Sunday 6 July 1986
A change this year: we're flying! I must admit it feels a bit strange! However, all I can ask is that this year's holiday is as good as the last five.
We left Northampton at 3:15 pm and drove to Dartford to see Grandad who was in Livingstone Hospital. After the visit, we went to see Nan L. It's still so traditional! Nan asked us which ferry we were taking. Are we seasoned ferry-catchers, then?
We followed the signs on the motorway for Gatwick Airport and I tried to ignore the "GB" stickers on the backs of cars. Perhaps next year?
Finding the farmhouse was great fun: we got lost twice but we have to get lost every year, so this is no exception. Anyway, our map was terrible, but in the end, we found it after a delightful tour of the Sussex countryside!
The farmhouse was very rustic and reminded me of the numerous French auberges we'd stayed in. There were loads of horses and dogs, and manure everywhere. Our rooms were clean, comfortable and pretty. Well satisfied, we asked about a good place to eat and we were given another map! The Lamb Inn was recommended!
After travelling through more narrow country lanes we arrived at The Lamb Inn and went to see about some food. It was all very confusing and the menu was placed almost out of sight. I could hardly read it! The woman serving looked like a blonde rat and had the manners to match! We ordered our food and Dad was just about to pay when he changed his mind and we left!
We drove, instead, to a beautiful pub in Horley where we had a delicious meal of curry and lasagne.
Back at the farmhouse, Mum and I had a bath and then it was time for bed. Sleeping is going to be difficult as big airliners fly right over the farmhouse every five minutes! The noise is deafening, but I like it!
Monday 7 July 1986
I had a broken night's sleep, disturbed by the numerous aircraft flying over the farmhouse. I eventually woke up at 3:40 am and stayed awake. We had a delicious cooked breakfast and left at 5:15 am. We travelled to the hotel in style, a Mercedes estate! What a great start to the holiday!
Gatwick Airport is enormous! We found the Dan w Air check-in desk easily and checked in our luggage. It was a lot easier than I thought, but catching the ferry is easier still!
We went to the Departure Lounge and our hand luggage was screened. Mine and Mum's were OK, but Dad's dinged! However, it was only the tape recorder!
The Departure Lounge was enormous as well and had huge windows at the front where we could see the runway.
We boarded the plane at 6:45 am and both Mum and I were terrified! I wasn't keen on take-off as I'd never been so fast in my life! Anyway, once in the air I began to enjoy myself and the view from the window was amazing! There were enormous mountains of clouds stretching away to the horizon and it was like being in a white fluffy desert! Now and again I caught glimpses of Germany and Yugoslavia below.
We had a lovely breakfast; Dad was expecting bacon and eggs but we were given croissants, orange juice and a delicious sweet cake. He'd already had a cooked breakfast at the farmhouse, anyway!
I was amazed that we were crossing over Germany after forty-five minutes! It takes us two days in the car. The captain informed us that were travelling eight miles in one minute, so about 480mph... that's fast!
Mum behaved quite well after take-off but she still had a terrified look on her face and refused to look out of the window! Dad thoroughly enjoyed making fun of both of us and spent most of the flight drinking coffee and reading the newspaper.
Halfway through the flight, we had heavy turbulence over Yugoslavia. We had to put our seat belts on and both Mum and I were terrified!
We landed at Mykonos airport at 1pm Greek time, and it was very hot. The airport was tiny, and we were taken by bus to the harbour and told we had three hours to wait for the ferry to Paros. As it was so warm we went from one bar to another and sat in the shade. We ate lunch at a taverna and chose veal, rice and courgettes, which were served cold.
The hot afternoon stretched on and we decided we didn't like Mykonos and felt glad that we weren't staying there! We finally boarded the ferry at 5:00 pm but it didn't leave for almost another hour. It was a cool, enjoyable journey which lasted two hours.
From the sea, Paros looked like a big island, but it did look better than Mykonos. We took a taxi from the harbour to the Hotel Xenia in the town of Parikia, and another couple shared the Mercedes with us. Mum, Dad and the couple were squashed in the back while I travelled in comfort in the front!
The Hotel Xenia is situated outside of the main town, on a headland overlooking the sea. It was a white and blue building with several terraces. Our bedrooms had balconies and en-suite bathrooms.
We freshened up and went into Parikia town to meet the other people travelling with Sunmed. The front was lined with brightly-lit restaurants and it reminded me a little of Tossa de Mar. We had arranged to meet at the windmill but nobody else had arrived so we started looking for the restaurant.
Parikia has many narrow, winding streets, overhung with flowering shrubs, and the white-washed buildings all have green or grey shutters. These, of course, reminded me of Italy!
We never did manage to find the restaurant, so we dined at a sea-front eaterie and enjoyed pork kebabs, before heading back to the hotel and enjoying the views from the hotel lounge. I was so tired I nearly fell asleep!
Tuesday 8 July 1986
We had our first Greek breakfast this morning and it was pretty good! Our meal included coffee, orange juice, toast and sponge cake, and we enjoyed dining in a room with a beautiful view of the sea. After breakfast, we walked into town and bought postcards and hats. Later, at 10:30 am, we went to the Sunmed office and were taken to a bar where we had a glass of ouzo. One of the staff members gave us some recommendations for places to visit in Paros. It was incredibly hot outside, and Myra, the Sunmed representative, told us that it was 120°F yesterday. Phew!
Lunch was taken at the same restaurant we had visited last night. This time we ate meat and vegetables tucked inside pitta bread. Delicious!
In the afternoon we visited a beach behind the hotel. It was a fifteen-minute walk and we discovered an almost deserted cove. It was quiet and Dad and I went for a swim. The afternoon was spent lazily on the beach as it was so hot. At one point the waves became higher when a ferry pulled into the harbour and they drenched us all! It was hilarious! We sat on the rocks for a while with our feet in the sea and it was lovely and cool.
When we got back to the hotel, we sat on the balcony and talked to one of the men who worked at the hotel. It was very peaceful there because the hotel is quite a distance from the main town of Parikia.
In the evening we went to Black Bart's bar first and enjoyed a Manhattan cocktail of whisky, Vermouth and bitters. The cocktails were lethal! We asked Myra where the Vietnamese restaurant was and decided to eat there.
The food was delicious and the setting was beautiful. Opposite the restaurant was a rug shop, which gave the setting an Oriental air.
We walked around the town for a while and then returned to the hotel for a drink on the balcony. The other British couple staying at the hotel came to talk to us and we stayed with them for the rest of the evening.
Wednesday 9 July 1986
Today we caught the caique to the other side of the bay where there are two beaches. We disembarked at the second beach and found a quiet corner by some rocks. The sea was crystal clear and the beach was sandy, so I was happy! We hired three beds, applied sun tan lotion and lay basking in the heat.
Whenever it became too hot, I went swimming and the breeze cooled us down as well. We stayed on the beach until 3:00 pm and caught the boat back to Parikia. Before returning to the hotel we wandered around the maze of narrow streets, looking at the numerous churches in the blazing heat.
We'd booked to go to Naoussa in the evening for a fish night. We all met at Black Bart's bar and had a cocktail to start the evening. This time, I had a Screwdriver which was vodka and orange juice.
John and Valerie arrived and we sat talking to them before walking to the windmill to catch the coach to Naoussa. The countryside we travelled through was beautiful and very Grecian. Naoussa is a small fishing village about fifteen miles from Parikia. There's a tiny harbour crammed full of boats and the streets are cobbled and winding. It was pretty and picturesque.
We had about an hour to walk around the town before having a drink in the Barberossa bar where we watched the sun go down.
The evening's meal wasn't to my liking as I'm not a fan of fish! We ate octopus (horrible!), squid (fried and delicious), cod, and lots of other unidentifiable items that weren't pleasant!
After eating, we went back to the bar and had to drink a glass of "Suma" or firewater. It was disgusting! The rest of the evening was spent chatting, and we returned to Parikia at about 1:00 am.
Thursday 10 July 1986
We decided to visit Aliki today by way of the local bus, and the journey took about twenty minutes. The ride was bumpy but worth it for the views across the island to Antiparos. Aliki is small but the beach was lovely and sandy and the sea was clear. We stayed on the beach all day and frequently went into the sea as it was so hot.
Once back in Parikia, we walked around the town, ate delicious ice cream at "Il Gelato" and returned to the hotel for a nap. This heat seems to make all of us extremely tired.
In the evening we went to a restaurant in the main square. We tried the kebabs and the meal was just moderate.
We hadn't yet explored the town which was on the other side of the harbour, so we walked over there and found ourselves pleasantly surprised. It was quieter than the main town but the restaurants had little lights in the trees and seemed more friendly. I treated Mum and Dad to a cocktail and I enjoyed a Pina Colada... delicious!
Before going back to the hotel we had a crepe at "La Creperie". It took us ages to find it but the food was worth it! There was French music playing inside and Parisian posters on the walls. I enjoyed a crepe with vanilla ice cream and chocolate while Mum and Dad had chocolate and brandy. Very delicious!
Friday 11 July 1986
It hasn't been a very successful day, I'm afraid! We decided to stay out of the sun and visit Antiparos and its caves. We caught the boat easily, but we had forgotten that the Sundmed cruise had been cancelled because of rough seas.
The journey over to Antiparos was horrible and I felt ill. The boatmen told us to "stay put" for the caves, and so we did. When we arrived, we had a drink and lunch before starting the long, dusty climb up to the caves. Luckily, there was a breeze so it wasn't too hot but it was dusty and I still felt nauseous from the boat ride.
When we eventually arrived at the caves, we were covered in dust and felt exhausted. Going down into the caves was horrific as the steps were steep. There wasn't much air down there and I felt even worse. Mum went back up to the top, and Dad and I soon followed.
We started the long walk back down to the boat, and I remarked, "What if the last boat has gone when we get back?"
Dad said he'd get someone to take us back and he sounded very confident! Imagine our horror, then, when we arrived back and found that the last boat had indeed departed!
There were about ten of us altogether and we decided to walk the seven kilometres to Antiparos Town. We trooped off in the heat, which had lessened a bit by the breeze, thank goodness! Mum, Dad and I walked with another couple and a little French girl called Dominique. We were angry about the situation and felt for the little children who had to walk the long distance to the town in the heat.
Luckily, someone stopped in a van and picked the children up. However, Dominique was left with us as the van driver wouldn't stop again. We trudged on and on, but I didn't mind. The views across to paros were stunning and it wasn't that hot.
We arrived in Antiparos Town at 5:00 pm, had something to eat and caught the 6:00 pm boat back to Paros. The journey was terrible as the sea was so rough. One minute the boat was perched on the top of a huge wave, and the next it had plunged downwards. Of course, I felt terribly ill so I went to stand on the deck. It certainly wasn't an enjoyable crossing!
In the evening we went to the other side of Parikia for a meal. We picked a restaurant that looked welcoming but what a mistake we made! Half of the menu wasn't available so I didn't get to eat what I wanted!
The soup, when it finally arrived, was lukewarm and disgusting. We had to wait over an hour for the main course and my meal was a small amount of veal with a few chips. The veal was tough and full of bones! We will never go back there!
We enjoyed ice creams at "Il Gelato" and thankfully returned to the hotel. What a day!
Saturday 12 July 1986
We caught the caique to the other side of the bay again today because the beach there is lovely. It seems to be getting hotter every day and if we sunbathed all day, every day, we'd be mahogany!
We left early and walked around the town. The heat was so intense, that it was unbelievable, and the sun's glare was made worse by the white buildings.
In the evening, we found a lovely restaurant called "Parostia". We walked in and found John and Valerie who told us that the restaurant and food were excellent. Success at last! We had a lovely meal, the best so far. I had moussaka to start, which was delicious. For my main course, I chose wiener schnitzel, followed by chocolate mousse for dessert. The meal was served well and we weren't hurried. We ate in a little garden at the back of the restaurant and there was a lovely, romantic atmosphere.
Before turning in for bed tonight, we chatted to John and Valerie on the verandah.
Sunday 13 July 1986
Dad told us that he was going to take out a moped tomorrow. We tried to talk him out of it, but he wouldn't listen.
We went to Martselo Beach by Caique again. Today, it was very crowded, probably because the local people had had the same idea. It was baking hot again, but I swam frequently, which cooled me down. Afterwards, we returned to the villa for a siesta, something we all approve of!
In the evening we'd booked to go to a Bazouki evening in the hills. We went to Black Bart's for a cocktail and met Myra and Steve. One of the men who works in Black Bart's has taken a liking to us and whenever we go in, he compares the tans on our arms!
Tonight, he told me he had something for me so I followed him into the bar. He gave me a drink and told me to swallow it all at once! It was very potent! Later, Myra told me it was a B52!
We started out for the restaurant at 9.30pm. It wasn't far away and when we arrived the place was completely empty! The restaurant was outside and quite large so the absence of people was very noticeable! We took our seats and we were served a starter of Greek salad, something I'm heartily sick of now!
There were some men with instruments on stage and they played a few terrible songs as we ate. The next course was disgusting! We had whitebait (horrible little fish), octopus, two dips and a cheese pie. I didn't touch the octopus, the whitebait tasted bitter and the cheese pie was worse than anything I've ever tasted.
The dancing started and thankfully we had a group from Thessaloniki next to us and several of the women could dance well. They made it look so easy! I was dragged up to dance by a creep who worked in the restaurant. I felt such an idiot!
We waited for the main meal until 12.30pm and when it did arrive it was stone cold! I had beef in lemon sauce with chips, and I didn't enjoy it at all. Dad had ordered swordfish but he didn't receive his meal until we'd all finished our meals! At least it was hot!
The dancing was good but that was provided by the women from Thessaloniki! We eventually left at 1.30am and it was great to get into bed!
Monday 14 July 1986
We had a day out of the sun and walked around the town in the morning before visiting the museum. Unfortunately, we couldn't understand Greek so we didn't know what the exhibits were. It's been another hot day with no breeze.
Lunch was taken in a restaurant in the square where Mum had a sudden craving for scrambled eggs. I enjoyed ham and eggs while Dad chose an omelette. We returned to the hotel afterwards and read on the verandah. I also had an hour's nap in my room.
Later in the afternoon, we walked into town and had drinks and cakes at our favourite café. I felt so guilty after eating a huge chocolate éclair!
We returned to Parostia in the evening and enjoyed another delicious meal. This time I had mushrooms in Provencal sauce, followed by veal. My dessert was a chocolate mousse. John and Valerie were eating in the restaurant again and we chatted to them.
After the meal, we returned to the hotel and carried on chatting with John and Valerie.
Tuesday 15 July 1986
It's been a great day as we decided to hire a Suzuki Jeep and explore the island. Sitting in the Jeep was windy but lots of fun! We drove along the front back to the hotel to pick up my bikini, which I had forgotten.
From Parikia, we drove to Lefkes which is the highest village on the island. We stopped for a drink and took several photographs. The mountains in the distance were partially obscured by mist and they looked strange and romantic.
After our drink, we drove up a rough and dusty track that kept climbing higher and higher. The views across the island were stunning and we had to stop to take photographs, but also because our hats kept blowing off!
We reached the highest point on the island and found two churches, one of which was being whitewashed by five nuns. Seeing them doing this at such a remote spot was bizarre! They wouldn't let us go into the church and they weren't happy about being photographed. The views were stunning; we could see the whole of Anti-Paros and most of Paros. The sky was a gorgeous shade of blue and it was peaceful and quiet.
Driving back down was hairy and we never saw another car. We drove onto Piso Livadi, a resort similar to Aliki which is on the other side of the island. We parked the Jeep by the sea and had lunch at a little taverna overlooking the beach. We all chose moussaka accompanied by cold drinks. The bill only came to 440 drachmas... unbelievable!
I took photos of Mum and Dad posing by the Jeep and we left. On the road, we saw a sign for Golden Beach and decided to have a swim. The beach didn't seem real to me; the sky was a forget-me-not blue and the sea was a gorgeous aquamarine colour. The sand was golden and opposite was a huge, green island.
Swimming was lovely, but the only problem was the wind. We didn't stay for very long and drove onto Naoussa where we found another Caribbean-like beach in a huge bay. The water was warm and gorgeous - perfect for swimming! We stayed there for about an hour and just lazed on the beach. I swam a lot because the water was so lovely.
We drove to Santa Maria but there were no more roads after that, so we turned around and headed back to Parikia. We had an ice cream at "Il Gelato" and returned to the hotel.
Whilst having a drink in the evening, we met John and Valerie and told them about our lovely day. We decided to eat in Naoussa at the Minoa restaurant which was supposed to be the best on the island. Unfortunately, we didn't agree! The meal was OK, but nothing special. There were no vegetables, just the inevitable chips. We decided to go back to Parikia for dessert, but before we left we talked to another English couple from Newcastle.
The drive back to Parikia was lovely. The mountains looked mysterious and the stars were shining in the night sky. We enjoyed cakes at our favourite café and returned to the hotel for drinks.
Wednesday 16 July 1986
It was Mum and Dad's wedding anniversary today and they opened their cards at breakfast. Dad had bought Mum and sweet Greek card. We took the Jeep back and I was sad to see it go. We were back to walking everywhere!
We had a drink, bought some rolls and caught the caique to Martselo Beach. It was as hot as ever and I left the beach after lunch and returned to the hotel. The cleaners at the hotel had arranged Mum's flowers in a vase in her room and they looked beautiful.
We had a drink at the hotel bar and chatted to the manager. Dad told him that I felt ill (probably due to last night's meatballs) and so he poured me a glass of Fernet Branca. It was absolutely disgusting! He made me drink all of it and I felt worse!
We went to Parostia again in the evening and afterwards, walked around the town. The days here are a long succession of doing nothing!
Thursday 17 July 1986
Dad decided to walk around the town and visit the churches and museums. It was too hot for Mum and I to walk around so we caught the boat to Martselo Beach. We had a lovely cool day and we spent a lot of time in the sea.
Back at the hotel, we found Dad in the lounge and he told us that he'd booked for us to go on a trip to Butterfly Valley and the Monastery. We hurriedly got ready and walked down to the harbour to meet the coach.
There was a lot of confusion over the coaches but we eventually found the right one and set off for Aliki...again!
We stayed in Aliki for about half an hour. We sat in a café on the seafront and enjoyed beautiful views of Anti-Paros. We ate some yoghurt and I had a bottle of milk. From Aliki, we were taken to Butterfly Valley. We descended a flight of steps to a hollowed-out area full of trees. Looking closely, we could see several thousand dingy-looking butterflies sitting on the leaves. However, when our guide started to hit the branches with a stick, the butterflies flew off, revealing their undersides of brilliant red! It was a gorgeous spectacle and I've never seen so many butterflies in my life! The visit was well worth the horrors of heaving butterflies bumping into us! I felt sorry for them constantly being banged about!
From Butterfly Valley, we went to the monastery and the guide gave us a short talk on the history. Once, there were fifty nuns in residence, but now there were only seven.
We were back at Parikia by 7.30pm, and after a short visit to the hotel, we ate at Parostia again. Honestly, there's no better place to have a meal in Parikia!
Friday 18 July 1986
On the beach again! And more swimming to keep cool! I think that the beach is the only place to go and keep cool - there's the sea to swim in and the sea breezes as well.
Siesta, for me anyway, is compulsory here. The locals all indulge in a cat-nap and Parikia at about 3pm is very quiet. It starts to cool down at 8pm when the sun goes down and it's very beautiful.
Need I say where we went to eat? Anyway, it paid off as the head waiter brought us three Brandies!
Saturday 19 July 1986
We hired three mopeds today from Acropolis. A man took us to pick them up and I was scared to get on! Once I knew where the brake was, I was fine!
We set off along the road to get some petrol, only to find that the petrol station hadn't any fuel! Brilliant! We flew back to the hire place and filled up there.
First of all, we went to the marble quarries on the way to Lefkes. Dad found two bits while Mum and I sat in the shade of a ruined building.
From the quarries, we motored up to Lefkes along some pretty hairy bends! We had drinks at the Paradise café and rolled around with laughter at Mum wearing her hat!
We visited the church, and I lit a candle. Mum bought a little silver card for Grandad and hung it up at the altar. It made her feel better and hope is eternal.
From Lefkes, we drove to Kostos but there wasn't much to see there as it was only a small village, so we returned to Parikia for lunch. We had a beer in "Il Gelato" and moussaka next door.
In the afternoon we drove along the road to Aliki. We looked at one beach and then continued onto Punta which is directly opposite the town of Antiparos. It was very small, quiet and peaceful but we didn't stay for long.
We returned to Parikia and took the mopeds back. There were two sweet puppies there and the man who took us back to town brought them with him!
Before returning to the hotel, we had a long, cool drink at a seafront café. All of us were aching (but I won't say where!).
In the evening, we didn't go to Parostia! Instead, we went to May Tey, the Vietnamese restaurant. The food was delicious and Mum and I had a lovely salad to start, followed by beef and rice. I even managed to eat with chopsticks!
After the meal, we went to Black Bart's and had lots more drinks. Theo brought us B52s and invited me to the disco. He's so sweet! On the way back to the hotel we were accosted by Socrates from the Xenia and he invited us to sit down and have a drink with him and his friends. We drank Ouzo and ate some Greek specialities, which were disgusting! We had a good time talking to them all as they were friendly. We all felt slightly tipsy walking back to the hotel, but we weren't as bad as one girl we saw!
Sunday 20 July 1986
It was our last day, and very sad I am too...
We visited the church of a Hundred Doors today. It was beautiful inside with lots of candles burning (we lit one each) and little silver cards for ill people. It was quite busy as the service had just finished and there were lots of little old women dressed in black everywhere.
We had a drink at our favourite café and a yoghurt. We then bought last-minute presents and I bought a card for Theo, whom we saw, but he must have still been asleep as he didn't see us. Mum bought a pair of sandals and a natural sponge for Mr Don.
We had a beer at "Il Gelato" and decided to have lunch at Parikia's equivalent of McDonald's. We all came to the conclusion that McDonald's doesn't have anything to worry about! The food was horrible and the hamburger certainly wasn't made of beef!
We returned to the hotel and changed into swimwear to go to the beach behind the hotel. It wasn't a good beach, however, so I didn't stay for long. Dad borrowed the manager's snorkel and face mask which provided some good entertainment for Mum and me! We were also amused by the naked man next to us but I won't go into details!
I returned to the hotel and sat in the lounge. Socrates bought me a drink and we chatted about travel and Japan.
In the evening we went to Parostia for the last time. It was so sad. After eating we had a drink at Black Bart's and we received Theo's utmost attention. I gave him the card and he went all bashful... he told me he'd open it at 3pm and rushed off!
He kept bringing us B52s and sat and chatted with us. He had obviously opened his card and looked chuffed! We left at 11.30pm and returned to the hotel. I was very sad.
Monday 21 July 1986
We ate ham and eggs for breakfast in town this morning before meeting in the harbour at 9am. There was utter confusion with people and luggage everywhere.
We said goodbye to Steve on the way up the gangplank and he made sure he received a kiss from every female. The sea was quite rough so I lay down for most of the journey. A few people were sick.
We arrived in Mykonos and were told that there was a three-hour delay with our flight. We couldn't believe it! I hate Mykonos! We had a terrible lunch at a taverna courtesy of Dan Air which was virtually inedible.
Mum and Dad bought perfume and then we sat on the beach and went to a bar before meeting at the harbour for the trip to the airport. Utter chaos reigned with people and luggage everywhere, and the heat was stifling. We went to watch the Manchester flight take off after checking in and also spotted our plane landing. I was glad to see the pilot seemed capable!
We boarded at 6.30pm and take-off was not pleasant. The whole plane shook as we rose into the sky and then we banked sharply. I was alarmed when it sounded as if the engine had stopped but Dad assured me it was because the pilot had started his descent into Athens where we were going to re-fuel. The landing was horrible, especially when the engines went into reverse to slow us down.
However, the flight back to London was much better, despite some turbulence. We flew over Corfu, Italy, the Alps and most of France. Seeing the mountains was lovely. I made sure I had a double whisky, so I felt fine! We had a good meal and before we knew it, we were back at Gatwick.
England was cold, rainy and dark. We retrieved our cases and passed easily through Customs. We called Waterhall Farm and we were picked up in a white Mercedes.
The journey home was not pleasant - we had torrential rain through London. What a welcome! We stopped for coffee and sandwiches on the M1 and all felt a bit silly walking in wearing skimpy shorts! It wasn't until 1am that we finally arrived home, only four hours late!
“Forever in my dreams
My heart will be
Hanging onto this sweet memory…
Take me back to the place
That I know…
On the beach.”
Chris Rea On The Beach
