"Pretend we're not British!"

It is four weeks today since Greyrocks set off from the safety of Fuerteventura, and it has been a month of huge unpredictability in terms of the impact of national policies on our  summer stay. Posts here document the "long and winding road" that brought us here, and the relaxed but uncanny lifestyle we found.

Yesterday we went to Limnaki beach as usual. Yiannis has been installing more parasols and sunbeds every few days but at 1 pm - on a beautiful calm day - no more than ten sets were occupied and the sea in the area was almost empty of bathers! Why?

Later we visited the cantina and for half an hour we were the lone punters! The huge Irish clan arrived to save the day. The consensus is that there had been a significant "changeover" of tourists of some significant origin:- maybe Austrian; and the locals hadn't come because the car park was inaccessible due to road resurfacing. Not what was needed to keep a precarious business afloat! 

Dreamliners to Crete?

We have been aware of "mother tongue" English being spoken on very few occasions. There are still the "hard-core" very long stayer or resident Brits and the free-to-travel Irish enthusiasts, but otherwise  just a smattering of middle-class English (sic) families! We had expected that from 15th there would be an influx - but none is evident in spite of the existence of flights into Chania from many English (again, sic) airports. Greyrocks does its best to help by receiving friends from York on Sunday and a party of five via Athens later in August! Then, everything changed with regard to British holiday-makers with the "Spanish Imposition"! There is now a more realistic expectation that Greece will be the destination of choice , and TUI has announced extra flights or up-sizing of aircraft- including to Crete from tomorrow.

Sweden was on the "dirty list" with UK, and not removed until 20th, but we have seen little effect here - when this has always been a significant source of tourism in the village. Finns are discouraged, Austrians must be tested before returning home. We can't tell our Czechs from our Poles - our Slovenians from our Slovaks so further speculation is futile! 

At a selfish level this low level of beach-orientated tourism is delightful - but the village needs them back in numbers so "fingers crossed" for some improvement! Incidentally, the indications are that - unless something goes terribly wrong - September will see a huge influx of Brits - and possibly Germans - so get that flight and/or room booked now (and maybe bring your own sunbed and umbrella)!

 

As for Fuerteventura we were incensed by the UK's discouragement to travel to the Whole of Spain and quarantine for those returning. Contrast that with nuanced advice and rules in force for other European countries. Don't these politicians look at the data, and haven't they got an atlas? Their performance is beyond satire, but we are nonetheless immensely grateful to John Crace in the Guardian, whose take on those lying morons Shapps and Gove has had Greyrocks in stitches. When we return to our island in October it may be in ruins! All part of the plan - of course - Gibraltar and other Brexit "negotiations"!

"Vamos a la Playa"

"Where shall we eat tonight?" : open. opening soon, opening sometimes and gone for good!

With luck there will be live music, too!

With the strange pattern of potential clientele, table-spacing issues and other regulations it has not been easy for restaurateurs to decide when to re-open for the season. Greyrocks has now walked past all those in the village except the "outliers" of  Aposperida and Vrissali. 

Arriving on a Sunday evening we saw that most - but my no means all - of the long-standing tavernas and grill-houses were operating and had customers. We went to "The Brothers" - officially the "Family Grill"  to grab gyros, and got the flavour of how eating out was going to be,

This is one of the places that would be popular with the Chaniot day-trippers or overnighters, being cheap, large enough to take family groups and offering dishes with no surprises, so it has certainly been worth opening at weekends, and most have been open all evenings. We asked Adonis about business and he told us that the Family Grill stayed open until around 2 am on two consecutive weekend nights 

Here is the Greyrocks list of places to eat in the evening with indications of their genre and availability in these times! The red ones are our favourites! 

There have been other casualties in the "snack bar" sector: Anemos - a cosy bar in the centre with good music and popular desserts, and Papagalo on the Sandy side will not be opening,

"What a difference two weeks makes!"

Free beer during the big
clea at the cantina

This is the traditional "resort report", but with a Co-vid twist. If you are intending to visit you may prefer to skip this post as it is full of "spoilers"

Greyrocks has been here in Paleochora for  over two weeks and in that time there have been changes - nearly all for the better - in a number of areas of interest to those who love the place.

First a very evident negative feature and one that is unlikely to be remedied this season: topography of the beach.There has never been so much exposed rock at the seashore on the sandy side.  Something about the wind force and direction has swept the sand towards the Castello where it sits or drifts off to Libya. We are told there needs to be official action to bring it back to the other end of the bay, but this is not a priority this time round. There are plenty of places for entry to the sea on the main "town" beach of Pachia Ammos. On Greyrocks' customary beach - Limnaki - sea entry is about as easy as last year with one narrow passage well known to aficionados, and a "sandy bottom" once in! Walking along at the shore, however, is somewhat perilous! (A picture of this would be informative, but impossible to take under naturist beach protocol!)

Now there are two

The absence of a layer of sand is in part responsible for aspects of beach fixtures and fittings because parasols cannot be "simply" dug in,  Thus the very sturdy sort with foliage tops and thick wooden posts now dominate. The "town" beach has had plenty of beach furniture since we arrived - particularly the patches managed by Veggera and Atoli. Across the two weeks the fancy beds and mattresses have been added, along with bits of artificial grass and the option to erect green netting around a phalanx of sunbeds when the wind is troublesome (which it was last week and now)  This weekend Manolis at Atoli began his water fun activities:- not too many punters as yet.

Cantina and beach 6th July

Meanwhile down at Limnaki Beach... we have witnessed almost all the developments in the fortnight! We walked first to the cantina where the only sign of life was three puppies, and the only furniture a sorry white plastic chair! On the beach there were five other people. A couple were using mystery sunbeds and the only artificial shade - the permanent parasol used by the "sunbed man" -  was in use.  We found the way into the sea -but it was a brief dip! Two days later there was a line of heavy duty posts at the back of the beach near "our tree". A few more people were carrying beds from the vast pile at the Europa to use near the entry point (quite a walk!) Then John helped us get our beds out of storage and down to the usual spot and that was us sorted for the summer!  Next, the tops were put on the parasols, and then sunbeds arrived. Not many and - on some days not all occupied, but looking more "normal" and now chargeable! In the last few days half a dozen more sets have appeared - but all still to the west of our tree. With his cousin and nephew no longer available for sunbed duty Yiannis is currently combining collection of fees with work at the cantina. If - as predicted - there is to be a surge of Brit and Skandie serious beach folk in August and especially September this could be a struggle! Current sunbed count on Limnaki: 6 "sets" in the  textile area next to the cantina, 9 sets between there and our tree, and a few loose beds round the disused worker's permanent parasol.

The new improved
cantina annexe

Rapid, also has been the "rising of the phoenix from the ashes" that is the Limnaki cantina. Daily inspections revealed that early morning work was soon under way beyond 6th July with first freezers and then the wooden furniture arriving, The tables have to be more distant from each other, so - in part to compensate and also to make the whole venture more attractive - Yiannis proudly showed us how he had cleared and levelled a large area to the side and back of the van. for future expansion. By Monday the main bit was "up and running" with masked staff, but we were having a MOTH day so didn't stay long, Tuesday was a beautiful day so we planned ahead and took pastries from the bakery to be our lunch! As we consumed them with our Fix beer we saw food being served! Way ahead of schedule they are offering "toasts" and two types of salad! We felt slightly embarrassed at importing our own food, but toasted a successful half-season with some nicely chilled white wine! Utter delight for Greyrocks! Such a shame there was a Force 6 wind the next day!

Jetee's expanding empire

Until that point we had fewer options for refreshment on the "Sandy side". In the very busy section Veggera and Atoli have invested heavily as detailed above, and Palm Tree too has some nice new furniture on their beach annexe, and has been open from the beginning of our stay, winding down at about 6 pm when the fine dining operation wold normally take over, but that is news for the next bit! Castello at the extreme end is open during the day, but we haven't yet visited, Zygos is due to open this Sunday (26th) with measures to overcome crowding at and of tables, and Jetee has had substantial construction work to extend seating space further into the beach and volleyball area. Regulars find the absence of stools at the bar a problem, and the video music is very quiet or non-existent, but the staff are some of the best! They currently close at sunset, but do pretty well during the day - with a lot of local youth!

Sample arrivals: Today at Chania

Greyrocks is being asked about visitor numbers, and perhaps the most striking aspect is the contrast for each of the weeks is how the village fills at the weekend. Numerous family groups - some very large - come down from Chania for a long day or stay one night. They drive - of course - and there is a real shortage of parking space, and they accumulate in the central beach area and eat at the cheapest places, so at times it feels like normal high season. And then they go! Otherwise staying holidaymakers form mixed picture by nationality! We have surprised folk by arriving ahead of the July 15th opening to UK flights. (By coming from Spain!) That date did not seem to make a great deal of difference, as there are still very few Brits, or perhaps they are not advertising their provenance! Norwegians have started to arrive, but Austrians and Germans have been here in small numbers since we arrived. We await the Swedes. A Dublin flight was used by a long term couple as a route back to UK, and each one since has brought in folk we know. The French and Italians are increasing in numbers, but it may be a bit early for large numbers. We do not expect many Finns. There seem to be organised groups of Czechs or Slovaks. We met a lovely Dutch couple last week - on their way to Gavdos from their second home near Matala.

One factor deterring some regulars is the extent to which hygiene measures are applied. Our observation is "patchy"! When we arrived at the tourist room we occupy there were notes on cleansing routines used, sanitised item from towels to remote controls sealed in plastic and bottles of sanitiser. Rooms are not routinely cleaned: this must be requested, so this was reassuring. Most bars have cut down on tables and the numbers at each were initially restricted but apparently that no longer applies. Most have plenty of sanitiser around. All waiting-on staff must wear face coverings and this has led - during our time here - to an outbreak of chin-fixed visors as modelled here by Adonis at the Family Grill. Most places have changed practices with regard to table-top items: wrapped cutlery and condiments, for example, and some have QR coded menus and greater use of chalkboards. As of this Monday there is EUR 150 fine for customers not wearing a face covering in supermarkets. As yet the approach to that is "relaxed"!

The next post will consider the restaurants of the village and their opening policies. For now this one needs to be published!

"Put the Flags out!* - Greyrocks made it to Paleo!

Joy, relief and exhaustion: after those three days of nervous air travel we are here, and on our fifth full day - with sunbeds installed in their usual spot, most quarters of the village inspected, and a handful of our favourite bars and restaurants visited  - the powers that be raised the flags! That is those on the sandy beach, which - as usual - has been awarded the EU Blue Flag. Their resilience will, however, be  immediately tested as we are currently enduring those traditional Paleochora winds:- Force 5 or even 6 for a week or so!

Never mind! Greyrocks must record the full odyssey that brought us here. Three stages across three days, with long gaps, no flight exceeding three hours, and the two hour time difference evenly spread!

Day 1: Fuerteventura to Barajas, Madrid
That these flights weren't cancelled felt like a miracle! It was an evening flight and Dave would be taking us as usual but as his first airport run for months, so we planned to leave plenty of time in case of strange things at the airport. At midday we took ourselves over to La Luna - open just a week - and grabbed a sandwich:- it was a fancy bacon one, which becomes part of the narrative! In fact there was nothing odd about the airport except some measures to stop really cheeky drop-offs, so we had to wait for check-in to open.  Just ahead of us we heard a mention of "Atenas" and it was a "PR"/front of house worker from Tio Bernabe and Marquesina, whom we have known for many years. We had never thought of him as Greek. He was off to "his" restaurant in Santorini for the summer. We verified our bags would go through to Athens  and passed easily through everything as there was only our flight, a handful of intra-island, a German one and a Wizz Air to Luton. "Boat Nigel" was on the last, and we greeted each other in passing. This was our first Co-vid flight and so rather weird: mask on throughout, no booze or any other refreshment and very little movement round the cabin! The worst part was the apron bus to the terminal where all notions of social distancing disappeared! We had arrived early and would have a long wait for the next free shuttle to the hotel, so we went in search of any sort of bar or café. There was simply nothing landside, so we reluctantly took a taxi to the hotel.

Terrace was a bit bleaker under Co-vid!

Such was the adherence to regulations that we saw more staff than guests during our twelve hour stay, and we felt like "country mice" after the mild culture of Fuerteventura, but it was comfortable, efficient and when we asked about food and drink and said we prefered it to be outside we were taken by a strange route to a walled terrace - a haven in a busy residential area -and spent an age there beneath the moon, chatting to the Moroccan waiter, drinking a very pleasant Rioja, and eating a plate of Iberico ham!

We took breakfast in a pre-booked time slot and in a clinically spaced and stark room. It was an individually packed assortment of Spanish breakfast goodies - with at centre stage - Iberico ham. We used the luxury shuttle to the airport in the late morning well-rested, still nervous and wondering what to do for lunch!

Day 2: Madrid to Athens 

Too much of a good thing?

Terminal 4 of Barajas Airport is modern, airy, rationally arranged and huge!We knew there was no catering landside so went through to Departures, where about a quarter of outlets were open, but not much that interested us for a long wait on the catering front. Then we remembered there was - somewhere - a branch of Enrique Tomas! This chain has served as well a few times in Barcelona airport, so we eventually located it and spent several happy hours there, with some good wine, charming service and - its speciality and part of a reduced offering - Iberico ham!  As time progressed it did become crowded around us, with this being a very important travel hub, but we felt fairly safe. When we reached the departure gate it was chaotic! We were in possession of a shared PLF with the magic QR code that would be needed in Athens.  A substantial number of passengers, however, were not and were being instructed to apply there and then on mobiles. There was no chance of them receiving a response in the next three and a half hours! The flight was a bit late taking off and about two-thirds full, so we had no complaints, but were very worried about testing and awaiting results. In fact we were waved through whilst a lot of passengers were sent to the line of scary booths.  Phew! Welcome to Greece!

The Sofitel at the airport is a two minute walk from Arrivals and a ghastly price, but there was no realistic alternative.  After the warmth in Madrid we found the Reception staff distracted and dismissive! And any refreshments would have to be from Room Service. We dumped our things and performed the two minute walk in the opposite direction, where we found the only eatery on the ground floor. Good draft beer, nice bottle of wine and a selection of sandwiches! Guess what was in them?

Day 3 Athens to Chania and the enhanced taxi ride to Paleochora

We discovered next day that there would have been much more choice upstairs, and that is where we went for breakfast, rejecting the prospect of paying EUR 36 for things in the hotel room! Useful, however. was the luggage store from noon to check-in. It's not a bad airport and we killed time painlessly until the fairly full 50 minute flight to Chania. To our surprise this included a handout of a snack - and not a ham sandwich in sight!

Chania airport was quiet, but we still had a long wait for baggage, and then there was Giorgos, who led us to the newest (black) Psarakis vehicle. - a large one! In Kandanos he pulled up outside the trendy coffee shop and announced it was "raki time", We made no move so he asked if we wanted it in the vehicle! It seems that Joep at the Small Garden had rung through and asked him to buy us one! Later he also took us on a route that would give a great view of the Full Moon! We were delighted by all this, but more of our encounters in a subsequent post!.

Tomorrow - 15th July - flights from UK airports can land in Greece! Good news in terms of arrivals of our civilised family and friends. Not so good in terms of ill-advised and misguided others. Watch this space, and maybe watch this too:

It couldn't happen here #!