Arillas Holiday

B-Day

Today I once again have a birthday and the merciless thing called time has calculated the length of my existence so far. Early forties are rolling on nicely and after a quick stock take I can conclude that I got a job, good friends and my health (discounting my gammy hind leg). Thank you for all your birthday wishes via various different ways!

So life is good even thought the near perfect holiday is over and I have spent yesterday and this morning doing two weeks worth of laundry, which finally seems to be all sorted and the last batch is drying outside. I am in the process of editing the holiday video and it is starting to look good.

Now I just might have to have drink to celebrate ;)

Last beer in Arillas

Goodbye Arillas

Last day in the village dawned after last night in the Coconut Bar. Sadness of this holiday ending is making both Heavy and I "a bit cranky" to put it mildly. We will spend this morning at the Marina Pool Bar, lunch will be with Spiros in Thalassa before we walk back to Brouklis through the village saying our "Goodbye and see you next year!" Then it is off to the Corfu airport and the company of assortment of hoardes of fellow cranky holiday enders.

Here is a short list of what made our holiday so good this time:

- We have dined with a member of parliament sitting on the next table in the Brouklis taverna and thought that he had a very pleasant voice.
- We have howled with laughter at the amourous couple trying to break the bed in the apartment next door.
- We also have made several dear new friends and got even better friends with the old ones.
- We have enjoyed all the epicurean pleasures whole heartedly.
- We have aquired golden tans and became full time beach bums.
- We have had almost nearly perfect holiday.

Thank you Arillas for all the hospitality and we'll be back next year!

Visit to Agios Stefanos

After few solid days at the beach we had to have a rest day. We woke up early and decided to walk to the next village of Agios Stefanos. Up the hill we went and down the hill we came. Quick stop at the ATM in Agios Stefanos and then back up the hill and once more down the hill. Roughly 6km in an hour, which is the most excercise we have done in the past two weeks apart from the daily improvment of our glass holding muscles. Life is good :)

Today I have been mostly...

Monday morning

Life in the village continues but with a tinge of sadness as several of our new friends are departing back to the old Blighty today. Such is life and all good things come to an end etc etc. We still have until Friday evening to enjoy the good life and on that note I will crab my towel and head to the beach. Not bad for a Monday morning ;)

Hangover day

Yesterday we had the best lobster meal ever in Armourada with lashings of white vino. Then we felt really good and headed deeper in to the village nightlife.

This morning around 05.30 we finally fell out of the Coconut Bar and predictably merry. Woke up around 13.00 and headed for lunch when the serious deterioration of our faculties and physical appearance and we had to come back to the apartment to die a slow death. Still, life is good ;)

I'm in a Arillas state of mind

Windy day at the beach today which was as busy as always. Life in the village is beautiful and food is good and drinks cold. Tomorrow afternoon we head over to Corfu town to see the handbag selection on offer and have a walk around the old town before returning to this gorgeous place called Arillas. Life is good indeed!

Today I have been mostly...

Akrotiri Bar rocks!

Today we gave the beach a rest and hung around various establisments in the village and did some nessacary shopping. The we headed to the Akrotitri Lounge Bar with Mr Eggy in his Punto and the views were to die for. Several beverages were consumed and then time ran away with us but that was really just a happy accident. We sure will be back and life is soooooooooooooo good :)

40 degrees Celcius

Last night we dined downstairs in Brouklis Taverna and proceeded to Ammos Beach Bar for a civilized Mojitos at sun down. The Mojitos continued in The Coconut bar and fun was had until wee hours. This morning the hangover was bypassed cleverly with tons of fruit juices with breakfast and it worked.

Arillas today has been hot hot hot. Most of the day I have been hanging knee deep in the Ionian sea to keep up the illusion of being cool. Corfu weather report says 41 degrees and believe me it felt like it. Lunch was in Portofino and food was as scrumptious as ever.

Tonight somebody is singing Robbie Williams in the Coconut bar and I believe there will be few beverages and some interactive singing. Life is good :)

Gotcha!

Yesterday wayyyyy before the actual sunrise I was hovering in Gatwick checking in at the EasyJet desk. Why I was there the day before is because I decided few months ago to surprise Heavy in Arillas as she only expected me to arrive today. I have been in cahoots with few few people in England, Greece and all over Europe via a forum to make this surprise conspiracy on an international scale happen.

She arrived and conceded to a happy surprise of getting to the bar with me a day before expected. This morning she is ready to murder me swiftly because of the king size hangover caused by last nights merriment in the Coconut bar *LOL*

But life is as good as we expected here in Arillas and now we head towards the beach.

I has a Friday!

Have good weekend everyone!

Wednesday pondering

We all have our idiosyncrasies’ and little neurosis which we try and hide to the best of our ability from most people. But then there are people that you feel comfortable with and then some of your funny habits come to light involuntarily. My Big Brother has called me Mr Monk and Min has pointed out that I am a total Sheldon at times.

Well, I do like things to be in certain order in my life like books in alphabetical order, clothes and underwear color co-ordinated in drawers and cupboards, toothpaste tube to be squeezed just so, things on my desk in straight lines and my aversion of other people’s bacteria etc etc…

If any of these life events go wrong and they do, I get all kinds of uncomfortable but luckily not so visible ticks that rival the number of ticks in the Lyme’s Disease convention. Pun intended ;)

But what I have learned in my 40 something odd years is that you can only control yourself and your space and the rest you just have to accept. Luckily that does not stop me from having tons of opinions and straightening things out even when it is absolutely none of my business. And so life goes on…

Corfu weather report looks good and me and my neurosis and ticks can have a two week break from living in London town. Not long now…

Surfing candy

Jay Quinn is one of the better looking imports from New Zeeland to hit our shores. Last weekend he came second in Relentless Boardmasters surfing event in Newquay in Cornwall. My optic nerve is most pleased ;)

The price of being single

This article in BBC News Magazine got the bee buzzing in my bonnet once again. I have forever and a day moaned and whinged at the election times as none of the politicians take single people seriously. None of them drive our rights and it is all about supporting people who already have at least another person to support them.



I am single by choice and very happy. I have been lucky to end up being able to share my life with two other single friends in a shared house. But if this was not the case I would be in a king size financial bother with no hope of having holidays ever, not to mention going out or being able to eat healthy.

So politicians, for once be brave and get your proverbial stinking finger out and have a look at what you can do for us singletons instead of making us pay the taxes to support families that are in shape or form relevant to our lives.

My thoughts are on travel

My fellow Finn Jani who writes Monologue wrote a piece containing a link to 50 Most Inspiring Travel Quotes of All Time. I certainly found my favorite among them :)

"Your true traveler finds boredom rather agreeable than painful. It is the symbol of his liberty-his excessive freedom. He accepts his boredom, when it comes, not merely philosophically, but almost with pleasure."

Aldous Huxley

Respect!

This news in the papers last week made giddy with pleasure. Maybe a king size stupid thing to do, but oh how I admire this unknown lady for standing up for herself. You go girl!

I have always wondered that people can wear what ever they want in our country but at the same time, why shouldn't the same courtesy be extended to us in their country?

My mind truly boggles *shaking my head*

Wishing the time away

Not much happening, just counting the days, the hours, the minutes to my holiday in Arillas....*deep sigh*

Clarkson on Finland

Jeremy Clarkson writes in yesterdays Sunday Times about what he knows of us Finn's, which is clearly not a lot. Attached a part of the said article in Sunday Times. Funny though... :)

Click to make the story bigger

Sad news

Very sad news this morning from Corfu. The gentleman who's company I worked for back in the day has passed away. He was strictly old school with a sharp head for business but he also possessed a wicked sense of humor. My thoughts are with his widow, a lovely lady called Mary who shared her life with him in Corfu for 40 years in good and bad times.

Spriros, The Has Been's salute you and we will never forget you!