We're now down to our last 2 days on the island and the wind has picked up. Shutters are banging and the trees are thrashing around, but the wind is warm and the sky is clear. There are fewer bodies in the sunbeds.
We had another excursion around the island yesterday going to Posidonio a small bay at the east end of the island looking out over a very narrow strait to Turkey. Posidonio is really attractive with a small number of houses and 2 tavernas strung around the quayside with small boats tied up. The larger taverna has a private jetty for boaties to tie up next to their table while dining. (Well, not quite, but nearly). I am sure they will serve the meals onto the boats if asked. The water is, as usual, beautifully clear with shoals of small fish swimming around the shallows. Our friend Steve pounted out the weever fish hiding among the rocks - apparently they hide in rocks and sand and have poisonous spines that inflict a very painful and possibly dangerous dose if trodden on. Swimming shoes to be worn around here!
The bay had a really nice atmosphere and we stopped and looked at a couple of the small holiday houses wondering what the cost of renting would be if we ever came this way again. One dowside would be the road which, while generally good, runs through a village and was obvious set out in the days when the only traffic was donkeys and even then there would have been only one way traffic when someone stopped to unload. Added to the width there are several blind right angle corners which provide an element of surprise.
2 days ago we visited an Engish couple we met at the hotel who have bought an apartment in Kalovassi, a town on the north coast of the island. David kindly offered to meet us in the town and guide us which turned out to be esential as the access to their place was via an extemely steep and narrow strip of rough concrete winding through pine trees fot a kilometre. When we arived it was surprising to find quite a number of houses and apartments sharing the access. The apartment is situated on the side of the hill above the town with a short path down to the town centre and a great view over the town and coast to the north and west. David and Angela have been coming to Samos for years and now spend a lot of time there both summer and winter. They recommended that we visite a restaurant not far from our hotel at Balos And we went there that evening.. What a find! Well, finding it was the first issue. Balos is not recognised by Google maps so we used our map which like most maps here is quirky, out of date and often downright wrong. Anyway we reached the end of the road at the top of the beach and couldnt see any sign of it. Fortunately Angela had given us a card from the restaurant and we recognised a sign withe the logo and an arrow pointing along the top of the beach. We soon came to a narow paved path leading between high walls away from the beach and followed it to find 6 tables nestled in a bamboo grove. We were warmly welcomed by the owner and chef in fluent english - he had spent some time in Brisbane but had never been to NZ. The blackboard menu just said "Ask the Chef". When we booked we had asked for fish fillets as most taverna serve fish whole and grilled which is not the easiest to dismantle and are often charred. Kygi (the chef)confirmed this and asked us what we would like - we looked at each other and said "You choose, but not too much quantity". He said no problem and proposed 3 starters and three mains, all manageable portions and at a rate we coiuld digest comfortably. Wow, he certainly got it right! Starting with griiled aubergine with tzaiki, finely sliced beetroot and grilled cheese stuffed with tomato we wentg on to buterflies sardines, shrimps (actually large prawns) and panfried sea bass fillets. Each dish was a delight and a change from the standard taverna fare while still retaining the essentials of greek cuisine and wonderful blends of herbs. The meal was accompanied by bread baked to the chef's mother's recipe whick had the texture of a cornmeal loaf, but lighter, and was apparently a mix af 5 different grain flours. It had been baked with a strand of olive oil through it and was served with a dip of local olive oil and balsamic vinegar. To end the meal dessert was water melon and a cold dish similar to icecream, but with a beautiful light crunchy texture. In all it was a wonderful experience until the breeze started blowing the cigarette smoke across from the next table causing Gillian's lungs to seize up and we had to make a hasty departure. We hope to return before we leave the island.
On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a couple of ceramics workshops and found them varied and not entirely focused on the basic toruist trade rubbish. One in particular had a range of quite avante garde work and unique finishes and glazes.
Enough for today.
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