The first night’s sleep was punctuated by cockerel calls, dogs barking and random traffic (I later learned that this may have in fact been a small earthquake). The room is quiet in comparison to other hotels and is away from the late night bar area but I am a bastard of a light sleeper. Thankfully I had my earplugs and Siggy seemed happy to lie in for a bit in the morning. She can sometimes turn into a bit of a drill instructor when it comes to making the most of the morning sunshine.
We got up late and went to the big supermarket which is situated enticingly nearby if only we could cross the fields or enter via the goods entrance (as it was we had to walk about ten minutes or so – no hardship but a pain when loaded down with a pack of six two litre bottles of water in the hot Greek summer sun). White chocolate covered Oreos were the star of the shopping show and the store was for once worthy of being called a ‘supermarket’ as opposed to the usual small stores dotted around calling themselves a supermarket but more closely akin to a Tesco or Sainsbury’s local or a Spar shop back home. However while I was able to get a pack of gluten-free cornflakes (for a laugh) there wasn’t a single bottle of squash anywhere within the store and I immediately had cravings for Robinson’s barley water – it is Wimbledon soon after all.
After breakfast we went to chill out by the side of the pool. The pool is massive in comparison to the twenty odd rooms at the hotel. There were only a handful of guests dotted around the pool that day, but I still struggled to get to grips with ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’. At twelve we uncharacteristically decided to give the Thomson holiday rep’s meeting a visit – maybe because we were new to the resort (Siggy visited Kos in her teens – but that was Kardamena and things have moved on since then).
Lee the rep was new to the job and more used to doing stand-up comedy for a living. For once the spiel was not delivered robotically and trips (which as usual seem to be duplicates of what is available in town) weren’t pushed on us too hard. Plus we got some orange squash which satisfied my cordial cravings.
I had crackers, cheese, ham and a big tomato for lunch and then we enjoyed more sun until a bit of cloud appeared from off nearby Dikeo mountain. We decided to walk down town and along the coast road and then visit the supermarket again to buy a washing up sponge.
The shower is the worst feature of an otherwise well-appointed if dated apartment separate from the more modern block of rooms next door to the pool and bar area. The shower head won’t stay at a decent angle, the water supply between hot and cold is erratic, and the shower curtain only encloses one side of the corner shower tray – one side is open allowing water to spray over the toilet and the floor. It’s a kind of wet room I guess and there is a drain nearby in the floor and a handy mop and bucket behind the door. It’s a first world problem. It is curious how the Greeks, original masters of almost everything else civilisation has to offer (inventors of Archimedes screw etc.) have never seem to have got a firm grip on plumbing.
We ate, fashionably late, at Sagittarius restaurant and pizzeria. Like Zante there is a definite Italian influence to the cuisine on Kos – I understand it was occupied by the Italians for a certain period of time. There also a lot of tavernas offering ‘authentic’ Indian curries and even a Thai restaurant also offering Japanese sushi (which seemed unwelcoming and overpriced, so we didn’t eat there).
The food was good at Sagittarius (I had a ‘Greek plate’) but they forgot to bring a bottle of water we’d asked for and then tried to bill us for it. It’s a fairly typical mistake, only 70 cents and I wouldn’t hold it against them. We’ve definitely marked this taverna for a revisit if time allows. Maybe tomorrow we’ll dine without incident? We had two cocktails (P.S. I Love You and an Orchid for me) at Memories and then returned to the hotel.
There was some talk around the pool today about there being a storm predicted for tomorrow. Siggy’s weather app also predicted this for a while and then it disappeared, so we’re not sure whether it will happen. The clouds from earlier dissipated in the evening to reveal a star filled sky.
I had my first chocolate ice cream lolly today, the Greek plate, and about three bowls of peanuts at the cocktail bar. MyFitnessPal would not be pleased, but happily I have decided to ignore my calorie intake for two weeks in favour of enjoying myself and the food. I thoroughly recommend MyFitnessPal by the way – it helped me lose a lot of weight and I will be starting again when I get home.
All photography (c) 2015 Matthew Haynes.
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