Idyllic Lifestyle on Spetses
By Helen Grubner. Filed in Uncategorized |
Dinner with Wendy and Paddy at Paxni
Apart from the occasional morning when I have stayed until closing in the Bar, my days begin with a lovely walk of at least an hour’s duration. Staying clear of motorbikes and scooters until I reach the outskirts of the town … they are treacherous and perhaps the only negative here in what is an otherwise peaceful environment. With the weather continuing to oblige, an hour of sunbathing is also achievable most days, then it is time to think about food.
A Greek meal would not be complete without the wonderful crusty bread … my first port of call in the mornings takes me to the local bakery to buy a loaf called Carvelaki which costs just 80 cents. I have become very adept at making a full English breakfast which for me, when we have it, becomes the main meal of my day. Costas had invited Dimitris and Yanni, the two young doctors on the island, for lunch on Friday, however, it was postponed until Saturday … the Beef Burgers were a joint effort, I made my special Roast Potatoes (cooked in oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper) and Costas made a lettuce, spring onion and cherry tomato salad dressed with balsamic vinegar. With the bread and an excellent white wine, it was very well received. Yesterday we ate out at Bouboulina’s – primarily a fish and seafood establishment, I chose Moussaka … made with slices of potatoes, aubergine and courgette, it was possibly the best Moussaka I have ever eaten – absolutely yummy! Tomorrow we will have my tomato, onion and basil (freshly picked from our garden) soup.
Thursday was a big day. Caught the 1000 hours boat Katerina Star to Kosta on the mainland in the company of Ray, Heather and Tony. Picked up Ray’s car, the black metallic Jaguar (one of only 50 ever made – 25 black, 25 white) and headed off to Ermioni and the weekly street market. Bought wonderfully fresh and very cheap produce there, a few other stops including Lidl’s to buy Costas favourite German sausages, then on to Taverna Maistraki by the sea for lunch where we stayed all afternoon. A shared lunch of Garden Salad, Fries, Saganaki (fried cheese), Maistraki special chicken with caramelised onions, Keftethakia (meat balls) and grilled stuffed squid. 1700 hours boat back to Spetses. At 2000 hours I met my Irish friends Paddy and Wendy at Bar Spetsa … they had invited me to join them for dinner at Paxni. Unbeknown to me, it was Wendy’s birthday and they wanted me to share the occasion with them. Took a takeaway back for Costas … when Bar Spetsa closed, we went on to Balkoni for a drink before heading home … what a fabulous day!
During daylight hours, Costas always has plenty of chores to do, needing to be sure everything is ready for opening the Bar in the evening. In the garden we have stacked the first half of an order of 1200 glasses needed for the coming season … by summer’s end most will be gone, not broken but rather they ‘walk’ – to other bars, the beach and wherever. I have again been busy with the Bosch electric lemon squeezer. With another 18 litres in the freezer, as I said to Costas, it has to be one of the best investments he ever made (I suggested the Antipodean could be another).
I have finished reading a book I bought on Crete – ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ by Juliet Green who lives in Crete. Now I need to choose another from Costas’ extensive library. Occasionally he will buy a copy of The Guardian but mostly I keep up with the news online, including the English edition of a Greek newspaper Ekathimerini. Recent items of interest have included the fact that Greece is at risk of finding itself isolated in terms of air connections as airline carriers strike the country off their itineraries. Hotels are slashing their prices in a bid to attract more visitors. On the island of Mykonos, authorities will soon begin planning the demolition of illegally built homes, following the use of satellite photographs to identify properties constructed in violation of building regulations. With such difficult times, the Greek people had something to celebrate yesterday when their basketball team Olympiakos, the underdogs, upset a Russian team in the Basketball Euroleague final to be crowned European champions. I was at home but could clearly hear the cheering around the town as the game was avidly watched on television.
It is now coming up to 2200 hours – time for me to get ready and head off to Bar Septsa. Cheers!