Tuesday 27th May 2008

We decided to catch a bus to the other end of the island and do a short walk. The bus didn't leave until 10:30 so we had a relaxing start, however the walk wasn't exactly relaxing. The bus took us to Paleo Klima past a large area of burnt forest, the result of a farmers fire that got out of control in March. It was sobering to see how much forest burned even in the Spring when the flora was not tinder-dry like it was during the horrendous fires in Greece last Summer. We also passed the village of Elios, destroyed by an earthquake in the 1960's.
There was absolutely no breeze and the air temperature was 25°C when we left and 32°C when we arrived in Glossa. The meant that the walk was very hot but it was most enjoyable. We moved between areas of shade, normally large, gnarled olive trees, walking on a narrow mule track. This was sometimes slightly overgrown, making it somewhat challenging. We passed many old olive groves, including one where we were greeted by a farmer who was clearing the undergrowth and his two mules were grazing in the shade of the trees. We went through semi-derelict hamlets where nearly every ruin had 'For Sale' painted on a surviving wall. There is still plenty of score for second-home buyers! I spotted some dolphins searching for fish in the flat-calm sea below us and all through the walk we followed their progress. We arrived in Glossa somewhat hot and tired, found a bar and ordered a large bottle of water and four glasses. They didn't make much money out of us and we did feel guilty sat in the posh surroundings admiring the sea views, but that was all we wanted at the time. Having recovered, we walked to the other end of the village where there was a restaurant right by the bus stop. We had an excellent, very reasonably priced, light lunch and relaxed until the bus arrived. The views on the bus journey were lovely and we ensured that we sat on the right side of the coach where the views were best.
We arrived back and purchased our ferry tickets for the return journey. We had intended to leave on Friday but found that the only ferry options were 07:15 or 19:50. The latter was too late, getting us into Volos at midnight and the early ferry was much earlier than we would have liked! We decided to stay an extra day and leave on the early Saturday ferry.
Dinner was taken at another excellent taverna – we will be experts on the tavernas of Skopelos Town by the time that we leave!
Photos: The band of intrepid explorers fighting their way through the jungle of the mule track – note the head-down concentration of the leader; Mule grazing in the shade of the olive trees – we followed their example, by resting in the shade, not grazing!

Monday 26th May 2008

Breakfast on the balcony this morning after a quick walk down to local bakery for fresh bread. With tables on either side of the low dividing fence that separates the balconies, we were able to breakfast together without the hassle of moving chairs between the apartments. It really is a lovely place to have breakfast with that view of the sea. It was already warm and when we met Stella, she told us that the temperature was forecast to reach 36°C by Thursday, after which it would start to cool back down again. This really is unseasonally hot for a Greek May, being much more like the temperatures that they would expect in July and August. Still, the apartments have air conditioning, which could prove to be very useful.
We stocked up at a supermarket in the town whilst investigating part of the old town and had lunch in the apartments. In the afternoon we walked to the small Kastro (castle) of which only a small section of wall exists. However, the houses on the top are very pretty and, unsurprisingly, there is a fantastic view over the town and harbour from the Kastro. There are five churches on the walk down to the harbour and we were able to look in one of them that was receiving a lick of paint. The rest of the afternoon was spent discussing our options for our stay and this ran into pre-meal drinks. I am not sure that we actually decided anything but the conversation, ouzo and beer flowed.
Dinner was taken at a different taverna tonight, on the seafront and more traditionally Greek. The taverna is open all year, which is often a good sign as they have to be good and traditional in order to keep their local custom. And good it was, with the best fried courgette that I have ever had, cut extremely thin with a very light batter.
Photos: An artistic house on the Kastro; A view from the Kastro over two of the churches.

Sunday 25th May 2008

After moving Henrietta to a position behind the very smart apartments and plugging in to their power, we set off with our suitcase to the bus stop just a few metres from the campsite entrance. In normal fashion, the bus was nearly a quarter of an hour late – just at the point where we were beginning to wonder whether it was ever going to arrive. We got into Volos at 11:30, two and a half hours before the ferry was due to leave, so we bought our tickets, left the suitcase at the agency and set off to explore Volos. We hoped to find an internet café and eventually found an internet point with lots of computers but no wireless and we couldn't plug in the laptop. Fortunately, they directed us to a 'Flo café' (part of a chain) on the seafront that had free wireless internet. We ordered two very expensive, but very good, coffees and I then spent 10 minutes trying to get onto the internet. Eventually, the third person who came to help me explained that the Internet was too busy with all of the other cafés on the seafront and it wasn't working. I didn't see a single person in any of the cafés with a laptop, so I wasn't convinced.
The ferry journey was very pleasant and we sat in an open area at the back with a roof to keep the sun off. It was very warm and the breeze set up by the movement of the ship was very welcome. However, there was a howling gale at the bow end and this area was quickly evacuated. The journey took four hours and much of this time was spent going down the Pelio peninsular, past islets, before we headed to the island of Skiathos. This is a very pretty island, larger than Skopelos and the most popular destination of the passengers and vehicles. We watched the people and lorries pour off the ferry before we headed towards Skopelos, which was only a short distance away. We passed more islets before we arrived at the tiny port of Loutraki at the northern end of Skiathos. Hardly anything got on or off here and we soon started our trip round the island to Skopelos Town. Jane spotted some dolphins behind the ferry and we spent some time watching them playing in the wake of the ferry. This is great to watch and the Greeks were just as entranced as the foreigners.
Arriving at Skopelos Town Norman and Deborah were on the quayside to meet us and after a happy reunion, we made our way to the apartments. They had plotted a route through the narrow windy streets of the old town that involved the least number of steps and we were soon at Stella's apartments with a wonderful view over the town, castle ruins and the view over the bay and out to Alonissos (the ferry's final destination). Stella had kindly arranged for us to have the apartment next to Norman and Deborah's so that we had adjoining balconies – this would prove to be very useful over the coming days.
Norman and Deborah have been coming to Skopelos for 13 years and know all of the tavernas (and taverna owners) in the town. Deborah had prepared a selection of the best for us to try and we set off for the first of these now, and an excellent meal it was too.
Photos: Greek discussion group on the ferry; View from our apartment in Skopelos Town.

Saturday 24th May 2008

An even rarer Odyssey event, two lazy days in succession! We did do slightly more than yesterday as, before the real heat of the day hit, we walked into the local village. This was very easy, walking along the beach until we came across a minor road that took us all along the seafront. There were plenty of attractive tavernas and bars and, on a fortnight's holiday it would be fun to investigate them all. We then walked slightly inland and found the 'main street', although that only consisted of two shops. Still, the supermarket was well stocked and reasonably priced and I returned later with empty beer bottles and replaced them with full ones. It is good to see that Greece still has deposits on bottles, surely better than glass recycling, which is of dubious merit.
Apart from a spell writing this blog, I spent the rest of the day reading 'Christ Recrucified'. It really is quite gripping and I found it very difficult to put down, so I didn't!
We have a 14:00 ferry to catch from Volos tomorrow, so we checked bus times with the very helpful lady in Reception and established where we needed to put the van whilst we are away.
The meal tonight was the rest of the Pastitsatha but this time with the pasta. As with almost all stews (and curries), it is better on the second day as the flavours have melded even more.
Photos: The pretty village of Kato Gatzea with a typical pier constructed of two tree trunks with planks nailed to them; Fishing for olives?

Friday 23rd May 2008

A rare Odyssey event – we didn't move more than a hundred metres from Henrietta today. The major excursion of the day was to the shower block – very well equipped with large rooms holding a sink with a mirror and a curtained shower with lots of hot water.
The rest of the day was spent in leisure. I finished 'A Parrot in the Pepper Tree', Chris Stewart's sequel to 'Driving Over Lemons', continuing the story of his life in the Alpajuras, south of Granada in Spain. Both books are excellent and I intend to order the third in the series so that I can pick it up during our visit to England in June. I have now started 'Christ Recrucified' by Nikos Kazantakis (of 'Zorba the Greek' fame), a story of life in a Greek village during the Turkish occupation. I thought that it was going to be very heavy but I am finding it to be a very good read.
Cooking was the other occupation – a variation of Pastitsatha (Veal with pasta), given that we had it with potatoes and carrots rather than pasta. It is a delicious stew with beef, many onions, garlic, lots of tomato paste, white wine and a generous measure of olive oil. With long, slow cooking, the veal is very tender and the sauce thickens and has a wonderful flavour.
Photos: Interesting flying beast – as long as it doesn't get too close; Martin with laptop, wine glass, chocolate and the very friendly campsite cat.

Thursday 22nd May 2008

After breakfast, we walked the half mile to Maisie and said goodbye to Terry and Stuart. One of the joys of travelling like this is meeting soulmates such as Terry and Stuart and we will definitely keep in touch.
We drove up to the largest of the monasteries, Megalou Meteorou (Grand Meteora), and found large numbers of coaches, motorhomes and cars. We decided not to visit the monastery itself but it was much clearer today and we admired the views. From here we looked over the village of Kastraki and the rock formations to the mountains in the distance with their sprinkling of snow. In the other direction, we could see three more monasteries, Varlaam just below us, Roussanou in the middle distance and Ayias Triadhos in the far distance. We then drove down, with many stops for photographs on the way, to Ayiou Nikolaou Anapavsas. This is much lower than the others but still involves a long climb up on wooden and stone steps. They have thoughtfully provided a quick, steep option or a longer, more gentle route. Jane had set off but I stayed to take some photographs. There were two climbers climbing a vertical (literally, not an exaggeration) rock face that was hundreds of metres high – not for the faint-hearted, including me! I set off quickly on the steep route and managed to meet up with Jane near the top. I was definitely out of breath and certainly not fit enough for mountaineering!
Anapavsas was a delight, much less visited than some of the others and with at least one very friendly, young resident monk. The tiny chapel's walls were covered in beautiful frescoes and the views were delightful. From the top of the rock we could see the ruins of at least three other monasteries on nearby pinnacles and there was also a good view of Roussanou and just a glimpse of Varlaam in a gap in the cliff face high above us.
We would have loved to walk around the area and Terry and Stuart described a lovely two and a half hour walk that they had taken. Although my leg is now much improved, it would not have been sensible to attempt such a walk this time. Still, that gives us the excuse to visit the area again and to explore the less visited monasteries on foot.
We headed for Volos and, on the way, tried to find a fuel station that supplied Autogas. These are very rare in Greece but I had found an Internet site with (not very detailed) addresses of two fuel station between Larissa and Volos. We didn't find either of those but fortunately came across another one near Volos. We filled up with 10 litres and, with no heating and little hot water use, the full tank should last us 6 to 8 weeks.
We called in at Volos port on the way to establish the times of the ferries to Skopelos and then drove on the 18 km to the Camping Sykia at Kato Gatzea. This is in a lovely position with terraces going down to the sea and we selected a pitch shaded by old olive trees.
Photos: Anapavsas Monastery from a distance; Three monasteries – Varlaam on the right, a glimpse of Megalou Meteorou on its left and Anapavsas on the far left; Roussanou from a distance; Two ruined monasteries seen from Anapavsas with the village of Kastraki on the left.

Wednesday 21st May 2008

We had intended to get up early and visit the monasteries before all of the tour coaches arrived but decided instead to have a relaxing day and do the visits tomorrow when we were moving on to Volos. I went to get bread from one of the village bakeries and on the way I was passed by three tour coaches – this was at 08:30 and the monasteries didn't open until 09:00. Obviously, there was no way to avoid the day trippers!
I spent much of the day catching up with the blog and reading. Jane tried out the swimming pool and was impressed – the water was warm and the backdrop of the 'rocks in the air' was fantastic.
We had arranged to spend the evening with Terry and Stuart. They had found a recommendation in the Rough Guide for a restaurant in the village, so they all collected me from an Internet café on the way and we walked up to the restaurant with the massive rocks brooding in the twilight. We had an excellent meal with excellent company and walked back to Henrietta for coffee and brandies (the excellent Metaxa 3*, of course).
Photos: The village of Kastraki with the rock formations behind. The eagle-eyed amongst you may be able to spot one or two monasteries.