New beginnings?

I’m not really sure where to start. I can’t even remember where I left it off. So, bear with me till I figure this out. This is the fourth or fifth attempt at beginning to write this. I have even finished two other posts during the last month that I didn’t upload. I don’t really know why. At one hand, I miss writing. At another, I don’t want to write a couple of posts and then fail to continue. Anyway, I will keep on writing and see where this leads.

 Please? Give me a treat or take me for a walk! Anything will do

The thought crossed my mind of leaving blogger and moving to another platform. I could really start fresh and create a site on either tumblr or wordpress. From what I can see though, tumblr is mostly used to share things (images, videos, gifs) and for small posts. I think it’s very easy to use but it has a ‘tweeter’ and pinterest feel to it. Wordpress is something I’d like to investigate. My main problem is of course continuity. I wouldn't like to lose my previous posts and being able to refer to them. Yes, I can simply create simple links to blogger from wordpress, but I’d like to ask you whether there is a way to do something better? Have any of you moved from blogger to wordpress?

Having a coffee with the acropolis as our background.

Generally, we’re all doing great. I started a new job a bit more than a month ago in the City that I really enjoy. I managed to find something that pays better, but demands less. I’m not managing a team anymore which is weird because I kind of miss being part of the decision making team and mentoring people. But I lead a far less stressful life. I no longer spend my working days in long meaningless meetings but still stay long hours and work weekends to keep up with demanding projects. And talking about being underpaid; the role I am now is in theory more junior, but still pays better than before.

JJ was the one that commented the difference the change of jobs did to me. We were in a coffee place where the service wasn't the best and the food we were served was slightly burnt. I didn’t really make a fuss about it. I got slightly annoyed but got over it quite quickly. JJ said that if the same incident happened a couple of weeks earlier, it would have annoyed me much more. I don’t think I had anger management issues, but a stressful work life is definitely reflected on someone’s everyday life. I’m happy to say that I’m in a much happier place now. I feel a bit sorry for JJ having to put up with me, really.

Speaking of which, JJ is doing very well, so does our little Penny. Next month, it will be a whole year that she will be living with us and it’s been amazing. She’s the best dog in the world (yes, the whole world). She’s been so much easier than I feared she would be. We even managed to sort her out during some small holidays we had earlier this year.

hablas español ? ελληνικά?

Apart from all the construction works, the barking and coming and going of people, there’s a weird notion going on in my house. Both JJ and I are in the process of studying a new foreign language! JJ decided to study Greek and I decided to study Spanish! Between the two of us, we speak 5 languages! Fine, we have English in common, but I don’t think we’re doing badly. After the courses, we’ll be able to communicate in (alphabetic order) Afrikaans, English, Greek, French and Spanish.

JJ wanted to learn to speak Greek for some time now. At first he started a Rosetta Stone course some years ago. But he had some issues with his laptop and the whole we-need-to-buy-a-house malarkey happened and he stopped it. This time around he found a course in the London Hellenic centre. Most of his colleagues are people who are in relationship with a Greek and want to meet the family!

Unfortunately for him, Greek is not an easy language. The alphabet and the phonemes are different and can be complicated. The only good thing is that after you’ve learnt them, you can read any given word. In Greek what you see, is what you can read. A bit like Italian, although a bit more complicated. The bad thing is that even if you can read a word, it doesn’t mean you can easily find its meaning. I can help him though (duh).

For me the decision to learn Spanish was a bit out of the blue. A very good friend of mine found some discount vouchers for foreign languages courses. It could have been Italian, French, German or Spanish. She knows German and I know French, so the logical option was Spanish. I don’t have anything against Italian, but between the two, Spanish sounds to me a little bit nicer and more useful.

Since there are discount vouchers included in the deal, to be honest, I don’t have tremendous high expectations for the quality of the course. My only hope is that they’d like to do a good job, so that we stay for the next level and pay the full price then. But in any case, I’ll try to enjoy the experience. The last time I studied a foreign language in a classroom was the year before my university graduation, more than a decade ago, for my DALF (iplôme approfondi de langue française) which I enjoyed tremendously.

Do you think Penny will be even more confused if we spoke to her in 5 languages?

She's bored already... 

View from the top

It’s been a while since my last post and I have lots of catching up to do with your blogs. I will get down to it though. I’ve missed doing that. In my part of the world life has been very busy and time just flew by.

In the house front, we undertook the project of creating a new patio (?) in the back of the garden. Do you call that a patio or a deck or what? Instead of going with a wooden deck, we decided it would be easier to put slabs to create a bbq area next to the small shed. JJ had some days off work and he loves working on the garden, so we went for it. After checking YouTube / ‘how to’ videos and things online we went for a quick dry and easy slab layer solution and ordered bags and bags of them. We also got the number of slabs needed. Thank god that JJ’s good at DIY. I was basically the little help boy, but I believe I helped a lot by carrying various stuff around and taking care of the minor details.

The final result is quite good. We didn’t manage to get the exact elevations we wanted but I think that it looks quite decent and functional. JJ is still working on the final touches but we’re almost done. We will order some grass to put on the sides of the path…

On a very different note, it was my beloved ‘JJ’s 40th birthday last week! He insisted on not doing much about it, but I couldn’t help myself. He was working an early shift that morning and finished around noon. So, I did the same. I booked half a day off work and met him at home. I took Penny for a small walk while he rested for half an hour, since waking up at 3:00am can be a mood killer. After that we jumped on the tube and headed to ‘London Bridge’! There we went up the elevator and went outside in the 69th floor to admire the views from the top of the Shard!

Tower Bridge with the Isle of Dogs at the back

The birthday boy and me with the Thames at the back

Facing west

We were really lucky with the weather. It was sunny with some occasional clouds here and there casting beautiful shadows over the buildings. Since it was a weekday the place wasn’t very crowded and we were able to freely walk around and enjoy the experience. Unfortunately the sunny sky meant that we couldn’t take many pictures with us and the background view together because we either came up really dark or the background very bright. We managed to take some photos nonetheless. Overall, the views are breath taking. The building is perfectly situated over the Thames overlooking the whole city. Especially in days with good visibility, you can see for miles.

View of the City

After that we headed to a delicious dim sum restaurant overlooking the Tower Bridge. We were able to sit outside and enjoy the weather. We couldn’t stay long or have lots of alcohol since JJ had to get up the same time the next morning as well. But I hope that he enjoyed the day as much as I did.

And to wrap things up, here’s a few pictures of Penny:

Enjoying a day out in Clapham Common

Going crazy for a tennis ball

Various News Update

It’s been almost a month (minus a days) since I started my new eating habits. It’s been going generally well and it’s been much easier since JJ is doing a diet with me. I’m proud to say that the amount of delicious bad stuff like red meat, bread, cheese, chocolate, fried stuff and sugar I had during that month was kept to an absolute minimum. When you start looking for it, you can see that substances like sugar is basically everywhere! You can’t help it. But at least I've stopped the full fat cappuccinos with extra brown sugar. I used to have 2 to 3 a day. That should count, right? Overall I've lost about 5 kg in the last month, which I have to say I'm quite happy with. Now, my BMI is 24, down from 25.7, although I believe that the whole BMI as an indicator is a bit flawed. And that was only the first month.

On another medical issue, since my half marathon last March I've been having some issues with my right knee. I noticed it during my first recovery run after that race. I went to a physio and he said I have ITBS. It has to do, I assume, with the amount of running I do over tarmac, the sudden increase of mileage and maybe lack of post running stretching. Since then I tried to rest it but had to keep on training since I have another half marathon this Sunday in Hackney (RunHackney). Unfortunately the pain didn't go away and I had to cancel my race for this Sunday. I’m a bit disappointed because I would have ran it with JJ and it would have been great to run between the buildings of London’s Olympic Park. But alas, I won’t. At least I’ll go take photos and cheer for JJ and another friend who’s doing the same race. I’ll try to do it next year. At the moment I’m waiting for NHS to be properly referred to a clinic to get treatment.

So overall I can say that dieting is going great but exercising not so well. At least I still have my personal trainer at the gym.

Not sure about the sun during the English summer, but the rest...

Changing subjects, I can also now say that I became an IT team leader! I used to belong to the team that I now lead, so I have experience of what we do and how. However, I've never had a similar position and it might prove challenging, but at least for the moment it’s going well. Although I have noticed a couple of days ago some grey hair on my ‘fringe’. Could they be new?

Anyway, I’m at the process of recruiting for my old position in the team. That is way more time consuming than I thought it would be, but can at least be fun. I can now easily say how NOT to write a CV. The things I've seen… For example starting your CV by demonstrating your hobbies is not a very good idea! Is that the most important thing you can offer to the role? Especially if your hobbies are online or ‘live’ poker! Yes, these are genuine pastimes (who am I to judge?) but at the same time if they are the first thing I read about you, I can’t help but think ‘possible gambling problem’. At least he didn't add porn or illegally downloading copyrighted material. Adding that you've worked for a serious IT company for only 9 whole days including a weekend, is also not a good personality indicator.

Holidays

Where do I start? It’s been really busy the last few weeks.

First thing first, I’m on holidays next week and I really can’t wait. And I mean the kind of holidays where you really pack summer clothes, sun glasses and go to the airport to catch a flight for your destination. You must have guessed it, I’m going to Greece! I’m flying to Athens! I’m planning to see my new nephew and family. I’ll be staying over some old friends’ place for some days before JJ comes to join me the following weekend. Then, we’ll be staying in a nice hotel till we fly back the week after.

I kind of ‘spoke’ to my nephew last Sunday on Skype! He was looking at me with bewilderment. He had a hiccup, so you can say he was replying to the things I was saying. Then of course he shat himself and the communication came to an end. Rude!

I went with JJ to a baby store to buy him gifts. I assumed that my nephew must have everything for now. So, we tried to think ahead and buy him winter clothes or stuff he might use later this year. We might have gone a bit overboard and got him lots of things. But we are the weird/exotic uncles from abroad. We got him a fluffy doggy, jumpers, shoes, even a towel with a hat in one corner with bear ears! It looked so cute! That boy will be so spoilt when he grows up.

In any case I’m so excited to see some of my old friends next week. I have been living in London for years but I've always kept in touch with some people I knew even since high school, even earlier. These are friendships I believe will last a lifetime. Similarly, I’m planning on seeing my family. My parents will specifically drive to Athens to see me. OK, I admit that seeing their grandson also plays a part in their decision to come, but I hope that part of them wants to see me too.

I suggested to them that’s it time to get to know JJ as well. I thought it would be a great opportunity now. The arrival of the new member of the family is such a happy event that puts them in the right state of mind. And we could only just go for a quick coffee, even just with my mother since I know my father is the problem. But alas, they ignored the invitation. Since I had told them which days I’ll be in the town and when JJ's coming, they decided to be in Athens when he’s not there.

Although disappointing, I knew that was coming. Some old ideas and bad habits are difficult to break. What I’m thinking of doing now is inviting my mother to London, just her. She hinted at some point that she might come to help us out in the refurbishment of the house. She wouldn't leave my father alone for many days, they’re inseparable, but at least she could come for a short period of time.

My weekend in pictures

There were two distinctive themes to my weekend. Saturday was dedicated to DIY and gardening. Sunday was dedicated to the London Marathon.

 That's the before picture, even after we've done a little bit of clearing out. The shed is hidden on the back right corner under that ivy.

Our garden was generally overgrown and messy when we bought our house. It was a high priority to put it in a more friendly state since we both like staying outdoors and our bbqs! JJ is South African after all. Bbq in in their blood. After managing to clear out weed and unwanted plants, JJ put lots of effort during his week off from work to tidy it up. So, Saturday I tried to help as much as I could.

How the little shed looks now with little blue bells and jasmine

Creating new plant areas in the garden. It will look so great as the plants will grow

We managed to clear the small shed from all the ivy that was covering it and paint it again. It now looks clean. We planted a jasmine plant in front of it. Changing the look of the shed made a huge difference on how the garden looks. Hopefully our plants will grow and the garden will look even nicer. We might even get some vegetables this year.



Sunday was the Virgin London Marathon. The weather was brilliant, at least for the spectators since I assume it was a bit too warm for the runners. We got up early and headed to the city centre. We found a spot close the Monument in the City and watched them pass for at least a couple of hours.

Mo Farah running. I've retouched a bit that picture in Instagram

To me seeing people run like that is so inspirational. It signifies the power of the mind over the pain and the dedication some people can show over a cause. The atmosphere is so jovial and the sunshine made it all so much nicer.

The rest of the runners

Manual Labour

I believe that each person has specific talents. Some people are better in certain things than others. And I’m OK with it. I’ve grown to know my strengths and my weaknesses. I’m not saying that through practice and hard work, you can’t improve. It’s just that some people might have a better starting point. I learnt this lesson around the age of 13. By that time I had been playing tennis for a couple of years. I had training sessions two to three times a week. So, upon starting high school, my newly acquired best friend Spyros decided to join me. Two weeks into training Spyros was playing much better than me. He could aim and strike easily, doing things that took me months to learn and even then I couldn’t always accomplish.

That same tennis childhood lesson was reminded to me last weekend. I had planned some DIY with JJ. We had to dig a trench in our front garden, since Monday we would be getting reconnected to the national gas grid. Digging the trench ourselves got us a £500 discount for the connection. That’s enough money to make us do it. The ditch had to be around 3.5 meters long, 30 meters deep and around a foot wide. It runs from the front gate to the entrance door, right next to the footpath. In paper it sounded easy enough.

Woman Digging - Pissarro

However, 20 minutes in, I was reminded how crap I am in manual work. I didn’t mind the rain or the wind. I didn’t mind spending my Saturday morning working in the mud. However, I found that my upper body just seemed to lack the strength needed to dig using a shovel. To be fair, last time I touched a shovel was a decade ago while I was in the army. And I know for a fact from my gym sessions that my biceps are generally not that strong. For some weird reason my triceps are much better.

happy helper

To be fair, I wasn’t totally useless. I was just not strong enough to shove deep enough in the soil to take out lots of dirt at a time. JJ was much better. He could take out the same amount of dirt in less than a third of time. I was doing 3 scoops (is that the right word?), he was doing 1. So, he ended up doing most of the shovelling. But apart from sulking a bit over feeling useless, I was able to help in other ways. I made the coffees and carried buckets of dirt and water. I cut roots and removed unwanted plants. I cleaned tools and provided moral support. These are as important things, rights?

Final result. We will fix the path at some point.

I just like to think that this is what makes us a great team. We have different strengths and weaknesses. He is much better at working with his hands and I’m better at working with my mind (I’d love to think). He’s the really cute one, I’m the… erm… I’ll get back to you on that.

DIY, moving and anniversary day

The last couple of weeks have passed in a bit of a blur. We got the keys to our property on the 12th of November and we wanted to make it ready before we moved in. That meant we had 2 weeks to really work hard on it before the weekend of the 30th, which was move-in day!

The tenants of the place weren't the cleanest people I met. On top of that, they had a baby, a bird, a cat and a dog! All these animals (apart from the baby) did wonders to the light coloured carpets of the first floor. We’re talking about serious filth. The moment you entered the hallway, the stink would hit you like a slap to your face. There was so much dog hair everywhere! And we couldn't have that. So, we begun the process of removing the carpets to restore the original wooden floors and also paint the bedrooms.

The before picture with carpet and yellow wallpaper and skirting boards

The second before picture. So much dirt... 

Removing the carpets 

 That's me happily (?!) sanding the floors

The first weekend we spent it removing the old carpets and their joints. We needed to cut them up in manageable rolls and remove the carpets’ under layer. Also, we needed to remove all nails and staples that held everything in place. Because the weekend after that we rented sanding machines to sand the floors and they needed to be clean from everything that might damage the sanding paper. We had never used machines like that. There was a learning curve to it, but I believe we did well. There are so many good DIY websites and YouTube videos to check. Finally, we applied the varnish.

Finish sanding the floors and removing the wallpapers

First layer of varnish and undercoat on the walls

While doing all that, we spent as much time as we had around work hours to paint the rooms and pack our stuff. We removed wallpapers, sanded walls, applied undercoats and paint. And then, finally, the last weekend arrived. I had Friday off and Jeff had rented a van. His company provides him days off to move anyway. So, we did lots of trips back and forth. We had some friends helping us in various stuff, like assemble IKEA furniture or bring food and it went more or less fine. We didn’t break anything!!! I count that as a success.

The second bedroom after we finished it.

So, yesterday, I travelled for the first time from our new place to work. It felt great! We still haven’t completely finished the third bedroom and there are boxes all over the place, but we have all the time in the world to sort things out!

In addition, yesterday was the day of our first mortgage payment AND my anniversary with JJ! I met him exactly 4 years ago in a bookstore that is now a METRO bank (boo) in Fulham Broadway! My life has changed for the better in so many ways since then! I love him to bits. This journey, which I think has just begun, is something amazing that I will treasure!
I’m just so happy!!!!

Various News Update

We’re still in the process of viewing houses. It didn't start too well. We saw for example a property that was already falling apart and the cost of renovation would be great (if possible), but still in the high end of our budget. We saw properties that looked like small matchboxes but advertised and priced like mansions.
It’s not easy to check beforehand. Photographs online can be deceiving and floor plans with no dimensions deceptive. The best policy it to visit as many places as possible. However that’s not always easy, trying to arrange something between our working hours and the demands of the estate agents.
Property 6 we saw, was quite interesting. It ticks most of the boxes. The only issue is the area, mostly (I think) because we don’t know it. Also, I think we’re spoiled by the place we’re renting at the moment, which is quite nice located. That property is the one that we might visit for a second time soon. We saw it last weekend and I’d like to get a feel of it during the week as well. It would also be nice to revisit it and try to pay more attention to the details that we might have missed.

On the 5th of October I’m taking part in a charity event organised by the ‘British Heart Foundation’. It’s a 10 kilometers run in Hyde Park, London. Since heart disease runs in my family, it’s a matter very close to me. I fear that it will be something that I will have to deal with at some point in my life. You can find a link to my fundraising website on the right, if you’re interested… Please be interested.
I've started training for the event. I’m not following a specific running plan. With everything that’s been happening recently, I simply can’t. I've been all over the place. But, I've been running outdoors more frequently than before. Even today, for the first time I went for a small run at 6:45 am on the way to the gym. It was so nice watching the city wake up. So, I’m hoping to achieve a personal best in the charity run and finish the 10km faster than I had in the past. We’ll see…

These days, JJ has been exhibiting a couple of his paintings in ‘La Galleria Pall Mall’, in the centre of London. The exhibition’s theme is ‘lust’! Yesterday night was the opening! Unfortunately JJ couldn't attend because he was working, so I took our lodger and headed there for an hour or so. As always, there was lots of wine, interesting characters (eccentric artists), old money (sugar daddies), new aspiring money (big boobs, blonde hair), burlesque figures, etc.
Events like that have a character. Having a very different background myself, being an engineer and looking at the world in straight lines, I was shocked when I first met the type of people that hang around art events. There is a romantic element to them (especially if you exclude some snobbism that might appear here and there). There’re not for too long though…

Feeling like a grown up - viewing houses

It has begun. Yesterday JJ and I, we did our first viewing for a house to buy.

We've been thinking about it for quite some time but kept postponing it for no particular reason. London is not easy when it comes to purchasing properties. They’re ridiculously expensive.  Even rent is very expensive in this part of the world. You can’t easily find something in good condition and to be worth its price, unless you relocate to the middle of nowhere.

Of course compromises have to be made. It might take me longer to get to work. I’m fine with that. But I draw a line when it gets up to more than a 1.5 hours one way. We were also talking about getting something with some potential to be upgraded in the future to have its value increased. So, we wouldn't like a completely refurbished, perfect, property. Since in theory we’re not looking for a house for the rest of our lives, but for something to get us on the property ladder. Something we can work on for the next, let’s say, 5 years, with a little of character till we sell it and move on. That is all of course in theory. Reality is a different matter.

So, we went to south London Thursday evening, after I finished work, to view our first property. In contrast to what I said before, it was a newly finished terraced house, with outside garden and more bedrooms that we really needed that spread into 3 floors. It was in our budget, looked great on the pictures and close to a train station that could take us to central London in around half an hour. So, we couldn't miss the opportunity to look at it, when an agent called me. It sounded perfect, yes?

Well, no. The floors weren't really wooden and the walls weren't that robust. There were unfinished bits here and there and it was generally obvious that not the best materials were used during the construction of the place. In addition to that, there was a ‘park’ right next to our garden. The ‘park’ was probably used more by the local drug lords than by children. Overall, it didn't come as a surprise that when something appears too good to be true, well it isn't…

The Money Pit

In any case, it was a start. Now, we’ll start booking more viewings and see where they take us. You never know. By the end of the next season, we might be property owners, with a mortgage for the next couple of decades!!!

You see? That’s what I’m saying that it’s getting all grown up business! I’m talking about budgets, compromises and mortgages and a commitment that will last 25 years that I’m happily making with my partner! I’m now officially, I think, a grownup! Needless to say that, while we were checking the property, I had in my bag the latest Avengers graphic novel, that I had ordered online, and that I also need to google questions to ask when viewing properties. 

Various holidays stories

I mentioned in my previous post about Paros, but I don’t think I mentioned some of the other things that happened during our holidays. For example I didn't mention the fact that I told JJ to drive on the wrong side of the road!

Yes, I did. The first morning we arrived to the island, there were strong winds and the water service to the beach wasn't operational, so we rented one of those 4 wheel motorbikes! I was so sure he would be driving on the wrong side of the road coming from England, so without really thinking and being on a motorbike without a proper driver’s seat, I told him to switch over and drive on the left! Thankfully, there aren't many cars in the town and most narrow roads are one way roads. However, after a while we ran into a car coming from the opposite direction, right at us! At first of course I though what is the idiot doing! And then it occurred to me who the idiot was!

Anyway, (changing subject quickly), another hilarious incident happened to JJ the day we were checking out from the hotel. He went to pay our room while I was still tidying things up. At this point I need to give you some background information. The hotel is run by a couple. He’s Chilean living in Greece for many years and she looked Greek, but I’m not familiar with her background. They've been living in one of the hotel rooms. Living in a small village on an island, things are pretty much totally informal. I don’t think I saw him once were shoes or even a t-shirt. She was normally dressed with cheap white V-neck t-shirts and sport track bottoms. She didn't take care of herself and chain smoked. Of course we didn't mind, since we hardly ever saw them during our stay.

So, the day arrived and JJ went to their room to pay. She went to get the credit card machine and as she bent over to grab it, one of her boobs fell out her t-shirt! When JJ was telling me this, I couldn’t stop laughing. She was either oblivious of the fact or did it on purpose and didn’t do anything about it. She was just waiting there, with her hanging boob, which probable never saw a bra in the last years, exposed. JJ tried and kept a serious façade. Kept looking her in the eyes, entered his pin number, collected the receipts and ran off! Knowing JJ who is generally very well behaved and proper (in most cases) that was an experience (boob job) never to forget!

After we left Paros, we visited Mykonos. We stayed there for a small number of days before flying back to London. During our visit there, we took an early morning boat and travelled to a nearby uninhabited island called Delos. That small island hosts the biggest archaeological dig site of Europe and one of the most important for the ancient Greek history. According to the myths it’s the birthplace of the god Apollo and Artemis. Their temples were very important, mentioned by the likes of Homer and a pilgrimage destination for many.

What you see from the boat upon arrival

A mansion of the time 

Exploring the ancient city

Apart from its major religious significance, it was a major trading port with tens of thousands of inhabitants at its peak. Its fame was such that the area had inhabitants from all over the existing world. To give you an idea, the town had a temple of the Egyptian Isis and a synagogue, the oldest one known. A very wealthy town of the times it is now an important dig site. A visitor now can still walk around the streets of the archaic town, see the temporary architecture, witness the existence of various shops, test the acoustics of the amphitheatre and admire the temples. I strongly recommend visiting Delos if you’re ever in that part of the world. It’s mind blowing.

Next to the dig site, on Delos, there’s a small museum. In there, a visitor can see original mosaics and statues of the area. So, we couldn't miss it. I was happily checking the exhibits with JJ, taking photos. We knew that no flash photography was allowed and we followed the rules. At some point I stood in front of a massive wonderful mosaic and JJ took a photo of me. One of the guards / archaeologists came and told me smiling that no posing is allowed. I laughed with him and asked him why? Am I so bad looking that I made the mosaic injustice? We didn't really pay attention and walked along. In the next room I stood in front of a massive statue of Hermes and JJ tried to take another photo!

Then, out of the blue, a mean looking woman starting yelling at us that no posing is allowed and since I was already told of this, I shouldn't break the rules and we would be kicked off the museum! I was gobsmacked! I switched and talked to her in Greek. Immediately her tone and attitude changed since she realised I was Greek. That fact didn't go unnoticed to JJ who was naturally annoyed. I admitted to her that I thought the previous guard was joking about the ‘no posing’ rule, since it didn't really make sense! I asked her the reason behind this and she didn't know. She just said it’s a museum regulation!

The temple of Isis

We didn’t let that event affect our feelings regarding the visit. Delos is utterly amazing and worth the visit. The boat trip with a tour guide lasts for half a day and doesn't cost that much. 

Back to reality - Paros 2013

It’s been almost a week since we came back from our holidays! I think that yesterday it really struck me with the fact that we’re back! I know I can be a bit slow. I was in a very happy mood the previous days, until yesterday morning. I woke up thinking that it’s Thursday and the weekend is around the corner. Then I got that disappointing feeling that no, it’s still Wednesday and it suddenly hit me. I’m back to wishing for the weekend and my holidays are over!!!

Naoussa

little church by the sea 

I’m not complaining though. They've been truly amazing. We were staying in 2 islands, but managed to visit 3 more. The first part of our holidays was while we stayed in Paros. That’s one of the Cyclades group. It has amazing sandy beaches and that distinctive architecture of the area. Almost all buildings are white, with rounded edges and flat roofs.

small boat

It was my decision not to stay in the main town of the island, but the smaller 'Naoussa' village at the north part of the island. The main town where the ships go can be somewhat busier and noisier. However, Naoussa is smaller, cuter and closer to the famous beaches of the island. Visitors can get the daily water taxis to 3 different beaches to spend the day, without having to worry about petrol and parking spots etc. That was a service we used quite often.

taking the water taxi to the beach

Our daily routine mostly consisted of me going to bakery to get fresh breakfast stuff like koulouri, spinach pie or bread rolls, first thing in the morning. We would then sit in the balcony for breakfast, feeling the morning sun and admiring the view. We would then get ready, jump on the boat and being taken to one of the beaches around Naoussa. In most cases we would go to the lovely ‘Monastiri’ beach. We would stay in that beach for the next 5 to 6 hours. We would rent an umbrella and chairs, sunbathe, play rackets, swim or even hike in the nearby conservation hiking area. JJ loved snorkeling and I was so happy just feeling the cold water on my skin.

Late in the afternoon we would go back to the village, rest and then go out to explore the alleyways and various narrow Naoussa’s lanes for dinner and drinks. It can be quite a party town, if you’re looking for this kind of stuff. We could hear our hotel neighbours coming back from partying around 8 or 9 in the morning. But we’re not really that kind of people. We like spending our days doing various activities than sleeping and getting up with a hangover late in the afternoon, missing what the day had to offer.

walking around the village of Parikia

Oh, and the food was exquisite. After staying for so many nights in the town, (more than a fortnight), we were able to get to know local people and find restaurants visited mostly by them. So, we were able to avoid the main touristic areas and see the other side of the island. What I also found very endearing was the fact that after a couple of days we were running into and greeting people that we met in shops and restaurants we had visited. The local people were so friendly. JJ was also working on his Greek. I told him how to order things in coffee places and restaurants. Staff really loved that.