Our Life On Spetses Part 2
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Property belonging to the Embiricos family - Spetses
Freedom, Time – for now we are enjoying life without the pressure of opening Bar Spetsa every night at 2000 hours.
Monday evening we stayed at home. Watched the movie “You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger” starring Anthony Hopkins … brilliant! Tuesday evening, after a drink in the Dapia near where we live, a pleasant walk to the Old Harbour to meet Raymond and Heather with Yogan and Kimberley… married in Scotland 10 days’ earlier, Raymond had given Kimberley away. Dinner at Nektarios’ Taverna – Nychthimeron (Night and Day) … a very traditional Greek restaurant by the sea. Ordered an array of dishes in which we all shared and a couple of litres of white wine – it was lovely. Saturday will be my birthday … we are to return to Nektarios’ for dinner and I understand a table has been booked for 20 people. Being Guy Fawkes, fireworks are also on the menu – I will write more on this in a later blog.
After dinner Costas and I, together with Yogan and Kimberley walked back to the Dapia area of town, whilst Raymond and Heather used their usual mode of transport – a motorbike, all meeting up at Balkoni Bar. I have come to expect all such occasions will be memorable ones and this was no exception … joined in the early hours by Takis and the bar owner/operator Panayiotis, these two and Costas entertaining us as they sang along to Greek songs from their youth.
Thursday I decided it was about time that I went for a decent walk and so headed off around 1300 hours, out of town and up into the hills along a mostly uneven road. In New Zealand we pay good money for a cyclamen in a pot to decorate our homes … here in the hills they are growing wild, mainly under pine trees. When you arrive at a crossroads on the top of the ridge, you come to Kafenethaki (little Kafeneion). Freshly painted in green and white, it appears never to be open, however, I have learnt from Costas, there are those (such as hunters) who know where to locate the keys. Once inside they find a small gas burner, briki (the pot used to make Greek coffee), water, coffee and sugar and so can then enjoy a small cup of their favourite brew.
Taking the fork in the road to the right, I eventually arrived at Profitis Ilias, the highest point on Spetses at 285m … from here the views are spectacular. (Refer to a photograph published late on my Blog Title “Together Again” – an image of a three legged table outside the small church – I love this one). The photograph used on this Blog is of a property belonging to the Embiricos family, a well known name in Greek shipping. I arrived back at the house two hours later (1500 hours), just in time for a full homemade breakfast of eggs, bacon, sausages, onions and tomatoes. The evening saw us back at Mayo for a few quiet drinks, the only ones sitting out on the veranda which, of course, is closed in at this time of the year with clear plastic blinds, still allowing for a view of the waves crashing in on the jetty nearby.
Friday, a relaxed lunch at Spetsiotiko … Horta (wild greens), Kalamari, Patates Tiganetes (french fries), a shared Amstel and crusty bread. Around 1515 hours we walked up to Raymond and Heather’s house – on Monday we four will set off for a break away … first night in Nafplio, followed by two nights in the mountain village of Dimitsana, both on the mainland of Peloponnese’s. The purpose of our getting together was to decide on and book our accommodation. Both hotels chosen look amazing … I will write about our journey later in the week, probably not until returning to Spetses.