Day 20 through day 23 - Katerini Paralia
As I said before I really haven’t done much these last few days other than eat, drink and relax. The hotel has it’s own part of the beach but it’s only as wide as the hotel itself so its a little compact as far as the loungers go.
The shops are a right mix - trashy 1 euro tourist shops are cheek by jowl with Swedish fur emporiums and they do love a fur shop but how the hell they expect to sell fur coats in 30 degrees astounds me!
The sea has this thing going on where for about an hour a day around 2 to 3ish in the afternoon the jelly fishes want to play - and some of them are huge! Some people paddle into the water just to stand and look at them - are they crazy, I hope they don’t ask me to pee on them when they get stung!
Being a proper holiday town there are a million and one places to eat ranging from a 2 euro gyros (doner kebab thing) with chips to the more expensive upmarket style restaurants. The most expensive I paid was 27 euros but that could have fed 2 people as I left a lot and had 2 glasses of wine - so on the whole even the upmarket places where cheap by UK standards - other nights I spent 15 to 17 euros which included wine. Oh, just one problem with the restaurants here, they don’t understand ‘starters’ as, irrespective of what you order, it all comes up at the same time and in any order - like Wagamamas you get it when its cooked. Also you have no choice of dessert, they automatically dish up whatever is the pud of the day after your main meal.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that the older Greek men love their budgie smugglers and some sights have been ugly. Imagine a huge beer gut flopped over a pair of speedos - yuk enough to put you off your cornflakes!
In Greece you are never far from a church, yesterday took a little wander to the next town @ 2 miles away. Lovely walk with the beach on one side and mountains (Mount Olympus) on the other. As crowded as the beach was in Paralia, walk 10 minutes out of town and it’s deserted, only the savvy few have ventured out of town and benefited from a wide sandy beach mostly to themselves. Anyway, getting back to the churches, so there I am wandering and loo and behold a little 2 man church pops up - just in case you feel the need to pray as you’re having a stroll.
One thing did vex me though, even on an almost deserted beach you see the detritus us humans leave and throw away thoughtlessly. Some had been washed up with the tide but some had obviously just been left there. Beer cans, coffe cups, smoothie containers, carrier bags even a bucket and 2 petrol cans! What is wrong with some people??????
A few more pictures around town.
So today (Tuesday) I’m off to Kalambaka to look at the monastery’s, having an overnight there before going on to Athens.
The shops are a right mix - trashy 1 euro tourist shops are cheek by jowl with Swedish fur emporiums and they do love a fur shop but how the hell they expect to sell fur coats in 30 degrees astounds me!
The sea has this thing going on where for about an hour a day around 2 to 3ish in the afternoon the jelly fishes want to play - and some of them are huge! Some people paddle into the water just to stand and look at them - are they crazy, I hope they don’t ask me to pee on them when they get stung!
Being a proper holiday town there are a million and one places to eat ranging from a 2 euro gyros (doner kebab thing) with chips to the more expensive upmarket style restaurants. The most expensive I paid was 27 euros but that could have fed 2 people as I left a lot and had 2 glasses of wine - so on the whole even the upmarket places where cheap by UK standards - other nights I spent 15 to 17 euros which included wine. Oh, just one problem with the restaurants here, they don’t understand ‘starters’ as, irrespective of what you order, it all comes up at the same time and in any order - like Wagamamas you get it when its cooked. Also you have no choice of dessert, they automatically dish up whatever is the pud of the day after your main meal.
The other thing I’ve noticed is that the older Greek men love their budgie smugglers and some sights have been ugly. Imagine a huge beer gut flopped over a pair of speedos - yuk enough to put you off your cornflakes!
In Greece you are never far from a church, yesterday took a little wander to the next town @ 2 miles away. Lovely walk with the beach on one side and mountains (Mount Olympus) on the other. As crowded as the beach was in Paralia, walk 10 minutes out of town and it’s deserted, only the savvy few have ventured out of town and benefited from a wide sandy beach mostly to themselves. Anyway, getting back to the churches, so there I am wandering and loo and behold a little 2 man church pops up - just in case you feel the need to pray as you’re having a stroll.
One thing did vex me though, even on an almost deserted beach you see the detritus us humans leave and throw away thoughtlessly. Some had been washed up with the tide but some had obviously just been left there. Beer cans, coffe cups, smoothie containers, carrier bags even a bucket and 2 petrol cans! What is wrong with some people??????
A few more pictures around town.
So today (Tuesday) I’m off to Kalambaka to look at the monastery’s, having an overnight there before going on to Athens.
Much as I am your friend, I would draw the line at peeing on you if you got stung by jelly fish!! 🤣
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