I went to reception again this morning only to find it closed again so I went to see one of the campers. Needless to say, they are all Greek but I luckily chose one who spoke a little English. He told me that the campsite was closed and only people who had permanent pitches were there! There were no office staff but there was a caretaker who was often around the site. Fortunately, whilst we were talking, he spotted the caretaker and I ran over to intercept him. He spoke less English but I think that he understood that we would be away for three days, returning on Monday. With a bit of luck there will be somebody to pay then as he thinks that the office staff may be there.
We packed far too much into a suitcase and had lunch before Glenn arrived at two o'clock. It was easy to spot him in the car with the English numberplate and we greeted each other with broad smiles. After picking up Jane and the heavy suitcase, we gave Glenn the obligatory and quick guided tour of our palatial temporary home and then set off. We passed through Tyros Beach and climbed up the hill to Sapounakeika – we had a quick lesson on the pronunciation and I am sure that we will get the hang of it before we go. The road became narrower and narrower until it was just an alleyway and I was glad that Jane was in the back of the car, probably with her eyes closed. Glenn guided the car expertly round bends and passed steps with only an inch or two on either side before reaching the house and dropping us off. Venice was there to welcome us, along with Sam the black Labrador and the 31 year old parrot, Rosie.
The house is in a spectacular position, high on a hill with breathtaking views over Tyros Beach and the sea to the Akte Peninsular and the island of Spetses. It is everything that I would want if I ever bought a house in Greece – an old house in a small village, renovated in traditional style but with all mod cons and, of course, that view. Built into the hillside, one enters on the top floor with its kitchen and living rooms and then descend to the bedrooms. The original alcoves and wall cupboards had been preserved and the whitewashed walls and blue painted window frames gave that wonderful clean and light appearance so typical of Greek houses.
Glenn and Venice had seen the old abandoned house when they visited their old friends Nigel and Wendy in Sapounakeika last year for Greek Easter and fell in love with it and its position. Within the space of just a few days before they had to return to England, they had the house inspected by a builder, got an estimate of the building costs, agreed a price with the seller, opened a bank account and signed contracts. Quite some achievement! Then came the small matter of sorting out everything at home as they intended to sell their house in Somerset and move out to Greece. After 20 odd years of living in the same house, there was much to sort out and many trips to the local tip. In August, Glenn drove to Greece with the car stuffed full of possessions and arrived in Sapounakeika with only two night stops on the way. They had rented the house above theirs for the short time before the house would be ready. This meant that they were able to sit on the balcony and watch the work on the house. That was the theory but they often found themselves watching nothing happening. The original deadline of the end of August came and went, then September, October and November. As Christmas approached, they took decisive action. To the builder's disbelief, they carried out their threat and moved into the house that had no doors and windows. Glenn rigged up a temporary front door and covered the windows to keep the worst of the weather out. The builder was shamed into action and carpenters, plumbers and electricians galore appeared and the house finally started to take shape. It was worth the hassle – they have a beautiful house.
One of the big advantages of an old house is that it has established grounds. Their house had vines, olive trees, lemon trees (too many!), orange trees and a family tree (an orange tree with a lemon grafted on so that the tree has both fruits). Glenn had created a number of vegetable patches with all manner of plants – french beans, broccoli, aubergines, courgettes, potatoes, okra, potatoes, tomatoes, beetroot, celery, carrots and squash, to name but a few. It was great chatting to them and hearing about their plans for the future. Venice has been finding recipes for lemons as they have so many that they cannot possibly use them all. They can't give them away as all of the neighbours are inundated with them. We have already been told that we can take as many as we want with us when we go. The Lemon Pickle and Lemon Curd are especially good and we are attempting to eat as much of them as possible whilst they are still available!
Photos: The Reunion – Glenn, Venice and us.
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