It’s really hard to believe I had not
been on an aeroplane since 1996. I spent a much of my adult life taking care of
a few children, four daughters in fact so it seems only fitting that now I reap
some rewards and have them rallying around after me. This came to pass exactly
a year ago when my oldest daughter Liz, who is both independent and well
travelled, organised my trip out to Kos to see
my other grown up daughter Natalie, who works out there as an entertainment
manager, at a deluxe family resort. I myself have not had the luxury of
travelling to warmer climates purely for pleasure in many years, although
I had been lucky enough to enjoy Natalie’s early years working in Haven resorts
in the cooler climates of Skegness and Berwick. Those were great times I must
say and we have some fond memories with my other two daughters, Nadine and
Katie who I mustn't for get to mention.
So Liz came to pick me up at
eleven a.m Katie was also coming to the airport. We checked all my documents
and said good bye to my dog Bonny who always frets when she senses
someone is going away. On this day she actually got herself locked outside the
front of the house in her panic about my trip.
We arrived at the airport with plenty
of time to spare, having done all the checking in and stuff on-line. I was
somewhat apprehensive that I would get on the wrong plane or miss it
completely. There were so many numbers flickering about on boards, all the
security procedures I was not familiar with and inaudible announcements.Liz
gave me clear concise instructions but I wasn't going to relax until I actually
boarded the plane. The girls were hungry so they had a hot chocolate and a very
unhealthy looking muffin in a well known coffee bar but I thought I would wait
and get something in the departure lounge. (It never happened) Liz warned me to
keep looking out for my gate number on the board and to head towards it the
second I found out as this airport is not small and pilots won’t wait.
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| All ready to go with Liz |
We said our goodbyes and it was as if I stepped through a portal into
another world. The duty free shops were lavish and brightly lit. It was
bustling with crowds from all over the world and the voices of many languages
filled the air. I wasted much of my time pondering in the
magazine aisle in search of some light hearted reading material, that I forgot
to eat anything. The plane trip was smooth. I had a window seat just above the
left wing. I looked out the whole time. The earth looked all neat and tidy
below me like a mosaic design. The little lad in the seat in front of me was
giving a running commentary of how awesome it all was. The best part was flying
through day time into night with no noticeable time lapse.
When I arrived, I
was expecting to wait for a long time because Natalie was still working. The
airport in Kos was tiny and there was nothing
to occupy me. To my annoyance also, my mobile phone no longer worked
properly abroad even though I had looked into this prior to the trip. So
I was all alone in a strange backward country, no contact with anybody. I
didn't even have a clue where I was meant to be staying. In hind sight I
should’ve taken down all the details, but I had planned to rely on modern
technology which had sadly let me down. “Make sure your phone’s on”
Natalie had told me. I sat in a Foyer trying to look inconspicuous whilst
people around me smoked cigarettes. They were workers at the airport taking a
break but it was weird to see smoking taking place and no one was getting
arrested. It’s how England
probably was some ten years ago when it was permitted in public spaces but how
quickly we forget. Finally and to my huge relief, my daughter Natalie and her
friend Tina arrived to pick me up and take me to our destination. It was a
short car journey and we arrived at the entrance of an apartment block. It was
very basic and continental looking, white washed with archways on each balcony
and spiral stone steps leading to each floor. In the shadows of night I
could make out the palm trees.
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| view from Natalie's balcony. |
This was where Natalie was staying quite far from town. Amidst the sound
of the crickets, we were greeted by two of the scruffiest, scrawniest creatures
I had ever laid eyes on. (I since found out that most of the dogs in Kos are farm dogs or strays). Hara, had been adopted so
to speak by the owner of the apartments where although she was living outside,
she got food and fresh water. She had become pregnant on several occasions and
had just recently given birth to a small litter of which only one survived.
Also her son Scooby lived there who was a year old. I wasn’t able to
touch them as they were very dirty and covered in fleas and ticks. They were
loyal and friendly by nature, wagging their tails in a happy to see you type of
way just like my fat well cared for dog I left at home. Later the puppy
emerged, not as unhealthy looking as the other two but sadly his fate would be
the same. May-be dogs are supposed to live this way though, they didn’t seem
upset by it.
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| Harra, Scooby and the unnamed puppy |
That evening, we sat on Natalie’s balcony. As it panned out, I had not
eaten at all and with Kos being two hours ahead of British time, there was
nowhere around here to get food. Owen (Natalie’s partner) brought some
bread, ham and cheese back for me from work with a bottle of rose wine.
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| On Natalie's Balcony |
The next morning I walked into work along the dry dusty road with
Natalie. It was a bit of a trek and the heat was exhausting. We passed a
bull in a field who was later to be come a landmark of relief to me signifying
that we were nearly there. The animals here looked as thirsty as the landscape
which needed a good sprinkling of rain. I don’t know how anything grows here
but it does, including big water melons which we also get to see on our daily
walk.
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| My friend the bull |
We arrived at Zorbas Beach Hotel, a big
plush marble building which was lovely and cool inside. Natalie managed to buy
me an all inclusive wristband for the week, so I could enjoy food and drink all
day and everyday. The breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets were amazing enough
but there was also poolside snacks available at all times. I thought about all
the hard work I put into toning myself up for my bikini and now I was about to
over indulge like I had never done before. It’s probably a good thing we had
such a long walk each day or goodness knows how I would’ve fitted into my seat
on the plane journey back.
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| Zorbas Beach Hotel Pool. |
I found myself a sun bed for the day
but I was in the pool most of the time because of the heat.Finally I was on holiday, joining in
with quiz’s, playing splash bingo at the family pool. The hotel had three pools
altogether. Obviously as entertainers it was Natalie and Owen’s job to keep
children amused and it was all good fun. One of the other pools was for
adults only and it was much quieter for those who just needed a relaxing break
in the sun. There was something for everyone and I had the luxury of flitting
between pools according to my mood. Every afternoon Natalie and Owen had a well
earned break. We would sometimes go to a bar owned by an Australian man called
“Mickeys ” Owen connected to WiFi there, then we would sit under umbrellas on
the sun loungers which were thought to be free of charge to all associated with
Zorbas Beach Hotel. This turned out to be untrue as we found out when the owner
came to collect six euros from us, then asked us very kindly to tell the rep
from Zorbas to stop telling customers that it was free. Personally I think it’s
outrageous to be paying for space on the beach but it happened everywhere.
After Mickey,s Bar, we would go back to the apartment for a siesta. This walk
back along the seafront to the apartments was even longer and I was to remember
this way because Kos gets dark earlier than in England and it was well lit and
busy. Many a night I did this alone. It was forty-five minutes strolling but
really pleasant going past all the shops and Tavernas then along the seafront with
a view of the Turkish mountains ahead. I’ll never forget the warmth of
the day’s sun still hanging in the air, the sound of the waves, it was
stunning. The only thing to spoil the walk was the inevitable presence of
beggars dotted around in the same spots each evening who apparently hadn't existed earlier on in the summer season.
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| Katie and Ricky |
In the evening there was a show with
a fire eater and his assistant, a belly dancer. The show was amazing. It
was more than just eating fire, he was really strong too and could lay on a bed
of nails with another man standing on his chest. There was some audience
participation also but I didn't get chosen as my dress was too long. (Thank
goodness) The next day I lounged by the pool. I met the other two members
of Natalie’s team, Katie and Ricky.
That evening I went to see Natalie’s show for the first time. I was
overwhelmed by how talented my daughter is. I knew she could dance but this was
the first time I had ever heard her sing. It was a proud moment that brought a
little lump to my throat. She had come a long way since the day she stood up on
the stage at the age of five and sang ‘twinkle twinkle little star’ with a
vibrato when on holiday in Menorca.
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| Natalie and I boarding the ferry. |
On Natalie and Owen’s day off and we had a boat trip booked for Bodrum in
Turkey.
It was an early start to get a coach and then a ferry but we had a nap on the
journey. It was a fun day. The markets and shops were full of fake brand named
clothing, catering for the masses that care about such things. The traders were
very pushy. They would step into your personal space uninvited like flies
around a bin. Owen is very much into the Adidas brand and he wasn’t impressed
with the quality of fake things but on looks alone, no one at home would
be able to tell. Laws are less restrictive in Turkey at this current time and
they can produce exact replicas of designer makes very cheaply. I bought
Converse shoes for the girls at home.
On the waterfront we got some food and had a little swim in the
sea.
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| The Bodrum Ferry |
Owen regretfully got a tattoo of
the Adidas logo. Luckily it wasn't a permanent one but it hadn't turned out
very well and he was stuck with it for a few weeks at least. He was having fun annoying the market traders by pretending to be interested in buying, trying
stuff on, making them unfold t-shirts and mess up displays. An Idiot Abroad
featuring Carl Pilkington sprung to mind.
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| Owen's Tattoo |
We bartered for Natalie’s Turkish
trousers by putting on this whole act fully rehearsed but badly performed.
“Wow I
love these, I wish I had enough money”“I have only got two euros” and so it
went on, we showed our last card too early according to Owen. By the end
of the day, he ended up getting ripped off with two
poorly fitting pairs of underpants that cost him six euros when he could’ve
paid less. I entertained everyone by slipping up in my flip flops every minute.
Never ever wear traditional rubber flip flops in Bodrum is my advice, the stone
flooring is just not made for them. We all slept on the ferry home as we were
so tired.
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| My food |
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| A little paddle in the sea |
The day was not over though. Natalie and Owen are used to cramming
a lot into their rare time off from work. We borrowed the team car and Owen
drove us high up a mountain track to a place called Zia. Although I am a little
nervous of heights, the place we went to was so beautiful it was worthy of my
fear. It was called The Sunset village with only a small array of shops and a
terrace bar. We had a some wine on the terrace and watched the sunset. I have
tried to capture it on camera but really you had to be there to drink in the
sheer magnificence of it.
It was a tranquil faraway place yet it
had WiFi because I remember doing a video call home to Katie who was in front
of a lap top. Natalie bartered for another pair of Harem trousers there too. At
the end of a lovely evening I was really tired.
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| The terrace |
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| The Sunset |
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| View from the terrace |
The best was yet to come. We showered
and changed ready for an evening of cocktail bar crawling. We forgot to wear
insect repellent though so the mosquitoes feasted on us. Along the sea front we
went into a bar. It was decorated with big bold coloured lanterns and had the
essence of an Eighties night club about it. I loved it and I also loved the
fact that everywhere we went we got served with snacks to go with your drink. I
had Sangria.
We went to three places altogether. The second one was on a busy street
full of holiday makers. We faced the open window watching the people go
by. The last place was an English owned hotel bar with a pool. Apparently
they did traditional English things such as pub quizz’s. By three in the
morning I was ready for bed, but we returned for full English breakfast the
following morning.
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The beautiful Natalie
|
We went to Mickey’s bar later where I
got to enjoy swimming in the sea at last. It was quite choppy but very warm. I
vowed I would swim in the ocean every year from now on and so far I have kept
to it. That night Owen and Natalie performed really well in a
compilation of musicals from :We will rock you’ to ‘The sound of music.’ I
really enjoyed the show ‘Schools out.’
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| Ancient ruins of Kos Town |
Natalie and I had and evening together in the main town of Kos for a meal. I saw the
tree of the most celebrated ancient Greek in Kos.
Hippocrates the physician born in 460 years BC. He is known in the western
world as the founder of medicine. Now it may seem really obvious to us that
diet and lifestyle have an effect on our health but in those days people
believed disease to be an act of the gods. His theory was that we could control
our health with the food that we ate. He would teach his pupils under the Plane
tree which is a tourist attraction now. It isn't the actual tree because it is
only 500 years old, but it is possibly a descendant of that tree.
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| Natalie taking in the sights of Kos |
Kos town is full of ruins from different
civilisations that passed through replicating some Italian architecture and
signs of North African colonies. We visited a site that has been left un
tampered with and said to have been brought down by an earth quake.
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| Hippocrates tree. |
It was difficult to choose a place to eat as there were whole rows of
restaurants bars and tavernas along the harbour. They were very friendly and
welcoming, perhaps not quite as desperate as the Turkish. The doorman would
politely try to get your attention as you looked at the menu outside. Anyway,
it didn't really matter, the air was warm, the atmosphere delightful so we
picked a spot.I had the perfect view of the harbour from my seat and the boats
were rocking so that it felt as if I were the one moving. I chose stuffed
vine leaves with taramasalata for starter. It was not at all like the dip you
buy from the supermarket at home. It was rich and much chunkier, an altogether
less processed texture. For my main course I was a little disappointed
not to see greenery or salad accompanying my mixed grilled kebabs of chicken,
lamb and beef on a bed of rice with sautéed potatoes. Coupled with the chunky
white bread rolls I would say it had far too much starchy carbs.It tasted great
but I doubt Hippocrates would've given it his seal of approval. The Greek
waiter was exceedingly charming and was going to get a good tip for the service
but we were kept waiting so long for the bill to the detriment of our last bus,
that he got two euros as we made haste to get there on time. He did point us in
the right direction and we didn't miss it. We continued the evening shopping
along the way home in Tigaki. I was looking for souvenirs to bring back,
Natalie got a belly dance scarf. Every night we passed a place called Marianna
Hotel Apartments. As it seemed to be calling my name, we had a cocktail there
before going home.
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| Marianna hotel apartments |
It was almost time for me to return
home and I was ready. The heat was getting to me a bit. I spent a bit
more time at Zorbas beach to see the charity events including a kids talent
show organised by Natalie’s team. I had one more swim in the sea before packing
my bags and going to the airport. It wasn’t such a pleasant trip home. The
airport was overcrowded and chaotic, there was no visual directions so you had
to try and listen for flight details over background noise and in poor English.
I actually almost did miss my flight.
I had the most wonderful time which I
will never forget. It has only made me want to take more holidays in the sun. I
thank my lovely daughter Natalie for giving me that opportunity to do this and
Liz for helping me to make it a reality.
