Kleptomaniac Pie

The opportunity to dine out every night while on holiday, a la Grecque, is just too glorious for words. It gives Darrell time out from the pots and pans, plus the opportunity to try out new dishes, that he occasionally researches to add to his already enormous repertoire at home!

...... and this year, we've got a definite winner, in what we've been affectionately calling Kleptomaniac Pie, to wit Kefalonian Meat Pie, which according to Darrell is to die for.

So much so that, so far, he's has ordered it four times already, each a little bit different to the restaurants he's had it in, but he says he just can't get enough.  He's promised me that he will spread his culinary net a little wider .........

........ but as it's a savoury, delicacy unique to the island, unless we make a concerted effort to return, when will he be able to indulge to his hearts content again?   

Let's just say he's making the most of it!  What is he like?

Kefalonian Meat Pie - Amazingkefalonia.com

A Mysterious Ringing In Our Lugholes!

For the last couple days Darrell has been saying that he's been woken up by a strange sort of ringing in his ears, wondering if he ought to try and get them syringed at the local pharmacy up the road, thinking that perhaps he's some sea water in them.  

But then, yesterday, I was also woken up by my own ears ringing and trust me, I never go in the sea above my waist, so I knew mine couldn't be down to any briney type activity.

We wondered if it was a windchime, but then, windchimes don't switch themselves on and off. It was all a bit of a mystery, but thankfully, my bearing witness to said ringing, did save Darrell from any sort of unfortunate invasive aural intervention!

Anyways up, when we got back from the beach this evening, we heard it again, as clear as day, both very definitely simultaneously, at the same time, in all four of our ears .......

........ and it seemed to be getting, spookily, closer and closer ...... and then, from our balcony, Darrell caught a glimpse, which quickly turned into a whole swarm of real life, Greek goats flooding down from the hillside, bells all swinging akimbo!

It was almost too impossibly, rurally romantic for words .........

..... and also goes to explain the occasional proliferation of droppings along the path up to and from El Hotel Paradiso ........

....... that Darrell had originally put down to some rather large or over fed wild rabbits!!!!

 

Sooooooooo, happy days once again, with a choice bar of Goat Milk soap now added to Darrell's holiday shopping list as a small memento of the occasion, what on earth is he like? 

Breakfast A La Hotel Paradiso? Breakfast Of Champions?

Now more or less "invested" in chez Hotel Paradiso, Darrell and I decided that their breakfast would be the deciding factor as to our defining opinion of said establishment after our distinctly lack lustre welcome.

So, we went down early and found a handful of other guests, a little older than ourselves, moving, it seemed, in that holiday slow motion type way that people sort of adopt as they select their first vittles of the day!

Let's just say, it all lacked a certain exotic vibrancy and atmosphere, no stops whatsoever had been pulled out to make this break (as in our case) one of the highlights of the year, instead everything seemed very whispered and tippy toed!  

Darrell said just a hint  of  a bazooka bouzouki, a touch of Nana Mouskateer or even a delicate warble from Dennis Rousos and the whole breakfast experience would have been immediately elevated to a more joyous holiday vibe, instead of, as he put it, (a Greek) God's waiting room!

As for the breakfast itself? Well, it was basic but adequate, served in such a way that perhaps you didn't eat with your eyes first.  Not knowing how long the cooked items had been left standing in what looked like a very type antiquated warmer, we decided it best to stay clear of all such comestibles ....... 

...... opting instead for the baked items, accompanied by a little butter and cheese.

As for our most beloved Greek yoghurt, so thick your spoon simply stands proud, unaided in it?  Erm, no, this much anticipated delight offered our spoon no resistance whatsoever, so we refrained forthwith after our first bowlful. The glorious Kefalonian honey with which we drizzled it? Well, that had lumps in, so again, another no after that.

Not a resounding culinary experience then, not the breakfast of champions we'd hoped for and certainly not worth of sneaking a few choice bits and pieces into our Tupperware box to eat on the beach later, as we have been known to do in the past.  It's what it is ....... and we'll embrace it as best we can!  However, questions for the Greek Parliament are beginning to mount up!  

And Soooooooo To The Beach .......

After such an inauspicious start to our latest Greek Oddity, once Darrell and I had unpacked our bags, we headed straight to the beach, about a three/four minutes walk away ......

....... where, to be honest, we would be spending the majority of our time away, and where we really didn't give a monkeys chuff whether there was anyone at reception at Hotel Paradiso or not!

Let's just say, it did not disappoint ....... 

..... with two, well padded sunbeds, a table and a parasol for the princely sum of 12 euros per day .......

...... an absolute bargain, as we know we'd be availing ourselves of them from at the latest nine thirty in the morning to, at the very least, seven o'clock in the evening!

It was perfect.  A two minute walk to the Paspalis bar and restaurant (where we stayed about ten years ago) for a cold drink, small beach snackette and an occasional cheeky wee.

The sea, if a little bracing on first, thigh high dip was the most unbelievable turquoise blue we'd ever seen and sooooooo clear, it afforded no hiding place for any sort of marine life, with fish who always seem, bizarrely, to make a beeline for our feet, a free foot-spa if you will.

The beach is pebbly, but as we'd researched it beforehand we'd come armed with with an assortment of sliders and aqua pumps. Darrell also anticipated that there'd be more than ample opportunity for finding plenty of his beloved holey stones.

We were well pleased ..........

It seemed a little odd, at first, to be without Eric and the ever fragrant one ...... but it was also very ..... erm, peaceful, shall I say, with no pester power!  Happy, happy sun filled days ahead, we felt truly, truly blessed in a special summer edition, Hello Magazine type way!

An Inauspicious Welcome!

Well, what can I say? We've arrived on the beautiful and romantic isle of Kefalonia to a story that we'll be able to dine out on for many years to come, a memory certainly made forever!

After being dropped off at our hotel, we walked into our hotel reception area with an undisguisable and unfettered excitement ....... only to be greeted by an eerie silence and an empty desk, no one, nobody, nada!  It was not unlike the Marie Celeste.

Undeterred we gave it five minutes, we saw a few people outside by the pool, so decided to have a mooch around, we found a bell, on what we thought might be the breakfast and so gave it a hearty and robust ding and then walked, with hope, back to the reception, again nada!

So, then we ventured a little further afield, where we saw a handful of souls lazing in the sun (after that, we never saw people outside again for our entire holiday), perhaps our host was serving in the bar?  Nah!

When we went inside again a fellow guest asked if we were waiting with a resigned sigh, saying she would look for someone.  After five minutes she returned, dolefully shaking her head.  I have to admit, at that, Darrell's and my heart started to sink,  "Welcome to The Hotel Paradiso" we said, almost in unison.

She then told us there was usually a piece of paper left with a number on for people to ring if there was no one there, which she found behind the desk and promptly rang it for us, telling the lady at the other end she had people waiting!  We thanked her profusely (and never saw her again, during our stay)

Five minutes later a woman turned up, no pleasantries, just asking for our passports and then immediately withdrew into the back office to have a very loud and animated phone conversation for at least twenty minutes, while we decided to take a seat, laughing and pinching ourselves, wondering what the Greek for Fawlty Towers was!  We've never ever received such a "bounteous" greeting such as this on any of our oddities! 

Finally, "the manager" we believe, returned, again with no pleasantries, this time asking for our five euros a day Greek Tax, telling us our room was A11, just up the stairs .......

 ......... and that we'd find the key in the door!

Needless to say, it wasn't!  

Darrell returned to find the desk once again deserted, but fortunately after a general mooch, found said key behind the counter and just took it and ran.

It was all very bizarre, however not ones to overly dwell on things, after two years we were finally back in our beloved Greece .......

......... and no one..... but no one was going to rain on our Greek parade!!!

  

Will questions be asked in the Greek Parliament, we have yet to decide! 

Kefalonia Bound - Yet Another Greek Oddity

Passports check, euros check, sea sick tablets check, air sickness tablets check, mosquito bands, check, snuggly fitting budgie smuggles check, barley sugar check, teabags and marmite check .........

 ........

When you see Darrell and I next we'll be on the romantic and beautiful Greek island of Kefalonia, without a care in the world, except for whose turn is it to walk up the the local bakery to get a tiropita, paroramatos or spanokopita (or all three) for a small beach side snack!

We're leaving the ever fragrant Alice and Eric up to their own devices to look after The Towers and school run, with a full and varied selection of ready meals in the freezer as prepared by Darrell and enough money to cover emergencies.  If they're not sure of anything, they're to knock on our beloved neighbour Kata's door, although I think they'll be perfectly fine!

This has been a long time in the making, last year we veered off to Spain when the prices in Greece seemed a little high, but this year, we've adjusted our budget, given up the Maltesers and chocolate digestives as our hearts, as always and ever, truly belong to the many, many islands of Greece ....... see you on the other side!!!

And don't worry about Alice and Eric, they won't be left wanting, as, trust us, they are off on a wonderful adventure of their own, later on in the year!!!

Further Developments Up The Track

Not that we are in any way susceptible to the listening of idle gossip ........

.... but we've tried to do a bit of delving, and although it's very much hearsay at the moment, it could also very well be true  ......

..... as there's been mench on a local Facebook page, that the tenants of the allotments at the top of our short cut up to the train station and the 24 hour Tesco, have been told that they may have forgo their horticultural pursuits and pleasures, as plans are under discussion for said allotments to become, of all things, a cemetery?

At the moment the ground is very much alive with growth and the anticipation of great things to come of a comestible and flowery type nature but, playing devils advocaat  advocate,  we will be the first to admit that we very much like visiting the odd old graveyard or two, with fond memories of doing the same with our beloved No. 1 Fan Jan the Fan in Oxford, when we had our glorious meet up.  However, to be honest, a new cemetery, might not have quite the same allure as old faded inscriptions, moss covered headstones, statues of mournful beckoning angels and other such glorious memorial monuments of yore.   

There is a meeting at the Town Hall in a couple of days time, where there will be an update on "new cemetery land", we are tempted to go along to have a listen and also to see what biscuits are proffered!!

Naturally, as and when we know more .........

........ you will, of course, be the very first to know.