Kaminia, Achaia.
We are feeling very spoilt in this little hotel as the views of the bay are fantastic,
Poseidon Hotel, a real breath of fresh air.
and it is in a very quiet corner of the village. The first sounds we heard were the early morning alarm call of a cockerel or two and an amazing dawn chorus of birds. Our room overlooks an olive and orange grove which is full of all sorts of black caps and warblers.
We are missing our Italian Cornetti/Croissants but the Greek Yoghurt more than makes up for it at breakfast.
First we had to catch up on a serious amount of washing (no easy feat this with no plugs in the basin) so we became fairly inventive with things we could stuff into the sink. I favoured a champagne cork as then we could have bought a bottle but Alec didn’t think it would fit in the plughole correctly, (weak excuse) so in the end we managed with a lid, some loo paper wrapped around that, then a bit of plastic bag wrapped around the outside of that. At hotel reception they thought we were very peculiar wanting one, but it is high on the list of Greek words to learn/remember and off we went in search of a hardware shop. We followed the coast road for a few miles to see what it is like. Fortunately the major road runs alongside at this point so there is only local traffic on the smaller one. Everyone has warned us to be careful of the drivers as they are not used to bikes. One of the guys at the bike shop gaily told us he has had nine operations so far after falling off his bike! However, the drivers are not much different from those in the U.K. only giving you a few inches so you just have to concentrate rather hard as to what may be coming up behind/beside you.
The town of Achaia is a hub of activity and full of lovely old-fashioned shops so we spent a happy hour exploring finally finding a hardware store. After much scratching of heads and a particularly good drawing of a bath plug by Alec, we emerged victorious with 2 of different sizes. I remember my mother and I having the same problem whilst here a few years ago. Now we just have to remember to take them with us each time we change hotels.
We headed down to the little village/harbour of Kato Achaia which was very pretty and we had a most peaceful picnic sitting on a rock admiring the boats. The swallows have arrived here and were swooping around and sitting on the boat riggings.
We sat right here for our picnic lunch.
Coffee after lunch!
In Achaia we had also bought a half bottle of wine; the Cab Sauvignon being ‘foreign’ was extortionately expensive so we bought a bottle of the local red. So here we are in perfect surroundings unpacking our picnic, take the cork out with mouths watering and oh....it’s a sort of sweet Marsala pretty much like communion wine and served us jolly well right for not wearing our glasses when we made the selection. However on Sunday the second half slipped down most appropriately!!
After a while we became restless so went and had a coffee where Vivi was forced to share what she had saved for tea with a ‘starving’ mongrel
And then I felt it was time summer was officially recognized (of course I know it won’t be) and slipped nimbly into my bathers and had a swim.
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