Apparently our decision to stay forever is pretty common. While chatting with the proprietor of the Mistral before leaving this afternoon, she mentioned that most of her business is repeating guests year after year.
(And thanks for your patience in these first posts. I’ll be adding links for everything when WiFi is good and time is plentiful – or maybe when we are home. I saw a few typos in those first two. No doubt those will disappear in time, too.)
Last night we found dinner just steps from the hotel, but in the other direction of the main happenings. This was very nice, as we were surrounded by more locals than tourists, and prices were even better than a couple of winding blocks over. Cretan salad is something I’ll be making this summer. And we had sea bass this time. Well, we and four cats shared the fish. I’m sure the waitstaff would never scold the customers, but I could tell that they weren’t impressed that we finally gave in and tossed a few scraps. We’re also finding the sweet spot with ouzo finishers. Either that or we’re tolerating it better now. There wasn’t a problem this morning, and there was maybe a little bit of a sluggish start to the morning before.
The breakfast that was included with our room was crazy good again. The photo is above. The first meal starts with a small portion of warm soup. From there you eat through courses until you finish with not one, but two desserts. We had the chickadees join us. Tom managed a video of one of them nibbling our cake that I’ll share soon.
I confess we had trouble filling the morning. We needed to check out by 11:00am, so we stowed our luggage and walked around. We had more coffee by the port. Then we went back to a favorite restaurant for a quick lunch. (I’ll let you know in an hour how clever that was, as we’re now on the ferry, and it’s bouncier than before, and I’m drugged up with my fingers crossed.) We had the taverna to ourselves, and so we visited with the woman who had become a friend. Every time we walked by the past two days she greeted us like neighbors. I suppose we were, in a way. She shared with us that yes, this was her family’s restaurant. Then she talked about the season opening, and how the island is changing.
We had noticed that it must be in a time of great change, too. Mainly, the construction is everywhere. The French and Germans are snapping up property and raising prices. 150 sq meters is selling for 400,000E, and usually needs about half the value in repairs before it can be used. We did see some lovely places being restored, but now we know those are likely million euro plus and not at all something to tempt us.
Our last hour was spent chatting with a Scottish gentleman whose travel companion was on a horseback ride up the hill. I’d mentioned something about his wife – the couple is about our age – and he beamed, “Not yet! I proposed last night, though, and she accepted.” He also suggested that we do the Acropolis museum before climbing the hill, because we’d understand it better.
You’ll hear this from me over and over again, but the briefest of encounters with fellow travelers can provide the greatest of joys. People are amazed to hear that we’ve been traveling together 40 years this summer, and we are equally enchanted with their stories. (Like another guest at the hotel, a 77 year old woman who is still traveling solo. Her six languages help her get around.)
So yes, more waves on the water today, but the trip still manages to go smoothly. Next up, a taxi to the Plaka in Athens and two nights in the AirBnB I linked a few posts ago.
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Other things I learned today: I’m going to need to break down and update at least one of my travel electronics. I’m working from a 2nd generation iPad mini, an old iPhone 7 SE, and a couple of lithium battery backups. So far power hasn’t been a problem, the batteries in the devices remain strong, but I am finding that the wifi connections sometime stumble, and the lack of current iOS creates hurdles for Apps that I’ve been relying upon like Booking.com and AirBnb. I let loose a few choice words this morning trying to accomplish what should have been a simple task. I hope I didn’t interrupt your sleep.
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Dinner was really something, but it’s going to wait. Sometimes ”really something” isn’t at all what you are looking for in a meal. Tired. More tommorrow.
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