Sunday, Sunday

Sunday 25th - Hora

 

So last nights meal went well, Spagetti Carbonara with the nearest thing you can get to bacon  over here from Syros. If I have time when I pick up my five year permit card, I will go to Lidl, but more importantly I need to visit the Vodaphone store to try and resolve the payement problems on the sim I use in the house router. I watched the blatantly propaganda film The House on 92nd St last night, the end bit was a bit over the top in the claims it made, but it was good entertainment nether the less. I will try and find something a bit better for tonight.

I need to have a good think about my strategy for getting about here. The walk to the Lighthouse was really good yesterday, but it was too long. I got my timings wrong too, so when I got to Livadi, I had missed the last bus before the afternoon hiatus, so I had two hours to kill. I knew that I needed to keep out of the sun. So I went to the bakery and spun out my drink and ice cream and finished off yesterdays blog. 

So my ideal would be to get somewhere on the island and do a walk from there. But there isn’t much public transport and I could end up being stranded and having to call a taxi. A car hire would cost in the region of thirty euros a day, which is a lot of money. So in no particular order 

Hire or buy a scooter - I have no experience of riding on powered two wheels.

Buy an old car - they have no mot here, I could just run it into the ground, I was trying to reduce my carbon footprint not increase it! It could be used to store my stuff in when I go away for two months.

Buy a traditional or electric cycle. - the traditional bike would not be much benefit, as I would expended a lot of energy to get where I want to start a walk, electric would be better, I would have to try and buy one from the mainland? Would it get stolen, ( crime is very low here)

Will have to think about this one. Could delay until I come back next September. I have added the Greek special days to my calendar, as it would be good to know when they are, as often things are shut, like they used to in the UK.

I have transcribed the words and phrases from the infamous Chapter two from the Greek language audio book onto a iCloud note. The plan today is to have a quieter day, maybe a walk to Livadi and back, then do some Greek and make a mushroom curry for dinner. 

I had an idea of something I can grow and harvest hopefully before I leave in July. Garlic. You can sow the cloves in the autumn or spring. The autumn ones can be set now, and hopefully start growing and get a head start before winter sets in. If the winters are milder here then they might even keep growing during winter. I might dedicate one of the troughs to garlic then.

So today’s walk was inspired off the map, I was wearing sandals so no off piste moments today. Before I did the walk, I popped into Marinos coffee shop and had one his lovely ice cold Fredo Cappuccino’s outside with everyone else. He doesn’t seem to be putting the bill slips in a little peg now, I hope they come back, it was like a trademark. There was a guy with a “Think of Serifos and smile” T shirt. Might try and get one of those! I then went to the supermarket and bought a ham, cheese and tomato pie, which I ate as I walked down to the church with the graveyard ( reservoir walk ). on the left in a field was one of the horses that are used to carry things around the paths of Hora. I met a young girl running the other way,  I would not do that, the surface is very dangerous, you could easily slip. Also on the left were huge Aloe Vera plants, one with a massive flower spike on it.

When I got to the church/graveyard, I was to turn right and not left as I normally do. But to the left was a dumpster fit for my paper bag the pie came in. 

I then realised that there was standing water, we have seen it by the church, which is close by. As I approached the water there were a couple of plops, and I thought, I bet that is a terrapin. So I stayed still and had a look. Sure enough there was one sunning itself.

I wish I had my super zoom camera. I have not been carrying it around, as I cannot get it to connect to the iPad to download photos. As I walked past the graveyard there was a car with a lady in it, there was someone else by one of the graves. I said “Kalimera” and got a friendly reply. I then went along my new road. This is interesting as it goes around Hora looking back up at it from a different angle, in fact seeing the ruined windmill, church  and castle in view. 

Later on Livadi then came into view, with the sea glistening beautifully. I walked past a load of chickens all running loose. A few of them decided to go on the road. The car that I saw by the graveyard was now approaching us and the chickens seemed on a death wish. I chased them back to where they were meant to be, so the car could safely continue. It’s two occupants thanked me as they went past. The road carried on and joined the Livadi Hora road, not very far down in fact. Looking down on the left, I could see roads and tracks, which would have brought me further away from the centre of Livadi. I will try and get to them next time. But this could be a good walk for Ronnie, if I went back up to Hora from where I joined the road, on the path. 

I decided to walk down to Livadi and went down the access road that I used by the other day. I went into the nearest shop, there are so many of these little grocers, how do they all survive?  I bought myself an ice cream and ate it while walking along the sea front.  There was time to buy a few ingredients for the  Greek Chick Pea Stew I have decided to make if my three friends ( including Ronnie the dog)  want to eat in the house when they stay over next week.