Sunday 24th April 2022 – Aginara Beach

Happy Greek Easter.
There were fireworks last night from the neighbouring village of Glyfa and when we looked out through the windows of the van this morning, there was smoke rising gently from further up the campsite. Preparations were well underway for the Easter meal that we were all invited to. Five sheep were being spit roasted over charcoal and the sixth spit held kokoretsi – a Greek traditional delicacy for Easter – sheep offal wound around a spit and roasted. It sounds horrible but I have had it in the past and it was rather nice.
It was a very relaxed morning and as lunchtime approached we all gathered around watching the barbecue, taking in the lovely smells and getting hungry. Most of the guests at the campsite are German but there was a Dutch couple who I had heard speaking English. I said hello to them and we then heard Agelika announce from afar “You can sit at a table together” – so that was decided then!
When the lambs were ready we dutifully sat at a table with Henk and Geke and had a lovely afternoon. The food was excellent and the company even better. They are a lovely couple and it was fascinating to hear how Geke had started a primary school with 3 pupils (‘Holland’s smallest school) and grown it into a school of 750, all in eight years! All the Dutch are a very tolerant society, the primary school system is mostly segregated with Dutch nationals attending different schools to the non-Dutch who attend ‘black’ schools. Henk taught in a ‘black’ school with mainly Turkish and Moroccan pupils but neither he nor Geke agree with that system. When Geke set up her school, she announced that she would take pupils strictly in the same proportions as the national and non-national populations in her area. This caused her many problems as she had to refuse entry of some pupils from both sides in order to keep the proportions correct. She received criticism in the press and even received death threats. What a fantastic example she set and there is much discussion in Holland now about changing the segregated system.

Photos: The barbecue – in previous years they have babecued 11 or more lambs!; Every table was laid with the traditional red eggs (and other colours these days!); Our table before the food arrived; And after it arrived!; The campsite taverna with all the guests.