Island Life

Our island life is over for a while; we are back on mainland Greece getting back to work.  The wind blew all the time we were on Mykonos, putting paid to one of the things we wanted to, which was going to the isle Delos to see the ancient site.

We went to the beach when we could, walked through Mykonos Old Town and looked at the shops.  One thing we both liked was a house still with all the furniture in as it would have been in the C19th it was very interesting, when the family travelled through Europe they came back with furniture as there wasn’t any wood on the island.

Petros the pelican

Old Town

One calm bay

Evening Drinks

Passed through Athens and couch surfed (Google it) and arranged visas for India, and then managed to get an extra Helpx place in the Peloponnese near Sparta (the 300 are long gone) and it seems everyone has long gone, the tourists are not arriving and the locals cannot afford to holiday so the downward spiral seems to be on the move!!

Admiring the future!

Too rough to swim

Our new hosts are great, Phil & Shema, He is from Essex and Shema is form Brisbane her parents were both Croation , they are renovating a couple of houses and need a lift, literally, as I helped move all their furniture out of storage, whilst Megan sanded and varnished a floor amongst other jobs.

Next for us is back through Athens to pick up the Indian visas and then head north to the Helpx seed bank.

Santorini

Oia

 Our time in Greece has been paralleled with the troubles they are having with their monetary deficit, the Prime minister has been seen with ever increasing frequency on the televisions we have passed and seen when we have gone into shops.  If we didn’t know what he looked like before we do now, the same can be said for how much we knew about Greek politics, but talking to the people there is a lot of anger and resignation.  Anger for the predicament and the people who have put them there and lots of others like the UK in the first world, resignation because most see there is not a quick fix to the problem. 

Megan in Amoudi taverna

Room with a view

When on Crete this was never far from daily life, whether seeing the ‘Old Men’ arguing in the park and in the cafes, politics the hot topic of the day, or of talking to Michali and Susanne on the same subject.  In contrast Santorini is bright and almost carefree, a real holiday isle, tourism is the main income for most of the natives plus workers from all over, mainland Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Bulgaria etc all working hard – 14/15 hours a day, 7 days a week for seven months then 5 months off back home.

Oia street

Oia churchyard

 

 

The streets are packed with shoppers, some staying on the island others day visitors from the 2 or 3 cruise ships ‘parked’ in the Caldera, a constant buzz of small ferry boats out and back dropping off picking up, depositing at the bottom of the cliff, up the cable car or on the donkey trains up the steps. Hordes of Russians, Chinese, Japanese being led through the streets by their guides holding up signs, taking posed photo,s, the Russian girls draped in front of the view like models or film stars.

Amoudi harbour

View from hotel

The island is a big volcano, which blew its top a couple of thousand years ago, leaving a crator, the Caldera, the steep sides of which form one side of the island, the other is gently sloping down to the beaches of black sand.  Perched on the edge of the caldera are houses, shops and hotels giving breathtaking views and superb sunsets.

Megalochori

Our move now is to Mykanos, ‘party isle’ for 5 nights, then back to Athens and work – maybe.

Sunset

Moving On Again

Old Town Street

As we posted the last blog, disaster struck!!  I lost my camera – a whole wasteland of non-photo travelling stretched before me, could I carry on, would there be any meaning to it, is there life on earth?  If there was, I couldn’t photograph it!  Disaster is too light a word for it, just as I was contemplating ending it all (coming back to the UK that is, not committing suicide) three angels came to my rescue, the first and best was Megan who had witnessed my dilemma and said we could get another camera, the second was ebay (what a great idea) and the third was our number three son Andy who co-ordinated the UK end of the operation.

Relaxing with our hosts and fellow helpers

Faster than the speed of light a replacement was purchased, a good camera for a very reasonable price, it was delivered to Mount Ave, checked by the maestro and dispatched to Crete – life could return to normal.

Knossos

So our life on Crete has come to an end, we have left the nature park behind and are having a holiday with Mark (my brother from Oz) his other half Raewyn plus her father John.  The nature park was a good experience, following a daily routine with the animals and helping Susanne and Michali prepare for the summer when some of the local children, on holiday, come to attend a summer school/playscheme.  Susanne and Michali are great; he has a good sense of humour and is teasing Susanne all the time.

Mark and Raewyn at the top of the gorge

John & Chris  two Mythos!

Ferry Destination

Ferry arriving with Mark & Raewyn onboard

Mark,  Raewyn and John arrived on 14 June and we are visiting some of the Greek Isles.  First they stayed with us in the Old Town and now we are ‘Moving On’.

We are visiting Santorini, in fact we are on the ferry as I write this, Mykonos and then back to Athens, we are due at our next Helpx place on 16 July in northern Greece at the seed bank, so we have time to see some of the old sites.

Crete South Coast

Rethymno Old Town

Megan, Mara And Natalie making welsh cakes

 The caravan did not become our home for the whole time here, we exchanged homes with our Helpx hosts, they moved into the caravan and we moved into their town house, on the edge of the ‘Old Town’ of Rethymno, the dogs have left behind lots of the ‘friends’ to keep us company – oh joy!  Each place is good, the caravan was peaceful but the house gives us taste of living with the Cretens.

Our ‘work’ has been much the same – finished the snake pit and the Creten snakes moved in and are still there, result!  Fixed up another and one of the large pythons had to move in after not sharing the food, bad lad or lass I can’t tell the difference, must be getting old, do snakes have hips?  Anyway he (?) had two small chickens not just the one allotted and was moving for more apparently – this all happened when we weren’t there, another negative for living in the town – but we can see the movie.  Also been putting up the shades Megan has been repairing, all ropes knots and pulleys and long discussions with Michali about tension etc.

Old Town Doorway

Rethymno Sunset from the nature park

On one of our days off we walked the famous Samaria gorge with our fellow helpx helpers Natalie and Mara, 12.8km all downhill, hell on the calf muscles, but it was stunning, beautiful, amazing, the company was great we all had a fantastic day.  We have also enjoyed meeting other helpers 

 

Enough of that, only one week with our hosts then my brother, Mark arrives with Raewyn and her father, John, from Oz and we have a holiday, fours days on Crete, seven on Santorini and a few on Mykonos, with temp going up, currently about 30̊C, we are looking forward to it.  Then where – we’ll let you know.

Samaria Gorge near the end

How much weight have we lost

Samaria Gorge near the start

Kastelakia 1

Zena II Warrior Princess

We arrived here in Rethymno at 6.30am at the end of the long journey.  The bus ride was ok and we were deposited in the centre of Athens at nearly 9.00pm after 12 hours, eventually found the hostel, a very nice taxi driver said it was too close to drive, only if you know where it is!  We had half a day looking around the next morning, after breakfast, or a coffee, with a nice Kiwi couple – similar age to us doing ‘The World’ the other way round. 

Athens was cool, definitely worth another look, after Mark & Raewyn have gone back to Oz.  Caught the overnight ferry to Chania or Hania and after little sleep fell on the quayside, 5.30am, and onto a bus to Rethymno.

Dragonflies

Little Red Rooster

So for the next three weeks (we have already been here a week!!) this caravan is our new home.  Our home is on an Eco park, we can here the frogs calling as I write this. 

 

In the Snake Pit

Sewing Lady II

Our day starts at 7.30am when we feed the rabbits, chickens (two eggs a day), Iguanas, chameleons and the white mice, the mice are dinner for the cretin snakes and the rabbits and small chickens are dinner for the pythons and boa constrictors some of whom only eat twice a year.  So as you know rabbits breed like rabbits so there are more than enough to go round, in fact they could be human fodder before the snakes get out of bed.

The Flopsy Bunnies

Cocktodoo and his harem

Moving On

Waiting for a coffee

 

After helping Jeni and Jordi to get a little closer to domestic and married bliss we were ready for a short break.  Veliko Tarnovo really hit the spot.  Hostel Mostel, is the best and the city is just the right size to get to know in a short time.   We spent 3 days there walking around the city and the best, a walk up into the hills and visited Abanasi.  Up through the trees and onto the limestone upland, hot, smells of flowers, wild herbs and the green growing of spring.  Lizards, a snake, red squirrels, lots of insects.  The flowers were numerous and we found lots we didn’t know, 3 types of orchid for instance.

Turkish Merchants House

Abansi is an upland village that has found fame – very commercialised but we visited an old house built by a Turkish trader at the time of the Ottoman empire, very interesting.  Then a very old church completely painted on the inside with old depictions of the life of Christ.

Orchid

Tsaravets Fortress Veliko Tarnovo

Everything here is 6 Leva (app £2.80) entrance, houses, churches, castles and exhibitions, anyone would think it was state controlled!!

Inside the fortress

The Old High Street

In need of TLC

Now we are sad and excited,  sad at leaving Bulgaria where we have had the most fantastic time, excited to start something new – a 12 hour bus ride to Athens then an overnight ferry crossing to Crete, we’ll keep you posted.

Palamartsa 3

Jordi & Jeni

Our time here in Palamartsa has been used in helping our hosts, Jeni and Jordi.  Megan has been making dresses for their wedding in July.  She has made one  bridesmaid’s dress, one for the maid of honour, and one for Viv, Jeni’s mum.

Sewing Lady

Whilst Meg has been sewing, I have been mostly decorating, but when the weather has been good I have done some work in the garden.

Painter man

 

Leo

The two J’s are involved in buying, selling and renovating the houses here in Palamartsa.  Jeni has contact with the local people here who want to sell, usually the houses are very run down and been in the family and when the older generation die, the younger decide to sell.  You can buy a house for less than £10K with land for a veg garden and outbuildings for chickens etc. Jordi is a plumber and electrician and works with the local tradesmen to improve the houses, which are bought by mostly Brits.  The two of them work In the local economy and think in Lev rather than Pounds or Euros.  In comparison to the UK things are generally cheaper, but working and being paid at local rates evens it all out.

Louis

They are so busy their ‘helpers’ from Helpx improve their home and help them function from day to day.  Whilst we have been here we have seen the culmination of helpers’ efforts by painting and moving them upstairs into their own bedroom leaving the downstairs room as a sitting room.

Dresses for the wedding

Mau

Ava

Zena (warrior princess)

          

                         

Here is a link to the houses for sale in Palamartsa -

https://picasaweb.google.com/lioappletree