Greece - Kalo Taxidi!

The Greek tax system is mad!

2012-03-08T07:55:00.000Z

We read about the poor Greeks being squeezed for tax until the pips squeak. So you would expect that "luxuries" would be taxed as savagely as essential every day needs, wouldn't you/

When I booked my flight from England to Greece, I noticed that the tax was lower than I remembered paying on my previous trip to Greece.

Yesterday I booked an internal Greek flight - no tax payable at all. On previous flights there has been a tax payable

Yesterday I booked a hotel in Athens. The VAT is 6.5% - the standard VAT rate in England is 20%.

There is soemthing wrong here! Greece needs a Robin Hood ..............

Happens in Greece - the economic crisis from another point of view

2012-03-08T07:30:00.002Z

http://www.happensingreece.com/category/crisis/

German tax collectors volunteer for Greek duty

2012-03-08T07:26:00.002Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/27/german-tax-collectors-volunteer-greek-duty

Greece's tax-dodging crackdown is a soap opera for the people

2012-03-08T07:25:00.002Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jan/24/greece-tax-dodging-crackdown

What - no ferries from Naxos to Piraeus on a Saturday??!

2012-03-08T07:20:00.000Z

Don't worry about the heading - this is about travel in March. I hope "normal service" will have resumed by next month when more tourists start visiting Greece.

But at present there are no ferries from Naxos to Piraeus on a Saturday. See http://www.gtp.gr/

There are ferries leaving on Monday to Friday at 09.30.; and ferries leaving at 19.15 on every day except Saturday. The evening ferries have a slight problem - they arrive at Piraeus at 01.00. The last metro used to be at midnight, perhaps earlier with the cutbacks................... Why does the ferry arrive so late - the ferries are timetabled to travel more slowly.

If you want to go from Naxos to the mainland by "scenic" route, there is another possibility on Wednesdays. leave Naxos at 15.05 on the Aqua Spirit, and travel via Paros, Syros, Kythnos and Kea, and reach Lavrio (on the mainland, but about a two hour bus ride to Athens, if there is a bus at that time of night!) at 23.30.

So - get on that ferry - but first find your ferry!

Aegean Cuisine

2012-03-07T08:00:00.000Z

http://www.aegeancuisine.gr/portal/

I have seen the "Aegean Cuisine" logo in some tavernas. If your Greek is as limited as mine, use Google translate!

What impact are austerity cuts having in Greece?

2012-03-07T07:11:00.002Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17225278

Food in exchange for theatre tickets in Greece

2012-03-07T05:16:00.002Z

http://www.agi.it/english-version/business/elenco-notizie/201203052008-eco-ren1087-food_in_exchange_for_theatre_tickets_in_greece

Yperia 2012 – 10th International Meeting on Culture and Tourism - on Amorgos

2012-03-07T04:55:00.000Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/03/06/yperia-2012-10th-international-meeting-on-culture-and-tourism/

The spirit of the conference is around tourism and travel styles that care about the culture and the environment of local communities – responsible travel.

This year's theme is the “Cultural Ηeritage of Amorgos”.

Small Einsteins Awarded by the Greek Mathematical Society

2012-03-07T04:45:00.005Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/03/06/small-einsteins-awarded-by-the-greek-mathematical-society/

A walk to Minoa, Katapola, Amorgos - 5 March 2012

2012-03-06T17:53:00.001Z

Some photos from a walk to Minoa, an archaeological site on a hill above Katapola, Amorgos.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3411043117135.164089.1301721739&type=3&l=ff6f71f103

What now for Greece – collapse or resurrection?

2012-03-06T13:45:00.002Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/mar/05/greece-collapse-or-resurrection

Redundancy tips Greek factory worker over the edge

2012-03-06T13:40:00.000Z

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite6_1_04/03/2012_431046

Pondering on the terraces on Greek hillsides

2012-03-06T12:53:00.000Z

Terraces near Katapola, Amorgos

I've been looking at terraces in the Greek landscape, and wondering when they were built, and the lives of the people who built them. Today the terraces are in the main not used for cultivation. Any cultivation there is is ion the valleys, where cultivation is easier on the flatter land and there is no need for terracing.

Today there are daily, or almost daily, ferries that bring in all manner of produce. There is no need for the islanders (or mainlanders) to be as self-sufficient as they were in the past. I am trying to imagine island life when all necessities were locally produced. And the only way to reach distant terraces was on foot or by donkey.

Greece in March - so green, if it wasn't for the olive trees this could be in England!

2012-03-06T11:45:00.000Z

I took this photo in late afternoon, when the position of the sun really emphasised the greenness of the landscape. The place? - near Katapola on the Greek island of Amorgos, in the Cyclades.

Greek wooden donkey saddles - works of art!

2012-03-06T11:39:00.000Z

A traditional Greek saddle, made of wood and beautifully carved. Are wooden saddles like this still made? They are still in use, but the wood must rot or break, so none of the saddles can be that old. The saddles are real works of art!

Crisis, what crisis?

2012-03-05T15:10:00.000Z

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/lifestyle/outdoors/travel/crisis-what-crisis-1-4313594

I'm surprised by comments in the British press that very few holidaymakers fly into Athens or Thessaloniki. I've been coming to Greece fior over 30 years, and have almost always flown into Athens airport. The only other airports I've flown in to have been Corfu, Zakynthos, Cephalonia, and one on Crete - all many years ago. I can't be alone in enjoying the parts of Greece to which large scale package tours don't go, and which are best reached by an internal flight from Athens, or far more often by ferry from Piraeus.

Greece names Guggenheim to advise on $26 bln solar project

2012-03-05T14:53:00.000Z

http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_wsite2_1_05/03/2012_431206

This year for the first time I noticed some very small "fields" of solar panels on Naxos. Solar panels are more obvious on the roofs of houses in England than they are in Greece. And I've seen more wind turbines in England than I have in Greece. Making the best use of solar and wind power must be good for Greece.

Greek bankruptcy would cost 1 trillion euros

2012-03-05T14:33:00.002Z

http://www.athensnews.gr/issue/13485/53722

Eating Greek in China

2012-03-05T08:40:00.001Z

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/sunday/2012-03/04/content_14748677.htm

A few years ago I met an English couple on a small Greek island. They were travelling the world in a small boat, and had a hankering for Thai food. Today on that small Greek island one of the tavernas has a weekly Thai evening!

Top 10 Strange Greek Foods You May Like (or Not)

2012-03-05T08:23:00.000Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/03/05/top-10-strange-greek-foods-you-may-like-or-not/

Snails

I have eaten snails in France, and seen them being collected in Turkey, but I've never eaten them in Greece. Most Greek menus include an English translation. If they don't, I tend to stick to foods that I know the greek word for. Which is why I may not have tried some of the more "unusual" foods.

Patsas - Tripe soup

I have seen patsas on menus. At first I thought that "patsas" was a mis-spelling of "pasta"!

Lamb’s head

At a small village on the south coast of Crete I remember seeing what I took to be chickens roasting on a spit - not the open air type of spit that you see lamb being roast on at Easter, but a chrome coloured spit with about half a dozen spits. I wonderd if you had to order a whole chicken, or whether I could just order a portion of chicken. All of the chickens were intact, no portions had been torn away. Looking more closely, I saw that these were not chickens - they were lamb's heads. Needless to say, I did not order a lamb's head either. I'm sure I ate elswhere, as I would not have wanted to see someone at the next table tucking into a lamb's head!

A meal in an Albanian hotel also comes to mind. The English group I was with was ushered past a group of Albanians to an area of the restaurant behind a screen. Our Albanian fellow-diners were eating lamb's heads!

Kokoretsi - roast offal wrapped in intestines ..................

Kokorestsi looks like a long meaty plait. I have seen kokoresti being roast on a spit at Easter - I have never eaten kokoresti, but when roast looks quite appetising, like roast liver but with other "bits" included. Stewed kokoretsi looks less appetising. I remember looking at trays of cooked food in a Greek taverna, and the waiter was explaining what each was. When he came to the kokoretsi stew, he could think of no English word and saod "that - thatbis not vegetarian!"

Splinantero - spleen sausage
Not something that I have knowingly tried. I say "knowingly", as I have eaten Greek sausage, and do not know the contents! The sausage I buy in Greece is loukanika horiatika (country sausage). I have been looking at the small print on the pack through a magnifying glass - not sure if that was a good idea! 90% χοιρινό (pork) βοδινό (beef]0 - oddly, the percentage of each ingredient is not mentioned. neither is the part of the animal used. The Greek for "spleen" is σπλήνα, which is not mentioned on the label, but as the parts of the animal used are not mentioned ........................ I am thinking of Charkles Dickens' referenceto the parts of the pig of which the pig was least proud. And I'm also thinking of the meatballs I ate the other evening, and what meat they contained ..............

Sea urchin salad

I saw sea urchin salad on a menu on Amorgos last summer, but was not tempted to try it. this may sound daft, but I imagined the salad as full of prickles!
Fried octopus ink sack

Not something I have (knowingly) eaten.

Gavros Marinatos - spiced marinated small fish

I have eaten small fish of various sorts as one of the "nibbles" or meze served with a drink. I have seen tubs of marinated, or salted, fish in groceries, and seen locals eating them, seemingly with relish. I have also seen fish hanging on hooks around a tub on a fishing boat - I'll add the photo when I find it.

Karidaki - cooked whole walnut. Is it really dipped in asbestos paint??

I have seen jars of pickled walnut, but I think in England, not Greece.

Kaltsounia - pastry stuffed with Mizithra cheese, honey and cinnamon. I don't recall seeing this, but it doesn't sound that unusual to me! Mizithra cheese is very pleasant, like a thicker and drier version of strained Greek yogurt.

Cow-lung soup
I haven't seen cow-lung soup, but have eaten magiritsa, Greek Easter soup, which is not mentioned in the article. Magiritsa is made of lamb offal, and is traditionally served after the midnight church service on Easter Saturday. If you are in Greece at Easter (the Orthodox Easter) check if any tavernas are open after the service to serve this soup. The soup tastes pleasant enough, I just prefer not to think of what it contains - not just lungs, but heart and all sorts of "tubes". The soup looks better if the meat is chopped up very finely, and therefore less distinguishable as of recognisably animal origin. The soup is a lemonish colour, and contains herbs and some rice.

The main parts of the lamb will be roast for lunch on Easter Sunday. I have eaten Easter lamb served with a rice stuffing - and the rice may be mixed with parts of the solids from the magiritsa soup.

Sea squirt
Not something that I have seen or eaten.

Goat

I would rather not eat goat - but I am sure I have. I suspect that goat tastes a little like lamb, and goast may sometimes be referred to on Greek menus as goat. I have seen "domestic meat" on a Greek menu, and "elderly lamb"!

Kalo orexi!

Troika Says Greece Will Need Third Bailout by 2015

2012-03-05T06:46:00.002Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/03/04/troika-says-greece-will-need-third-bailout-by-2015/

Forbes Magazine Ranks Greece Among Most Scenic Places In The World

2012-03-05T06:40:00.000Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/03/04/forbes-magazine-ranks-greece-among-most-scenic-places-in-the-world/

" “How totally addictive it is!"

Greece's fate in balance as banks mull rescue plan

2012-03-05T06:34:00.002Z

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/greeces-fate-in-balance-as-banks-mull-rescue-plan-7536545.html

Europe on the breadline: 'Chaos is a Greek word'

2012-03-04T16:13:00.002Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/blog/2011/oct/20/chaos-greek-word-europe-breadline?intcmp=239

Profile: Greek entrepreneurs coping in the crisis

2012-03-04T16:12:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/oct/19/greece-entrepreneurs-coping-crisis?fb=native&CMP=FBCNETTXT9038

Greek default looms as voluntary debt deal looks set to fail

2012-03-04T08:11:00.002Z

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/financialcrisis/9121151/Greek-default-looms-as-voluntary-debt-deal-looks-set-to-fail.html

Olive Oil Under The Microscope

2012-03-04T08:08:00.000Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/03/03/olive-oil-under-the-microscope/

Greeks try to keep the peace with their dwindling German tourists

2012-03-04T08:03:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/02/greeks-keep-peace-germany-tourists

Why you should visit Greece, now more than ever

2012-03-03T12:41:00.001Z

http://www.petersommer.com/blog/news/visit-greece/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=visit-greece

the fact that the country’s economic crisis may deter visitors is downright tragic, as their business is needed and heartily welcome, and as the on-going problems are not likely to substantially affect most visitors’ experience

Read the article and book your trip to Greece!

Photographs of Katapola, Amorgos - 1 March 2012

2012-03-02T12:28:00.001Z

See the photos i took whilst walking around Katapola on 1 March 2012

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3380025581716.163376.1301721739&type=1&l=f923b3f2f0

Naxos Carnival Parade along the Paralia - February 26 2012 - somw photos

2012-02-29T13:18:00.001Z

I've put some photos of the procession on Flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/52802925@N02/sets/72157629480672367/

A windy day in Katapola, Amorgos - 28 February 2012

2012-02-28T16:56:00.000Z

Today was very windy on Amorgos, with Force 8-9 winds. The local boat, the Express Scopelitis, did not run.

When the sun was shining this morning I went for a walk - here are some of my photos.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/52802925@N02/sets/72157629110250948/

Greece is Changing - Give Greece a Chance

2012-02-28T07:24:00.001Z

http://www.greeceischanging.com/

www.facebook.com/Greeceischanging

What is “Greece is Changing”?
It is a one-off public service initiative funded by a group of leading Greek business people. Our aim is to ensure that the sacrifices made by every Greek under the toughest austerity package in modern history do not go in vain.

Naxos webcam

2012-02-27T07:51:00.000Z

See the Naxos webcam

http://www.naxosisland.eu/portara.html

A grey and wet day today - but I can see the sea is calm in port from the comfort of my room!

But don't be deceived by the "panoramic Chora view" - that was last updated in April 2011 - hence the blue sky when all around me is greey!

Greek Political Scene Inspires Impressive Chariots in Patras Carnival

2012-02-27T07:40:00.000Z

http://greece.greekreporter.com/2012/02/25/greek-political-scene-inspires-impressive-chariots-in-patras-carnival/

Yesterday (26 February 20120 the carnival parade in Naxos had a political theme - I'll post some photos soon.

Wintry weather in Greece - 27 February 2012

2012-02-27T07:34:00.000Z

Athens News

WINTER WEATHER Much of mainland Greece saw continuous snowfall and very low temperatures yesterday, making mountainous roads impassable without snow chains. According to meteorologists, the cold front will intensify over next two days, with northerly winds reaching 5 Beaufort. Temperatures will fall in the northwestern parts of the country to as low as -20C, with sleet forecast again for much of the country. Milder weather is forecast from Wednesday.

There was hail in Naxos this morning, but the sea looks calm and the temperature is mild. But the BBC weather forecast shows that 40 mph winds are forecast - force 8, enough for ferries to stop.

Advice to British travellers in Greece 'alarmist'

2012-02-27T07:20:00.000Z

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/travelnews/9096661/Advice-to-British-travellers-in-Greece-alarmist.html

21 February 2011

William Hague, the Foreign Secretary, has been criticised for urging holidaymakers in Greece to register with the British consulate in case of civil unrest in the country.
I hadn't read this article before arriving in Greece on 24 February. Admittedly I am on a smallish island, but the only "bombs" I have seen have been a few flour bombs in a carnival procession.

Torchlit procession (Lampadiforia), Naxos Chora, 25 February 2012

2012-02-26T17:41:00.002Z

Some of the photos I took last night. Great fun as always!

I've also put a short video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBwFceL2D_o

Destruction of fishing boats on Paros

2012-02-26T06:23:00.000Z

See the photos here
http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.3440316089419.2166886.1316067967&type=3 (Oona Giesen)

and comments on Paros and Naxos Life's Facebook page here http://www.facebook.com/#!/media/set/?set=a.3440316089419.2166886.1316067967&type=3

It seems that the boats are being destroyed to get an EU subsidy, but the traditional old boats that are bing destroyed are not being used for the over-fishing that is the reason for the subsidy. The much larger fishing boats are the one's that overfish.

Some of these old wooden fishing boats are works of art, and add so much to the atmosphere of many islands, not just Paros. I wonder if these old boats are being destroyed elsewhere in Greece? :-(

Athens News - News bites @ 9 on the day the bail out was agreed

2012-02-21T07:19:00.000Z

http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/53473

Greek bailout agreed

2012-02-21T06:37:00.001Z

Reading the news. And wondering if the foreign monitors to be based in Athens will stop Greece getting into the same position again.

Eurozone ministers back 130bn-euro bailout for Greece (BBC News)

Q&A: Greek debt crisis

Eurozone reaches deal on second Greece bailout after all-night talks (The Guardian)

Eurogroup seals deal on second bailout (Athens News)

You're in Greece, Greece leaves the euro. What happens..................

2012-02-18T13:12:00.000Z

Read Simon Calder's article in today's Independent.

Making a drachma out of a crisis

Taking a wodge of cash is one way of coping when cash machines stop working, and banks are closed long-term. But Greece, once so peaceful and law-abiding, is changing. A conundrum.

Greece: Costing the exit

2012-02-16T21:06:00.000Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17062333

Paravion Press, Sanotorini -Hand-making Books from a Cave in Greece

2012-02-16T07:02:00.003Z

A novel idea from Paravion Books on Santorini.

Paravion Press was born in a bookshop on the cliffs of an island in the south of Greece. The shop swarms with people who love stories and who are far away from loved ones. And it occurred to us that by sending a story in the mail there might, as John Donne put it, be a moment to “mingle souls: for thus, friends absent speak.”

http://www.paravionpress.org/

The callous cruelty of the EU is destroying Greece, a once-proud country

2012-02-16T06:42:00.002Z

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/greece/9084305/The-callous-cruelty-of-the-EU-is-destroying-Greece-a-once-proud-country.html

And meanwhile in Italy - and Luxemburg ...........

2012-02-15T21:46:00.000Z

Stale bread and pig's lungs back on table, but young are reluctant to try horsemeat

Going back many years, before I had discovered Greece. I was staying at a youth hostel in Luxemburg. Over a meal of some sort of stew, I was chatting to some Belgian fellow hostellers (I was living in Belgium at the time). I was explaining the English expression "as hungry as a horse". Horsemeat was something that I would never (knowingly) eat. My fellow diners looked bemused. "But we are eating horse."

My appetite vanished like a lead weight.

Eurozone crisis: contingency plans in place for Greek debt default

2012-02-15T21:24:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/feb/15/eurozone-crisis-contingency-plans-greek-default

Central banks across Europe have a collective nightmare. It is of the day Greece defaults on its debts, and the Aegean Sea is awash with small boats in which fleeing Greeks huddle with suitcases full of euros.

Greece turmoil fails to deter UK holidaymakers

2012-02-15T21:14:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/feb/15/greece-turmoil-fails-deter-uk-holidaymakers

The number of people planning to visit Greece has slightly increased from 8%-9% over the past 12 months, research shows

I am thinking of a few years ago. It was February, or perhaps March, and I was about to fly to Greece. There had been really bad storms, and much of Greece was flooded. States of emergency had been declared. I asked GNTO about visiting Greece; the reply was that everything would be normal when the tourist season started in May. But it was February / March and my flight was the next day! So some people may make travel arrangements before "small local difficulties" arise.

I am going to Greece soon, and my plan is to get away from the Athens area asap, and spend as little time there on the way back.

Britain Promises to keep her Pledge to help Greece

2012-02-15T20:53:00.000Z

Britain Promises to keep her Pledge to help Greece

Sorry, a little tease ...................... :-) The article was written in 1940.

A few years ago I remember a regular evening routine. I was on a small Greek island. I didn't then have internet access in my room in Greece (I now take a small laptop, usb modem and Cosmote sim, and the internet is at my fingertips, faster than at home!). Radio reception was not good, and I didn't watch TV. So my only source of news was the newspapers that came off the evening ferry. I was sitting in a bar by the harbour avidly scouring the newly arrived paper, either the Athens News or Ekathimerini, I forget which. I read about the general election results in England. Odd, I thought, I had only been in Greece just over a week, and there was no general election planned when I left. Then the lepta dropped - I was reading the "on this day umpty years ago" column!

Greece’s depression could prove worst in modern history

2012-02-15T20:36:00.002Z

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/ezra-klein/post/greeces-depression-could-prove-worst-in-modern-history/2012/02/15/gIQApNimFR_blog.html

The Way Greeks Live Now

2012-02-15T20:35:00.000Z

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/19/magazine/the-way-greeks-live-now.html?_r=1&ref=magazine&pagewanted=all

The peaceful side of the protests - man pats dog

2012-02-15T08:02:00.000Z

Greece has made 'superhuman' sacrifices, says minister

2012-02-15T07:50:00.001Z

When, and how, will it all end. And will the position be the same in xxx months time when another bailout is needed???
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17037267

Q&A: Greek debt crisis

What if Greece had to get a new currency?

Timeline: The unfolding eurozone crisis

How 'magic' made Greek debt disappear before it joined the euro

Sites & Sounds: The Evangelismos Walk, Amorgos (video)

2012-02-13T07:29:00.000Z

Sites & Sounds: The Evangelismos Walk, Amorgos (video)

Not one of my videos, but a video of one of my favourite walks. The circular walk is not too strenuous, but the views are marvelous. The walk starts (or ends!) in Xilokeratidi (across the bay from Katapola), you gradually wind up to a ridge, then there is a flat walk with marvelous views. Spot a solitary tree, and that will help you find the path down. Go through a white painted gateway to see the old church of Evangelistria (where there are ledges to sit and rest), then back on the main path to wind down to the Agios Giorgios Valsamitis Hotel in Xilokeratidi.

Lampadiforia - Carnival procession with torches - Naxos 2011

2012-02-13T07:19:00.003Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwIu2r4R56M&feature=share

Watch last year's procession. The procession usually takes place on the Saturday evening before Clean Monday.

I fear for a social explosion: Greeks can't take any more punishment

2012-02-13T07:11:00.002Z

I fear for a social explosion: Greeks can't take any more punishment

Greece approves austerity cuts to secure eurozone bailout and avoid debt default

2012-02-13T07:09:00.000Z

Greece approves austerity cuts to secure eurozone bailout and avoid debt default

Comments on the situation in Greece by Maria Margaronis, a Greek journalist

2012-02-13T07:06:00.000Z

As Greece stares into the abyss, Europe must choose (12 February 2012)

I fear for a social explosion: Greeks can't take any more punishment

2012-02-12T10:29:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/feb/12/greece-cant-take-any-more?newsfeed=true

Greece bailout: PM Lucas Papademos gives final warning - "just a breath away from Ground Zero"

2012-02-12T08:26:00.000Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16998157

Follow Athens New on Twitter @AthensNewsEU

2012-02-10T19:25:00.002Z

@AthensNewsEU

Keep up-to-date - read the Athens News blog as events in Greece as they unfold

2012-02-10T19:22:00.001Z

http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/53244

The 12 February - the link seems to change daily. There has been a link to the latest link at the lower right of the front page.

The potential for Greek default and a return to the drachma

2012-02-10T06:39:00.000Z

The potential for Greek default and a return to the drachma

Greece joined the euro in January 2002. I was in Naxos on Carnival weekend that year, and saw the Carnival procession along the Paralia. One of the floats was a "funeral" for the drachma. How would the Greeks view a return to the drachma?

On a knife edge - Greece bailout: Eurozone ministers set new conditions

2012-02-10T06:25:00.000Z

A deal seemed to be reached, and then .............................

Greece bailout: Eurozone ministers set new conditions

Greece bows to further austerity, but bailout delayed until next week

How to save money in Greece on holiday

2012-02-09T08:28:00.003Z

How to save money in Greece on holiday

Decision Day for Greece? What the press is saying

2012-02-08T07:28:00.001Z

Epic flood in Athens 6 February 2012

2012-02-07T07:12:00.002Z

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vrcR0f_GqdM&feature=youtu.be

When it rains in Athens, it rains!

Meeting the 'new homeless' on Greece's freezing streets

2012-02-04T20:38:00.000Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-16878756

Greece - or England?? Cold, snow and gusty winds throughout the country

2012-02-01T07:21:00.000Z

Head to Greece for a sunny winter break?? As well as snow, there are gale force winds and ferries are not running. Roll on summer!
http://www.athensnews.gr/portal/1/52821

I've endured many English winters, but the only time I've seen snow chains in use on a car was in Chalki on Naxos.

Greek shoppers look but don't buy as economic crisis bites

2012-02-01T06:26:00.000Z

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/30/greek-shoppers-economic-crisis-bites

I wonder how many of the shops I regularly go to will be shut for good when I next visit Greece???

Greece - Walking the Islands

2012-01-31T08:16:00.001Z

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

2012-01-31T07:56:00.001Z

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

Kalo Taxidi - the sequel. Food disasters

2012-01-31T07:45:00.000Z

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

2012-01-31T07:26:00.001Z

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

2012-01-31T07:10:00.000Z

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!

2012-01-30T07:03:00.004Z

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

2012-01-27T08:01:00.000Z

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

2012-01-27T07:22:00.000Z

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

2012-01-27T07:02:00.000Z

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

2012-01-26T06:50:00.001Z

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

2012-01-23T07:41:00.001Z

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

2012-01-20T07:22:00.000Z

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

2012-01-20T07:15:00.000Z

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

Time for some homework - learn Greek!

2012-01-20T06:42:00.000Z

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!

2012-01-19T22:46:00.001Z

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

2012-01-19T08:10:00.000Z

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

Panicked Greeks Hide Cash Under Pools and … Olive Trees

2012-01-18T07:29:00.000Z

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'

2012-01-17T07:48:00.001Z

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

2012-01-17T07:36:00.000Z

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

2012-01-17T06:55:00.000Z

"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

2012-01-16T07:24:00.000Z

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!

2012-01-15T10:26:00.001Z

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

2012-01-15T08:41:00.000Z

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

2012-01-15T08:35:00.000Z

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)

2012-01-15T08:31:00.003Z

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

2012-01-15T08:29:00.001Z

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)

2012-01-15T08:27:00.001Z

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

2012-01-14T16:57:00.000Z

http://www.greektravel.com/

A very comprehensive site.

Eleven Post-Byzantine Icons Returned to Greece from London

2012-01-13T07:43:00.000Z

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

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