Ohi Day

At the end of October my husband and I took the last easyJet flight out to Cephalonia for a last glimpse of late summer sun (we hoped!).  We didn’t mind that everywhere was closing down for the winter, we were determined to sit on the beach, swim every day, cook for ourselves, read a book, and in the evening start our new Breaking Bad box set.  The weather was glorious, hot but not too hot and we were able to swim although the water was chilly.  The meat from our local butcher is exceptional and we cooked lemon chicken with potatoes, and enormous tender pork chops twice, they were delicious both times – this is making me feel hungry.

We were there on 28th October, Ohi Day, a significant day in Greece commemorating the anniversary of General Metaxas’ flat denial to the Italians’ request for free passage to invade Greece or otherwise face war, at 04.00a.m. on 28th October 1940. It was allegedly answered with a single Ohi! (No!), however, his actual reply was Alors, c’est la guerre (Then it is war). In response to Metaxas’s refusal, Italian troops stationed in Albania attacked the Greek border at 05.30a.m. – the beginning of Greece’s participation in World War II.  On the morning of 28th October the Greek population took to the streets shouting ‘ohi’ and from 1942 it was celebrated at Ohi Day. All over Greece this day is marked with processions of school children, bands and a feeling of celebration, it is not the Greek Remembrance Day which is 25th March.  When we were there this year it was a beautiful sunny day and the children marched in our local small town while proud parents recorded the event on video, mobiles and cameras. There were presentations by dignitaries and a strong feeling of occasion.  We saw on the TV that in Athens there was a  military parade and the event had a more political feel, but on Cephalonia the feeling was more lighthearted although the meaning was not lost.

Back home we resolved to return the same time next year, it was an unexpected perfect break.

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ohi_Day

www.easyjet.com

 

Long Weekend in Marseillan and Carcassonne, France

Tapas at La Maison de Camille

walking the Ramparts

This is the fourteenth consecutive annual weekend away with friends T & K.  We try to go somewhere different (only one repeat so far), only short flights in Europe, we normally go to a place of interest and we always consume too much!  As three of us had read Kate Mosse’s book Labyrinth and one seen the video we decided on the walled city Carcassonne stopping off at Marseillan en route.  The one and a half easyJet flight to Montpellier was effortless and after approximately 60 km of busy autoroute driving we arrived at our hôtel in Marseillan, Petit Hotel.  The owners of Petit Hotel are German couple Birgit and Peter who are charming and couldn’t do enough to help us and the hotel itself is, indeed, petit with 8 rooms and an eclectic collection of furnishings and ornaments some in bold colours which give a bright, youthful feel to the hotel.  Our room was spacious, minimally furnished and above all spotlessly clean as was the en-suite.  Birgit recommended a bar for tapas and after freshening up we explored the small port before finding La Maison de Camille, a modern New-England-feel bar, where we happily sat in the sun enjoying tapas, the music, chatting and unwinding.  Breakfast the next morning was taken with other guests at a long table and was essentially Continental, substantial and beautifully presented.  Marseillan is very much a holiday small town, with lots of boats moored up for the winter it’s easy to imagine the activity on the lagoon during the summer, and the water jousting competition during July could be fun.  Oysters are a big thing of the area, unfortunately they don’t like me but as we passed the oyster farms at  on the way home I could see it’s the place to go if you like oysters.  After short stroll to walk off breakfast we took to the road to Carcassonne …

The Château & Ramparts at Carcassonne

The system is:  you park your car in the car park below and outside the city wall, and a small hotel courtesy bus comes and picks you up and drives at breakneck speed through the narrow lanes to your hotel, in this case the Best Western Hôtel Le Donjon.  That part was a bit of a blur but once inside the calm Best Western we took stock, then had a short wander through the cobbled streets before taking the hotel’s restaurant recommendation.  There are many, many places to eat in Carcassonne, all with more or less the same menu.  The dish of the area is cassoulet, the main ingredients being a duck drumstick, a pork rib, a sausage and masses of beans — a good hearty wholesome tuck!  I enjoyed cassoulet so much (but the best one was a lunch stop at Limoux on the way down), that I bought a cassoulet dish which somehow I got home in my on-board case.  The Château and Ramparts do not disappoint being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997, we spent the best part of a wet Saturday wandering around and yes, you could say it is touristy but it wasn’t built as a tourist attraction and in early October the number of people was manageable.  It’s all been very well restored and is steeped in history so there’s plenty to marvel at, and at every turn of a corner there’s another photo opportunity.  The Best Western was brilliant for our trip, central to the city, the people were smiley and helpful and the price was good.  Our drive to Montpellier was leisurely and the flight good, but the traffic on the M25 was something else!

www.easyjet.com

www.petithotel-marseillan.com

www.hotel-donjon.fr

www.monuments-nationaux.fr

I Love Cephalonia

Paradise Beach Taverna in early Spring

I’ve just come back from 18 wonderful days in my all time favourite place, Cephalonia (Kefalonia).  I’m a frequent visitor but never tire of going there, I love the warmth as I step off the plane, the people, food, swimming, well … everything, it really is my second home.  This time I was keen to swim a lot as I have a damaged ligament in my knee, and as the air temperature in the first week was above 35 degs.C. I had no choice but to plunge in the bath warm sea for the best part of the day.  We chose to fly out at the start of August Bank Holiday, we went the same time last year and enjoyed being amongst the Greeks and Italians on holiday, they traditionally holiday in August and for once you can feel you are in a foreign country, the English voices fade in the background as all around large Greek and Italian families pitch their camps on the beach and settle in for the day. The roads can be a bit of a nightmare, the Greeks and Italians love to overtake as they approach a bend and the Cephalonian roads are difficult at the best of times, so you have to be prepared for some pretty crazy driving.  Despite the large number of people there was still no trouble getting into tavernas, in fact it was lovely to see all the tavernas doing so well, and all the supermarkets were the same.  There was a definite mark up on prices in both since last year reflecting the state of the economy and everyone keen to capitalise on the very short tourist season, about 6 weeks in all.  Who can blame them though?  Most of the taverna owners I know practically deconstruct their tavernas in preparation for the new season, all thoroughly washed, painted and/or varnished, electrics checked, all done before the Easter (Greek) deadline.  The ones who don’t make the effort are the least popular, but even they get the coach parties so don’t miss out completely.  One day of the holiday stands out though, and won’t be forgotten.  Saturday August 31 was the day our favourite taverna, Paradise Beach Taverna, nearly burnt down.  Behind a hotel on the edge of the village an electrical spark ignited some tinder dry scrub and fanned by a strong Ionian wind travelled rapidly away from the village, luckily.  Worried house owners appeared at their doors as the fire gathered pace and headed towards Paradise Taverna on the edge of the village.  The fire brigade arrived quickly but were unable to control the flames, so from the Fiskardo directions two Fire Planes appeared in the blue sky to save the day.  Unfortunately they were too small, so they disappeared and three larger planes arrived, scooping up sea water and dropping it over the leaping flames.  The action continued for about 45 minutes before the flames were doused and the excited crowd was dispersed by the police.  Fortunately, no property or people were damaged or hurt, but viewing the burnt area from above the village the next day it covered a large area and everyone had a lucky escape.  I’ve only been home a week and the suntan’s faded already!

www.facebook.com/pages/Paradise-Beach-Taverna-Kefalonia/102357972646

www.easyJet.com

Weekend of contrasts 02/05

To celebrate my nephew’s Big Birthday, his partner arranged for his friends and family to gather in a field at East Prawle, South Hams, Devon, for a weekend of camping, drinking, a barbecue on a grand scale, and sports day for children and young-at-heart adults.  When the intended surprise gathering was first announced I admit to seizing an opportunity to stay at the refurbished South Sands Boutique Hotel in Salcombe.  Salcombe is a family favourite place and it’s good to touch base every few years, and the South Sands Hotel was completely refurbished in 2008 and now has a fresh New England feel and is close enough to East Prawle to justify a stay.  After a 5-hour drive down from the South east we were all hungry and where else to eat but The Ferry Inn in Salcombe before fighting with guy ropes and tent pegs?  I hadn’t been to the Ferry Inn for 3 years and was pleased that old standards had been restored, gone were the plastic cups, the litter encouraging seagulls, and the run down drinking pub feel, and back to the family friendly, new tables and generally cleaned up feel of old.  The food was plentiful and wholesome, and feeling energized we drove down to South Sands to check in to our ‘tent’.  First impressions did not disappoint, although boutique, the hotel has a practical layout and only 2 flights of stairs, and we were in the roof on the 2nd floor.

view from the room

I had requested a sea view and this didn’t disappoint either, as we opened the shutters and windows the beach was below with all the requisites of an English holiday, boats, children and dogs.  So, then off to East Prawle, to erect tents for daughters who were camping and to socialise with fellow birthday bash guests. The ‘surprise’ element to the gathering worked a treat, as we drove across the field to the far corner our nephew had no idea who was nearly running him over and there was plenty of bonhomie that evening.  As we drove back to Salcombe through a torrential storm the South Sands Hotel provided welcome shelter, but as I collapsed into bed…yawn… I hoped the campers hadn’t been washed away….zzzz.  The next day, Saturday, was the main celebrations day back in Little Hollaway field, so after a full English breakfast on the dining room balcony we headed over to East Prawle for 12 hours of pure fun in the glorious sun.  This large field is for serious campers only, there are no washrooms and showers, only a metal toilet block containing 3 toilets which, admittedly, do flush, but the cubicles are very small, wash hand basins, and a drinking water standpipe, and that’s the extent of the facilities.  We were charged £5 per tent per night, and all the campers pitched their tents around the edge of the field leaving a massive area in the middle in which children and adults can play.  All dogs have to be kept on a lead so the field is clean in that respect.  There are panoramic views of the sea and it’s close to Prawle Point and a coastal footpath.  On the following day the weather was more typical for camping in Devon, mizzle, so when all the tents were struck there was only one thing to do, head for the pub, The Pigs Nose Inn in East Prawle for food and refreshments.  When all the ‘goodbyes’ had been said we headed back to Salcs to enjoy the remainder of our stay and looked forward to our meal in the South Sands restaurant on our last night. What a treat was in store!  See seymourDINING.wordpress.com for review.

www.southsands.com

en-gb.facebook.com/TheFerryInnSalcombe

www.eastprawlefarmholidays.co.uk/welcome/camping

www.pigsnoseinn.co.uk

Weekend in Montreuil-sur-mer

20/21 July

One of the things I love about living in the South east of England is the accessibility of Dover, and to hop on a P&O ferry to France for a day, a weekend, or longer.  We had enjoyed a very successful day trip to Montreuil-sur-mer with my son and his girlfriend two years ago, so we were all ready for the overnight stay!  Luckily Halfords stocked breathalysers, a hi-viz jacket for each passenger, a spare set of headlight bulbs and our GB sticker, and we set off at 6.30a.m. on Saturday for Dover.  The 9.30a.m. was packed, of course, but there was time for a croissant and coffee in the cafeteria and before we knew it we were disembarking.  The roads were flooded with cars with GB stickers but we knew where we were heading; straight to Eric Debruyne’s Poterie du Val d’Authie in Roussent,

Eric’s Pottery

about 20 minutes out of Montreuil-sur-mer.  Eric’s showroom is light and airy and he patiently waited while we meandered back and forth indecisively.  Eric is a charming man with a calm persona, he doesn’t speak English and always says ‘non’ with a smile to a request for a discount on a number of purchases.  With the back of the car now laden with Eric’s pottery we headed back to Montreuil-sur-mer and our hotel Le Coq Hotel.  Le Coq Hotel has sixteen rooms and is situated in the centre of the small town, is friendly and above all, B.S.Clean!  The restaurant is pleasant and their signature dish is coq au vin!  On this occasion, however, we had reserved a table at Le Patio, a hotel restaurant just down the road.  We were offered the choice of where we preferred to sit, we opted for the patio which was enclosed by aged, character brick walls, about 10 tables in all.  A radio was playing rather scratchy French music which added to the relaxed atmosphere, and we settled down for a long evening.  We had the choice of a 2-course, 3-course, or a la carte menu, the wine was served cold and the service was attentive but not intrusive, and after our meal we ruminated about the day over a nightcap in our hotel bar.  The next morning after a quick breakfast in the square and a walk around the ramparts, we left Montreuil-sur-mer for Le Crotoy, on the coast and about an hour’s drive.

walking the ramparts

The outside temperature was 36C. as we drove into Le Crotoy and we soon realised we had hit the mussels capital, people were even selling them from outside their houses, and Le Crotoy is obviously somewhere the French go on a Sunday, it was heaving with people and cars, nevertheless we couldn’t leave without sampling the moules et frites at one of the many stalls.  The drive back to Calais was easy on the toll road and we effortlessly arrived in time to catch the 6.45p.m. Pride of Kent.  The last treat of the weekend was a relaxing, light meal in the ferry restaurant before the drive into London.

www.poferries.com

www.poterieduvaldauthie.fr

www.coqhotel.fr

www.le.patio-montreuil.com