Blogs from Greece, Europe - page 5

Issy and I opt for a rest day. No rest however for most of the Rembrandts; they head five kilometres or so along the steep and winding road around the bay to Paralia Agios Konstantinos. They’re taking the sensible approach; they’ve chartered a fleet of taxis for the trip. Most of them already think I’m a bit unhinged, so I think it might be better if I don't let it slip that I walked there a couple of days ago. We stir from our slumbers in the late afternoon just in time for another session of show and tell. Actually it was probably just me who stirred from a slumber … I don’t think there’s any chance that Issy nodded off; she’s been way too nervous at the prospect of showing off her masterpieces to the ... read more

Today we’re catching a bus to the small seaside village of Maltezana which is about ten kilometres east of Livadi just past the so-called Narrows of Astypalea. Our fearless leader Diana tells us that the name comes from a Maltese connection, and Issy suddenly gets very excited. This subsides quite quickly however when it’s revealed that the connection is that Maltese pirates used to use the bay as a hideout as they went about looting and pillaging the island. We heard similar stories in Naxos last year, and I remember thinking at the time that Issy’s Maltese relatives had been strangely silent on that particular aspect of their island’s history. It’s a bit windy here, but there are a couple of respectable looking beaches with sunlounges and beach umbrellas. It looks like it’s a serious fishing ... read more

Not really still in Dimitsana, although the first few photos are. We are currently in Elati, a village of only about 15 people (few more on the weekend) so it’s no surprise it doesn’t feature on maps and location entries. It’s cute but after 8 hours walk the last thing we wanted was another 600 metre climb to our homestay. Sampled a boar sausage last night. To absolutely no surprise it came with chips. Julie had the kebabs and pita bread and both were OK but nothing special. The tzatziki was good though, very creamy and plenty of garlic. The beer was really cold and even served in a cold glass so 2 out of 4 ain’t bad. Later went looking for baklava and coffee but couldn’t find any. Greece is in crisis! Breakfast in Dimitsana ... read more

Couple of food photos first. Our last night in Stemnista was back to the only restaurant in the town (surprise, surprise!) but not for a a whole grilled chicken-we Made that mistake last night. I’m not sure how they cut the chicken up but there must have been at least 20 portions! Some identifiable, some not so but all good. It was spanakopita and lamb cooked in lemon, served with the ubiquitous chips. Vegetables are very hard to come by here. There are virtually none on the menu except for tomatoes. Our accomodation has a great morning breakfast, most of which they were happy for us to take away. So a couple of s cheese and spinach rolls, a couple of egg and bacon bakes and a couple of sweet biscuits went with us. Still managed ... read more

I join a select few of the Rembrandts for a short bus ride up the hill where they’ll be spending the morning drawing windmills. It seems the pull of the beach has been a bit stronger than the pull of the paintbrush for the rest of the crew; they’ve all opted to stay put down in Livadi. The remnants of eight windmills are still sitting up here on the ridge below the Castle. I read that they’re believed to have been built in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the locals apparently used to bring their grain up here to have it milled into flour. They look almost identical to the mills on the ridge above Chora in Amorgos. The ones here in Astypalea were apparently able to spin horizontally to suit the wind direction; I ... read more