Friday

Just waiting in reception for the coach back to the airport. The weather is still cloudy and very windy. The little beach has all but disappeared . 

Really sorry to be  leaving this friendly little place. Zante is beautiful at this time of year. The flowers are gorgeous and everything is really green.

 The people have been friendly and we've had more than our fair share of free drinks! I don't imagine it would  be like that  in high season though, they were  just grateful for our custom.

The girl who came in to work behind the bar at the hotel was desperate to learn English and  desperate to teach us Greek !She listened intently to what we said then tried to join in. Baring in mind there were Northerners, Scots and Welsh in the hotel she had a bit of a struggle! She must have been bored to death most of the time. Everyone had to go out for dinner, some people went straight to bed  after dinner but we didn't get back 'till nearly ten ,so she waited from 5 when her shift started until  around 10 ish for someone to talk to, by which time most people had had a few drinks and weren't keen on having Greek  lessons.! 

All in all a lovely holiday .

Thursday

Just to pay us back for boasting about the heat, today is cool and cloudy. Not as bad as at home though. We have seen photos in the paper of snow in Devon , which looks grim. Nowhere near as bad as that here, but today was going to be our doss in the sun day before we have to go back to chilly Britain.

Today we were given a tour of the hotel " garden" they are very proud of their green status here and rightly so. They have an extensive herb garden and we were all given sprigs of different herbs to smell and taste. 

Next we moved on to the vegetable patch where  Spiros's twin brother was hacking away at earth which resembled concrete. He was wearing a superman t shirt, quite apt really considering he is 75  And manages it all by himself They grow all the produce they use for he hotel. There are chickens running all over the place and they take care to keep them out of the herb and vegetable gardens otherwise they scoff the lot. 

There are a couple of sheep as well.

The Greeks are fond of rabbits, to eat, not as pets, and they had a cage of them as well. Poor things were terrified, all huddled in a corner together. When they are 6 months old  it's  into the pot for dinner

 There is also an extensive olive tree orchard. They produce enough olives for the  commercial production  of olive oil which they do as part of a cooperative . We were also told how olives are processed  before they are ready to eat.  Guests that are here during harvest time can join in if they want to. Most do apparently, and of course that saves Spiros having to employ anyone to help. Crafty !   

There are lots of lemon trees as well. This is Spiros.

I shall be quite sad to leave this little place. It has suited us down to the ground. Some of the Trip Advisor comments are a bit extreme, but it is a friendly family run hotel and they do seem to genuinely care about their guests.

Wednesday

It seems to be getting hotter and hotter🌞just too hot to sit out. We have been hiding under an umbrella this after noon. There is no wind today to take the edge off the heat. 

We went for a walk today around the Lagana Bay, 5 miles or so. The beach here certainly isn't pretty, mainly I think because of the huge amount of shells  on the beach. They obviously get broken where people walk and it makes the sand feel really gritty. However the water is crystal clear and cold.

Much is made about Zante and Lagana being party hotspots for the 18/30 crowd. Later on in the season it might well be but in early May 18/30 is he time most folk here have their tea ! The Lagana strip is full of  clubs like Linekers and big nightclubs but at the moment they are all firmly closed. It's a really strange place because side by side with the clubs there are little souvenir shops and family restaurants and during the day the whole place is deserted . There are bars and restaurants on the beach but they are selective about who they approach for custom. Oh, and there is a Maccy Ds and  a King of Burgers. Not actually seen a kebab  shop yet but I'm sure there's one somewhere!  Lots of places selling cheap booze too. Our dippy Thompson rep told us about the clubs and  the 24 hour Dr but considering the average age of the people on the coach was about 60 he might have done better telling us when the " welcome meeting" was, he didn't and we missed it.

As we've said before this little hotel is aimed at older people. The owner ,Spiros, is 75 and in the evenings gets himself behind the bar for a drink. He genuinely enjoys chatting to his customers and always has a funny story to tell. The measures he pours must be quadruples, Spiros  measures he calls them. After one of them most of he oldies potter off to bed half sozzled , which is probably his master plan for an early night.

There are people here who return year after year. They are a bit of a pain in the arse, boasting about their friend Spiros and how many times they've stayed here! They'd shut up if they knew he said he couldn't remember people from one year  to the next.!!

Unlike last year in Crete, people do get changed for he evening. However, this is most certainly not a place for smart shoes. The roads are uneven and you have to walk along the narrow beach to the restaurants. Sand and sea water is not what you want on your Jimmy Choos👠.

Which way??

Aghios Sostis beach

Turtle island.

Tuesday.

Today we walked back into Aghios Sostis. The beach is just a tiny strip that disappears in places. Because the water is so shallow you can walk in the water but we walked along the road, down little twisty roads and saw little houses that are hidden from sight of the main road. Saw a couple of lazy cows , animals that is , and a donkey. We had seen a bar from the roadside and had a bit of a scramble to get there. Like most places at this time of year we were the only ones there but it was lovely. It was over the water and they had put turquoise muslin round the posts holding the roof up. It was all painted a pale blue colour and just looked lovely. Very Mamma Mia!

This afternoon we sat by the pool, we were the only ones there! It is really too hot to sit out for too long but we had plenty of shade and as it wasn't so windy today the umbrellas stayed put.

Every day a van goes past with a loudspeaker blaring out. We can't understand what they are saying but the van is full of chickens crammed into tiny crates. I guess they are for sale. They looked a bit grim today . I think the lucky? ones get sold first. The rest get carted around for days in the van. Grim!

We had dinner last night in a restaurant that had been recommended by other guests. We were the only ones there. Food was lovely, but you feel a bit self conscious eating while the waiter hovers around , desperate for something to do.

Tonight, for dinner, we went back to he restaurant on the beach. Didn't see any turtles tonight, but the waiters did a Zorba type thing with plate throwing and fire so we did at least have some entertainment.

"Fire" at the restaurant

Donkey!

Coffee time.

View from the restaurant this evening.

Beaches in Zakynthos

Drove to the south east to the beautiful beach at Gerakas today. This is a turtle nesting beach, so we had to be careful where we walked. They are due to hatch in a couple of months time. Also had to watch out for naturists! (And snakes. Fortunately, the one we saw was past its best).

Stopped at Banana Beach on the way, which was completely deserted, although there were rows and rows of sun beds and umbrellas available.

Then off to the east coast for lunch at Tsilivi. A fantastic beach.  Then back to the hotel to wind down and maybe have a swim before dinner.

Lazy Days

Sat by the pool and chilled out. On our way out for dinner. Photo taken on the walk to town. 

For some reason , I have developed an allergy, probably due to the staggering amount of flowers and trees everywhere. The pharmacist took one look at me and just handed me see hay fever tablets , which were produced in Yorkshire! Dinner tonight is in a taverna on the beach. Real  Shirley Valentine stuff. 

We also saw loggerhead turtles. This island is a breeding ground for them  but over the years their population has decreased significantly so we were lucky to see them.  Although you can't see it clearly the island in the photo is called turtle island . Vic , this is where Tanya is getting married. 

Picture above taken from our dinner table. 

Photos at last

Finally figured out you can not use photos in photo stream (imported from iPhone to iPad in a blogger). So I have copied them to camera roll and can now publish them. Here they are ....

Day 2 in Zakynthos

A lovely day today. Explored "The Strip" where all the 18-30 type clubs are, in Laganas. Usual seaside stuff in the daytime - we agreed we need to have a look at it one evening. Some of it is a bit sad - many premises looking like the victims of the recession.

Found mossie stuff - left all ours at home, as usual. We'll be able to set up shop as mossie fighters soon.

Sat by the pool this afternoon. Very quiet - see photos. I think there must be about 40 rooms in this hotel, so capacity for about 80 people. We can only count about 20, so it's very cosy.

I think you saw mum's note about the meal tonight. Really good meal in fantastic surroundings. So we are feeling a bi settled in now.

We've booked a car for a couple of days from Monday, and we are doing a boat trip to see turtles, caves and beaches on Thursday. We're crazy - that only leaves Wednesday for doing nothing!

Can't seem to get photos from photo stream into this blog, so I'll send them on What's app.

Off to a flying start - not!

We got up at 03:00 today, excited about starting our trip to Zante. Left the house just after 03:30, so as to get to the airport and take the shuttle bus to the terminal to check in at around 4 or soon after. Chose to get on to the M25 at Godstone, along to J7 and down the M23 to Gatwick - no problem. But ...... The slip road was closed - work associated with the roadworks going on all the way from J4.

Need to think quickly - back to Purley and then A23 through Coulsdon? Or down the A22, A25 through Redhill? Ah no, here's a diversion sign, we'll follow that. Disaster! Now we are on the M25 going the wrong way. Where will we turn round? You guessed it - J4! There followed a fairly silent trip (maybe a 40 mile round trip?) to the Orpington junction and back at 50mph through all the roadworks.

Got to the checkin desk just after 5. Checked in OK, and just made it through all the formalities in time to make a dash straight to the departure gate.

Flight was fine. On final approach to land, when the engines roared into full throttle, and we went round again. Undercarriage trouble? Technical problem? No, animal on the runway. Welcome to Greece😊

The hotel is very quiet, and everyone we've seen so far are oldies, like us. The beach is a bit of a disappointment. Looks a bit like cement powder, a bit grey and there is lots of seaweed which looks like paper after it has been shredded. As with most Mediterranean places there are quite a few derelict, abandoned buildings so it all looks a bit unloved  and messy. The sea is very shallow so people were way out and only just up to their knees. This whole beach area is a breeding ground for loggerhead turtles and there are countless trips to go turtle spotting. 

We fell asleep this afternoon so missed the "welcome" . There is another one tomorrow so hopefully we will get some information about the island and what there is to do here.

Here's a photo of the crowded pool. Have to get our towels out early in the morning.