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October 9th - Why is Paul, one of our favorite tour reps, sorry, district manager, looking so traumatized?? Let me explain. After one of his usual visits to Kefalonia, Paul returned to his car which he left parked at Piso Aetos in his absence. He got in and inhaled a little whiff of something bad. He suspected that maybe he'd left a bag of rubbish in the back, looked around, but nothing to see. Paul drove to one of his houses, checked it out and by the time he returned to the car the smell had greatly increased in it's intensity. It was quite bad. He looked under the seats, in the boot, in every nook and cranny...still nothing. Paul was baffled. As he contemplated the origin of this increasingly foul odour, he thought "Why was that donkey sniffing at the bonnet of my car as I was coming down from the house?" Out of curiosity, he got out of the car to take a look. |
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I'm a lover, not a killer |
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| As he opened the bonnet, the smell became really foul. Whatever it was, was definitely originating from there. On lifting the bonnet, a hot gush of foulness hit Pauls' face as he discovered a fried, jellied (almost liquefied, but not quite) snake curled up around his car battery and now stuck like glue. Seems that while Paul was in Kefalonia, the snake found itself a warm place to sleep. In its' hibernating stupor, this reptile did not hear Paul get into the car to start the engine that consequently fried it to the battery and also decapitated it in the process. Smack, crackle. pop! Dead. This unfortunate event makes our animal and reptile loving Paul, very uneasy. He would like to inform Animal rights activists from around the world that it wasn't an execution, but an accident, and he really means that. The last time Paul had problems after leaving his car parked at Piso Aetos was when a rat chewed through all the electrics, leaving him very much in the dark as he fumbled his way to the nearest mechanic. Paul is pleading for the offending rat to come forward and give himself up willingly, and will waver prosecution in exchange for dealing with the snake left at the side of the road. No chewing involved. |
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October 10th - Painting group take advantage of a sunny day to water colour the bay of Frikes with enthusiastic strokes. |
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Kioni on a warm, misty day - October 10th - The water was like glass, not a breeze, not a stir. It was like the island was carried across the Ionian along with the misty sky, all alone. An eerie, quiet calm. The atmosphere today was like reaching back into Ithakis mythical past, a time when the rest of the world, really was a world away. Everyone is smiling, playful and discovering themselves again after a hectic Summer Season. Magic. |
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October 12th - The predicted rain came earlier than expected, falling over night, and it's unlikely to reach the predicted top of 26 today. After a long Summer many enjoy the cosiness of a rainy day, but more importantly everyone's water supply gets topped up by a good, clean downpour, and on Ithaki, that's of great importance. The apparent extended season is making the local business proprietors a little weary now. They expected to be putting up their feet along with everyone else before the end of September, now it's almost mid October and there are still tourists to be served with a smile.
News, some of you will be surprised to hear, is that Nikos Douglas aka Elvis, is getting married on the 16th of the month. He's lucky enough to have gained the attention of one of the sweetest and most beautiful girls in the north, Xanthi. As Elvis is a Frikes icon, there'll be some pics of this happy occasion right here. 'Ah ha ha.'
For now, here's a rainy day. |
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Grey skies dominate the day with drizzle on and off. |
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Lots of burning off around the island at this time of year |
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Above - The boys from northern Ithaki gather for a game of football at the Platrithia Plateia (village square) for some afternoon exercise and fun. An hour later storms hit the island to wash them out. |
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Wednesday 13th October - CLICK PHOTO ABOVE to see more pics of the ferry at Piso Aetos on a stormy afternoon. |
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When the storms hit mid afternoon, the sky lit up with terrific lightning. Lots of rain bucketed down and strong winds threatened to break trees in half. CLICK PHOTO BELOW FOR MORE. |
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Todays' storms reeked havoc on the bays. This boat was saved from going under by Frikes locals who dragged it right under the Rementzo restaurant canopy, where you not only get fresh fish on your plate, but the boat that it was caught in too. Heave Ho Heave Ho! |
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Todays' weather kept everyone inside |
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Quiet in Kioni with rain pouring down all day. |
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For some, the rain wasn't enough to keep them indoors. Restaurants, with tables inside, catered for those that were determined to enjoy every minute of their holiday regardless of the weather conditions. If your measure of a good holiday isn't just beach and sun, then this time of year is great to meet with the locals and other interesting independent travellers who get pleasure from good conversations and belly laughs about ridiculous things. It's a cosey and intimate time around the island with many simple things to enjoy.
Soon all the locals will be out in the Olive Groves picking the seasons' crop for the olive oil everyone depends on in Greece. After last years' disappointing crop, the locals are confident that this years' olives will harvest gold. |
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Elvis (Nikos Douglas) invites his friends to Spavento in Kioni to celebrate his last night as a single man. |
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click on photo above for more pics |
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Saturday October 16th - Nikos Douglas and Xanthi Koutsouvelis get married. |
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Click on photo above to see more pics |
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| _______________________________________________________________________________________ |
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