Day 42

Kaliméra,

We got caught out a wee bit today. Daylight Saving ended in Greece overnight, which was good, as we gained an hour.

We had no idea daylight saving was ending. It was only when we noticed the time on our iPads was an hour different to our watches that we realised something wasn’t right. Amazing how no matter where you are in the world, your iPad or iPhone can always tell you where you are and what the correct time is.

It was also a public holiday in Greece, Ochi Day. Thankfully this did not impact us very much in the highly touristy islands.

Ochi is the Greek word for “no”. In 1940 Mussolini, the fascist dictator of Italy, demanded that Greece allow herself to be occupied by the Italian army. The general in command of the Greek army is said to have uttered a single word in reply; “Ochi”. So October 28 is Ochi day.

We had a 12:45pm sailing on a very fast ferry to Naxos. This ferry was a catamaran, very sleek and fast.

Naxos is another rock in the middle of the sea. Like Santorini, Naxos is all about lying on the beach in the sun, sipping cocktails and waiting for the nightclubs to open.

We walked to a beach about fifteen minutes from the hotel and Koro went for a swim. The water was fresh, but not freezing and very clear. We cannot get over how clear the water is in Italy and Greece.

Koro had to walk out a long way before the water was over his head. The beach was very flat and very shallow, before suddenly dropping off into deeper water.

It was more of the same as yesterday, a bit of a wander, pictures of the sunset, a beer overlooking the water.

The hotel was very nice, and the family who own it very nice. Their father built the hotel in 1981, and it has been recently renovated. Strangely, our double room was once again just two single beds pushed together, but at least they were made up this time.

We had a fantastic dinner. We have discovered a new dish, warm Fava bean dip, which is delicious as an entrée with pita bread. We are going to have to find some yellow split peas when we get home and try and make this.

Then we sat at a cocktail lounge and tried Kitron, a local drink. It is like limoncello, but instead of being made from lemons, it is made from the leaves of the lemon tree. Quite a different taste, but still distinctly citrus. Koro thought it was OK, something different. Grandma wasn’t that taken with it.

Back to our room for a big sleep in our very comfortable beds.

Love to you all from Grandma and Koro and Buzzy Bee. XXX OOO