Thursday morning, 5.20, been up for an hour. Don’t ask me why. Mother set off on her return trip yesterday, all taken care of by Olympic, and the nephews are leaving this afternoon. I will see them off and then, a couple of hours later, we have a party on the Poseidon to attend in the evening. It’s going to be a long day.
In Yialos yesterday. It was a busy day down there. I counted several day trip boats and ferries yesterday: The Blue Star in the morning/evening, the Express calling in twice, and then six day boats including one from Turkey. Many tavernas and bars were full or near full; we booked a table at To Spitiko where Spiros and Vasilis coped admirably with the influx and so many tables. These guys work so hard day and night with only a couple of hours off in the afternoon to recover. (The guys at LOS were still working this morning at 5.00, having started at about 3pm yesterday, if not earlier.) Meanwhile, the schools have gone back after the summer break, more visitors are arriving and the island is still buzzing with about another five/six weeks of the season to go. Here are some touristy snaps.
We didn’t do the round the island boat trip on Monday because it was off on a private charter. Instead, we took a taxi boat around to St Nicholas beach, St Nick’s as it tends to be called. We went with one of the Loukas boats, €9.00 each return from Yialos, and takes only a few minutes to get there. It wasn’t too busy on the beach, there are plenty of sunbeds (€3.50), and it was very peaceful until after lunch when the snoring started – not me and not for long.
Lunch for me was chicken souvlaki (€10.00) at the taverna where the waiters are young and friendly, full of fun and very professional. It’s a family-run beach, bar and taverna and a popular place for visitors due to the sandy beach and shallow waters until you get further out. You can also walk to and from St Nick’s via the improved path from/to Pedi. We took the taxi boat back. The wind was getting up, and there was some splashing of our party towards the back of the boat. All great fun.
Again, a quick paragraph and some photos. Today (Monday) we’re off on the around the island boat trip, assuming when we get down there it’s not already packed (it’s a popular trip) as we’ve not bought tickets yet. That’s going to take us from 10.30 to 17.30, includes BBQ lunch, drinks and stops for swimming, cost €40.00 each, I believe. It’s a trip well worth taking when you are here. You get to see some parts of the island you don’t normally see and usually end up meeting lots of new people. There are also the Diagoras and the new Maria boats to take day trips on; check out the travel agencies when you are here.
So, some more shots from over the weekend and the day at Nimborio. How to find the mosaic:
Heading to the mosaic at Nimborio. 1. Walk along the beach at the far end of the bay… (This shot is looking back at the way you just came.)2. Turn up the old riverbed – not easy underfoot so take care. Stone steps are middle left, after the ruin.3. Turn left at the steps to the church (blue and red dots on wall) and follow that path a little way and you’ll be here.4. Looking back at the view from the church gate.5. Enter the church gate/doorway and you will see a tin shed on your right. What’s left of the Roman mosaic is under that; parts are gone, the rest needs restoration, but…6. Behind the church (three chapels actually) is a courtyard you can rest in and find shade.
That was indeed the weekend that was. A day out at Nimborio on Friday complete with a trip to the Roman mosaic, a walk along the beach, lunch at the taverna, a taxi boat, and an evening drinks party. Saturday was Neil’s birthday: balloons and glitter all over the house, gifts, family brunch, a meal at Meraklis with friends and family, drinks at the Rainbow… And now it’s Sunday morning, and there’s still glitter and balloons everywhere, lots of tidying up to do and plenty of food in the house, mother going shopping in Yialos, the nephews still in bed, so a quick set of images for today’s post and then I am off to tidy up.
This week I will more than likely be away on Wednesday/Thursday but will put up posts when I can. Next week will be back to the usual routine.
Taxi boat to Nimborio and back, 7.00 euros (currently at 10.00, 11.00 and 12.00, back at 16:00, 17:00 and 18:00)
View from the tavernaExtra guest for lunchThat’s the way to spend a day
Another quick blog today, mainly photos and they will have to do you for the weekend too. I’ll try and get back to you on Monday. Meanwhile… Yesterday we took the bus to Yialos as there were birthday presents to buy and shops to look at. The day involved lunch at Trata taverna, and then some time in the square in Horio and a drinks party at Taxiarchis, so it’s a varied collection of holiday snaps today. Have a good weekend!
The cruise ship coming in, early morningOn the busCruise ship in the harbourView from Pacho’sStuffed mushrooms at TrataLunch tableHorio from the windmill road
