Ready for the off! - or only just!

El Toston y Faro at El Cotillo - a bit chilly!

Greyrocks has passed Christmas in Corralejo every year since 1992. Last year we went "off piste" for the New Year, and this time it was to be a Goan holiday that started in mid- December. This was to accommodate Chloë, who is no great fan of it all (Where does she get that from??) and has University closure days as well as normal leave, whilst Jack is less negative about it and also has to work as much as he can in his tourism low-paid job! So it would be almost two weeks for her and we would be away for about two months.
(It could now have been more as we have obtained five year Indian visas allowing up to six months - but "gently, gently"!)
So -  having returned from the Las Palmas birthday bash - we seemed to have plenty of time for preparation and closing down, but we hadn't reckoned on those factors beyond our control: health, weather and Spanish bureaucracy!
We resumed our healthy lifestyle campaign until our blood tests, with only a couple of lapses. This did the trick - the main purpose being to escape below the radar of our GP and the nurse. We went for the results a week later and - along with Ruth's 10 kg weight loss - got the "All clear!", but the  process of getting refunds on Bob's meds bought in advance for the summer at full price turned into an epic with multiple trips back to the Health Centre and to the pharmacy. It is still not fully resolved with respect to one of them!

The lapses in the regime were fun! Next door had a hire car for a while and we four went for a trip to Lajares, El Cotillo and the new British stores in the Los Alisios complex. We had an excellent tapas lunch at Los Piratas:- a new one on us - being in Lajares and inaccessible! We visited the lighthouse in windy conditions, and ended up back at Blue Rock. This led to arranging a meal out for the four plus hairdresser Elaine and Andrew. We went to El Anzuelo - now much improved- and as usual had a very jolly time as a sixsome!

Soon after Ruth began a filthy cold which has been doing the rounds, She was laid low by it for two full days, leading to cancelled plans for both business and pleasure, and the sense that we would barely be ready to leave. We were committed to our own "office party"  of days before, and made it a simple but tasty meal, including duck thighs from Lidl, that were not as good as we have had in previous years. and Ruth wanted to leave an empty freezer so that dictated some meals at home. The sewing machine packed up during a frenetic session of clothes mending, and the guy we had lined up to do some concrete work on the roof terrace didn't turn up. When there was triple confusion over a beautician appointment it was time to tear one's hair out!!

We were also on a drive not to waste the last remaining pre-paid sessions at the Bahia Real indoor swimming pool, so we fitted those in - in spite of both now having the cold - Ruth did some shoulder exercises there in addition to the swimming, and it also fits in nicely with Argentinian steak at La Bolada, where we have now worked out exactly what to order! After all, we would not be getting that for supper for a couple of months!

We left on schedule but Bob's cold was now in full flow, and three flights was daunting! We would have a day in Barcelona, so trousers and trainers were deployed.

A Shoulder to cry on/about

"Physiotherapy across Southern Europe - a comparative study"!

.. and if all goes to plan - Goa too!

Almost seven months sine the fall, and just over six since the operation to fit Ruth's prosthetic shoulder joint the bulletin is mixed! No pain whatsoever, but not enough flexibility to - say - fasten and unfasten a bra! (Not a luxury item as readers will know if they are in her circle!) So Greyrocks is still paying for -  and planning round - sessions with the local professionals! Practices vary thus:

France A where the person is a kinésithérapeute - said "kee-nay"

Not elegant - but it worked!

Had Ruth been a French national there would have been a programme of daily "rehabilitation" after the operation, but she was just told to find someone in town and get on with it!  The receptionist at the Dax accommodation made a recommendation and we went at least three times a week to see Frederique for half an hour. At first all the work was on the shoulder as the leg was in plaster, but this all had to be done without standing so was limited. After the plaster was removed the concentration was on the leg and ankle, and included use of a pneumatic boot thing on the leg, and the "ventouse" on points in the shoulder, as described previously. By the time we left France Ruth was walking from car to treatment with just one crutch.

Crete

"Get your calf and ankle into this!"

Enter Maria in the Church-owned centre in Paleochora! We recognised each other from 2015 when she worked on the wrist, but was then off on maternity leave. The centre is lavishly equipped, and includes facilities for hydrotherapy - not on the menu in France! We developed a set of activities to work mostly on the leg - with dunking in the agitated water, very effective massage and some active exercises. Sessions would often exceed the hour, with meeting other patients who also know us, and were "cheap as chips"! At some point there was the opportunity to have a short consultation with the visiting orthopaedic surgeon, and he said the leg was fine and to get on with the shoulder. By this stage Ruth was walking almost normally anyway- but nervously! So sessions continued with massage - sometimes electrically assisted and a series of exercises, With time Ruth got better at raising the arm from the shoulder, but was evidently "compensating" by lowering the other! After twenty or so sessions in all it was time to leave and in due course move on to the next

France B

In the unfortunately named Rue Ang Sang Si Chi!

In advance Greyrocks had selected a clinic very close to the Montpellier apartment. It was very modern -as one would expect in Port Marianne, and Ruth's kiné was Sarah. She is young, sports-mad and fluent in English! Almost all the interaction took place in an open communal spice with other sock-wearing kinés and punters  doing their thing. Sessions of half an hour - at French price - had some strong massage and passive movement, but a lot of active exercises - to continue at home - in both seated and standing position. A real focus was stopping the "compensation" that had crept in over the summer! All "hands-on" here!

Fuerteventura

Once returned home it was a swift visit to the sports clinic ten minutes walk away and used for various problems over the years by both of us! We settled on a package of fifteen sessions of an hour across the month of November, and the physio would be - usually - another Sara. We would start with at least five minutes seated and using the double pulley, then move into a cubicle here the rest of the session would be with R lying down! We would communicate in slow simple Spanish and she explained the reasoning behind the position as gravity-related There was the same sequence each time of independent work with weights and resistant bands,  some tough passive rotation and sometimes TENS or the arm version of pneumatic pressure kit! By the end there was a definite improvement in the rotation and strength, but still not enough for some dressing and lifting tasks. So we moved over to gym membership entitling Ruth to visit at liberty and use the pulleys, weights etc unsupervised.  That worked for the first week, but then "other forces" = see next post - intervened and it fizzled out close to departure day. By that time depression had also set in following a scheduled return visit to the traumatologist at the private clinic, where the knees had been done! With the brilliant surgeon who did them gone we had seen another in November, and this was a third, who looked at the x-rays and expressed surprise at what had been done in the operation, His opinion was that with the damage done to some tendons a different sort of prosthesis should have been fitted. Asked about the prognosis he was vague!

Ruth continues to do some exercises - especially now in the warm Arabian Sea - and has a lead for a therapist here who might help. Watch this space!!

A Bit Better Birthday

A work by Jack Beng-Thi

Over the years Greyrocks has been late in posting, but this is a record! It is a panic to get recorded with a December date, the tale of a trip to Las Palmas for a birthday at the end of November! This post is being written in Goa, and it all seems a long way off!
We took a three day "holiday" to celebrate Bob's birthday. We flew for around EUR 10 per person, per leg, thanks to residents' discount, and it all worked very well except for a muddle over surnames - which is a common occurrence with non-Spaniards who don't have a second apellido. With that resolved for a fee of EUR 1.50 we had a great flight with a front seat, and got the two buses to Santa Catalina, and couldn't find the hotel! Some recriminations, but worth it in the end for a good room in a newly renovated large hotel with just a few niggles!

The weather was mixed! We had some intervals of beautiful sunshine - often walking along the prom of Las Canteras, but also some heavy rain, and whilst there were sunbathers on the beach and a few in the sea it wasn't really that pleasant for sustained periods. We feel we know the city quite well and much of what we did was a repeat. We went down to the other half of the city (San Telmo) and went round the market, then had a good few hours in CAAM near the cathedral. We still saw only the work of one artist:-  Jack Beng-Thi from La Réunion.  We were surprised to find a very popular bar in the park at San Telmo disappeared, but mooched around others dodging  showers - the worst of which was as we left El Corte Ingles, after a minor shopping trip! One of the days was clearly a major one for cruise visits, with consequent crowds! We went to a nearby mall and saw three ships in at once!
Food-wise we knew what we wanted, and largely achieved it! A French-inspired dinner, a birthday bogavante at La Lonja, and a good quality steak,  The last was a challenge as we went on spec to a Uruguayan we had spotted last year and it was full, so we went instead to an unknown on the beach front that advertised beef on the bone with the hot stone. It was not South American as this was a Spanish Peninsula place. It was not quite what we wanted but pretty good! A couple of light lunches were - of course - at 100 Montaditos. 

Good when finished!

The famous nearby Belen for Christmas was well under way in construction on the beach, and was clearly going to be up to scratch!

So - all in all- a rather better birthday treat than Ruth's in June which will be remembered forever by Greyrocks for all the wrong reasons!

"No-booz-ember" and some exceptions!

Seven weeks immobilised in plaster in a noted French gastronomic region, followed by a shortened - but even so - pretty long stay in Paleo with the succession of drinking friends had their consequences, so November was earmarked for a serious diet.
But first, there was the end of October, during which Neil and Maggie were coming to their end of their restful holiday in our apartment. They greeted us with a Sunday roast on the balcony. During the days of our cohabitation we left them to their sunbathing, reading and swims, whilst we got on with boring but essential tasks, such as GP visits, the bank, the pharmacy,  the physiotherapy clinic, haircuts and 'flu jabs! The last of these involved seeing our assigned nurse, who immediately said she saw us on the Barcelona flight and had recognised us as patients! She took blood pressure as a routine and Ruth's was sky high, so more motivation for the upcoming campaign!

Brilliant stand-up comedian!

Hence there was a sense of "last chance saloon" about our remaining evenings as we ate out, covering upmarket tapas and good wine at La Bodequita, classic Spanish dishes (including goat) at Oscars, and outstanding fish dishes with good house wine at Marquesina. We had hoped for pre-dinner cocktails at the quirky Bougainvillea, but it wasn't open, so went instead to one of the (many) newly opened old bars nearby. It was OK but desperately slow in serving us our drinks. We are unlikely to return in a hurry! Our late evenings consisted largely of  mutual YouTube showings, with a large helping of James Acaster, and hilarity that probably annoyed the neighbours on the "bad side"!  On our guests' departure day we went for paella at La Lonja - a key place they had passed over, but agreed is a gem! We still haven't persuaded Neil that cheap red wine is best served chilled in our climate!

Thus Greyrocks had just one evening left for food and wine freedom! We spent it at the Slow Boat Buffet, and on - as is our habit - to the Rock Café, where the usual suspects were playing!  Good to know little had changed on that front! So what has changed in six months? Here is a selection:

• Pedestrianisation of the main street and most of its side streets

There is still a gaping chasm where Hoplaco used to be, and outside it - from the old "dove statue" down to just before the Shell Station the road is closed to traffic and taxis must wait at the bottom. New paving is being painstakingly laid, and pedestrians are directed from one side to the other around the work. It looks good, but where traffic can go it is pretty chaotic, with a real shortage of parking space.

• Welcome closure of two eyesores

The gaudy hire shop near Fazz's restaurant and the marina is closed and the premises empty. Antigua del Puerto. which owns it has also been closed since we arrived, but looks as if  it will reopen when decorated! Also Good Riddance to "Gordon Ramsay's" with its horrible neon sign. It is being gutted and may become a hairdressers'.  No sign - unfortunately - of removal of the skeletal 5* complex on the edge of town!

• The end of an era at American Burger

Soon after the start of the diet we popped in for the delicious fillet brochette, and it has disappeared from the menu! We had to go elsewhere and we mourn its demise!

• Ongoing expansion of the Health Centre

A whole new storey appears to be being constructed, but there has been little visible progress, and so Emergencies mingle with GP visitors.

• Exit Princess Ico

Foot passengers used to be able to take her for a cheaper - if longer and lumpier- passage to Lanzarote. In our absence the "Fast Ferry" has come into service, with numerous crossings each day.

• The new petrol station opens

This happened just a few says ago, and is long-awaited:- not because Greyrocks uses any motor fuel, but because it presages the closure of the tiny Shell station in the centre of town! That has been a landmark since our first visit, but now sits in the middle of a pedestrian zone leading tourist drivers astray.

• The Thomas Cook effect and fancy accommodation

We arrived shortly after the holiday company's collapse and stories abound of empty hotels and apartments, but also of staggering prices for flights with all the other carriers. Greyrocks has discerned no decrease in numbers out and about in town, but we are assured it s there! In contrast we have a spanking new place for tourists on our doorstep! this large complex has been under construction for at least ten years. Originally designed for sale, then seemingly abandoned and looming in grey concrete, it suddenly underwent installation of picture windows, internal essentials and entryphones during our last season. Then close to our departure the windows were ripped out! Now it is a "no-hotel" with low service-level studios, and luxury apartments. As the ground floor units have had to be "turned inside out" to give access from the complex entrance they have redundant gates, entryphones and "front doors" alongside highly visible terraces. It makes for an odd look, but we are told it already has dedicated fans, and it certainly good to see the building painted and in use!
Huge improvements also on the main port road near the Bristol Playa, where an old set of very tatty flats has been spruced up to form surfer-orientated apartments, and classier units - some for sale. Just this week it opened a pavement area for its bar - in a zone without such things! Also for sale and just starting to be occupied are the apartments created in the old Corralejo Garden Hotel on the top road. This little old fishing village is definitely "on the up"!

• Saturday Night's alright for ...

.. a very good load of rock!  Greyrocks is fond of the live music on most nights at Rock Café, and in the first few nights after our guests left we had been pleased to see that Gaby (Asturian), Fluvio (Italian), and Andreas (Chilean) were still in action, and that Coco the vocalist -(also from Italy) was back after a couple of seasons off. As time went by our visits included Goran the keyboard player from Croatia, and Dave Hedley - a Brit who does a mean Hendrix! All very sound, but we had still to locate Straight Ahead. It was clear they wouldn't be at Seven Pints on Saturdays:- seemingly as part of a downmarket trajectory in their entertainment! (Shame that as the do serve the best fish and chips!)
And then -early one Saturday evening - we walked through the Music Square and saw Carl-Peter Gors setting up on the stage. We had a good chat and he explained the band's fate - including that they all play - him on vocals and guitar, Argentinian Pedro on drums, Forever Trevor the ex-Slade Brit on bass and the newest member  -a Belgian on wonderful lead guitar - now play every Saturday in said square, so we have seen them each time since. It is hard to find a seat in a bar, but definitely worth it!
Live music also thrives - as last year - on Friday afternoons at Paradise, where the jam session attracts up to twenty players.

Ruth reaches the end of the month with a loss of 8.5 kg weight from the shameful - but explicable - base, which is a great start; and that is due to a very strict régime! The only descents from "the wagon" being the Birthday weekend in Las Palmas documented in the next post,  and two social occasions as follows.

The mature ladies' lunch involved Ruth along with Sandy, Jill and Elaine. We chose Fado Rock, which is close to all our homes, and we were made very welcome, with a range of freebies across the meal. Ruth - despite some encouragement to do otherwise - stuck to mineral water throughout, eschewed the sharing plate of desserts offered at the end. We were there chatting for hours, and at the end out came four balloon glasses of purple cocktail. Ruth could only sniff, but determined it was violet flavoured, and we got some idea of its composition, and some top-ups! Then it was over to La Luna where Ruth did have a glass of wine - accompanied by just a little guilt; and we all went home with no hint of silliness!

Marella Explorer

The cruisers' liaison was just two days later. Greyrocks had been contacted by John and Tracey of Goa fame but also flat-sitting and various inter-island meetings. They were on a Tui cruise around the islands and would be in Puerto del Rosario for a day, so Greyrocks took the bus to meet them there for lunch. It was a Thursday, and experience told us that that is a day to avoid owing to the presence of large numbers of cruising folk!  As we entered the capital we saw that there were two cruise ships in port:- The modest Tui, and the monstrous newest Aida, which is predominantly German in passengers. We got off the bus to find a very large and well-ordered queue of would-be travellers to Corralejo, seemingly far exceeding the bus capacity. and out and about in the city centre many thousands of German and British tourists, and Canarian folk troupes entertaining in the streets. It is no secret that Greyrocks' idea of holiday Hell is a cruise, and we didn't change our mind that day! Restaurants -of course were jam-packed, but we found a pleasant -  if somewhat pricey - one near the "new" beach, and the four of us enjoyed tapas and wine, with Ruth going a bit off piste on the food front and also having a couple of glasses of house white!

Nonetheless the steady rate of weight loss has been maintained through the month.

The Bizarre Barcelona Bus Ride

We departed from our palatial Montpellier apartment unscathed in terms of penalties, and announced we would be back in the Spring. The journey down the autoroute was uneventful:- busy as would be expected on a Saturday in the school holidays, but in great weather, and all the congestion was behind us the other side of the city. After crossing the border it was quiet on the Spanish side and we rolled up at Yvette's winter home earlier than anticipated. Bob dropped Ruth and the luggage at Girona airport, dropped off the car and walked back, and we had a beer in the near-deserted cafeteria. At this time of day there is no direct bus to Barcelona airport, but there would have been time to catch a bus that would connect at Girona city. We chose, instead another beer and a taxi into the city;- justifying the EUR 30 expense on grounds of heavy cases and Ruth's recovering shoulder.
Throughout our stay in Montpellier French and Spanish TV had been showing a lot of footage of the public pro-independence manifestations in Barcelona following from the jailing of Catalan politicians on October 14th. By the time we were due to travel through there had been a general strike, and the city had been brought to a standstill on Saturday. We boarded the bus  - which was half an hour late -  at Girona not knowing what to expect, but with plenty of time. The indicator on the bus said only "Barcelona Norte" - the main bus station, but we confirmed with the driver that the intention was to continue to El Prat, and a very pleasant Moroccan off-duty tour guide confirmed this.

An hour and a half later we were on the outskirts, and all seemed calm. The only peculiarity was the presence of hundreds of parked coaches. We then started to see small groups walking towards the centre with Catalan flags, and then more, and then the traffic diversions started. The majority of passengers wanted to get to Barcelona Norte, but after getting out and talking to the police the driver announced that he could get close but not fully  get there. This was translated for those that needed it by the Moroccan! We pulled into some sort of bay to give time for retrieval from the "hold" and a self-help group formed to direct folk's onward walk!

This left a handful of us wanting the airport, which would involve getting back out again to the Ronda and heading South. We started going down small streets - often with views up to the vast assembly of people. At one point we were in the middle of a housing estate and had taken a wrong turn so negotiated a tiny roundabout to turn back. The Moroccan explained that the driver was not from Barcelona! (His name was not Manuel!)  Eventually we made it to Terminal 2, and we didn't have the heart to insist on our preference of Terminal 1! We were now very late!

What we didn't need was a 55 minute wait for the hotel shuttle as darkness fell and the prospect of sitting outside with a cool drink receded! But the overnight stay was satisfactory, and the shuttle back in the morning was as comfortable and reliable as ever. It wasn't such a doddle at the airport as last time, but then Ruth was then in the wheelchair. It was Bob's turn for the nuisance neighbours. He won a group of giggling Spanish young women - possibly a hen party! An easy flight, though - a pick-up by Dave, and we were soon eating a Sunday roast created by Neil and Maggie - our house-sitters!

Stop Press

We were lucky! Today a splinter group has closed the main route to France: AP7 leading to A9. We know that bit of motorway pretty well after 12 consecutive years.

And just for the record:
Greyrocks is largely agnostic on Catalan independence - other than deploring the heavy-handed Franco-esque actions of police and judiciary!

"Épisode méditerranéen!":

When Greyrocks started writing this post we were in Montpellier and there was an orange alert for heavy rain and flooding.  Chris and Penny had left us a few days before, and we had about ten days ahead of us before the next migration. This would take us back to Fuerteventura where Neil and Maggie had been staying in our place and we would overlap by four nights. All of that happened, but getting keyboard time to finish the post didn't so here we are again, having just seen off our house guests and tomorrow No-booze-ember starts! This is therefore a place-holder which will be in the right month - if the whole is not exactly "hot off the press"!!

After the initial rain warning- which was itself impressive, overnight this rose to "red" status with the addition of high winds, dangerous seas nearby and the possibility of hail! None of this was unexpected. We had woken up to to torrential rain the day before and realised this would not be a day for outdoor activity. Unfortunately we are in a "running down" phase before the next migration, so the "cupboard was bare":- or almost! After hours of stormy weather, with occasional thunder and lightning, and a bodged lunch there was a lull and we dashed across the road to Monoprix for emergency supplies. Whilst we were in there it started again and we raced "home"  to hunker down once more, but better provisioned  This was a day when we were particularly grateful to TV Mucho!  (This is ironic as Ruth had earlier in the day been cursing their website as she wrestled with a subscription change!) In the evening we decided we could - with an umbrella -manage the short walks at either end of a tram ride in order to stick with the planned cote de boeuf at La Boucherie. We did get wet but the trams were on time, the meal exquisite and we carried away enough for the next day's lunch!

In all the foul weather lasted three days. In particular from 4,30 to 7 am  on the third day we were at the centre of a storm, and it was dramatic with almost continual thunder, intense lightning and - for Ruth - no possibility of sleep! The warning stayed in force until early evening, so an opportunity to blog - but not to finish the post! If you can read French this article explains the phenomenon of an Épisode méditerranéen. Greyrocks will use it as the title of an account of the latest three week stay in glorious Montpellier!

• Arrival and our base

We were in Catalunya for a mere seventeen hours! At the hotel next to the airport in Girona where we have often stayed they do an evening buffet, so that suited us well, and next morning we walked over to find Yvette clean and ready to go, then returned to the hotel to collect the luggage and check out, and set off France-wards on the AP7. Unfortunately an incident with a misplaced mobile phone meant the atmosphere inside the car was not as warm as that outside! The journey was uneventful and we had - as planned - time for a supermarket run and sandwich lunch in Lattes before check-in at our accommodation.

Our apartment is on the first floor

For the third time we were renting an apartment near Port Marianne, and this one is the best! It has everything we want and need, is quiet - except at school playtime - and is very close to the tramway station! Yvette was not been moved from her underground parking spot, until  refuelling on the last full day, and once w had sorted a password glitch we had fast WiFi, as well as satellite TV. We are now in the process of book the place for Spring! Also close-by is the centre where Ruth saw a physiotherapist three times a week to continue work on the shoulder. Sarah has fluent (American) English, and each session features a jolly chat about some aspect of Montpellier life. There are parts of the area that we don't know, and are in the midst of fast development - in particular linking Part Marianne with the new "Sud de France" rail station, and the shopping and entertainment mall at Odysseum. We went on a walk into the unknown in search of an advertised lab for Bob's blood test and traipsed through road works and barely complete complexes, but succeeded, and Bob went for several bike rides around this part again during our stay - as well as to the seaside. Ruth -of course - can't even think about cycling until the shoulder is behaving!

• Social whirl

After a few days of reacquainting ourselves with favourite spots, we welcomed our first pair of house guests:- Chris and Penny, who had been at the Venice biennale, and arrived by train via  Marseilles. They had to make do with the sofa bed for their four day stay, but said it was comfortable enough! We gave them space for their own activities, but together went to the cinema to see "Joker", declaring it a triumph, ate at Gazette during their swing evening (which included a dance tuition session for other punters), and on Sunday a tram ride to Lattes market and an excellent Moroccan lunch in Port Arianne followed by the long walk back to Marché du Lez.  This journey started a little late owing to travel disruption in the morning caused by the 10 km race. We needed to dodge some rainstorms during their stay, but fortunately they were on their way by the time the serious stuff arrived!

No sooner had they departed than we  had an evening rendezvous with James and Hannah, whom we know from Paleochora. Hannah teaches English and lives in Montpellier. We arranged to meet in a brasserie in town and then wanted to move on to eat together. We were not far from one of our current "top five", so introduced them to Brasserie Laissac, to which Hannah gave a seal of approval. Over the evening we covered a huge range of shared interests - including the possibility of getting more money back from Dax following the accident. One of those delightful intersections in the Venn diagram of "Friends and their settings!"

• Toussaint holiday reduces activities

Hannah had also told us that the school holiday that would soon start was a two week-er (for All Saints)! This began to explain the paucity of good films we had observed. We also found much less live music to our taste, with Gazette concentrating on chanson francais - presumably aimed at French tourists! Perturbed that Pleine Lune was advertising nothing we took a ride there and found it had changed its name and no longer had music! The cinema disappointment was cured by finding in the final few days of our stay that Ken Loach's "Sorry we missed you" was showing. This was n a horrible weather day with disrupted trams, but we made it just in time, and were so glad we did - despite its depressing theme and pessimistic ending! What an indictment of Tory cuts and deregulation in UK! What a country! Afterwards we uplifted our spirits a little with some excellent tapas at Café Riche, thus redeeming their reputation:- possibly tarnished for a handful of readers by a damning review last year!
School holidays also mean a change to the swimming pool timetable, and a less sympa experience in the leisure pool, so Greyrocks got in just the one session this time round. It was Ruth's first real attempt at sustained swimming since the Great Fall on 4th June, and was well worth it!

• Two art gallery tours 

In our absence Mo.Co. has opened - the Contemporary Art Gallery near the station. we had heard some negative comments, but planned to go round it with Chris and Penny, after they had "done" the sister gallery La Panacée . Unfortunately it was unexpectedly closed, so we drank too much wine and beer instead in Brasserie Laissac!  After their departure we took advantage of the poor weather and unappealing cultural calendar, and spent time in two exhibitions. The first - small, free and temporary - was in the little building near the (mostly) photographic gallery on the Esplanade. we knew nothing about the artist, but his emphasis on sun and seaside with their light and colour was a delight!



The second - where we spent the most windy afternoon of the storm, and so did a good few others - was at the prestigious Musée Fabre. It is huge - and only slightly easier to navigate than London's National Gallery, which defeated us earlier in the year - so we had been advised to attempt only a part. A good plan! We eschewed for this time the Old Masters and some specialised areas, and had a great time. We also found ourselves, somehow, in a temporary exhibition that should have cost extra. This was centred around a famous painting, and explored all facets of its composition and works in many media and styles inspired thereby! Here is a link to an extensive article about it in French, or try the English Facebook site.

With the weather, and impact of the school holiday this was not the most stunning of stays, but still had some high spots. Greyrocks looks forward to the next one - April 2020.

A bit of a detour en route to Montpellier!

By the time we set off on October 2nd there was a sense of "end of season" although the days were beautifully sunny. Friends were peeling off, but John W was back and kindly helped us transport the sunbeds from "our tree" to their winter resting place! This gave us a day without so we made a fairly chaotically arranged trip out to Houmas, where we arrived in time for lunch and then took a brief dip in the sea, and dropped in at the cantina which was deserted! That evening we hosted dinner at the Seagull,and stayed late at Cosmogonia.

The onward journey started with the 3.30 bus to Chania, We fought and won a battle with the left luggage system, and wandered down to see a few sights and have a light meal at The Red Bicycle, where the main waiter always recognises us and asks about Paleo. The airport bus we had chosen was probably one too late as it was a tight schedule to get checked-in and onto a totally full flight to Thessaloniki.

Why there? A - we have heard it is a beautiful and interesting city, and B- we needed a Ryanair hub, so that we could fly eventually into Girona airport to reclaim Yvette without tangling with Barcelona, and this was the obvious choice! It gave us a day and a half for sightseeing.

We stayed the two nights at an airport hotel:- in part as we landed around 11pm. Plans to use busses to get into the city next morning were abandoned when we saw the location, so we took a taxi and were dropped somewhere near where we had in mind. Fellow-blogger Mick - a real Thessaloniki enthusiast - had furnished us with a list of things to see and restaurants. We melded this with a suggested walking tour, which would cover the most famous sites.
Once we had established where we were we set off towards the sea and were soon admiring the spacious squares and elegant buildings bout which we had heard so much. We were also impressed by the cycle paths, but less so by the rented scooters! At the old port Bob took a look at the museums, and then we tried to find the area known as Ladadika , described by one person as a "lovely place for great restaurants" and another as "overpriced tourist trap"! Greyrocks' opinion will have to wait as we never got to its heart or even its periphery, being under-prepared! Instead we ended up on the busiest commercial street gasping for a drink one could consume without sitting on a bar stool! We felt like country bumpkins dodging traffic, holding on tight to bags and clutching our pathetic little map! We were less impressed by this bit of the city!

We then negotiated road works and renovations to historic buildings to find Agia Sofia cathedral. we thought were insufficiently modestly attired, but nobody was policing this, so we had a brief look inside! Impressive - even to atheists!
Now the weather started to deteriorate. We walked to the Arch of Galerius and Rotunda, and then decided we needed a rest and, after a hunt for the right place, found ourselves in the University area, and in a bar where we were the oldest clients by about fifty years! This didn't seem to matter, and as the rain started we moved inside and stayed a long time. This left the White Tower on the list of "must see", and us cold and tired of walking! Unsurprisingly a cab driver refused to take us there, so we did struggle there, and were pleased we did!

We remembered Rick Stein saying he had a long-standing arrangement to meet old friends at the tower many years after a first visit. It is, indeed, very striking. After circumnavigating it and reading plenty about its history we decided not to seek out the recommended restaurants this time round, but eat early in one the many places nearby, and then take a cab straight back to the hotel. More or less at random we chose a simple place with no English menus on display, and thus had a delicious meal with friendly service. It might make it to Trip Advisor! Afterwards we stepped straight into a taxi with a helpful driver, and felt we had done our best, given the weather and our advanced age! After all we would definitely be back!

In the morning it was pouring with rain, so we decided not to spend the morning in the city, but kill time till check-out and then at the airport. The latter we thought would be bound to have decent facilities for catering and resting! How wrong we were! It is - currently - a shambolic overcrowded hell-hole! Unable to drop our luggage for hours and go through to the more civilised airside part we lurked in Arrivals with a can of beer, surrounded by riotous German children. Eventually we did find something to eat and some wine, then onto the full flight to Girona, featuring all the comfort for which Ryanair is famed! And that was the conclusion of our truncated Greek summer!

"Beware the Ides of September!"

Greyrocks has commented frequently on the fact that September in Paleochora is different - and in many ways welcome! However, it is also a fact that the weather record is patchy, with some shockingly "bad" days. Ruth's records show that these are usually around the middle of the month!

The view of the Nea Chora from Portes

Our month started started with the last few days of Chloë and Jack's stay, and our travelling with them as far as Chania when they moved on. As previously reported we visited the Charma brewery on the way! We were to stay two nights on the Nea Chora, and began with the late lunch with Chloë  and Jack. They remembered the restaurant Portes as being in the old town. We remembered it as on the Nea Chora. Their website was unclear, so some confusion happened, but it was so good that Greyrocks went back there two days later just before leaving Chania. We had a delightful stay, taking advantage of very easy entry into a warm sea, absence of wind and a Chinese restaurant. When we came to take the afternoon back there was a very small rain shower at the highest point.

We returned to find that a handful of old friends had arrived, and a new social whirl began - and Ruth was out of action for a day with a throat problem, and shortly thereafter most tourists were stopped in their beach-ward tracks by three days of  extreme wind. Numerous beach umbrellas were blown into the sea, bits of the primary school roof came off and restaurants with indoor tables did very well! Greyrocks made a short escape by going with Olga to Houmas for a sheltered beach, short bathe in a calm sea, and - of course - a superb lunch! High winds did return for a few days later in the month, but as sunbathing conditions resumed the September sunbed crisis loomed, with tales of bad-tempered exchanges between naturist tourists and Yiannis the Sunbed of his son Manolis - now helping out. Once again September meant sharing "our tree", and Manolis was heard explaining to a couple that we were "good people" who had lived in his house and had been using the tree thus for many years!

More recently on the climatic front we had the events of 24th. There was the threat of rain throughout the preceding week, and the humidity crept up, and in the morning the sky was a very nasty colour. By the evening it hadn't happened, but folk carried umbrellas as they went out to eat, and once more the places with indoor tables had a good night, but still no rain! We  chose to revisit Pasefaei, where we would have had cover if necessary. (Most of the gigantic and delicious pork shank was taken away to form sandwiches!) The impact of the looming storm turned out to be an evening with around thirty tiny power cuts of a few seconds - caused by the humidity shorting in the village and up in the mountains where it was definitely raining!

After all the excitement of this - and the Thomas Cook debacle - there is now calm and serenity. This was the sunset on 27th as viewed whilst we were waiting to eat at Finikas.

Goodbye, September!

Art and Music: Less is more??

Greyrocks has had only half the "normal" time in Paleo, but the art and music offering has diminished much more than that in quantity! And Brexit can't be blamed for that. It must be climate change!

2007 or 2019? 

By the time we made our way to the Limnaki cantina for the first time Arvid had taken up residence and was hosting late afternoon jamming sessions as he has since records began! With up to eight players at any time, and a loyal audience this did no harm at all to the drinks profit! There was no chance of Ruth walking back along the beach in the dark, so we missed the several occasions when there was still action late into the evening and heads were sore next day! Amongst the participants for a week or so were Rainer's boys, Felix and Lucas, whom we saw perform their first ever busking many years ago, and now work in TV/Music in Berlin. (Their Dad - a regular - was absent this year with a broken leg!) Noreen was persuaded to sing a few times, and the ebb and flow of participants added variety!

Come the evening there seems to have been a clear-out of the less welcome street musicians. The aged Albanian with unidentified wind instrument no longer tours, confining himself to sleeping on or near the Sandy Beach pavement - and on one occasion projectile vomiting a metre from Ruth! Similarly there have been no paraded children and adolescents "playing" or "dancing" with their father. The regulars have been the players of general Greek favourites who stay at the campsite and work almost every night. This year we have seen a very talented trio - including a woman - all on string instruments, and  - separately - Costas with his bouzouki (as at the wedding party last year). Unfortunately he has taken to using a backing track!

Other performers have been the Romanian accordion player, (much less frequently than in other years), a couple of classical guitar player visits, a troupe of Spanish dancers with fire that we had seen a few days before in Chania, and a delightful appearance at Eva's leaving meal. A jolly young woman bounced into The Wave and asked if she could perform, She sang several songs, whilst playing her ukulele and dancing! Delighted - we asked for more, but after that she was never seen again!

We also think there has not been as much folk song and dance this year! There was a three day festival which involved troupes from all over the island touring other centres. We saw some of the dancing both on the stage near Scala and in the street, and then discovered that quite a few of them were staying in accommodation above us - at well over the specified number. A very noisy departure!

Then there are the gigs in bars/kafenions. The former Monica's - now going under the name of Giorgo's- gets very little custom most nights, but has had some huge crowds when there is live music. The regular player is John from Drapanias, who is not to everyone's taste, but Greyrocks likes the repertoire - all lyrics fully memorised - and the radical slant! Fortunately Mats has been able to join him each time for a few weeks on steel guitar, as has Petra with her Latin and or Baez songs. In due course regulars Chris and Jann (Shades of Gray) arrived. Part of their stay was with family so we saw a bit less of them, but their appearances at Giorgo's, were very crowded as usual,

Greyrocks was also invited to join the minibus trip up to Azogires for an evening of their music at the Alpha taverna arranged by Lucky, who is a real fan! Whilst they were setting up there was time for wandering round the village, consuming "Sofia's world famous Omelette", and looking round Gail's gallery, although she has now relocated to Scotland! Some of the village inhabitants and tourists showed up, and it was a very jolly raki-fuelled evening, We moved inside when it became a bit dog-dominated, but vowed to return = as indeed we did - read-on!

But what Greyrocks was craving was rock bands! Eva told us that we had missed Flush Royale at least twice whilst in France, and that the band with overlapping personnel: Change House had also been around. On three occasions there were fairly convincing rumours, but nothing materialised other than a gig at Scala -  unannounced as is their wont there! And just as we were despairing Flush Royale played Atoli, Almost all of the Yia-yia Club was in town and we had a superb time with dancing that suggested the need for a defibrillator.  Greyrocks even hit the floor when Hotel California was dedicated to us as "that wonderful couple"! When the band finished we were treated to a performance of exotic dancing by Margarita - the  82-year old Norwegian we have known for many summers!

Chris and Jann were booked to play again in Azogires to mark the end of the Art Festival. We wanted to see the exhibition so went instead on our own in the afternoon by taxi, and found it in the "hotel" where there was also a workshop with flour dough being run by Julie, whom we also known for years, so there was much reminiscence. The range of work on display was striking and included a handful by each of Olga and  Shelagh:- Ruth's Scrabble mates! Such talent! We stayed at the Alpha for a few beers and a chat with Lucky and watched chaotic preparations for the showing of a short film. Lucky and his new wife Rebecca were proudly introducing baby Sofia Our taxi arrived before the film was shown, so we will never know if it was worth the confusion!

The Art Flow Gallery in Paleochora has been very busy with short seasons, one of which interested Greyrocks  particularly. It was paintings by refugees in the Greek camps, who are supported by a charity in ways that include art therapy. It was a very moving experience, especially reading the accompanying biographies,  and we have since donated!

Something like Normality resumes!

"Cosmo" - Hangout for a good many nights!

It was "All Change" ten days into Greyrocks' truncated summer stay, as we were due to move to the usual little apartment on the same day as Chloë and Jack would land at midnight in Heraklion.
Complicated texts were sent giving instructions for finding the studio we thought we would still be occupying and telling them not to disturb us at 4 am. (To Greyrocks' disapproval they had ordered a taxi for the entire journey!). However, on the morning in question we were told we could move there and then, so we did - and sent a new text to tell them to leave their luggage outside the usual apartment. By the time we had been for a meal and moved on to Cosmo the idea of staying up to meet them took over and when the sent a message to say they were close we replied that they should dump their bags and then meet us there! So it was a 3.30 rendezvous and for Greyrocks a 5.30 bedtime! The new arrivals went for strolls, purchase of goodies at the commercial bakery and an eventual check-in to their room.

An old Houmas specials board

If you use Facebook (which we do not!) you can see details of various "jollies" which Chloë and Jack enjoyed without us - such as walking the Anidri Triangle, and overnighting in Loutro - as well as some we shared. Search for Chloë using both parental surnames!  Early on they helped us retrieve our sunbeds and other stuff from storage, so we were able to get one of the sunbeds down to "our" tree for Bob to use. Ruth had not - at this point - managed to sit down on one, so that did not join its partner for a week or so! On two occasions we four eschewed the sandy beach and took a taxi through the chaotic roadworks to Houmas in Gramenon, where we could enter the sea easily in a sheltered bay and also choose from the wonderful menu. On the first occasion Ruth managed several "firsts":- getting down onto and up from a sunbed with the aid of a parasol pole, getting into and out from the sea with human support, and doing shoulder exercises resembling swimming!

There were some windy days, so we thought it was timely to have some time in Chania, and planned to join the kids as they left for Rethymnon after ten days. We booked a taxi to take us all to the Cretan Brewery inland from Platanias on the North coast. There we paid to taste five beers - including two seasonal brews. We followed this with a chosen full glass each and some very pleasant mezes.

We could not book a tour, but we could look from outside onto the various tanks, after a while the"wally-trolley" arrived from Platanias and disgorged fifty or so Skandis, who were given a reduced range to taste, but a fuller exposition. When they had gone we ordered a taxi to take us into Chania. Chloë and Jack went to leave their luggage at the bus station and visit the market, whilst we were dropped off fairly near Nea Chora and our hotel. We planned to meet at Portes for late lunch, which did happen, but not without confusion (see next post), and after a long and very pleasant meal they left for their onward journey. A good spell together. Next meeting is planned for Goa in December!

In at the Deep End - or not?

83 days after the accident Ruth makes it into the sea!

Since 2008 we have arrived for our long summer stay some time in June. We have found the village coming alive, and often the sea a bit too cold for ageing sun-seekers. As the weeks progressed people we know would arrive (and then leave) and general tourism levels rise - to ultimately accommodate the Italians, and finally the Greeks. The famous summer winds would be anticipated, but rarely caused trouble for many weeks

Not this year! We were straight in to peak season with pressure on sunbeds, mad traffic, and as can be seen in the table one of the windiest days of the early part of the month was our first - prompting allegations that we had brought it with us!

Our first ten nights had to be in a neighbouring studio as our "usual" apartment was occupied, so we kept things simple! Ruth was walking with the one crutch and struggling with stairs and poor surfaces, so we stuck to nearby establishments and stayed off the beach for a few days, then made arrangements with the local physiotherapist for frequent sessions that structured days and brought new confidence, so that some paddling in the shallows happened, On day 6 we needed to book a taxi for Chloë and Jack so asked for a lift to the cantina car park, where we were greeted effusively, and things started to feel more normal! We even managed to walk slowly and carefully back. Over the next few days we tried various ways to get Ruth's feet into deeper water. A plastic chair against the leaning rock didn't work, and nor did getting down onto a sunbed next to the Europa's mew pool as a guest of Hilary. The breakthrough had to wait until Chloë and Jack arrived and we went to Gramenon - but more of that later! 
We could - however - build the cantina into our days once Ruth could walk there (latterly without the crutch) and Bob went regularly for short swims. The first few evenings were busy with meeting and greeting the usual suspects - especially those like Gunter who were coming to the end of their stay.

Here is the rundown on changes we found in the village:- with the usual "spoiler" warning for those who like surprises! We have seen no newly completed buildings, with construction work is dominated by ongoing major roadworks on the way to Kondouras. This is chaotic, dusty and noisy and follows from a historically severe winter which locals willingly describe.
Some money will also have been made by builders in fitting out the restaurants and bars on the stony side with flash permanent canopies. Greyrocks has not yet discovered how these became legal after several years of bodging! The stately old police station is now occupied as a private residence but has highly pertinent artwork in the grounds. On the restaurant front there are a few developments:

• The Family Grill (known as The Brothers) has moved to larger charming premises and is "heaving"
• Pasifaei  has opened on the stony side in what was once The Port. It has been beautifully decorated and is getting good comments. The cuisine is in the style of Finikas, as is the wine policy, which is one of the criticisms, Greyrocks has yet to visit!
• Aristea has expanded its dining area significantly, and is - even so - usually full!
• After an impressive start last year Dakos has reverted to a more standard offer
• Dionisos continues to attract good comments (including from a Greyrocks offshoot!)

The most notable feature, however, is the absence all season of Kiparaki (the Small Garden) - a clear favourite of many folk! This is down to illness and recovery! Much missed!

Down on the beach the density of some sunbeds in the main section has caused comment -as has the price of the posh ones, whilst the shortage on Limnaki has already been causing stress, and September with all those very serious sunseekers has not started! I predict a riot!!

"Special Handling"

 Ruth couldn't contribute much to the re-packing of the squeaky clean Yvette:- even relieved of the sling the left arm was (and is at time of writing) inflexible and weak, but we managed to get everything in around the bikes. There was a lengthy farewell at Reception - including presentation of macaroons - and we left Dax to its festive chaos! Destination: Toulouse:- not for the carefully planned city break we intended for June, but a functional overnight stop in an Ibis in the right place on the "Peripherique" and with - allegedly - all rooms having a walk-in shower! The journey was uneventful, and through parts new to Greyrocks, and it was very hot! The hotel was pretty simple, but the bar was open and the staff friendly. We needed to change to a different properly adapted room as the facilities were not as advertised, but this was no problem! We sat outside in a temperature of 38 deg C and surveyed the scene. We were going to have to dine on-site, with the very limited menu, but this all functioned well enough!

The next day was going to be a long one! Our flight from Barcelona was just before midnight, so we set off in a leisurely manner and  got round Toulouse and onto the "Autoroute des deux Mers", with which we are familiar. We then realised that it was a Friday in August in France, so the level of traffic was daunting, the service stations crowded and risk of hold-ups high. At times we pondered that all the surplus hours would be spent in queues, but not so! We joined the very familiar A9 and the weather deteriorated as we approached the Pyrenees, with some rain near Perpignan, and a chilly picnic. At the French border toll-booths there was a northbound queue of five kilometres or so, but we sailed through and arrived at the Girona parking well ahead of schedule, and bade farewell to Yvette for eight weeks.

Great Service at Barcelona

We now faced many hours before the first of two coaches that would get us to the airport, but some research showed an earlier possibility if we sped to Girona station and could use our existing ticket, A jolly taxi driver got us there just in time - and Ruth negotiated successfully, so we arrived at the airport ridiculously early and by now hungry, The fairly new Terminal 1 at El Prat is well designed, but has little by way of land-side catering. and involves a lot of walking - albeit aided somewhat by  moving walkways - so we had requested assistance for Ruth with her crutch, and we wanted to get through security to eat, so after a very smooth check-in - unfazed by the earliness - we were sent to the special assistance area to wait. There several of the seats were occupied by folk with no visible mobility issues who shuffled off, leaving just us and one guy in a wheelchair. Also nearby were a couple of groups filming reports on the impending strike by security staff, during which chaos was expected! We were, however, passed seamlessly from one friendly employee to the next - from wheelchair to security check to another wheelchair and to one of those buggies. We told the driver we wanted to go somewhere to eat and wait comfortably and he took us and yet another wheelchair to the perfect spot - a branch of Enrique Tomas - where we found delicious dishes based on their charcuterie - and some fine wine, Time passed and we went back to the designated spot for another buggy ride to the gate, where we sat watching queues assemble and board, until a nice man - who turned out to be French came and wheeled Ruth to the aircraft door! Now that is service. Nothing but praise for the "Sin Bareras" team! Greyrocks just doesn't want to need their services again too soon!

Not quite so impressive at Heraklion at 4 am local time! We managed slowly the descent of stairs from the plane, the bus, and the lift to Reclaim, and there was Giorgos to drive us to Paleochora. As arranged the key was in the door and we got to bed at 6.30. Worth every cent!