion to Chora would be less than the fares combined from Gavrion to Batsi and Batsi to Gavrion. Oh, why had I been so miserly and not gone all the way to Chora by bus. I did not even know if I would like Chora when I got there. Of Gavrion and Batsi I preferred Batsi and might come back to stay for a few days later. After all this hanging around waiting to get to Chora I might get there only to find that I preferred Batsi.

I had been watching the darkening bay for the bus, then I saw two, and looked out for the third thinking that buses the whole wide world over travelled in packs of three like those in London reputedly do. One bus was on the coast road, the other on an uphill road. I assumed the uphill bus was taking tourists to the huge stepped monstrosity covering half a hillside on the Gavrion side of Batsi. Things were moving. I was about to be moving. At last.

At 19.20, a bus arrived in Batsi. I saw that it was labelled "Korthi", so I assumed that Korthi was reached via Chora and hopped on board. Niggling at the back of my mind was the thought that I had seen a 'Korthi' bus leave Gavrion hours before.......... The conductress asked me where I was going. "Chora," I said. I noticed that the conductress told the driver where I was going, but I thought no more of it. We drove for a few minutes, and then the bus pulled up. Were we at a bus stop? It did not seem to be a bus stop.

The Korthi bus had stopped just outside Batsi, and the conductress gestured me to get off. I emerged, visualising myself stranded with no luggage on a deserted hillside. What was going on? I was being initiated into the mysteries and intricacies of the Andros bus system. On the road ahead, another bus loomed out of the darkness. "Bus for Chora" said the conductress. The other bus waited for me and I caught it OK, thank you for your concern. After four hours of waiting for it, I was not going to miss it. Why two buses - neither of them full. One could have done the journey to the junction of the Chora and Korthi roads and then changed. Thinking about it afterwards, the main road goes above Batsi, not down to the harbour. One bus must have done the uphill route, and the other the downhill route. Going to Chora, I drew the short straw.

Certainly puzzling. I suppose some people wanted dropping off at the top of Batsi, and others down below, and both bus drivers did not want to do both routes. I had learnt that on an Andriot bus a passenger does not sit back, relax, and watch the scenery (or what passes for scenery in the pitch dark), he has to keep alert for little quirks in the timetable such as this.
　
　
　
　
　
　



Matt Barrett - A Greece Travel Guide

http://www.greektravel.com/

A very comprehensive site.

Eleven Post-Byzantine Icons Returned to Greece from London

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/01/13/eleven-post-byzantine-icons-returned-to-greece-from-london/

These are icons stolen from churches.

I rarely find an unlocked church in the Greek countryside, sad but necessary as these thefts show.

Even when locked churches do provide a pleasant resting place on a walk - there is usually somewhere outside to sit.

Fresh proposals for Greek Free School in Enfield or Barnet (London)

http://www.enfieldindependent.co.uk/news/9468680.Fresh_proposals_for_Greek_Free_School_in_north_London/

Greek Island Hopping: A How-to - By Wayne Dunlap

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2012/jan/12/travel-greek-island-hopping-how-to/

Greek Yogurt a Boon for New York State

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/13/business/demand-for-greek-style-helps-form-a-yogurt-cluster-in-new-york.html

Sales of Greek yogurt are booming, benefiting from a perception that the food is healthier than regular yogurt and other snacks.

Healthier?  Greek yogurt ranges from zero fat to 10% fat!  I must admit I forget about the healthiness - I love the creaminess of 10% fat Greek yogurt!

The brands mentioned are Fage and Total.  Fage make the Total brand which is well known.  I hadn't heard of Chobani before - founded four years ago by a Turkish immigrant and now the  leading American maker of Greek yogurt.

Greece: Traditions and Customs on the “Day of Lights”

http://globalvoicesonline.org/2012/01/09/greece-traditions-and-customs-on-the-day-of-lights/

One way of encouraging tourism must be to promote traditions that help make Greece unique.

With Work Scarce in Athens, Greeks Go Back to the Land

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/09/world/europe/amid-economic-strife-greeks-look-to-farming-past.html?_r=2&ref=greece

Growing mastic
Snail farming

Remember "The Good Life"?

Number of abandoned dogs skyrocketing

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite6_13879_03/01/2012_420954

Tourism has potential for more growth, argues SETE

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_10/01/2012_421994

Greek beaches get high marks for clean waters

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_9_10/01/2012_421973
Some positive news about Greece for a change.  I can't wait to dip my toes into the Greek sea on a warm sunny day .............................

Greek Crisis Has Pharmacists Pleading for Aspirin

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-10/greek-crisis-has-pharmacists-pleading-for-aspirin-as-drug-supply-dries-up.html

Greece needs to work smarter, not harder

http://business.financialpost.com/2012/01/10/why-greeks-arent-the-laziest-europeans/

There's something in this.  I'm thinking of shopkeepers on small Greek islands.  The shops open at the crack of dawn, and in season are open until midnight or later.  Could they be run more efficiently?  Do the owners want to be more efficient? 

Greek Fat Cats? - The Greek Rich List

http://www.greekrichlist.com/

Greek Rich List Magazine is the official publication profiling the World’s wealthiest Greeks and Greek Cypriots with accounts of their rise to success.

This lean cat hasn't subscribed to the Rich List so I can't give a review.  But some headlines

Billionaires buying bigger yachts

The Rise of US Billionaire Politics: Another Bubble?

Epiphany Celebrations Amidst Cold Windy Weather, Prayers and Boos

Epiphany Celebrations Amidst Cold Windy Weather, Prayers and Boos

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/01/06/epiphany-celebrations-amidst-cold-windy-weather-prayers-and-boos/

The icy seawater of Piraeus - a chilly atmosphere is more senses than one.

Brrr - I'm glad I didn't go to Greece for Ephiphany.  It's mild in England.

Fire Breaks Out at Historical Hotel ‘Acropole Palace’ in Athens

What I find newsworthy here is not so much the fire (and I hope no-one was hurt) but the fact that the hotel recently became a shelter for homeless people.

Ex Minister Says Acropolis Could Be Leased

I may be missing something here, but leased to whom, and for what purpose?  Projection of adverts onto the stones?  Holding hospitality events?  Or outsourcing the access arrangements?


More on this on 18/01/2012

Debt-Riddled Greece Will Lease Acropolis For Commercial Exploitation

http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jeUrA6jll-SsuqVTVwl6nmZRk4LA?docId=CNG.f8db7d69218339b9285abcf6567bb20c.471

And more on 20/01/2012

Greece's ancient sites to play starring role in recovery

Archaeological treasures including the Acropolis and the temple of Delphi will be available as backdrops for filming and photographic shoots for as little as €1,600 (£1,339) a day

But what would the administration costs be, and the staff to ensure that the "archeaological trasures" were not damaged.  And what about access by normal visitors - would that be stopped on days when the sites were leased?  so the loss of income from tickets.  and disgruntled tourists perhaps deciding not to visit Greece again?  A good idea in theory, but needs thinking from to stop it back-firing.

Picasso painting stolen from Greek gallery

Picasso painting stolen from Greek gallery

It's years since I went to the Athens National Gallery.  If I recall correctly, there was an exhibition about Henry Moore. 

National Gallery

The Greek word for the gallery is pinacotheca, from pinak, tablet or picture, and theke, repository.

But as always do check the opening times before heading to the gallery  - the gallery is soon to close for expanskion and refurbishment.
______________________
And a follow up on 15 January 2012 - extra security at the last exhibition before refurbishment

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite4_20027_13/01/2012_422605

The Greek parents 'too poor' to care for their children

The Greek parents 'too poor' to care for their children.

Read about SOS Children in Greece

Amorgos photos

I have added a selection of photos of Amorgos to Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52802925@N02/sets/72157628773470253/

Why Greece won't replace the euro with the drachma

Mmm - "Printing a new currency would take too long" doesn't seem to me to be a valid reason.

Next few months will decide Greece's fate, says PM

Next few months will decide Greece's fate, says PM

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite1_1_01/01/2012_420610
It's the time of year when we are thinking about where to go on holiday.  It's the prospect of a holiday disrupted by strikes, especially transport strikes, that will deter us from booking a holiday in Greece. 

Greece sees first strike of 2012 as doctors protest

Greece sees first strike of 2012 as doctors protest
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16381729

Pawnbrokers - In Greece’s Sour Economy, Some Shops Are Thriving

Pawnbrokers - In Greece’s Sour Economy, Some Shops Are Thriving
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/03/world/europe/as-greece-struggles-pawnbrokers-prosper.html

In England I noticed a pawnbrokers the other day, the first I remember seeing. 

Podariko - First Footing in Greece

Happy New Year!  Read about the Greek equivalent of the English "First Footing".


http://greece.greekreporter.com/2011/12/30/podariko-the-new-years-eve-custom-still-alive/