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!

Up, up, up!

July has been dominated for Greyrocks by the Wedding of the Year and the Wretched World Cup! As we reach the midpoint in our 2018 stay we also near A-Day when over 30 guests arrive from UK and Athens ahead of the event. This has meant a lot of liaison, strange purchases and fiddly handicraft :- all of which will be "worth it on the day". In between we have been gradually sinking into full "beach bum" mode as folk arrive and the sea improves
So with the theme of things going up, here is how it has been:


1. The Blue Flag is raised! This year about ten days early compared to recent years. It seems the whole administration of beaches has been streamlined! But today the Greek flag nearby is flying at half-mast as part of the three day mourning for the victims of the fires on the mainland. This has poignant meaning for Greyrocks as we pass in each direction the site of the Kineta fire beside the national road to Patras. Up in flames! - so sad!

2. The Spanish flag was raised and swiftly packed away! We are not great football fans., and are disgusted the Russia should have been allowed to host and benefit from the World Cup. (And Qatar next! - FIFA is a cesspool!) Also as ex-pats we wanted to distance ourselves from support for England having too close an association with Brexit! Chloë had drawn Spain in her work's sweepstake, so this - with our Canarian resident status - seemed a good enough reason to fish out the Spanish flag on the day of a significant match. We took it to our tree on the beach and to the cantina. On the way home - knowing nothing of the score - we dropped in at Zygos, and watched through to the end of the penalty shoot-out. On dear! Well it is back flying from our balcony now! In fact the Wretched World Cup had a serious impact on Greyrocks' social life. On match evenings only a tiny fraction of bars and restaurants did not have large (or in some cases) enormous screens. We discovered that Tassos' (Seagull)  was one, and on a couple of occasions spent time there even though we had eaten elsewhere. Germany's early exit took some of the general excitement in the main street away; but when England played Croatia the behaviour of Brits at Cosmogonia had us with our heads in our hands. Symbolic for us of why we left the country!

3. The raising of glasses of bubbly was investigated. The upcoming celebrations have led us into research on sparkling wine for the reception. We had committed to Prosecco but were having trouble sourcing it in quantity, so came upon the notion of a Cretan wine. One that interested us was Zazazu - light, fairly inexpensive, but was it too sweet? We tried it at Monika's Garden, and were offered the other expensive one at the Palm Tree. In the end, however, Manolis greeted us one evening at Atoli and beckoned us over to show a stash of Prosecco!

4. We made two trips up to Chania. The early one was principally for a blood test. We ambled down to the bus station for the 7.45 and were surprised to find ourselves rushed through the boarding process. The timetable had changed the day before and we were lucky to catch it! The bleeding process was completed efficiently and cheaply, so we spent the day wandering around. The only other serious aim was to buy bulk sugared almonds  of the right spec. and with some kind help we achieved this. We walked over to Nea Hora and were shocked and delighted! At last it is becoming traffic-free. We didn't venture into the sea but sat for a long time watching and hearing the angle-grinder, then had a long lunch at Akrogiali and took the 4 pm bus back! The second trip last week was really just to have a break, but we did want to locate some baskets. The latter failed and Plan B will come into force! The high season bus timetable gives the option of an 11 am departure, and one back at 20.00, which has significance for those flying in on afternoon flights. We used these two services. After abandoning the shopping we repeated the walking tour and lunch, discovering that the pedestrianisation has been largely suspended (for tourism reasons?) and got sunbeds for free! The bus that turned up for the return journey was not what we expected. It was a 22 seater and was full! It unnecessarily took the long route, and we had to stop for a child who threw up inside! Not the best end to a pleasant day!

5. The game has been raised on the culinary front. As reported in the previous post we have three new eateries and Greyrocks has now made an exploratory visit to each! Fuller critiques are destined for Trip Advisor, but in essence we have:

• Parasties: flash revamp of Kapetan Dimitri - food unremarkable, service professional but detached, signature dish is chips (!) and they were under-cooked twice!!
• Dionysos: reopened after several years closed - good service, helpful, and Ruth loved a cuttlefish stew!
• Dakos:  a new meze place - delightful! Several super dishes shared and charming service! - going to be favourite in our circle!

6. The level of sand over the rocks has risen. What more can one say? Early in the month it improved, but now we have a set-back with the strange weather since 21st  or so!

7. The sea temperature has risen. Thank goodness! Greyrocks has been happy to swim since about 2nd July - confirming a theory that this is about the earliest one can expect. It has sometimes been too rough since then - but always acceptably warm!