On Holiday

Holidays in the covid era.  A week at a Navy resort, all sanitised and subsidised.

Having been to this Navy hideaway a few times over the years  we knew it would be safe and hopefully, weather permitting, an enjoyable few days break.  Uusally we stay for 12 days but this year it  was for 6 days.  One week the odd number rooms are occupied and the next the even numbered rooms.  Inbetween they are all cleaned and sanitised and everything is ship-shape and Bristol fashion.

We started out with a Civil Defence warning of gale force winds and very high fire risk.  Poros was clouded in smoke as we departed but the fire was way north on the mainland.  

The whole area is green and extremely well maintained

I discovered the secret to all that green lawn at 2.30am the first night when I woke to the sound of water sprinklers.  They came on at 2.30am every night.  I presume they were watering different parts each night and they must have a very good water source.

The trees are eucalyptus, pine and olive

A shaded walk down to the beach

Sunbeds, umbrellas

A clean sea full of fish.  No fishing allowed so the shoals of fish were quite tame and loved nipping at soft human flesh

This year there were these great big comfy beach pillows too

I didn't try one.  If I had sunk into that I would never have been able to get out again

Subsidised meals.

Greek salad and fish being our favourite.  With wine

I heard the night bird for the first time this summer and even saw a few planes flying overhead.

The first day gale force winds blew up a sandstorm which blasted us on the beach.  

The next few days the winds died down and we really relaxed.  Nothing much else to do.  Swimming, eating and sleeping.  We got in loads of exercise because walking is the only way of getting around, or bicycling, and we both spent hours in the sea, swimming up and down and listening in on Navy gossip.  Little groups bobbed about and noise carries a long way over the water. 

Sounds wonderful doesn't it.  What could go wrong.

-Wild fires all around us.  All extinguished  before they got too close to us.

-Pizza that was uneatable.  That was a big downer for me.  Is pizza ever inedible.  It is when it's soggy and undercooked and there are great slabs of pink hammy stuff which doesn't taste nice.

K enthused over the ouzeri so I let the pizza go.  There were 5 different brands of ouzo with octopus, shrimp and many small fish-of- the-season.  He was a happy camper.

-I got sunburnt ears.

-An earthquake. Just a small one.

-But it was me that buggered up the holiday.   I was walking down a wheelchair ramp and one of my feet just slipped out from under me.  I sat rather hard on my behind and twisted my ankle.  That was the end of my walking and swimming.  Fortunately I didn't fall forward and flat on my face.  And fortunately it happened at the end of the holiday so we didn't miss too much.

    We are home now and have been preparing for a mediterranean cyclone which will reach us tonight.  It is already battering the Ionion Islands, Corfu, Zakynthos and Kefalonia.

I can hobble around now so I've been helping K bring in summer furniture and secure anthing that might be carried away by something more than gale force winds .