Good Year - Bad Year???

Ruth liked this a lot!

Pete and Stella arrived next door for the drinks do on Christmas Eve and announced that the wind had dropped, and indeed next day was very much better, raising spirits; and continuing the pattern of sunny Christmas Days that we have come to expect! After the ritual breakfast and an episode of Round The Horne, we spoke to Chloë on Skype (in Bordeaux for the festive season) and walked along the (still windy) seafront. The sun shone! At Anno 2011 we found a moderately sheltered table for one drink, All the talk was of the horrors of the previous two days' weather. Then it was over to Blue Rock for the afternoon. The usual suspects were already there, and as they left for dates various we acquired seats. The catering was generous and the atmosphere great fun as ever, ("Same procedure as every year") As the sun went in we repaired home and picked up the truncated feast from the previous evening. And that was Greyrocks' Christmas!

Thoughts then turned to New Year, which would be the first planned one away from Corralejo in 26 years. In the remaining days up to departure  - which became sunnier and calmer - we had a long walk to Galera Beach, and a day at the spa followed by a super meal at La Bolada (our current favourite Argentinian). There was a "bit of a kerfuffle" on the last day when Ruth was persuaded tp try to mount her bike. (The travelling one had been fine in France, Catalonia  and to some extent in Greece, but not this one) She nearly made it - but the chain was so rusted the pedals did nothing and it had to go for emergency treatment,

How was it for you?

On  a personal level: Not too bad! We lost a Corralejo friend Sandy whilst we were in Goa, and Andreas from Berlin - an old friend from Paleochora holidays, but there are no parents left, and we have had no accidents or health scares, And of course there  was the Year of the Wedding!

In addition to this lot we hosted in November an evening for two Corralejo couples who couldn't get to Crete with wedding and party media and a supper of some items from the Crete feast. It has been demanding, costly - but within bounds - and has meant too much time in (Brexit-ridden) UK; but we won't do it again!

Other highlights for Greyrocks were resuming February-plus in Goa, some wonderful times in France and visiting Barbara and John (the long-lost cousin) in Wales.

News-wise it has been a series of disappointments and disgust at this incompetent Tory government with its "hostile environment" and the consequences of "austerity", and - in some ways more depressing - Jezza's stubbornness over a second Brexit vote. There has been little to celebrate across the globe with rampant xenophobia and populism in Russia and USA, toadying to Saudi, a threatened Press, suffering caused by social media , and conflicts that escalate.

In contrast the world of entertainment seems to have had a better year - but then the toll in 2017 was remarkable! In music we were saddened at the loss of Aretha Franklin, Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries), Ray Thomas (Moody Blues) and Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks). In TV it was heroes of comedy from a past era: Ray Galton, Dennis Norden and June Whitfield. In public life: Stephen Hawking and Paddy Ashdown,

RIP

"All we want for Christmas.."

"Post your wishes here!"

....  not "two front teeth", but a repair to a back one, and we could do with a bit more sunshine and a Peoples' Vote!
It is Christmas noontide and Greyrocks has had the traditional breakfast on the balcony! This is worthy of note as the two previous breakfasts were consumed inside:- a vary rare event, and indicative of the foulest of weather! In fact yesterday was - we agree - the nastiest of all the 27 Christmas Eves we have spent in Corralejo! The trouble is the wind! Predominantly from the South-East and with a speed of around 30 km/hr it isn't funny, Sunday was bad enough to abandon all plans for a spa visit, but it was eclipsed by Monday during which  the sun made no appearance but the dreaded calima did! All plans for coastal strolls and drinks in the sun were been abandoned, and as we did a little last minute shopping we agreed on a complete re-think of the day's catering.

We would normally have our somewhat festive meal at about 9 pm (Spanish style); but we decided to stagger it from lunchtime, having the starter of crab and griddled asparagus at that point and the main course of spiced goose breast at 5 pm! The idea was then to go next door for drinks, and then come back for the dessert (Christmas Mess) and cheese at around 9 pm. Good plan - but we had such fun with the seven other geriatrics (and Mel) that we lurched back near midnight and the balance of the meal remains untouched!

Calle La Iglesia: not bad this year!

There will probably be a re-assembly this afternoon at Blue Rock. The theme of the bar's festive decor is Crackers - complete with an "advent calendar" of awful jokes, and a glorious giant exploding cracker hanging from the ceiling! It is impossible to photograph adequately; so try their Facebook page for images,

The town's decorations are a mighty lot better than last years! And with the pedestrianisation it is (normally) a pleasure to promenade around!

The tooth in question has kept Bob busy, cautious in eating, reduced in savings and frustrated with the delayed delivery of the overlay. We have also kept the Health Centre, pharmacy and x-ray department busy.  The saga of getting refunds on prescriptions stock-piled at full price for the summer is worthy of this blog - but not now! The day trip to Puerto del Rosario for the hospital was on a cold and windy day, but it followed a glorious one when we took the ferry over to Lanzarote to meet John and Tracey on their holiday! And in general afternoons have been good enough for sunbathing on the roof terrace.

Two septuagenarian birthdays!

As we moved into December two very welcome changes took place: the rain stopped and so did the coughing! But these happened too late for the birthdays and their celebrations,
 First was Elaine's seventieth, which was marked with a party for over a hundred at Fado Rock. The dress code was "Black and White", which was fine for Ruth (funeral dress and white lace jacket as for last year's Shrewsbury wedding), but Bob sought a white shirt and was lent a great Indian one by Andrew and he wore it with the wedding bow tie and nearly black shorts. (The Anglican vicar turned after Sunday service, and was thought by many to have dressed for the occasion!)
There were guests we have known for 26 years, but rarely see, an excellent buffet and musical performances by Corralejo icon Trevor and a superb female saxophonist, who also disappeared for a while and emerged from the loo looking just like Cher! Ruth penned a little ditty for Elaine's card, and was goaded into reciting it publicly! It was a delightful evening!

Later in the week Greyrocks celebrated Bob's birthday with a two night stay in Caleta de Fuste. Many Corralejo residents (including us) would say "Second prize: three nights"! It is a truly ghastly resort in many ways, and not really a place to go at this time if you are a Bremainer and/or Guardian-reading member of the metropolitan elite; but  - hey - it's just two cheap bus rides away, and there are a few good restaurants a bit different from here, and an excellent tapas bar. We splashed out a bit on a "deluxe" sea-view room in a quiet, but still convenient, bit of town, and it was just as well, because the weather was awful, and we were both still suffering with the cough! We had brief (cold) walks along the improved promenade beside the improved beach, but mostly it rained, and we lurked inside! Despite the weather there were plenty of idiots on various forms of motorised things taking advantage of the improved promenade! The good news was on the gastronomic front, as "15" was as good as ever for the birthday evening itself, and through Trip Advisor we identified a close contender in Ascension - a relatively new arrival on the scene - for the other dinner.  El Capetan is always a joy for tapas and we spent hours there sheltering and enjoying a selection with the happy hour prices for drinks. Another nice touch was the bottle of cava sent up to us by Reception for Bob's birthday. (Possibly also an apologetic gesture following their (rejected) attempt to "upgrade" us to another hotel well off the beaten track!)

Sod's Law meant that on departure day the sun shone! We broke the journey in Puerto del Rosario and walked down to the "new" beach to discover that the bar we sought was on holiday! We went next door and decided to have more of a lunch than originally intended, with mixed fortune. The return bus ride was then a crammed one, Still...mustn't grumble!

What's new? (Spoiler alert!) and a Funny First Month

A film location!

Dave gave us the rundown during the drive up from the airport, and it was pretty comprehensive in the coverage. It seems we had missed "fun and games" as the new bit of road was opened in full and the national park beaches had been accessible only from one end. We had also missed the lengthy period of filming near there for "Wonderwoman". What a shame! Anyway the new road is a great improvement, and we have been  - in the first month back here - discovering other developments - if not universally accepted as improvements!  Unfortunately one of our first discoveries was that we had missed this year's Blues Festival by a matter of days! Our re-acquaintance with the town has been slower than usual owing to our succumbing sequentially to a foul cough which has been doing the rounds, to a snowballing of health appointments, and to a run of very wet days! Nonetheless here are some of the more significant changes - passing over the now-traditional recycling of Italian coffee bars!

It had been on the cards when we left in the Spring! On the triangle of land outside Pescaditos (where there was once a set of play apparatus) is now a huge restaurant with an upstairs terrace and masses of outdoor tables. Its view is - of course - magnificent, but the scale is too big, and reports of the food and service are - as yet- not good! It has finally put Pescaditos out of its recent misery, and left Dave and Pete and their regular audience at a bit of a loss! Tu Casa III has lost its harbour view as well, but has exploited its street side and expanded.

This development suddenly seemed minor two weeks ago, when - overnight - they started to pull down the unremarkable Garden Grill, which spread along in front of the Hoplaco Apartments (where Greyrocks had stayed during the property purchase). A few days later three enormous palms were excavated and removed, and demolition is ongoing! Meanwhile the line of three catering establishments that line the path from street to beach are thriving. There have been changes of ownership and even name, but not at Greyrocks' favourite: the Dutch owned Anno 2011! We wait to see what will be built on the street. As Grumpy Old Folk we glumly predict fashion, shoes, jewellery and perfume shops! Just what we need! (And maybe an estate agent and an Italian coffee shop)

Near us there has been one of the restaurant closures:- next to the German bakers a total failure of a place called Miro has unsurprisingly gone, and in its place a spanking and brightly decorated eatery has been emerging all month. No prizes for guessing its genre:- pizza! It does look promising, though!

Also nearing completion (perhaps) is the upper part of the Marquesina building. For two seasons it has been swathed in netting with some occasional work, whilst the much-beautified restaurant (a Greyrocks favourite) has continued to to operate below.  Now two sides look finished and there is a trendy external lift.  We are thinking "boutique hotel"!

Not that it is looking (or smelling) too great this week!


Right outside it, and complicating access to the Town Beach is a vast abyss! (We looked into it as we pondered Brexit) All over town there are unspecified "obras" (works) involving trenches. It is making the parking situation even more desperate for those that must - or those many tourists who hire cars for no obvious reason. It seems all to be about drainage and maybe follows on from the two last very wet spells (one just before and one since our arrival). Sitting at La Lonja by the marina a few days ago we watched (and smelt) an hour or so of activity centred on a manhole 50 metres away. What came out was not a pretty sight! Which leads to news that the main town eyesore - the abandoned huge hotel construction at the entry to town - may have had a little cosmetic work!

It's good to be home. In the first week we visited Puerto de Rosario for a knee inspection (full marks!) and saw their pedestrianisation enjoying tapas by the "new" beach, we used up another session at the spa - although Ruth had to adopt a strange one-armed stroke in the pool following the finger injury - and we went on a day trip with Pete and Sandy next door, as they had a (well-justified) hire car! Unfortunately this was during the dodgy weather, but we went to Lidl and found our Xmas fare, then to Gran Tarajal where we had a stroll round and some tapas. Soon after the lurgy struck Bob!

(The post concerning two significant birthdays toward the end of the month is going to miss the November date stamp!)

Time to head South!

The last post hinted that the weather for our last few days on Mainland Europe was "disappointing". There were spots of good luck, but expectations about what can happen at this time of year were met! Our last full day was just solid rain. We had jobs to do, and were warm enough inside, but kept looking out from the terrace and retreating. At one point we made it out to the street and just came straight back in to create a lunch from leftovers. There was no scope for "last looks round" or special last suppers. We took a disintegrating umbrella to one of the nearest places that evening and then came "home"!
A bit of good fortune in that next morning it wasn't actually raining as we performed the check-out rituals and loaded the bikes on the rack! Then we had an easy drive out of the city to pick up the A9 and head south. It was dry, but just as we passed Perpignan airport (where Greyrocks traditionally looks to see if late Gaddafi's plane is still there!) the rain started and followed us for three days! It is not the first time we have crossed the Pyrenees in heavy rain, and this was not the worst; and at least we knew the route to Roses!

Umbrellas not parasols this time!

We stayed two nights in our favourite little hotel, and how different it was from just a month previous! We arrived around lunchtime and the parking lot was one big puddle. We shared amazed laughs with the lady of the house and she lent us a big umbrella so we could get across to one of our regular haunts for a late lunch. There we stayed for as long as was reasonable, bought an over-priced bottle of wine from the shop next door and waddled back to stay in all afternoon and evening. Next day was little better - and also cold - so we went to the supermarket and stocked up for a similar catering model! Somewhere along the line we manged a rain-free hour or so to prepare Yvette for the winter, and our baggage for the Canary flight. Good food and wine on both days - as usual - but not according to schedule!

We left Yvette in the usual capable hands and then spent hours in Girona airport during a time when there were literally no flights in or out. The bus was half an hour late, and it was cold at the bus stop. Fingers were crossed that it wouldn't be raining when we got to Barcelona airport and/or that the hotel shuttle wouldn't be too much later. Half right:- long cold wait but no rain, and further good news was that after a stay in April that was disappointing the room and meal were both good this time! In the morning, however, we woke to serious rain, and we got drenched getting to and from the shuttle. Vueling now have very efficient self-check-in machines, so that bit, and security were soon done and we faced another long wait. At the gate they were casting around for volunteers as the flight was over-booked, and that set the tone! There was no jetty at the gate and were driven out to the plane, where a full load of passengers waited on ground or stairs in the heavy rain to board. There was a protracted dispute about some seat that delayed us, and we both had infuriating seating neighbours. In removing a rucksack Ruth wrenched tendons on her little finger (still causing pain four weeks later!) We arrived only a shade late, and were we pleased??

Greyrocks had come through these last few days of cold and rain in the belief that the Canaries were having a better time; but as he drove us home Dave told us of the previous week's remarkable rain storms. That cheered us up a bit!!

.. and the conclusion of the MTP month: mixed bag of weather, but some high spots!

The weather did improve, and one of the first experiences was a session of bowling organised by Neil - the Australian we had met through Inter Nations. Only five of us were there - and his dog! We went by tram and had a bit of a walk through unknown industrial area! Ruth didn't play (nor did the dog) and Bob won both games, making it worth wearing jeans and shoes! We had a long and interesting chart afterwards and got a lift back to the tram, (Which was nice!!)

Delights of eating in France!

And in another event that is hardly French, we went to try for fish and chips at The Beehive, believing it to be open all day, but it wasn't! But we did go back on a later date, and as a result of the disappointment went down to see what had happened to a third English pub we remembered.  The Robin Hood is now a small brasserie - open all hours and serving Thai/Vietnamese dishes. It merited a Trip Advisor entry and a second visit! Other gastronomic delights included Sunday lunch at the Moroccan place in Port Ariane in  Lattes. We had cycled there - a major outing for Ruth - to find it not only open but happy to serve us at a rather late hour, so we spent several hours there in the sun and left our glasses outside as agreed! Ruth went back on the tram! Next day things didn't seem right, and we later discovered this was a week's holiday for all French schools, so places were a bit packed, but not the swimming pool!

On the Wednesday we met in Carnon - the third nearby resort we like. Ruth went by tram and (very crowded) bus, and Bob cycled. It soon became clear that there was a very strong wind, which had made his ride a struggle, and - having met at the marina where there are dozens of restaurants - we did another post-2.30 job and found ourselves with no prospect of the desired moules, nor indeed anything else warming! Tant pis! We relaxed in a bar after a take-away baguette and the headed back. Ruth's bus was packed - of course - having come from Palavas, and there was a long wait for the tram, then suddenly there was a bell, and Bob appeared having decided enough was enough and would take the bike back on the tram!

The wind had dropped by next day, and it was looking as if the good weather would be with us until departure. We even had another joint bike ride, first to look at some potential rentals for April, and then to explore the Marché du Lez. We have been seeing how crowded the car park here is a s it has been developing from old industrial/commercial buildings beside the river. but we had no idea what it was like. Think Camden Lock -French style! Quirky shops, old vehicles, pop-up street food and trendy restaurants. The food looked great and after looking around and some beer we headed for some, but it was nearly 2.30, so "foiled again"! It is definitely on the list for next time!

The deterioration in weather over the next few days will be described in the next post as part of a soggy return, but worthy of particular note was an exhibition we had toured earlier. In the Spring of 2017 a bizarre coincidence was three activities with the theme of Slavery. This month saw two on the theme of Civil Rights. A major exhibition (and free!) of photographs from the south of USA  in the Sixties was utterly engaging. A matter of days later we were at Utopia to see BlackKlansman:- semi-biographical and with so many resonances. add to that the current state of USA and it is another trio!

MTP experiment- the middle ten days: rain, films and discoveries!

"Will it never stop?"

Greyrocks wanted a fair trial. How would we find a protracted stay in the city? So a bit of bad weather would help decision making! But ten days like this was rather overdoing it! The rain had been forecast, but seemed unlikely as we entered the second weekend, but decided that if we were to explore the historic centre on foot we had better do it soon! A sunny Saturday meant the area was very busy, but we spent hours following a route suggested by a map from the tourist office which covered narrow streets, quirky shops, numerous squares and carefully maintained monuments. We agreed it was strange that we had been visiting the city for so many years and had not yet done thus!

The Historic Centre

As we went round we spotted - for later use - the two British pubs:- The Shakespeare, which is part of a chain of a dozen Charles Wells houses across French cities, and The Beehive, which is open all day and serves food. We stopped for refreshment near the Jardin des Plantes and found a copy of the definitive live music guide, which led us to yet another disappointment that evening! Le Dome is a brasserie we like and there was supposed to be a Ray Charles tribute act. There wasn't - but we had a good meal, and the booklet advertised a community event next day in one of the residential areas where Neil Conti and the Lazy Sundaze  would be playing in the early evening. So -after a late sort-of Sunday Lunch we took the No 1 tram out towards the quartier of Cevannes, and walked to the park, where we probably the only non-French citizens, and there was a delightful family and community feel.
Far from having to sit on the ground we had seats with a stage view, and far from long queues for a drink, it was really efficient and cheap, based on jetons. The band started on time and -as at Pleine Lune  - played funk solidly - without any vocal input - until 7 pm, by which time the sun had gone and we were getting a bit cold. So it was home again in no time! Bob was most impressed by the eco-loos. which for the gents consisted of outdoor dustbins filled with sawdust!

On Monday the rain started! We had plenty to do - and were cooking at home that day  - but we made plans for wet weather things to see us through. First, there would be a trial run at the swimming pool. Two tram stops away is the impressive Piscine Olympique Antigone. We had dropped in during the first week and decided that the 10 lane 50 metre pool was not going to meet our limited needs; but later research revealed there is - upstairs - a piscine ludique (leisure pool) which would! Its hours are a bit short, there are the hat and shorts rules common in France, and the water is not as warm as one would like, but we get in for EUR 2.90 each - without proof of age! - which can't be bad. (During the month we went three times with varying amount of space for continuous swimming as they have one or two areas dedicated to exercise)

A good standby in bad weather is a film in version original. Trips to Diagonal in the city centre have featured in this blog repeatedly, and we went there early this time on as it poured and then a second time (using our discount from the restaurant opposite - now called Tchoutchou);  but we then discovered a new venue, which has become an instant favourite: - Utopia in the university area. Each of the three salles is decorated like an old drawing room, but is very comfortable. The programme changes frequently, and we went three times in a fortnight!
That's five films seen in the whole month:

Galveston

Leave no Trace

Thunder Road

The Sisters Bothers

BlackkKlansman

and not a dud amongst them!

Greyrocks decided if MTP is to figure in our planned stays we should investigate the network of Brits who live here, and this led us to Inter Nations , which has thousands of members in the city from not just UK, but many other nations. We were invited to a social evening in a very pleasant brasserie in the historic centre. There were about eighty people in total, and we talked with folk from Mongolia, Hong Kong, Australia, Canada and Czecho, as well - of course - as France and UK. We came away much heartened after sharing "Bremoans" with creative younger people who have got out! It also led to a further evening out later (see next post)

Shine On!

Thanks to the aforementioned Mama Sound guide we saw out the rainy period with an afternoon/evening of great live music, and discovered  two interesting new venues. First we went to Bistrot Sainte Anne  which was holding a wine festival all day with live jazz in the early evening. It was pretty crowded, but dry for the moment and we sat outside with some good wine introduced by a trader born in St Albans(!), some very acceptable food, and a chat with a Swiss couple. The jazz was fun, but came to an end, and we couldn't carry on paying the price of the wine, so we set off for Part 2 - a French Pink Floyd tribute band named Shine On. (Not to be confused with a British one of the same name!) This was at a place we have been passing frequently as it is on the main road to Lattes. Pub Le O'Liver looked dreadful from the outside, and although sitting right next to the tram-line it is on the longest stretch between stations we know! So we arrived after the start of their first set and left before the end of the last. They were excellent, and the place is not as bad as it looks! We got some "interesting" looks as Ruth enthused! Having left without hearing two of our favourites, but concerned about the hour, we decided to walk in the city-wards direction and it was a long one all the way home - getting a bonus on R's Fitbit!

Some horseradish would be nice!

Sunday - and particularly Monday - were disgusting and kept us in our temporary chez nous most of the day! Our Sunday roast was taken out at La Boucherie near the airport. This was achieved by a quick dash out and back on the tram. The meal produced take-away meat to get us through the drenching of Monday!

Earlier we had the excitement of being en panne! It was Friday so we were due for a trip out to the supermarket for shopping with Yvette. We also planned - in spite of the weather - to go to the seaside. But Yvette was having nothing of it!The battery was as flat as the proverbial pancake, We had to invoke the AA breakdown service and they sent out a local "van and man" to save us (and challenge Ruth's French).
The weather improved on 18th - giving a final ten days for Greyrocks in Montpellier.

"Grand Projet": Week 1 - the sunny one!

But first: Roses!

The morning after landing we walked across the road and picked up Yvette, then drove the short distance to our little hotel in the delightful resort of Roses for a three night stay. This was designed to give a rest after the ten days of travel, and fill the gap until the Montpellier apartment was available. The weather was glorious after the foulness of Bristol and Bronagh!
Bob had a bike ride and we walked along the seafront, found the very necessary laundry and had a late tapas lunch. Cycling around is so easy that next day Ruth was persuaded to mount the barely-used bike and we went out for an adventure! We began with territory familiar to Bob: south along the wide promenade until the river stops progress and up to the first bridge and into the nature reserve. This is flat and largely traffic-free. With some uncertainty about the route we managed to reach the sea at Empuriabrava, but en route discovered the feature that brings many coach day-trippers: the extensive canal system. (Looks like one for Tim and Pru!) This honest description says it all! It was a gloriously sunny day, and although it was now almost October there were some folk in the sea, and many on the impressive beach. Greyrocks found a less posh bar and stayed for a bit of lunch. The journey back was going well until Ruth tried to remount after a steep bridge and fell into the road followed by bike! Fortunately cars were going slowly and swerved - with a couple of drivers coming to help- and the helmet was being worn. No damage to the bike, a lot of bruising, a range of muscular aches which have taken a while to resolve, nasty damage to the arthritic big toe, and huge impact on her confidence and pride! She insisted on walking (limping) until the nature reserve, and then succumbed to persistent nagging and manged to ride for most of the way back. A wrong turn added an unfortunate couple of kilometres, but a good day out! The remaining time in Roses was more gentle, but still sunny and mellow with great meals!

A bit of luxury this time round!

October 2018 will be remembered chez Greyrocks as the month of the Montpellier Experiment. Regular readers (all ten of them!) will be aware of a growing fondness - obsession even - with France's fastest growing city. (Yesterday we read it has overtaken Strasbourg to reach No 7 in size - bonus question: name the other six and check here!)  We have been visiting once or twice a year for some time - but always staying in a mobile home on a very pleasant quiet campsite between city centre and sea. As the shone has somewhat worn off the Canaries post-referendum, we have been considering coming here for longer spells in Spring and Autumn, which means an urban apartment. We have spent a little more this time and have one that is proving so good that we have already breached the principle of a "pilot"  and booked it again for the Spring! Three of the four tram lines are within spitting distance, and we have been travelling around with ease.

Compare with Corralejo!

We have to bring the bikes up to our terrace, and the parking of Yvette is very tight, so walking and tram are the preferred ways of getting around.

We did, however, make one car trip:- combining the essential shopping at the Lattes hypermarket with Grau du Roi  - a fishing port that is just over the departmental border, and - like Palavas - has dozens of restaurants along both banks of the river. It was a beautiful day and the place was heaving. Amongst the visitors were several organised groups of cyclists - some British! We had managed to misunderstand a parking meter and pay too much, and then Ruth had an incident of poor design and/or operator error in the automatic loo and began the walking tour with wet feet! However we had an interesting stroll and stopped for a beer on the seafront close to a new statue which reminded us of that at a similar location in Corralejo.

It was late but not dark for us!

It was a bit chilly in the wind at the chosen bar and we decided to delay lunch, thus ending up with that famous French trap of the 2.30 deadline. (We don't learn and continue to come up against it!) By the time we were hungry there seemed to be no chance, and we headed back towards the car, but suddenly spotted a neon sign down an alley advertising all day service and were welcomed to a place that was essentially a creperie, but served us an excellent salad and a bowl of perfect moules! It also had the strangest toilet decor we have seen for a long time!

Bob did a couple of medium-length bike rides during this dry and sunny period, mostly to Lattes along the river; and on the first Sunday Ruth met him there for the huge market. On other days we walked around bits of the city with which we are familiar, tried to go to the cinema, but the programme had changed, and tried to see Neil Conti and his funk band at Pleine Lune, but their residency had recently finished! Ah well - at least we had the sun and pavement cafes etc. Unlike during the coming week! At Comedie there has been a trailer connected with a breast cancer campaign, and in the neighbouring street a display of open pink umbrellas! How apt!

Third time: not very lucky!

On 16th Greyrocks set off on its third dip into UK for a wedding-related event of 2018! (And fortunately the last!- not that we are not delighted at the tying of the knot with Jack - but  it has gone on a bit!)

The first was at the beginning of March for the Hen Party and the impact of "The Beast from the East" is well-documented! At the time this seemed as is things could not be worse! But we survived, albeit out of pocket, and the Real Deal May Day bureaucracy went well - with a decent weather day in a week that was bad! We were on our way to the September Closing party to which those family and friends who didn't make it to Crete, but could to Bristol, were invited!

Our route was initially the reverse of June's with three ferries and a traverse with overnight in Italy. On departure day we said some farewells- including to Olga on the beach as a result of which we met "Nick and Tree" from June, and newly arrived again; and we had a bit of a chat about Goa (and Brexit). We then drove up to Chania, parked in a secret location, and had a late lunch at Akrogiali. They weren't playing ball over an hour of free sunbed use (asked the wrong person) so had our last sea swims of summer 2018 in shifts from a bar. The sea was lovely and this heightened the sorrow at leaving Crete. But needs must!

There is little to note about the three ferry journeys. The first was the new Elyros and we slept for most of the voyage and were off without incident. We waited till near dawn, missed the Corinth turn-off again but self-corrected and made our second long stop at Akrata, which  Greyrocks has decided should be the place for such things. The sun was shining and you can have coffee for ages on the beach whilst still keeping an eye on the car! It is also very close to the National Road. With the new road up and running we were soon in Patras with a day to kill, but they loaded us much more speedily than last year, meaning that Yvette was an a semi-open deck surrounded by juggernauts. The ship was deserted until bedtime, but by breakfast more populated (one assumes with Igoumenitsa passengers but we had slept through that!) We moored at Bari soon after, be we were one of the last cars off owing to Yvette's location, and found ourselves in a very long queue of lorries exiting the port, until signalled round them and out onto the autostrada. We were stopping well outside Naples at Caserta and had chosen a hotel with good parking but less good access to the historic town. That worked well - just rather noisy from the Appian Way on which it sat -  but we relaxed and watched the rush hour traffic from a bar and then bizarrely had a Chinese meal! That being the only open option within walking distance. Next day we had to get round both Naples and Rome, and we had memories of June! This was worse - especially Rome, and we won't do it again!

Not as bright as this for us!

Close to Civitavecchia we stopped at a service station for lunch and to plan for the rest of the day. It was raining! What we needed was some sort of shopping mall, and with the help of Mr Google and the tablet we found one, and with only a few wrong turns we were in the dry and calming nerves. We picked up our email and discovered our ferry would be departing an hour and a half later than had been notified. This had bad implications in terms of getting to Girona when we landed in the dark, and it meant even more time-killing until boarding. Long queues and bad signage got us almost up to restaurant opening time, and we had a pleasant meal in a small friendly place. During loading a Grimaldi man standing ahead of us motioned us back so far that there was a bang against the ship's structure. This, too, had repercussions!! Still the voyage was smooth, there was plenty of space in public areas and the rowdy Italian students were only occasionally near us. As on the way over we had a wonderful, long lunch in the A La Carte, and best of all most of the time was made up and we disembarked in daylight, managing the northbound autopista pretty well until onto the A7. Then the nasty noise started and we had to pull up after the toll booths and investigate in near darkness. The prang has dislodged the bike rack at the top. It took brute force and some time to re-site it; but disaster averted and a curse on Grimaldi man!

The hotel at Girona airport supplied a sandwich and some wine, and we watched Saving Mr Banks;- possibly a fitting prelude to visiting UK! In the morning we took Yvette across the road to the usual parking facility, removed the luggage including the one hold bag of wedding party paraphernalia and checked in for a noon flight to Bristol. Too mean to pay Ryanair for reserved seats we were at opposite ends of the plane, but otherwise the two hour flight was fine!

It had been over 30 deg. when we left Girona. Ruth waited at the base of the front stairs and was cold, then before Bob arrived it started to rain, and that is how it went on for two whole days! It was expected, of course with Storm Bronagh. The Bristol Post cheered all with this forecast:

The city had other challenges on top of this! Traffic near the station is almost at a standstill everyday with grand projet- related road works, and Sunday would be the day of the Half Marathon! Our friends from Sussex had planned around this and disability and we met them early on in their accommodation and then with Jack and Chloë for a Friday evening meal in a French brasserie. It was as well we did this as circumstances conspired and they didn't make the Sunday events!

Saturday's weather was totally foul! We managed a little shopping and a pub lunch, then decided we would need a taxi to get to the party venue in time to be some help. The driver was full of stories of the congestion. This was the third address given to guests. The original pub plan was abandoned as numbers swelled, and Jack's sister and her partner offered their large garden.  A stretch tent and Portaloo were ordered, but with the weather predictions a last-minute switch to the parental home, where the garden - although fairly big - could not accommodate the hired items. was forced. The family rallied round and through the wind and rain put up tarpaulin, lit a fire-pit and rearranged the furniture. Greyrocks did its bit on the catering support front. Obviously a bright autumn evening in the garden would have better, but the seventy or so who came for some or all of the long duration seemed happy to have met other friends and family. On Greyrocks' side both of Ruth's sisters were there with partners, and all her nieces and the offspring; and Bob's Suffolk cousin came with three sons and a grandson. They were having a week in a cottage near Weston-super-Mare in order to be there. The food was just right, with the star items being Alice's Middle-Eastern lamb and tiers of cheeses resembling a wedding cake, which she had decorated appropriately. Ruth ran (several times) the video of the August party, and then fell asleep, so it was time to leave! We had an event to attend next day.

Half-Marathon Route

On Sunday morning we walked to the SS Great Britain and passed a couple of thousand runners. Buses and cabs were not really an option with all the road closures,We weren't sure whether we were seeing beginning. middle or end of the Half Marathon throng; but we didn't spot Ruth's niece and stepfather, nor George the photographer. Jack's job is as a guide and he had cleared free entry for our group. Both Chloë and Jack met us and the cousins even though they had only got to bed at 7 am. The sun came out for all of the long tour round and the substantial walk to the pub for lunch. 

Paul follows Captain Jack's orders and "Never Mind the Rain"

We went to The Spotted Cow, which has developed a great reputation for Sunday lunch, and Chloë had reserved a table for nine. Something had gone wrong with that, and we ended up with cramped space and a very long wait. The food was very fine and probably worth the wait, and the beer and wine selection impressive! The "away team" left several hours later than they had expected. and we four shared a cab, with Greyrocks going straight to the hotel for a rest!

Monday's weather was somewhat better - but nothing to write home about! We went in search of walking sandals (out of season) and found nothing other than at Sports Direct so held our noses and bought them, leaving the old pair near a bin. They had gone in ten minutes! There was more time-killing and a pub meal that took too long, then we took the airport bus and flew back to the sun on one of Bristol's last flights of the day. We declared the couple well and truly married, and we set off on the next stage, which can go in the next post!

"And then they were gone!"

A month of two halves for Greyrocks! The first - Paleo - part being about ratcheting up the social scene and making a most unusual exit; and the second about travelling to, participating in, and leaving behind the Wedding of the Year! These last three days of the month form the opening stage of The Great Greyrocks Experiment and get into the October post/s

Flush Royale!

For the nth time we observed the sudden change in tourist demographics as the month began, and as predicted there was the first sunbed rage of the season on the naturist beach (we even had two incidents of tree invasion ourselves!), logjams in the "best" restaurants, and standing room only at the cantina. The YiaYiaGaGa club reached more or less full strength, so there were  a lot of loud Cosmo late nights and attending en masse some of the many music gigs. The two bands from Chania seemed to be around much more than earlier in the summer - and they are good! Greyrocks has developed a friendship with Maria - the keyboard player in both bands - and at each gig singles us out to dance to "Hotel California"! The music also included Chris and Jann playing at various venues in and out of the village, and they were there doing their own special thing at the special club party at The Wave, when we celebrated Ju's birthday, three close-by 70th birthdays of 2018 and a 25th wedding anniversary. There was fish, there was cake, there was a lot of wine and tsikoudia,  and there was silliness!

As if this was not enough Greyrocks had selected the following evening as optimal for catching the Paleo pals who had not been at the August wedding "do". The words "newly produced" do not do justice to Ruth's frustration in putting the oeuvre together in time as the internet speed in the apartment got slower and slower.(Annoyingly a "boy" arrived two or three days before we left to sort it all!) The event was well attended and jolly! We showed the two musical slide-shows, video of Adonis  and the PowerPoint. The links are repeated here:

Historic Paleochora

Mother of the Bride's presentation  (needs click to advance)

Slides from the party with soundtrack

Adonis singing a cappella

Linda's film was then shown, and Suzi's "modest" mezes were such that many dinner arrangements were shelved!

In the final week we had some dinner dates, We went by taxi with the four Oxford "girls" to To Gramenon, and Eoin and Ju treated us to dinner at the Small Garden. Both delightful meals!

It was odd to be leaving so early in September! In previous years we would be seeing friends leave and the nature of the village transform, but this time it was Greyrocks having a "last night" with a big crowd. But the weather had aspects of both August and October. A few days were perfect and very hot with calm sea, but from 4th to 9th things were shocking! It only rained for a few minutes in the village (although Chania suffered) but the wind and absence of sunshine was a disappointment for those on short holidays. As the conditions improved we had some good beach-based days and a last dip on 15th. We started to pack and when we uncovered Yvette she would not start, John W came to the rescue and we had our last lunch at Houmas. Another summer over!

Silver Lining?

Not many takers on the Stony Beach!

Greyrocks' duties as "parents of the bride" finished officially on Monday 6th, This was only just over halfway through our 100-day stay in Paleochora. Naively we imagined a long run of lazy sunbathing days and relaxed evenings. We had not foreseen the elements that would mean we end August wondering where the time has gone, and how we will handle the brevity of what is left. Those elements are:

1. Short trips to Chania
2. Peculiar weather
3. Wrestling with The Cloud and slow internet speed.

Irish pub - not hospital cafeteria!

1. As mentioned in the previous post, the stay of Chris and Penny was curtailed the day after the wedding, as he had been suffering abdominal pain since Italy. The local doctor said he should undergo tests at the hospital in Chania. We stayed in touch by SMS and on learning that he we would an in-patient for several days we decided to visit on the Tuesday and Wednesday - staying overnight in our current favoured hotel. We took the town bus from the bus station and Penny met us at the hospital entrance. Chris was able to come down to the cafeteria with assistance and his drip, and they told us detail of his diagnosis and admission. We said we would be back next morning and took Penny back into town where she was switching rooms. We checked in and went to the Nea Hora for a swim and to wait for Penny. Later we walked the pretty way to the Old Town and introduced her to The Red Bicycle. Penny went back to her rooms to rest and we visited KaMon - which is the new name for the "Irish" pub and music bar run by Monika (late lamented in Paleochora) and Karl. We wouldn't normally be able to visit when open so this was a treat and we were made very welcome and heard a lot of news. The evening was marred only by an argument with a taxi driver! We returned next morning to the hospital, and owing to text problems and later a long lock-out from the ward we were there a long time before seeing Chris, but when we did it was with the news that he was discharged, so the rest of us had a beer to celebrate and dropped them off from a cab, for some rest, insurance wrangles and flight booking. Greyrocks went for walk round town and took the 4 pm bus back. In the queue we were intrigued by two women who seemed to know us but we agreed we had no idea. Later we discovered they were Juliet and daughter Bethan and we should have known!

Our second trip was two weeks later for a blood test at the private clinic. We used the same buses but had to choose different overnight accommodation - convenient for bus station and clinic and not the most comfortable! We took a long route to the Nea Hora front, took in the newest prettifications and ended up - as usual - with a pleasant light lunch at Akrogiali entitling us to the rest of the day on  free sunbeds. That evening we indulged in that rare summer commodity for Greyrocks:- duck! We found again the only place we know for it: BaoToa on the Kissamos Road. It was pleasant enough, though clearly not properly coated and hung, and the other rice dish was the wrong choice.

"We could stay here, you know, next time!"

The postprandial stroll was a bit disappointing. Any bar in the tourist area was jam-packed and the shopping area had nothing open, so we opted for the bar at the 4* Samaria by the bus station, and had some good wine in a quiet atmosphere (apart from the diesel engines behind the fence!)

Once the letting was done we had most of the day at liberty so we checked out and went for breakfast on the Nea Hora front and spent  some hours on paid sunbeds with frequent swims in very warm and gentle sea, and then in very hot sun walked back for the bus.

2. As August progressed numerous regular holidaymakers of our acquaintance came (and in some cases) went. A major topic for discussion has been the weather. This has always been the case in Paleochora, of course; but this year it has been "something else".We have never had so many days away from the beach for meteorological reasons of rain, wind or high seas:- rarely all at once - but it did happen! Storms shift the top layer of sand and make sea entry difficult. If interested take a look at the stats:

And this is in the context of a heatwave in Northern Europe! So musings happen about the lifestyle for coping being so much better here! Greyrocks can report that today (31st) has been a glorious day with perfect sea and a gentle breeze!

3. August will also be remembered for frustration on the IT front. Our normal internet speed in spiti is nothing to write home about, but come peak occupation in the block and the village it plummets. We have been trying to do things with the 800 stills and six videos  which Stanislav has been drip-feeding following the party. On three occasions we collected an external drive and copied to the laptop, but we wanted to make them available to friends and family and this has been ongoing for weeks as we shoehorn on to free clouds, then pop down to see if there are more (there were just in fact the three sets - things were lost in translation from Bulgarian to English via Greek!), then suffer a power cut, then an internet outage,then discover the allowance on One Drive has been cut etc etc. We still hope to have a short slide show with music ready for next week, and to publish its link here!

A footnote on live music:  After a poor July we have seen an outburst of live music through August - apart from several impressive Cretan concerts the three rock bands form Chania (whose line-ups overlap) have been playing regularly (at Scala or Atoli), and the usual suspects have been jamming at cantina, the old Monica's, Cosmo and Christos, Watch this space for more!

A Month to Remember!

Last night and the previous there were glorious Red Moons, and this brought to mind that the last one (four weeks ago, of course!) was during the Wedding Week, and there have no Greyrocks posts since then. Our regular reader will understand that blogging opportunities have been sparse during August 2018 with its several events that will never be repeated! To date there is an emergent 15 minute video of the "do" itself on - 2nd -  waiting for a soundtrack. (As we are experiencing a rainy few days there is hope for completion) The video is destined for showing to recently-arrived friends next week, and at the September Bristol Party. Here is a link.

Facebook users will find plenty about the week on the group page: Jack & Chloe Paleochora 2018, but this is the parental take.

Palm Tree Pork Shank - enough for 4!

There were some early arrivals - notably Neil and Maggie who would have to leave the morning after the party to go to another wedding and had used Heraklion and a hire car! After initial orientations (and some wine) we largely left them to their own devices through the daytime hours, but took them to selected eateries for the evenings. First it was Red Moon Night so we went to Marias for some typical food and the view, and the next day to Monica's Garden followed by The Palm Tree/Finikas. With sommeliers in the family they had come with recommended quality local wines in mind and both places rose to the challenge :- in particular Valentino aerated and gave a discourse on a very pleasant bottle - a process repeated for the second bottle!

Sunday was A-Day with a fleet of taxis arranged to meet Gatwick and Bristol flights and those who had been overnight in Chania. Ruth was up early to meet one drop-off at Castello. We took some goodies round to the up-market accommodation booked for Chloë and Jack and waved to them from the balcony as they left the minibus. We later went to the welcome drinks meeting at Zygos which had a decent turnout with everyone seemingly happy with arrangements. We then went to Tassos with Neil, Maggie, Janet and Grant and waited until the last bus arrival at about 10 pm to greet Chris and Penny, who had come in from Pisa:- the previous stop in a complicated holiday trip involving Genoa and Marseilles! Getting them into a room at the now-closed and dark Castello was an interesting venture, that left Greyrocks needing a drink at Cosmogonia!

Chloë had planned (and we had on-site facilitated) a series of additional recreation activities for the period. After a planning meeting with key people at Atoli we had some beach time and then prepared fora meal at Small Garden with our two special guest couples, whilst over thirty went for a pizza meal (tightly orchestrated) and then came back to Zygos for Quiz Night. Predictably it started late, but Chris did an impressive job, there was much hilarity, waiter Eleanor worked madly and participated, and we were eventually left to fend for ourselves. Janet somehow managed to get contributions that matched the bill, Our team came last: - with Ruth having fallen asleep!

Other notable daytime events were Felix and Lucas jamming at the cantina, with some numbers from Rainer (and Brazilian Emmanuelle), Ruth teaching George to play tavli, thus starting an obsession, and a scratch game of Pétanque on the beach. Volleyball didn't happen owing to the wind, but Tim led a trip to Elafonissi and posted drone footage on YouTube.

On Wedding (Party) Day itself a team of helpers were around from the point at which Atoli would let us start decoration. It took hours and there were some misunderstandings to resolve with Manolis, but the effect was stunning as can be seen in the slideshow.  Some folk set off to forage for greenery, flowers and free lemons. The latter failed and the greengrocer had to be used, whilst the rosemary (a traditional symbol) was easily solved with a whole bush from Vicky. )The foragers used two baskets - later needed for the "favours" - which had been a headache to source. Having failed to find any in Chania and trying to borrow just a couple of days before, we saw that the Roma had turned up again on the beach road and we commissioned two to be hastily made - later returned as too bulky to travel and thus providing a charitable donation to said nomads!) Charlotte had arranged a programme of hair and beauty appointments for the female helpers, and thus it was that at 5 pm assembly of the beautiful began on the beach. Greyrocks believes the slideshow is document enough of a delightful event! Later on there were two accidents - one requiring a full taxi trip to Chania General - the other a trip next day to Kandanos Health Centre, but details are inappropriate here!

Friday was a day of recovery! A scheduled family (and treat for George) meal at Houmas was abandoned and late in the day we discovered that Chris and Penny would be leaving on the evening bus to go for tests in Chania. Many folk also wanted an early night as they would be walking the Samaria Gorge next day. Taxis and a minibus would be leaving at 7 am. When we woke (as definite non-participants) we received a text from Chloë and Jack and thought the serious wind might have meant no boat back and another plan ditched,, but in fact it was just over-sleeping and caution. Twenty-seven sturdy souls - including a couple of seniors  - had gone. Several parties waited that evening at bars near the jetty for their evening return, and there they all were:- virtually unscathed!

Sunday was departure day for quite a few, but over twenty carnivores shared a whole lamb on the spit cooked especially for us by the brothers at Gonia ton Gefseon, followed by late drinks across the road at Cosmogonia. We went to see off the happy couple as they left next morning for their real honeymoon, and we collapsed. For the aftermath see next post!