Or "Fangs aint what they used to be!"
Last Sunday night (or Monday morning) Ruth was sitting in front of the laptop (as you do!) and was so riveted by whatever she was doing/watching that she fell asleep and woke with a shock having knocked against something and broken a front tooth. (It is true to say that a little krassi might have been involved!) Anyway, this meant Monday was spent trying to find the dentist Dimitri and get him to do a bit of filing and fix an appointment. It was a windy day so not too bad a prospect! On Friday he fixed it for 50 Euros - a brilliant job!
So - on the theme - what changes from October have we seen so far?
- The Main Street!
This is a disaster. On March 3rd - with no notice apparently - they started digging it up from the top crossroads down to Stavros the Barber. There is still confusion as to whether the main motivation was "beautification" (ghastly rumours of water features and fancy pavement) or essential pipework. Certainly there has been EU money, late arrival of which may explain the stupidly late start. We had expected it to be done by te time we got here - but no - difficult to negotiate even on foot and sober - dust everywhere, and utterly depressing. At some point a number of the business owners objected formally and work stopped for a couple of weeks - making it worse of course! There is lively debate about this, and lots of other good local stuff on Calypso Barry's new website - well worth a visit!
- Outbreak of swimming pools!
The Finns are still here en masse and they are rumoured to have insisted on a pool at the Relax Studios (next door to Zygos) - so there is one! Meanwhile up in the old town Haris and Flora have almost finished building their 7-room extension, and it has in front of it - a pool! Chacun a son gout!
- What goes round...
It is perhaps no surprise that there is no great expansion in restaurants and tavernas this year - but there is one new addition. The Samaria which used to be up near the church has taken over the long-disused restaurant near the back of the Rea. This means the frozen fish shop has gone. The restaurant has all the ruined garden walls of the old one and includes the children's potentially lethal roundabout. We haven't been there yet, but those that have are enthusiastic.
Also Suzi has joined Tassos at the Seagull, taking us back to the early 90s. Her influence is clear in the menu which now has plenty that is vegetarian and somewhat exotic
- Still no Cantina - almost no sand!
There was a late start with sunbeds and umbrellas :- something to do with contracts now being organised from Athens, rather than through the Port Police! The Pebble Beach has only had them for a little over a week. Down on the Sandy Beach things are looking normal now at the town end - but they fizzle out after the Jetee. with just one small block into the naturist beach. The beach itself is in a mess. The sand has moved to expose a great deal of rock. It is still quite difficult to enter the sea, and there is no sign of any activity to move sand back. The single locked Porta-loo sits isolated at the end. All very sad!
- Our new outlook!
Fortunately Jenny had warned us about this when it started in March. She got the worst of it! With no notice the family Vlissidis from the supermarket has begun to build a block of apartments for sale to foreigners (as next to Yanni's Rooms past the old town). It nestles next to the building in our lane at the bottom of the path from the museum - so it is spitting distance from us (and spit one does feel like doing sometimes!) A makeshift access road has been driven through from the disused parking space above the museum. We retain views of sea, mountains and Venetian fortress, but we are also going to have a view of a lot of concrete when finished. Even our neighbour and respectable local matriarch Popi used a very rude word about it!
- Coconuts, Coronet and Club
The bar Coconuts is no more! It closed before we left in October and has re-opened with new trendy decor and a new name (something like "Little Corner"). Stelios is no longer working there (- he is cooking at Skala- ) but Panos is.
.. and we have a very flash Internet centre - still involving Costas but with a British couple as partners. It is where the rather tacky one was last year (old Chinese.. estate agent etc)
.. and the Paleohora Club re-opened on Friday! We have no idea who is behind it this year - but their posters advertising the delights of the first two nights are some of the tackiest ever to grace the telegraph poles!
On the plus side in terms of live music the Skala now has good acts each Monday evening, and Swedish Mats is here - selling CDs and looking for venues. Last week he played with Rick from Anidri at the Seagull.
- The New Bridges of Selino County!
This year people have been arriving in the village a little less dazed, as the four new bridges between Kandanos and us are now finished - and mighty fine they are, too - with landscaping and planting! This is supposed to take 10 minutes of the trip - but as the construction has been going on so long it is difficult to know what that is compared to! Thank you, Brussels!