Ok before i start this blog i have to make a huge apology to Simon and Liz who i was meant to be meeting at 8am to walk up Mount Skopos. Due to the bar closing late and myself not getting to bed till 5.30am it was difficult to get up at 7am. I set the alarm, alarm went off but i did the fatal mistake of saying to myself "I'll just lay here for 5 Min's". That led to an extra 90 Min's sleep by which time it was to late, so I'm very sorry but i can't help that the bar closes late.
As you all know Helen has been here that's why the update is late as i give all my time to Helen when she's on holiday. Another great 2 weeks and now not long till I'm back home with her. We went all around the island again in search of new tavernas to eat in and visited some of our favourite places along with going to our new home to start to get the place ready for us next season.
So after a visit to Porto Limnionas we decided to carry on north in search of a taverna and we found one at Porto Vromi village called "The Olive Tree Story Taverna" (we were never told a story ha ha). We were met by a friendly middle aged Greek lady who spoke very good English so it was easy to converse with here but there was something strangely familiar about her look, she looked like a younger version of the old lady who years ago mugged me in broad daylight for a coffee at her cafe (the story is on this blog somewhere).
OH, here it is.
So we ordered our drinks, starters and main meal at 2.15pm, she then asked were we in a rush for the food to be cooked as i had ordered lamb chops and Helen pork chop, so i said "no" thinking she was going to fry it instead of put it on the grill. Then i see her walk out the back of the building with a tray of meat, STRANGE. Half an hour later our drinks came, tea and a coffee, longest I've ever waited for a drink. Then i could smell a familiar smell, charcoal. She had only bloody gone and started up a BBQ to cook the meat on, there was only us in there, GOOD GRIEF! An hour after (3.15pm) our meals arrived, Helen's looked so good a nice thick big pork chop. Mine, well, talk about not enough meat to cover a Jacobs cracker, it wasn't so much lamb chops they were more like tiny ribs. Come to think about it there was a kitten hanging about but i didn't see it again after my meal was on the table LOL. But that's what makes the island what it is, all these little experiences. As we were riding around the island i remember one year when i was in Argassi i hired a scooter and went on a tour and on the way back not far from Alykanas something broke on the scooter and it just crawled along, in fact it went that slow an asthmatic snail waved at me as it past by on the side of the road. It took forever to get back to Argassi and to add insult to injury the scooter shop owner passed me going the opposite way near the water village and just waved and nodded.
Really excited about our new home in Bochali we've been up and moved all the personal items of the owner in to the spare wardrobe and started to move things to where we want them and sorted out the patio area. I have moved our outdoor dinning set to what the owner called "Gods Window", so I've taken a picture to see what you think.
I made Helen sit at the table as the glare of my bald patch would have spoilt the view LOL.
Every year i make a vigil to the Tropicana Centre to pay my respects to a bar that was the busiest in the resort at one point in time. Its such a shame to see such a wonderful with a great area just go to waste but Argassi has died a quick death since the all inclusive, very sad to see.
The Tropicana, will never forget you.
While i was in Argassi i was thinking about all the places i have lived on the island since 2001 and what with the new house i have decided to show you a picture history of my old gaffs.
2001 Angel apartments off the Argassi hill road behind the Palmyra hotel. A large bedroom with a private shower and kitchen separate in 2 rooms off a corridor. The shower i shared with a homeless puppy that used to sleep In there at night and a kitchen i shared food with a field mouse. 4/10
2002 Angela Apartments of the back road of Argassi just up from the family inn. This was 2 bedrooms, living room and double balcony. One memory of this place sticks in my mind and that's when we had an earth tremor and i rushed out of room with just a small towel around me with nothing underneath and locked myself out of apartment at 7am in morning. got back in at 9am. My bits were colder than a penguins ass LOL. 8/10
2003-2005 Athena Apartments behind the Tropicana. Had just a small studio here so was a bit poky but so easy for work, nice family owned it and very peaceful, 2005 was the best season in these apartments. 6/10
2006 - 2012 Gold Centre Apartments this was the cheapest, most modern and best apartment i have had out of all of them and will miss it when i move but the new house will make up for it. 10/10
Been up to my friends taverna George who has the little place on the side of Skopos Mountain and it still is just as good today as it was 7 years ago when i first visited it. It has changed so much since then but the view will never change.
This view is one i hadn't seen since about 2006. Its just after the village of Kiliomeno. There are some amazing views all over this beautiful island if you can take the time to get out of the resort.
Found a new locals taverna that has only just opened this season in Zakynthos Town. It was a Chinese restaurant that had closed down years ago and up until this year it still had the Chinese lanterns hanging outside, The small menu is very traditional and the food was really good. just how a taverna should be.
2 weeks ago i had the shortest customer every visit my bar (no jokes about my height please) he was so pleasant and charming when he first came in but as the cocktails flowed he become a real pain in the ass, swearing, shouting, feeling up women, asking for any spare change, he was GNOMELESS! get it gnomeless - homeless, please yourselves lol.
Oceanic Biscuit Club
Kevlar (president), Helen, Cassey, Sam, Caz, Jackie and Justine. Start time 2am.
Rules of Biscuit Club
1st RULE: You do not talk about BISCUIT CLUB.
2nd RULE: You DO NOT talk about BISCUIT CLUB.
3rd RULE: If someone says "stop dunking" or the biscuit goes limp, biscuit drops off, biscuits over.
4th RULE: Only 7 people dunk and discuss.
5th RULE: One biscuit at a time.
6th RULE: No Orios, no cakes.
7th RULE: Dunking will go on as long as it has to.
8th RULE: If this is your first night at BISCUIT CLUB, you HAVE to dunk.
First to be discussed was The Digestive. We all agreed its your standard biscuit with good dunking qualities and easy to eat dry. 2€ a pack, 12.5 cent a biscuit. Kevlar Supplied.
Lotus Biscuits. Not much dunkability but great for dry eating. Posh expensive biscuits so Sam and Caz say. 2.20€ a pack, 6 cent a biscuit. Sam and Caz supplied.
Jammie Dodgers mmmmmm! amazing dunkability, amazing dry eating. 2€ a pack, 25 cent a biscuit. Kevlar Supplied.
Mr. Papadopoulos (not from eastenders) Cookies. Crap, Crap, Crap, tasted like rusks with dried orange peel and tiny chocolate chips. 1.70€ a pack, 12 cent a biscuit, Cassey Supplied.
Fruit Shortcake. Couldn't find another pack to buy to take a pic so copied one off the net. Good taste, great dunkablitiy and no sugar on top like UK version. 2€ a pack, 8 cent a biscuit. Jackie supplied.
So to sum up BISCUIT CLUB best value and cheapest per biscuit were Lotus biscuits so the opposite of what i had been led to believe lol, best tasting definitely Jammie Dodgers, best dunkability Fruit Shortcake. Biscuit Club will continue next season.
Now I'm sure there is a shed load of other things I'm meant to tell you but really can't remember as its been 2 weeks.
Season is now officially best ever season. first 5 months broke every record with October still to go and once again its all down to my customers, nothing to do with me, if it wasn't for you i wouldn't be here.
I've been hearing lots of talk about my bar from rumours going around the resort which my customers have been told by others so lets sort these out shall we LOL.
1/ I'm only busy because of my regulars. FALSE! This year i have seen less repeat visitors than any other season. They may have gone to cheaper destinations, gone to a different resort, drank in a different bar or even the worst thought, passed away but i hope not this reason. The Internet has helped, with a majority of my customers coming from reading my blog after finding it through searches for Zante and Kalamaki.
2/ The Oceanic is up for sale. FALSE! I have always said if someone came in with the right offer i would consider it, then open a new business maybe in a different resort or on a different island but i have not put it up for sale.
3/ I have offered the business to someone within the resort. FALSE! They asked me last season if i would sell it to them and i told them i wasn't selling it but i told them the amount it would take to buy it if i did decide to sell, it was never offered to them.
4/ I am a millionaire with connections to Roman Abramovich, Simon Cowell and Gordon Ramsay. False! I only have half a million LOL
So folks that's all i can think of for now, so looking forward to finishing this season, very tired, aching and need a holiday but no matter what condition I'm in I'm always happy and feel blessed for everything i have in my life and why should i moan, I'm alive aren't i, that's the best thing of all.
Till next week my beloved blog followers lets go full steam ahead in to the end of season and see what happens, HI HO SILVER, AWWAAAYYYYYY!
