LEADING UP TO CHRISTMAS

Whilst I picture you all rushing around buying the last of the presents and food in the days before the 25^th  we are enjoying a laid back approach. There is not the hype here, other than all the 15 minute advert breaks on TV appear to be advertising toys for the children, and the village has one or two lights in the street.  The weather has been rainy so I have spent time with Maria preparing the various Christmas biscuits which take time to prepare, but are soon cooked, and then more time to finish off once cooked and cool.  The taste of the melomakarona, an orange brandy cinnamon and clove biscuit dipped in a honey syrup and sprinkled with finely chopped walnuts and roasted sesame seeds, is great and gets even better in the following days.  Then  we made the Christmas shortbreads, known locally as Kourambiedes, which contained chopped roasted almonds, and when cold brushed with rose water and absolutely drenched in icing sugar, and according to my cookery book are best served with a glass or two of Greek brandy!  We had hoped to make some special chocolate ones too, but beetroot took priority! 

We have had a few thunderstorms and one in particular brought down a large tree in the 'Souda Bay Hotel' above us causing damage to one set of metal railings.  A large rock was also deposited from somewhere in the road close to the entrance to 'Creta Spirit' which still remains in the way of traffic. 

I had left decorating our house until nearer the day not wanting fallen pine needles all over the tiles.  Lambros had said we should buy a Christmas tree instead of going out looking for suitable branches in the forest. In the supermarket I gave in a bought a small fibre optic one, only 12 inches high so Maria will not have a problem storing it for next year!  And so the perfect day came to go out searching for our greenery.  On our previous outings I had seen some suitable trees between the villages of Aghios Ioanis and Agouseliana and with tracks leading off the main road we were able to search without being seen. In an overgrown area Keith found a small tree but having no spade we were unable to get it out of the damp ground so he cut the top out instead.  I still wanted a few branches that had tight round cones on and once again we found suitable pieces. We also found a lot of myrtle which Maria would like to have growing in her garden but as usual we don’t seem to be able to find a root.  I am persevering with some cuttings for her. When it came to returning to the car it seemed a car rally was in progress as one after the other drove past.  Keith eventually returned to the car and called out for me to come out from behind the large bush when the coast was clear. Why do I always feel guilty at my selective pruning?! 

Before returning home I needed to go to the beach to collect more stones to put into my ‘vases’ (cut down plastic bottles) to support the greenery.  This year I am colour coding the materials and so I wanted some with green veins, and some with orange/brown veins, but mostly white.  It’s not too much to ask here as the variety of colourful stones is vast.  Some years ago we spoke to geologists staying with Theo and Maria who say the island is very strange as there are rocks on the top of the mountains that should be down at sea level, and then there are rocks at sea level that should be on top of mountains.  I didn’t dare say it was people like me who find a rock somewhere on our travels and then find a better one somewhere else so dispose of the first rock where the second one has been found.

Christmas Day arrived and the weather turned out to be so much better than forecast.  The down side was I was helping Maria for most of the day.  Keith decided to go for a drive inviting Theo and Lambros to join him but they wished to stay at home so he went on his own.  He came back saying there was such a lot of snow on top of the mountains but had not taken any cameras with him.  For the rest of the afternoon he sat out on the balcony until almost sunset and our meal nearly ready. We had seen the fishing boats go out and the schooner make its weekly run around the bay taking longer today though.

I was helping Maria make a lemon meringue pie, something they have never sampled before, and preparing a chicken.  She had found a recipe for stuffing it with minced beef, onion, rice, pine kernels, chopped walnuts, halved chestnuts, prunes, raisins, orange zest, half a cup of chicken stock and half a glass of brandy. Then we basted it with melted butter to which we had added the juice of a lemon and orange.  We served it with garlic roast potatoes and a green salad. (Whatever was in our meal made us sleep until 11am the next day and we were in bed by midnight!)  Sorry all you vegetarians out there!

After exchanging presents we spent the rest of the evening playing a board game with Lambros, who naturally won although we did our best to try and stop him! Lots of laughs, and we had a lovely time with the family.

Boxing Day and village life was back to normal with workmen removing the roof of the ‘Siroko taverna’ and Theo building his walls.  We walked into the village and had a drink at the ‘Smyrna’ which was busy with both Greeks and foreigners.  The cormorant had returned to his normal resting place on the large rock by the old harbour.  7 fishing boats are now moored in the new port, even though it is not finished, and one is still on the back of a wagon waiting to be lowered into the water.  

 We skipped lunch seeing as how it was nearly dinner time before we were up and went for a run to see the snow.  Through the small gorge the sky was clearer and the sun was shining but cloud hanging around the mountain tops prevented us from getting a good view of the snow, although we did catch a glimpse of some on the lower slopes close to Spilli.

 

 View of Kourtalioti Gorge as we came down the road from Frati

A walk to Previli

FRIDAY 19^th DECEMBER

Such a lovely morning we thought a walk through the olive groves below Asomatos following the ‘Preveli’ signs would be great.  Keith decided to park the car on a wide area at the beginning of Kourtaliotis Ravine and then we would walk down the road into the valley below.  It was much further than we thought before we came to the first sign, but hey if we could drop 100 metres to Nisi this was nothing! 

As usual we did a detour following a path that lead down to the banks of the Megas Potomas river which runs through the gorge to eventually flow out to sea at Palm Beach, Preveli.  We discovered a few houses hidden amongst the bamboo and deciduous trees with lots of colourful leaves still hanging on the branches.  We also saw several makeshift tents, one in particular made of heavy duty polythene with a large chimney spurting black smoke coming out of the low roof.  With a washing line of clothes, including a pair of long johns, I am under the impression a man lives here. 

We came to what we thought was the end of the track as a wirefence was across the path but Keith noticed it was not strongly secured and so we passed through to find more signs of people who had been camping along the river bank.  Looking up the hillside to the road running through the gorge we saw another temporary building clinging to the rock face, under a concrete construction that we cannot at the moment identify, and a man tending his garden.  We wondered how he got up there, especially with his shopping. Finding a good place to get closer to the river we were surprised how deep and fast it was flowing considering we have had no rain for such a long period.  On the other side of the bank we saw only one goat with two kids following close behind, but when they spotted us they quickly disappeared into the shrubbery.  Following this path we had hoped we could make our way to the gazebo in the valley that we visited recently, but it was not to be unless we did some serious rock climbing, and so we returned to take the ‘Previli’ route as planned.

 We followed the signs but only ended up in an olive grove just as it began to rain.  The weather forecast had said it would rain at midday, and having discovered it is very reliable, it was right once again.  Luckily there was a newly built church that we could take shelter in.  It might be raining lightly but the sun was still shining and as we looked out of the church doorway we briefly witnessed a rainbow passing through the gorge. Looking back towards Plakias bay, when the rain had stopped, we saw black clouds heading our way and decided now was a good time to return to the car.

Back home the cloud missed ‘Creta Spirit’ and we spent the afternoon on our balcony and witnessed a very colourful sunset.

 

 

 

Re visiting the beaches

THURSDAY 18^th DECEMBER

A much cooler day and during our short walk to Souda we encountered a shower of rain causing us to seek shelter in one of the nearby hotel’s outdoor bars. The rain only lasted a few minutes and we were on our way home for lunch anyway. Theo was missing and returned home around 2pm with a new toy – the much talked about cement mixer.  We thought he had gone to buy Maria a sewing machine - how wrong could we be and we hoped this was not to be her Christmas present!

 

As the sky began to brighten and feel much warmer we took a short drive over to Amoudi and Shinaria beaches. We had hoped Keith’s art work would still be standing, but due to the recent sea state Keith doubted very much that his work would still exist.  He was right and a lot of the pieces of wood had disappeared, not that it mattered as he was in no mood to re-create his picture. Back in the car heading for home we followed a road leading up to the headland and the Kalypso hotel complex, arriving the same time as 2 cement wagons were leaving the complex.  By now the sun was shining and we took a stroll among the plants to get a better view of the other dragon headland where the lorries for the port are collecting stones, etc.  The new growth of the lime green plants in this area complimented the orange/brown rock face but we had to watch where we walked as people had smashed glass bottles and builders had deposited broken tiles and other rubbish.  Such a shame as nature could make this quite a picturesque place for everyone.

 

 

 

Nisi

WEDNESDAY 17^th DECEMBER

It was back to shorts yesterday – a really hot day ideal for doing nothing except sit on our balcony and drink ice cold retsina with our smoked tuna salad at lunch time.  We ate out in Plakias in the evening where the temperature was still 19C at 9pm so I really had a very lazy day! 

However the weather forecast for today was right again – cloudy but warm.  It seemed an ideal day for going to Nisi a village in the mountains beyond Kali Sekia, a sign we have seen many times and said "we will go there" and until today we never have.  The dark cloud was hanging low over the mountains behind Plakias but as we have often found once we have gone through the gorge the weather has more often than not been brighter. 

Around 11am we took the back road up to Sellia and reaching the village square turned right following the road that gave us good views of Plakias and its large bay  until we reached the junction leading to Mirthios on our right, or straight on to Rethymno. Going straight on this route took us through the small gorge of Kostifou where a small badger was lying dead at the roadside, the first we have seen here this year.  It was 21C when we left ‘Creta Spirit’ and now the temperature was dropping fast, as low as 15C.  Through Kalia Sekia and on to the village of Moundros, where we would leave the car, and where the temperature was now 18C. Getting out of the car we set all the village dogs barking and the sheep baaing.  What a noise! The sign to Nisi pointed down a steep track and so today’s adventure began. 

We dropped down about 100 metres into the valley bottom so by the time we reached this point our knees were beginning to hurt.  Still the lovely scenery took our minds off our aches and pains.  The valley was littered with small fields of olive trees and white stones, big ones - especially one that had fallen from somewhere and now formed a small cave. The river that runs through the valley was dry and whilst Keith went over the concrete bridge I chose the dry ford.  

There was daisies, dandelions and oxalis everywhere and in one field I was delighted to find 5 large  white zante lilies flowering. We also saw foxtail lily bulbs everywhere and sprouting dark green leaves. This is really going to be a floral paradise in the coming months. We saw a couple of small fields of tomatoes the foliage now dead but still many red and green tomatoes clinging to the vines.  

We were startled by 3 pigs in the hillside above us and as I wanted a better photo climbed the narrow pathway leading to a makeshift gate. I had to be careful where I put my feet as the farmer had been feeding these pigs rotten tomatoes.  The immediate area behind the fence and wooden pallet gate where the pigs had been treading was a mess of remnants of eaten tomatoes and mud.  I had asked Keith if he thought all these tomatoes would affect the taste of the pork.  Hadn’t I wondered where the tomato sausages came from?! 

After an hour and climbing back up about 100 metres we came across several derelict buildings and the sign of ‘Nisi’.  We hadn’t known what to expect when we set off but weren’t too surprised at what we saw.  As with many of the ancient buildings in Crete it is always the arches and windows that remain in good condition unlike the walls.  

What will make a lovely sight early nextsummer is the wild delphiniums that are beginning to emerge around the ruins. (I shall not have to pester Keith to drive to Anapoli and Aradena Gorge to see the old ruins and wild delphiniums anymore.) 

Behind in the olive grove we found what I believe to be an aloni and sat there to have our sandwich as the sun briefly appeared.  We found some of the trees a little eerie but overall the view was lovely looking across to the village of Kato Pouros. 

In the adjoining field I found a fairly large area with several small round pools set in the rock base - the Martians have been here for sure!  

We did a bit more exploring of the houses before deciding to return to Moundros.

We also called in to have a look at St. George’s Church, the only building to be occupied, the two graves in the churchyard. There was also one that was empty, and in a corner we saw a mound of the white stones with its flat lid slightly askew.  Opening the small church door we were surprised to find the floor covered in olive leaves and wondered how they had got there.  On the lecturn I found a decoration of almost dead red roses and white gypsophillia. Keith didn’t like this place at all and quickly left after securing the church doors with the wire fastening.  Again in the immediate area some of the old olive and carob tree trunks were worn away leaving grotesque designs.

It was just as nice walking back, but this time we didn’t see the pigs and wondered where they had gone as we had heard no vehicle and we did not think they would climb up the steep rocky hillside. We had disturbed many different types of birds and as usual were thrilled to see the large eagles flying overhead. 

I saw a very rough track that appeared to be leading up to the village but the last thing we wanted was to have to get so far and then return back down to the valley so we abandoned the idea of walking up it. By the time we reached the car we really ached but felt much better for the exercise.  

This is going to be another place that we will add to our favourites list.  I can’t wait to return after we have had some serious rain and the river is flowing, but then the track may be too muddy, we shall have to see.  No more sun today.

What a lazy life for some

^5th to 11^th DECEMBER

With good weather Keith has been helping Theo build his new walls and when he has felt like having a break we have gone walking in the olive groves.  

I never cease to be amazed at some of the things we come across.

All the time new tracks are being made and we discovered below Asomatos new signs  indicating a way to Preveli which we will try in the coming days. 

Pity the brambles are still red and very small but they are growing everywhere in the olive grove tracks

We have watched the news on TV and seen the riots in Athens over the killing of a 15 year old boy.  The riots have spread to other parts of Greece but have not affected sleepy old Plakias.  We went into Rethymno as usual on Thursday and the only signs of demonstrations were large sheets, with Greek writing on of course, hanging from the railings around the park.  The national strike had no effect on the village either, other than the daily bus didn’t run.  The builders continued with their progress on the new developments and the supermarket walls are beginning to take shape.  I feel so sorry for the people who have bought their new houses immediately behind the building as all they will look at will be a blank wall and lots of empty boxes stacked up behind. 

We have still not found Keith’s kite. 

The last few nights we have also had some great sunsets.

 

 

 

 

 

St. Barbara's Day

THURSDAY 4^th DECEMBER

Rethymno celebrates St. Barbara’s Day today.  Maria had warned us that the shops would be closed and there probably wouldn’t be a market but we went anyway.  We arrived just in time to see the priests in their fine robes emerge from the Church dedicated to St. Barbara.  The narrow street was full of generations of old local people, many dressed in their dark clothes. Considering the town was closedthe younger element seemed to be absent with only one or two young women bringing their young children to the event.  People were holding large pieces of the celebration cake that had been blessed by the priests and handed out as they left the church, and some also held branches of the greenery that had been placed between the church’s railings.  One lady gave me a piece of the brown cinnamon bread which I shared with Keith.  Before the procession started we moved away into the adjoining empty street to reach the main road leading out of the old town.  So we had a lovely view of the band dressed in bright red uniforms as they lead the parade with an armed guard on both sides of the followers.  

Young men and old carried large glass pictures of St. Barbara, each picture having a border of fresh red carnations. Young priests dressed in black carried candles and one was entrusted with a very large bible that had an ornate silver cover. 

Senior members of the armed forces and presumably the Mayor and other dignatories followed and then the public bringing up the rear.

In the centre of the procession were the priests, including the high priest dressed in gold robes and wearing a large round 'crown' decorated with portraits and eleborate bead work.

There has been a lot of news on TV recently about the Greek Church selling property  and making millions so it was a bit unfortunate that one of my photos of the priests includes a shop awning with the words ‘ ………..  scandalo’ written on it! 

 

As the procession passed each Church the bells would ring out and when we were stood on another corner with no one else around the senior priest blessed Keith as he passed us by.  Must have thought he looked a lost soul!

A lovely morning but I recall that two years ago when we just happened to be visiting the travel agent on this date I was lucky to see a small group of priests going around the old town. I have a photo of them stood under an orange tree whilst they read from the bible held by a younger priest before moving on to another part of the old town.  That too was a beautiful sunny day.

 

 

Not a good day!

THURSDAY 27^th NOVEMBER

Another fantastic start to the day with the fishing boats out in the bay so we were in no hurry to go anywhere. After Theo had had his afternoon ashtray and coffee we went down to the beach to fly our kites.  A sudden strong gust of wind broke the string on Keith’s kite and we watched as his big black octopus floated down into the sea!  Paying attention to the area where it landed he headed off hoping that it would not be too far out, or that some of the string would be on the beach.   A lady was sitting on an upturned wooden box close to the water’s edge but she was paying too much attention to her dog to see what was happening.  By the time I had brought my kite down there was no sign of Keith’s and although we wandered up and down hoping the waves would bring it ashore there was nothing.  I had trodden in some tar and not wanting to get it on my sandals returned to the car barefooted.  The beach is landscaped with tamarisk trees, the sea daffodils now gone to seed, yellow horned poppy and other greenery, plus the bright yellow oxalis that is now coming into bloom.  What I did not see were the small burrs on the ground as I got close to the low wall separating the beach from the footpath.  I was in agony and managed to get myself on my hands and knees on the wall before shouting for Keith to come and help me.  I had trodden on numerous small prickly seed cases that had become embedded in the soles of my feet, each one drawing blood as Keith painfully pulled them out.  I couldn’t help saying “Why didn’t we stay at home and have our usual 3pm cup of tea?”  

Maria had been telling me in the morning that she had a dream last night and Keith and I were in it.  She said there was an area of the sea that was black and it began to go round and round and the closer it came to the shore it began to erupt like a volcano.  Was this a premonition about loosing the kite?

 

 

 

Korakas Beach, Rodakino

WEDNESDAY 26^th NOVEMBER

As the dark clouds began to disappear off to the east we left 'Creta Spirit' heading west in the direction of Rodakino about 30 minutes drive away from Plakias to take a walk along the tarmac road fronting the long stretch of Korakas Beach.  By the time we reached our destination the sky was clear and theheat of the sun very pleasant, and guess what sufficient wind to do a spot of kite flying.  Several local men drove down to the area in their pickups presumably to come and see who was flying kites. (Maria has told us that there is an annual kite day in Crete held in the Spring and this is the only time you usually see kites flying.)  After a while I decided to stretch my legs and went for a stroll along the beach. We used to come here regularly in the season and it was a nice beach.  It still is if it wasn’t for the rubbish such as plastic bottles, and rusty drinks cans left behind by the last of the tourists.  Towards the eastern end of the beach is a couple of caves, not too deep but possible to get a little shade from the summer sun.  Today all I saw in these spaces was more rubbish and an old sun bed that presumably the people who have a house across the track are currently using.  Rejoining Keith, after I had found a small piece of driftwood that resembled a bird's head complete with open beak and an eye, we put away the kites and walked westwards along the road noticing that some of it is falling away onto the beach in certain places.  These places have been marked by large stones and old car tyres!

In the hillside amongst the dense greenery, some of it showing lovely autumn colours, we could hear the sound of bells and occasionally caught sight of a ram with a pair of wonderful curly horns that glistened in the sunshine.

Time to return home where with the late afternoon sun and still clear blue skies the mountain village of Sellia looked lovely, but we had the local bus close behind us so did not venture to stop.  (These narrow winding roads make passing large vehicles difficult at times.)  Perhaps I will get my photo another day

Exploring Amari valley

TUESDAY 25^TH NOVEMBER

Gosh one month to Christmas!  It was not the weather as forecasted and so we headed up to the Amari valley area to explore the new roads around the dam.  

Loved the colourful beehives lined up alongside the fencing stretching as far as the eye could see.

Today the water in the dam was brown and at a much higher level than when we came with Ian and Julia.  The temperature was still around 21C which was good as we were fairly high up in the mountain valley.

We decided to move on to Apostoli but with new wide roads got a bit confused, especially at a junction between Pandanassa and Patsos, and so ended up on the road being constructed at St. Antonio Ravine.  We had wanted to go to the Ravine but the heavy lorries and rain had made the road muddy with deep ruts, too deep for our little Yaris.  

It was going to be quiet overlooking the olive groves, I said.  Wrong again - a saloon car full of people roared past, a large concrete mixer, and then an old man riding his donkey came by as soon as we had opened our picnic. 

We had seen a new sign to Spilli, only a small one and thought we would go this route back home.  We retraced the road but failed to find a sign for Spilli other than the name on a multi signed post and so took this road.  It’s been a long time since we have traveled on this track and it seemed strange driving on wide tarmaced road with crash barriers, but it didn’t last long before the road turned into the familiar rough track where in places we would have been better in the 4X4. Still once we reached the fields of vines we remember where the track ended – on the winding road down into Spilli.

                                                    

 

As we entered the village of Lefkogia I suggested we went and had a look at the fire damage Maria had told me about down by ‘Shinaria Beach’.  The only damage we saw was around an unfinished hotel on the hillside, but it was nice to see that new growth was coming out of the blackened palm trees.   

On a deserted beach Keith created a ‘Tate Picture’ collecting pieces of driftwood and standing them on end in the sand whilst I was happy taking photos of the waves crashing against the side of the smalldragon rock and breaking onto the beach. It doesn’t take much to keep us amused!

In Plakias we almost got our kites airborne in the late afternoon sun with the temperature still 21C.  

 

A home visit

SATURDAY 22^nd NOVEMBER

We awoke to rain, hailstones, thunder and lightning which continued for most of the morning.  The sea below was now very rough and the waves pounded against the rocks.  The wind howled making a noise like a dog ‘woofing’ as it hit the small gap between the wall and the patio door.  Theo went off early to Rethymno and Maria and I arranged to make chocolate sweets this afternoon.  We also arranged to eat together tonight – I will make a spicy sausage casserole and she will prepare a leg of lamb with potatoes in olive oil, lemon and oregano, one of our favourite dishes.

 

 

SUNDAY 23^rd NOVEMBER

A nice morning with less wind so we took a walk into the village passing the area that is to be the new harbour and stopping to watch the progress, and seeing for the first time a sailing boat that had presumably taken shelter.  We wondered where it had come from and when it had arrived.  As we stopped a small dog came to pester us and with its muddy paws I did not want it jumping up at me.  It obviously belonged to someone as it was wearing a collar.  We managed to ignore it and so it left us alone and presumably returned to be near the property that is hidden in the hillside overlooking this harbour.  We stopped for a drink in ‘On the Rocks’ where a French cyclist is staying for a few days.  He told us he has taken a year off and that it is 20 years since he was last in Plakias.  We didn’t get a drink as the owner seemed to have disappeared, but we were glad of the sit down. 

We had all been invited to Vic and Jean’s new house this afternoon and originally everyone was going in our car.  At 3.30 when we were ready to leave Theo and Maria were not and said they would follow in about 15 minutes in their car.  The rain began just as we arrived at the house.  The buildings may be complete but the road needs to be made up and the area landscaped.  We had been told to follow the road round and look for their car, their house would be close by. That was the easy bit as we had to walk over pieces of waste material placed on the uneven ground to reach their paved pathway.  Inside was delightful with a lovely compact kitchen off the lounge area which has a wood burning stove in one corner, patio outside with another large dining area, and then a winding marble staircase down to the bathroom, and two good sized bedrooms each having a door out onto another patio. Lambros had walked into the house and said “Where is the TV – the room is empty!”  Outside the front door was another marble staircase leading to the roof terrace from where looking up to the right we had a lovely view of Sellia, and looking down over the olive groves and out across the bay.  Thankfully the shower of rain had ceased by now.  We all sat and chatted until quite late and we left leaving Theo, Maria and Lambros to follow later and thanking Jean and Vic for inviting us to their new home.  

It was the last night in ‘Kastro’ as the family is going on a well earned holiday before spending Christmas and New Year at their home in Athens.  They have plans to visit the north of Greece in the coming month so we hope the weather will be kind to them.  We came home armed with bags containing large bottles of village wine and raki that we hope will see us through the rest of our holiday as we shall be returning to the UK before Yiannis and Athanasia return to Plakias.

 

 

 

Dariviana

FRIDAY 21^st  NOVEMBER

We didn’t do much for the last couple of days other than the usual visit to Rethymno on market day, this time taking Maria with us.  She took us to a delightful old bakery in the old part of the town where on the table the baker had placed large round loaves similar to those used in the Church ceremonies.  I pointed them out to Maria and during her conversation with the baker found out that tomorrow it is St. Mary’s Day and that a service is to be held in the nearby church.  She said all the unmarried Marias would be attending. We came home to Plakias taking the scenic route for a change and found out that Maria’s father has relatives in the first village we came to.  She told us she remembered when he would ride out to see them on his donkey.  As the years went by he would tell her “we worked hard all day but still found time to keep in touch – now we have cars, and a telephone, but seem to have no time.”

 As it was a nice morning today we chose to take a walk around Dariviana near Spilli.  A walk mentioned in the latest edition of the Hotel Guide to south Rethymno region said ‘see watermills’.  In our dreams!  

We walked down  narrow lanes between the houses leading to the river and I even found a solitary walnut in its green case among the fallen leaves.  Keith asked what was I doing – we had bought a kilo in the market yesterday.  “But this one is free” was my reply.  

We can only assume that some of the derelict buildings were once watermills but this walk  was a nice change.  

We were very close to Spilli and so drove into the village to do a bit more shopping.  Keith needed grapefruit and I espied a butcher’s where some meat and sausages were on display. Essential supplies obtained we returned home.  On our way to Dariviana we had taken the Frati mountain route to Mixarouma only to encounter a stop sign (that we ignored), workmen and a large digger taking up half the mountain road in the process of laying a blue pipe.  One of the young workmen moved the pipe laid across the road out of our way so we could pass.  We thought we had better not return by that route.  It is a long time since we have taken the other route via Koxare and had forgotten just how far it was back to Plakias. 

At home we found it was now very windy and the idyllic flat sea, with the small fishing boat when we had left, was now a sight of white waves and a dark sky.  We still had our lunch on the balcony but when Keith poured out his beer the wind blew the froth across the table!  After we had eaten I was back indoors.