Tour de Poros

- School's  out .  Till 12 September. 

 Greek schools have the longest school holidays in Europe.  3 months, mid June till mid September.  It's just too hot and children can't concentrate.  A lot of schools don't have aircon but even if they did kids would still be out in the heat in the school yard and to and fro from school.

 Older children finished end of year and  University Exams a week ago.

Poppi is in Athens this week running, swimming and throwing the shot-put. It's the last part of her entrance exam to the prestigious Athens Gymnastics Academy. 

 Primary Schools have just closed.  In their last weeks there were fewer lessons and more outings,  cultural and sporting events . 

- 3rd June was World Bicycle Day

Primary school children and their teachers went on a ride along the harbour and back.

Bikes, and Helmets, were lent by the Bike Hire shops on the island.

Police stopped traffic .

We all (sitting at harbourfront Cafes drinking coffee) clapped as they rode passed.

An ambulance followed them to pick up any casualties.

- Athletics Festival

School children from Poros and towns across on the mainland competed in track events.

The Navy School has a football field and running track which are used for island sports events. It even  has a small grandstand . 

All the grandkids have taken part at some stage and we've sat on the hard stone bleachers cheering them on.

Happy Hols kids

Some of my grandchildren are working this summer.  Poppi will be visiting her sister on the island of Lipsi. 

It's Hot in Greece

-  I'm so glad our visitors had their holiday before the highs of the heatwave hit.  It's way hotter than usual for early June.  Yesterday the whole country was a furnace.  Around 39oC on Poros and the low, at 3am was 29o. 44o elsewhere. We spent a lot of the day inside with the aircon turned on but went out onto the balcony in the evening as the sun went down.  We have a TV set up out there and got ready to watch the final of Greek Masterchef.  Around 10pm there was a hot breeze which seemed to suck out my energy.  I felt sick and went inside to the bedroom, turned on the aircon again and lay listening to my favourite Youtube channels till I felt better.  Which I did.  I didn't miss much on Masterchef.  The standards are so high now, all professional cooks, and either could have won.  One did.  Naturally.  I googled in the morning.  That's Masterchef over for another year.  

Olympics here we come.

Today, Thursday  is slightly cooler.  Less hot perhaps would be a better description.  The sky is covered, once again, with a dust cloud from the Sahara and is blocking the sun.

- Midsummer 

Midsummer in Greece is Monday 24th June.  It coincides, naturallly, with a church festival, the Fiesta of  Orthodox Saint, Saint John the Baptist.

It's the longest day of the year, Summer Solstice.  That mystifies me.  How can it be midsummer when summer is yet to come.  We might think it's hot now but July and August are 2 months of hot, hot and even hotter. 

- Pumpkins 

Pumpkins are growing and spreading their greenery out over the dry baked soil.  Most of them have come up by themselves, sprouting in potplants and the wheelbarrow.  I should have thinned them out but I didn't.  It's survival of the fittest around here.

St Luke -

11 June was the Fiesta of St Luke the doctor.  He was Russian, born in the Crimea.  There is a Russian church with onion dome near us dedicated to him.  I have been with K a couple of times to light a candle.  My daughter's m-in-law is a great believer in him and often recounts his miracles.  He's a recent saint, died in 1961.  And that's all I know about him.  The m-in-law often reminds me of saints days and holds this one in high regard.

Summer is full of Saints days and fiestas.  It was the time of the year when crops had been gathered and threshed and there wasn't much work in the fields.  Time to celebrate.

- More of the missing.  

An American, 59,  has been missing on the island of Amorgos, in the Cyclades, since Tuesday.  He went on a walk like Dr Mosley and hasn't been since.  News says he had 2 telephones with him but he's not answering.

Meanwhile on the island of Samos a Dutch tourist, aged 74, has been missing since Sunday.  He went off on a walk too.

There are huge search operations for them, naturally, on both islands.

Going off for a hike on a Greek island is not a sensible thing to do in the summer unless you're prepared for high temperatures and difficult terrain.  Walk to the supermarket for a 6 pack, walk to the beach, with friends.  Even then, take water, a hat, let people know where you're going and when you'll be back. 

- Next years visit

I had a long conversation this morning with my brother and wife about next year's travels. 

We have aussie visitors at the beginning of September, a short 2 day visit, and then nothing till 2025.  So far. 

Older brother (one of them ) doesn't want a pig on the spit.  Well, he may well do, but he has other plans.  We will be travelling up north together to Meteora and the monasteries perched impossibly on the top of high peaks overlooking the town of Kalabaka.  And then we will move on to visit Delphi, the navel of the world according to ancient Greeks.  

Delphi

Meteora

I've never been to Meteora so will be looking forward to that.  We'll be coming back to Poros for a few days.  Plenty of time for K to feed them mousaka, stuffed tomatoes, octopus and ouzo.  And lots of kalamari from Sophia's taverna.  

To finish off

a delightful photo

I think

of my younger brother and myself

More to come soon on visitors antics....

Rooftop Tales

 Somehow I think this is going to be another long one..... 

NZers will totally understand.

Another 'must do' for our visitors has been a drink on daughter Elli's rooftop to admire the view and sunset. It took a bit of organising this time.  It's tax season and Elli works till 9pm or later every night.  Her summers are non-existent.  Every year tax returns are supposed to be finished by the end of June but every year the deadline is extended, sometimes to the end of July, sometimes to August.  That doesn't leave her much time for anything else. 

This is our old house above the harbour.  We built a wall around the flat rooftop and attached a rather frighteningly steep spiral staircase.  When we had people to eat up there I used to haul things up and down in a basket on a rope. 

 Elli has no time for all that and sits on her lower balcony instead and enjoys the cool of the night, and a gin, once she eventually gets home.

She and husband Kyriakos did clean it up though for her kiwi aunt and uncle so we could all watch one sunset.  We had drinks and nibbles while the sun went down.  It was a bit cloudy but just lovely.

The girls with kiwi Uncle

So much bla bla bla and laughter when they all get together

Me and my kiwi s-in-law Rainy

She sorts me out, gets me organised, fills in the english words that I've forgotten and mixes the gin 😊 I need a smiley face there. 

Our kiwi friends, Sherryn and Gary,  brought us a bottle of Prosecco too. Nothing but the best 😀 another smiley face 

We bought a big bag of ice at the supermarket and tipped it into a big thermos (chilly bin/eski) to ice the drinks and keep the beer cold.  

With Greek chips and kiwi dip it was perfect. 

My family knows what we like. They filled up their suitcases with onion soup mix and special kiwi reduced-cream-in-a-tin to make a taste of home.   There's nothing that says home more than a potato chip/crisp dipped deep into a bowl of classic kiwi onion dip.

And lamington mix, Raro drink mixes and kiwi fish batter in a packet, real NZ vanilla essence, chocolates, sauces and a host of other tastes of home. Not just for me but for my girls too who were taught very early on to enjoy 'foreign' food. 

We came for a Poros view

It was the company that kept us there, discussing everything from Greek funeral customs to NZ rowing. Our friends' son coaches the NZ Women's Olympic Rowing team. They quizzed Poppi on Greek rowing and she was overjoyed to be given a NZ rowing outfit from the Tokyo Olympics. 

The next time she rows in Athens she'll be wearing kiwi colours. Another smiley face perhaps 😊

As s-in-law Rainy says, we get on so well together it's a pity we live so far away.  We need to move Poros down somewhere near Fiji.

Pink and white bougainvillia in full bloom

And this my friends, is a Pohutukawa, the New Zealand Christmas tree.  Elli bought it thinking it was an olive tree, until it bloomed.  The leaves are very similar but this is Not an olive tree.

In NZ of course it blooms in December, here it blooms in June.  She is delighted.  

The puzzle is, how a Pohutukawa tree came to be in a nursery in Greece?

Panoramic view of all of us

Pallet benches and tables and a couple of comfy directors' chairs for the oldies.

*I only wrote the word 'kiwi' 8 times, 9 now. I'm loving it 🤩 

9 June a Long One

 A day when so much happened. One thing which didn't happen was us winning the euroJackpot.

Got that covered. I'll keep on playing the same numbers until I do win.

..... RIP Michael Mosley

Diet Guru and TV Presenter

Dr Mosley had been missing for 4 days on the small rocky island of Symi.  It's out near Rhodes and just across from the coast of Turkey.

The outlook was a bit grim. He was last seen on CCTV camera wandering off into a barren and rocky terrain with no shade, in blistering 38oC heat. 

He managed to reach the coast, via an almost impassable rocky track, but collapsed 10 metres from the sea, from heat stroke and exhaustion I presume. Greek news said he was found in a recovery position, feet slightly elevated, hands over his breast. He just couldn't go any further, lay down and passed away.

My brother Tony and I watched the search progress and hoped for a positive end. Alas.

I first heard of him in 2019. He had written several books on Intermittent fasting, weight loss and the control of blood sugars.

My younger brother was staying with us, as he is now, and we discussed the diet, Fast 800, which he had followed to successfully control his diabetes. I bought one of Dr Mosley's books later and in 2020 started my 4 year weight loss.  I did intermittent fasting and loosely followed Mosleys 5.2 diet for a year, losing 12 kilos with little effort.

He was well known and very well liked,  becoming a tv personality, converting people to a healthy lifestyle. His presentation was easy to understand and follow. I also tried his  HIIT exercise programme.  HIIT is a high  intensity workout which takes little time but has maximum results.

Look him up, it will be worth it.  His legacy lives on.

.....European Union Elections

No-one gives a damn about these. Whoever gets elected is immediately forgotten. You never hear from, or about them, till the next elections in 5 years time...unless they're involved in some money making scandal or are accused by the 'me too' brigade as some were in recent years. The rest of them enjoy a 5 years holiday in Brussels living it up on their 100,000 euros a month.

The results here were more or less what we expected. Less than 50% voted overall and here on Poros it was 38%, less than 2,000 people.

The island was full of visitors for the long weekend. Schools were closed Friday and the following Monday so teachers could go home and vote. Also the schools here are used as voting stations. 

The island made some extra money and visitors had a 4 day weekend by the sea. Voting was not part of the holiday packet. 

.....Departures

The first 'fournia' ('ovenful' as they say here) of visitors left a few days ago.  My younger brother, Tony, and sister-in-law Rainy have also left, on their way to more adventure.  They are now doing a cycling and yachting trip through some of  Croatia.  2 years ago they did a cycling trip through France, biking alongside canals, through shady lanes, villages and towns. 

I'm extremely lucky to have such  close family here and downunder, family who love Poros, and us, and return again and again. We are family. One large, extended Greek Kiwi Australian family. 

Obligatory 'walking Up the gangplank' photos. A last farewell to dear little bro and kiwi sis-in-law. Adieu but not goodbye. See you again soon 

And farewell to dear friends

Farewell kiwis. Gary and Sherryn on their way to meet more family in Europe.

We are just a port on most people's journey. If you're coming this far, 12,000 miles if I remember rightly, you might as well explore a little more of Europe. I totally understand.

And look, who's coming Down that gangplank

Niece Julie with husband Craig ( known as Greg here. It's easier for them to get their tongue around)

But more of all these kiwis in another post. 

.....Heatwave 

It got hot toward the end of last week but now temperatures are climbing into the late 30s.  40s in other places in the country.  At this time of the year these temps are bearable.  Nights are still cool enough for a sleep with windows open and a fan.  It's when the nights get hot and it's 28oC at 3am that we suffer.  There is a slight breeze today and cicadas are trilling happily, but not deafening.  Yet

Poros Council has opened airconditioned rooms for those without air con. We used our aircon yesterday for siesta and probably will today.  It's 1pm and I'm happy sitting beside the open window.  I'll be looking for cold though, not just cool, well before 5pm when the days heat has concentrated into a furnace.      I'm drinking lots of , sugar free, ice tea that I make myself,  It's very refreshing.

......Coldplay Concert

Granddaughters saw Coldplay live in Athens. 

All more or less in one day.

Enough 

Greek Island Happening

Finally time for our downunder family and friends to arrive. After months of anticipation.

And arrive they did, 6 of them came down the gangplank and into the warm embrace of a late summer evening on a Greek Island

Obligatory 'walking down the gangplank' photos.

The hydrofoil turned up right bang-on-time. That was something we didn't expect. Half the Poros family were a little late to the welcoming party.

Island time is a little behind city time.

From the hydrofoil, they dropped off their bags at the hotel and went straight to Sofia's taverna-by-the-sea for kalamari.

Only there was no kalamari.

Sunday afternoon at a beach taverna is more than bustling with diners.

 Summertime. Swimming. Icy drinks. Greek salads and kalamari. The lunchtime crowd ate all the kalamari

Didn't matter. She does the best grilled chicken on the island. And the best Greek salad.

Anyway, we had a reason to return again and again. And again.

First morning tradition.

Coffee at the Blue Chairs.

Cold coffee followed by something even cooler.

Time to catch up

Neil and Ann

The way to get around.

A buggy or a quad bike

Octopus hanging out to dry before it goes on the grill

Second night tradition.

Ouzo and octopus.

And the pig too

At long last.

The pig

Pig prep

Blasting away it's moustache

Boys work

Pushing that spit from one end to the other.

Ouch

And finally lifting it onto the Bbq 

A good time was had by all.

Including the grandsons.  Amazing, how low the level in the the whiskey and rum bottles dropped.

Lots of laughter.

Lots of beer

Lots of local rosé

.....written pozé in Greek

and renamed by the kiwis.

Pozé it is

Finished off by bite sized pieces of baclava, dripping honey syrup.

We ate well so K was happy. There were leftovers but not too many.  

The pig head is in the freezer.

The trotters will be made into broth .

Athens

Athena... Or Athens to you.

If you're coming to Athens, for the first time or the umpteenth time, find a hotel with a roof garden and a view of the Acropolis and the Parthenon on top.

The old area around the Plaka has a few.  I can think of the Plaka Hotel and then there is Athens Gate.  Athens Gate is right round the corner from the Acropolis museum which is well worth seeing.  It is also right opposite the impressive ruins of the Temple of Olympian Zeus. 

This is the view my family and our friends had while drinking their morning coffee and eating cornflakes and greek yoghurt.

There's obviously restoration  work still going on.  I can see the crane.  I haven't been up there for years.  

And this is the brilliant view they had while dining by night at a roof restaurant.

 

And..... this is the little Byzantine church of St Kathryn's, just around the corner from their hotel.

  K and I were married there 45 years ago.

The Evzones, Presidential guards outside Parliament Building

 

A hotel or airbnb near the Plaka means you're in the centre of Athens.  Museums, good shopping, the old residential area, eating places with traditional dishes are all within walking distance.

On their last visit my 'little' brother and sis-in-law stayed in the same area, even closer to that old Byzantine church.  Built in the 11th century on top of the ruins of a temple to Artemis, Goddess of the hunt.

There are more ancient ruins than you can shake a stick at. You need a couple of days.

When you are ready to move on there are several metro stations nearby which will take you out to the airport or down to the Port of Piraeus to catch a boat to a greek island paradise.

They have moved on to their island paradise.

To be continued

Last Minute

 

K was just going out when he met one of our neighbours who has a digger.  He grabbed him and his machine, as you do here,  and brought him down to the olive tree next to our house.  The neighbour levelled out an area under the tree so we can can leave the car in the shade during midsummer heat.  We were going to buy a cover for the car but we have been advised against it.  The cover stops air circulating and will fast ruin the paintwork.  Apparently

The last of the work that needed to be done.

All those branches we cut behind the bbq were not taken away so they all dried out and become an even worse fire hazard.

2 nice young lads came along and dragged them out into a pile on the road and they have been removed.

They even had a handy chainsaw and cut some of the thicker pieces up for firewood.

A wide clear path behind the bbq.

Now we can safely roast the pig.

All  we need is a garden hose at ready and we are safe to go.

The day we roast the pig there should be only a very light breeze so the fire risk will not be high.

Temperatures are rising this week and by Wednesday it will be in the late 30s, C.  However the 30s at this time of the year are not too bad.  Nights are still cool for sleeping.

Visitors shouldn't suffer too much.