Monday 5 August 2019

Summer Madness



8am and it's 30oC

There's a rush of cars and people, but it's midsummer, what else to expect

9am
f;#@*ing chaos, get me outa here!

15 August is Greece's biggest holiday, the country closes down, as it does all over Catholic europe
We're revving up for a month with the holiday masses

This weekend as thousands of athenians leave for the august holiday we are having a heatwave. 
Hot air is being pushed up from Africa. Teheran and Baghdad are cooler 


A rush at the Friday market.  We were there at 8am to get a better selection


Early morning fill-up for the luxury yachts.  The only people stirring on these are the crew.  


The cafeterias along the waterfront are mostly empty


Everyone stops for coffee, the plumber and the electrician double park to pick up their takeaways


Even the police are in coffee mode before heading up the back streets to their desks.  They are both wearing helmets.  Good boys.  


We stop for coffee too.  Eleni winds down the awning because it won't be long before the sun is blazing in onto the tables


An ice cold freddo espresso for me.  More ice than coffee


The doctor stops off to order his coffee as well before heading up to his surgery above the coffee shops



9 am and I'm in the supermarket, or I would be if I could get in the door.  They're still filling the shelves while the customers try to shop.  Two lots of yachties have trolleys piled high and I rush to get to the checkout before them


Tassos at the deli counter has half a dozen in line for orders.  I don't bother 

Got some bread, beer and milk and I'm out!!

We brought the car down a few days ago and filled up with every necessity we could think of.  I hope we don't have to shop for anything but bread till the end of the month.

Driving home needs lots of care.  There are cars, scooters, big trucks and pedestrians on the roads.   Weaving in and out of traffic, avoiding potholes and pedestrians that choose to walk on the road instead of the footpath is my nightmare.  It's only a few minutes till the turn-off for our mountain road but it's a few minutes of turmoil.

Roll on September



13 comments:

  1. August is indeed a busy month, here too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes I guess anywhere hot now is having an infestation of humans!!

      Delete
  2. Wow. It’s like the end of the world is coming and everyone is stocking up.
    Yup I say get home and stay there. Way too peoplely out there for me Stay safe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The supermarket can't keep up with the demand. We can go in for a loaf of sliced bread and find none and shelves empty in every row.
      An invasion of locusts

      Delete
  3. Not quite as hectic here. Two of my grandsons are in Kos, and adding to the chaos. Our tiny hamlet has become filled with holiday makers, and will soon get far worse. All we want is peace and quiet.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Amen. August and peace just don't go together in our exotic locations!
      So grandsons are enjoying Kos just like grandfather. Hope their stay is as memorable as yours was.

      Delete
  4. It sounds like Mt Maunganui in January. Packed to the gills and hot as hell. Hope the crowds diminish before we get to Poros early September.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just like the Mount I reckon. By early July only a few hardy soils will be left. All the families will have departed to get ready for school. Best time of the year. Still quite but hopefully not unreasonably, most places still open, streets blessedly empty, lines at the supermarket back to normal. We breathe again

      Delete
    2. As usual full of darn mistakes. What happens when I write on a tiny phone. But I'm sure you get the gist

      Delete
  5. ouch 30 deg celsius, not sure I could handle that, think about the hottest it gets here where we are is about 27-28. But the iced coffee sounds wonderful.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I feel your pain. After 5 days in 30C heat in southern Italy I am glad to be back home to a mere 20C today - and much less traffic!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't know how Europe survives, with *everyone* on Holiday, sort of at once.

    I'm confused as to why all this wild prep, on Aug. 5th. If holidays don't start till the 15th.

    Anyway...

    Courage!

    ReplyDelete
  8. August is a crazy month. We tried to moor up once and we had to stack 15 deep on springs, walking over everyone elses yacht is horrid especially when you have had quite a few metaxa! if you are on an inner spring you often find people asleep in your cock pit when you get up as they couldnt find their own boat! LMAO, enjoy and laugh at all the idiots who have to take their holidays when its boiling hot! stay up your hill and bathe in the breeze you may get

    ReplyDelete