A touch of paradise (Koroni)

I get up at 5:30 every week day, so why is it always so much more problematic on the weekend or when I’m on holiday? And a John Farnham song to begin the post.

We are not unhappy to be leaving Athens. When speaking to a Dubliner who had moved to the west coast of Ireland he had remarked that “Dublin was best viewed through the rear vision mirror as you drive away” and that is how we feel about Athens. Despite that, the Novotel staff were brilliant in helping us with the robbery.

We’d packed the bags the previous evening so it was pretty much showers and breakfast and then cab to the terminal to catch the ‘Express’ bus to Koroni. Luggage loaded, the bus was full and we left close to time. Two hours in we made a comfort stop and it was good to stretch our legs.

The air conditioning on the bus seemed to be rationed as in it appeared only to work for 20 minutes in every hour. No drama, I thought, we’ll be in Kalamata soon. And then the driver turned off the express way and the ‘Express’ became the mail run – or I’ll drop you at the door if you pay extra. We did see some lovely little villages but I wasn’t really in the mood. I just wanted to get to Kalamata.

We encountered a red light in turning off the express way. Red light? That didn’t stop our driver. Nothing was coming so he drove right through. Champion. And that about sums up driving in Greece. The remainder of the trip from Kalamata was really tedious and we did become the mail run, well at least a parcel delivery service. We had been on the bus almost six hours by the time we reached Koroni.

The view from our room

Finally off the bus we set off to find our accommodation. I had a vague idea of where it was because of a text Mel had sent, complete with photo. A pity I no longer had the phone. I am sure we provided much amusement for the few locals sitting waterside enjoying a refreshing ale as we pulled our bags down the street in the sun. Part of the way, one of the touts tried to coax us into his restaurant, the perfect time to ask directions. He didn't know but grabbed a friend who was walking past and told him to take us there. We promised we'd be back for drinks later.

We arrived at the accommodation to find no-one, just a phone number on the door. Normally that wouldn't have been an issue, but ... Jayne heard some voices up stairs at one of the entrances and went in search of help. The lady spoke little English but we had our wedding invitation and that saved the moment. We were shown to a room and commenced unpacking. And we had wifi! I wasn't expecting that so I plugged the computer in and refreshed FB in case there were any messages.

Another shot from the balcony

Immediately up pops a message from Mel to say they had changed our accommodation and to phone her when we arrive. Awkward. Aside from the fact that we had unpacked half our gear, Jayne had left some artistic dirty marks on the white sheet when she placed her bag on the bed. I sent Mel a message on FB and we waited. No response. I sent Glenn a message and asked could he text Mel and let her know we were without a phone. He did, but still no contact from Mel. We thought it best to do what had been communicated in the original message from Mel so we re-packed our bags and Jayne tried to make the white sheet look untouched and perfect again. Back out into the heat.

We had gone no more than 50m when we came across Mel having a drink with friends. Yay. We filled her in on the phone drama and she escorted us to our new lodgings. It is right on the water and the view form balcony is stunning. A quick change and then downstairs and back to Barbarossa as promised. Christos was waiting for us. We thanked him for his help in finding the other accommodation and settled down to have a Mythos and some tsatziki and olives and to enjoy the scenery.

Koroni is idyllic. A mesmeric spot by the sea that instantly forces you to relax. The boardwalk is dotted with restaurants and cafes, life seems to slow and the lapping water lulls you to sleep at night. If there is a better way to spend a summer's day than sitting near a mist fan drinking Mythos and eating olives I haven't found it. And that is pretty much what we did today. After finding our way back to Barbarossa, Glenn and Donna walked past not long after and joined us. Then Mel and Ari appeared and filled us in on the rest of the day.

We went for a brief stroll down to the old fort and had a look at the ruins, although much of it is still intact. Then back to our rooms to freshen up prior to dinner. The aim was to meet somewhere on the boardwalk around 7pm. We walked to the far end where the other accommodation is  and met Glenn and Donna on the return walk. Mel and Dean have much to do for the wedding so we walked to the nearest taverna and had a drink and waited. Mel messaged to say she was caught up making the Sangria and would be along later. We finished our drinks and walked down to Barbarossa where Christos greeted us like long lost family.

Another great meal. The food has been delightful. Tonight we tried fried saganaki for the first time. It is cheese but the skin bubbles unlike haloumi. Served with fresh lemon. I'll be having that again. Then it was lobster, octopus and chicken, followed of course by watermelon. Christos brought out some free wine for us and while we were finishing that Dean showed up so I had a beer with him and then Mel showed up so it was time for ouzo. I love zambucca but ouzo, not so much. It's a little thin. Christos shouted the beer and ouzo to help celebrate the wedding.

Looking toward the ruins of the fort

At some point during all of the festivities Mel's parents dropped in to say hello as did Dean's father and a few of the other wedding guests. All the dramas of Athens had washed away. Good company, good wine, a beautiful village ... what more could anyone want? Just before midnight, as Dean and Mel disappeared in search of a mojito, we thought it prudent to head for our room. Air con on, doors closed, the sounds of the late night revellers became a lullaby. This is why we travel!

Late night at Barbarossa