Dropping down a gear

 

Falling into a relaxed pattern meant a lack of immediacy on a morning run and even a delay by an hour or so had an impact on what was achievable. I'd set myself a goal to run to the coast which fortunately was only one meandering mile away as the heat was intense, and having chugged my way around the beach at the end it was all I could muster to get the whole thing to a round 5K And a slow, sweaty one at that.

Got my breath back, heart rate a little higher when resting out here I note, heat must take its toll. Our host had kindly invited us to pay for her breakfast and it was worth every Euro. Its appointment, on the fringe of the lemon orchard, and the produce, local and lovably arranged. A honey yoghurt with cereal, home cooked lemon bread, omlettes and tomatoes, the eggs picked up from the hen wandering around.  Some sandwiches I saved for later and juicy fruit, the peaches were particularly melt in the mouth.

We didn't have huge plans for today, the pool, the sun, the fatigue pulled us in to that stopped clock way of living. Found my way into the pool a couple of times, took long chunks of reading, made a few forays onto the internet. Trump, Shannon Doherty, all seem a million miles away.  Lovely to touch base with my parents though, give them a guided tour of the property through the lens of messenger.  Brief in touch with nature moment as became drawn into some birds that spent their day circling and dive bombing the pool, any ornithologists care to identify? Yes, this is how quickly I've hit the chill button, mesmerised by the local tweeters rather than tweeting myself.

Some noises next door from a loud speaker did not spell a local rock concert but the more sombre Sunday morning service that seemed to attract all ages from far and wide.  There was small church hidden amongst the olive groves, we popped out to take a photo or 2 and I had my breath back to actually look back on the run I had done earlier.

Back in the shade through for vast swathes of the day, temperature regulation the main focus until such a time we felt we could explore and not burn. Chrissi and I retraced by run steps earlier so I could actually reflect on some of the agricultural, barren and somewhat rugged landscape (quite a mixed combination!) as we returned to the sea. The beach has a name Amitis Beach, kept calling it Amity Beach, the one from Jaws. Far less popular but a smattering of folk enjoying the sun and sand, and again, it has some really interesting man made and scientifically made features. A random small church on a high rock been a combination of the two!

Also, and this is where it all came together nicely, a very hippy, backpacker beach bar that was a hotch potch of faded styles and south east asian beach bum vibes. Took me right back and Chrissi and I spent some time there with a couple of Mythos, chatted to the Dutch owners, and again sank into this rather off the beaten track other world we have discovered.  This will now be our 'beach holiday', and a slightly less conventional one. Perfect!

The day trundled on and we made the walk back to our Pink palace.  A slow change as we knew we had a late night ahead. then walked into the village of Galini. Time to try the second restaurant, the one with the TV. Far less of a restaurant I would say, calling itself Flea did not fill me with gastronomic expectation. Went with a beer and a very basic mezze, basically a load of spare meat/veg on a plate. Clearly the guy who ran the place threw it together, as it looked like something I'd do at the end of the week when building a buffet with what was left in the fridge. Suited the purpose of the more rough and ready evening, although I'm now done with local sausage, too salty and just sits on your stomach.

The locals (including many of the young kids) all began to fill up the roadside taverna for the match. Am sure not the only TV in the village although it did feel like it!  A little more support for Spain than England was my feeling, but as a neutral I would say the more positive, comfortable on the ball / doing stuff with the ball side won.  That has been Spain throughout the tournament on not just this match. I'd put a wager on them before the tournament when their odds were around 7-1 and 4/5th favourite so I was pleased with my 'foresight'.

With it being 2 hrs ahead here was well past midnight when getting back to our abode, and a quick swim to cool down before bed time was in order ...

Depending on whether we venture far over the next day or 2 may determine whether the blog also has a little holiday!!