Adventures in Cephalonia 4

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

Gus and Heather are on holiday on the Greek island of Cephalonia. After a few days relaxing in their resort of Lassi they rented a car to visit other parts of the island. On the Wednesday night they decided to venture east of Lassi and then up into the mountains in search of a taverna. Here they came across George (a local Greek) and his English girlfriend Rebecca who were restoring an old taverna. They were invited in and the four of them enjoyed a long night of eating, drinking and talking before George and Rebecca got into an argument and George stormed off into the mountains on his motorbike.

Later Rebecca suggested that they should go her favourite beach to see the sun rise, and then go a fisherman's cafe in Argostoli for breakfast.

The breakfast cafe didn't look much from the outside and inside consisted of just a few formica tables with old fashioned Greek chairs. There were three people sitting at one of the tables. Two looked very much like fishermen - lean and very brown skinned. But the third individual was rather different, a fattish pale skinned man in his early fifties, wearing a white jacket. As we entered he greeted Rebecca with a smile and continued sipping his Greek coffee.

Rebecca told us to sit at one of the other tables and she would order our breakfast. She walked to the side of the room where there was a serving hatch and called out "Kalimera". After a few minutes a man appeared. He too was brown and lean and wore a rather dirty white t-shirt and jeans. Rebecca ordered three traditional Greek breakfasts and then went over to sit with Gus and Heather. Heather asked what a traditional Greek breakfast consisted of. Rebecca said that it would be some dried bread called paximadi, olives and feta cheese. You would normally get a herbal tea to go with it but Rebecca said that we would have a Greek coffee instead. She hoped that was OK.

Before the breakfast arrived the man in the white jacket got up from his table and went over to where Rebecca and the others were sitting. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" he asked.

Rebecca made the introductions saying that Gus and Heather were on holiday and had stumbled across the taverna the previous night. The fat man asked Gus what he did for a living. When Gus told him the man said "Welcome to Cephalonia Professor. We respect educators here". After a bit more small talk the Greek breakfasts arrived and the fat man got up from the table, signalled to his two colleagues and all three left the cafe.

When they had finished their breakfasts Rebecca, Gus and Heather left the cafe and headed back to where they had parked the car. But before they had gone very far up the road a car came racing down the road, mounting the pavement near them causing Heather to stumble and fall. "My God" said Rebecca. "That looked deliberate." They started to walk more quickly but before they had gone very far the car came racing after them again. As it got close to them it slowed down, the back door opened and someone snatched Heather and pulled her inside. The door slammed and the car sped away. "We had better call the police" said Gus, who was clearly very worried. Rebecca burst into tears and said " I know where the police station is, I have been there many times, but it probably won't be open yet"

However to their surprise there was a policeman there already on duty. He recognised Rebecca from the time she had been interviewed about the dead man on the plane. He took down all the details, asking for a description of the car. Unfortunately all they could say was that it was white and possibly a Mercedes. The policeman said that they should go back to the taverna and wait for news. Maybe there would be a ransom note. He wondered whether the group had been specifically targeted or whether it was just a random snatch. Only time woud tell. He told Gus not to be worried. This kind of thing was very rare on Cephalonia and they would do all they could to bring it to an early and happy conclusion. Needless to say Gus was not reassured but tried to remain calm as Rebecca was close to hysterical. It probably helped him get through the crisis having to cope with her.

To be continued.

Adventures in Cephalonia 3

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

The story so far. Gus and Heather have been on holiday to the Greek island of Cephalonia. After spending a few days relaxing in and around the resort of Lassi they had rented a car to visit other places on the island. Having taken delivery of the car on the Wednesday afternoon they had decided to investigate tavernas further to the east of Lassi that evening. After travelling for about half an hour they took a left turn up into the mountains. Here they came across what seemed to be a taverna in an old style building. It turned out that the couple who owned the building were a Greek man called George and his English girlfriend Rebecca. They were still working on restoring the building to its former glory but Rebecca invited them in and they were soon sharing food, drink and conversation with her and George. The evening started well and Rebecca told Gus and Heather how she came to be on Cephalonia, how she and George had met and their plans for the taverna.

As the wine flowed it became obvious that Gus couldn't drive back to Lassi that night and Rebecca had persuaded them to stay the night - and the drinks turned from wine to spirits.

Rebecca talked a lot and at some point became rather argumentative. She and George had words and George stormed out and disappeared up the mountain road on his motorbike. Rebecca broke down in tears.

Heather tried to calm Rebecca and Gus volunteered to make everyone a coffee. It became clear to Gus and Heather that there were problems between George and Rebecca, probably due to the slow progress being made on the taverna.

Gradually Rebecca calmed down and told Gus and Heather of her fear that the taverna project would never succeed. George was a perfectionist and his work on the taverna, although wonderful, was taking too long. If they didn't open the taverna soon and start to get in some income they would run out of money. On top of that Rebecca was worried that the taverna, although a beautiful building, was too far off the beaten track to attract sufficient customers to make it pay. Gus attempted to reassure Rebecca saying that as it was such an unusual place, so long as there was good publicity about it amongst tourists, and the food was good (and having tasted Rebecca's cooking he was sure it would be) then people would make the effort to seek out the taverna.

By now it was the early hours of Thursday morning and Rebecca said that she knew what they could do do to cheer themselves up. They should go to a lovely beach that she liked and watch the sun rise and paddle in the sea. Then they should go to a little cafe that she had discovered in Argostoli where the fisherman went for their breakfast after returning from their nightly fishing trips. There they could have an authentic Cephalonian breakfast.

And so it was that they went to Rebecca's favourite beach and watched the sun come up as they paddled in the water. Gus had never seen a Greek sunrise before, although he had watched plenty of sunsets. As Rebecca had promised it made them all feel good. In his head Gus had heard George Harrison singing "Here Comes the Sun" - a record that always gave him a positive feeling.

Then they drove into Argostoli to find the fisherman's cafe for breakfast.

To be continued.

Adventures in Cephalonia 2

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

Having spent the first few days of their holiday in Cephalonia relaxing in and around Lassi and Argostoli Gus and Heather rented a car with the intention of visiting other parts of the island. So that they could start early on the Thursday morning they arranged to take delivery of their car on Wednesday afternoon.

As evening approached on Wednesday Gus suggested to Heather that, instead of having dinner in Lassi or Argosoli, they should use the car to find a taverna somewhere the other side of Lassi following the road to the east. And so it was that their adventure began,

They didn't stop at the first few tavernas that they passed, but after they had been travelling for about half an hour Gus noticed a road on the left, going up into the mountains. He took it. After about five more minutes they saw before them an old style building which had obviously survived the earthquake, all lit up and freshly painted. Although there was no sign it looked like a taverna with a number of tables arranged around the front of the building. Gus said "Let's stop here" and parked the car on the road just past the building. As they walked back towards the entrance a young Greek man in his late thirties came towards them. "Sorry" he said. "We are not open". He explained that he and his girlfriend had managed to buy the place a year before and were still in the process of restoring it. They might just be able to open later in the summer but more likely it would take until 2014 before it was ready.

As they were talking a woman's voice called out from within the building. "Is that English people you are talking to George? Bring them in and we can have a drink and a talk, It is so long since I have seen anyone from home." And at that point the woman appeared, all smiles and with open arms to welcome them.

“Hello” she said. “I’m Rebecca. George and I are behind in our work on this place but it is wonderful to see someone from home out here. Not many British tourists take this road and I am beginning to wonder if we might have made a mistake in putting all out money into this project. But, as you can see, George is a wonderful carpenter and woodworker and he is doing a brilliant job in restoring this place to its full glory”.

So it was that Gus and Heather went into Rebecca and George’s place and the long evening and night began.

Rebecca prepared a Greek salad and a few other meze items. George plied them with the local rose wine. Rebecca told them the story of how she and George had met. She had been a member of the cabin crew for one of the charter airlines that flew to Cephalonia from the UK. But on her very first flight she had been freaked out by what happened. After landing in Cephalonia when all the passengers had left she noticed that there was still a man right at the back of the aircraft. At first she assumed he was sleeping, but when she got closer she found that he was dead. Presumably at some point in the flight he had suffered a heart attack. Nobody had noticed, not even those sitting next to him; or if they had realised they decided to ignore the situation in case it delayed them getting off the plane.

After a few more flights Rebecca had decided that she couldn’t do the job. She kept thinking that she would come across another dead person. Of course there was also an inquiry into what had happened. This required her to stay in Argostoli for several days to talk to the local Greek police and various other government officials. Having spent a few days being interviewed and giving statements she decided to quit the job and stay on the island and look for work.

Rebecca told how she had managed to get a job as a waitress in a waterfront taverna in Argostoli and it was here that she had met George. He had come in to eat with some of his friends and she had served them. Right from the start there had been an attraction and it wasn’t too long before the two became friends and then lovers. Heather told me that she wasn’t surprised as George was a very good looking man with a twinkly smile, and Rebecca was an attractive blonde – they made a handsome couple.

As Rebecca’s story went on George had been refilling Gus and Heather’s glasses with the rose wine. Suddenly realising how much he had already drunk Gus tried to stop the next refill and said that they really must be leaving. “Nonsense” said Rebecca, “We have only just started to enjoy ourselves. You can stay here tonight. Let’s get something stronger to drink. Do you prefer ouzo or Metaxa?”.

And so it was that Gus and Heather stayed on with George and Rebecca, drinking and talking late into the night and early morning. Later things became a bit difficult as Rebecca and George started to niggle each other, eventually getting into a full blown argument about whether Jesus was the Messiah or just another Jew. It was at this point that Gus and Heather realised that Rebecca was Jewish. By now she was having a bit of a rant and George stormed off. A few minutes later they heard him power up his motorbike and disappear up the road into the mountains. So there they were, left with Rebecca who was now in tears. But I shall leave it there. The rest of the story must wait for another day.

Adventures in Cephalonia

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

As I mentioned in an earlier blog post, Gus and Heather had a bit of an adventure, including a few scary moments, during their recent holiday on the Greek island of Cephalonia. I have now had a chance to get all the details from Gus and over a few blog posts I will pass on the story to you.

Today's episode relates what happened during the first few days of the holiday. During this time nothing much untoward occured. But stand by for later posts which cover the more eventful part of their trip.

As I just said everything started out quite normally. Gus and Heather flew from Gatwick to Cephalonia on a charter flight organised by their holiday company. On arrival they were taken to their studio apartment in the resort of Lassi which is just outside the island's capital Argostoli. They had been there before, in fact, back in the 1980s - well before the filming of Captain Correli's Mandolin, the movie based on Louis de Bernieres' novel which had brought Cephalonia to the attention of many people who had not previously heard of the place. They found Lassi to be a bit more developed and busier than they remembered, but still a nice place to unwind and relax on the beach.

Their plan was to spend the first few days just chilling out in Lassi itself and walking down the hill to Argostoli for dinner in the evening. Then they would hire a car for a few days so they could visit other parts of the island.

Gus said that Argostoli isn't the prettiest Greek town that you have ever visited. The reason is that in 1953 the island suffered a devastating earthquake which destroyed almost all the houses except those in the far north of the island around Fiskardo. The new houses put up in the fifties and sixties lack architectural charm. But the town is a pleasant enough place to be on a summer's evening, walking along the promenade and looking across to Lixouri on the peninsula opposite. Then, after a nice meal, you can have an invigorating walk back up the hill to Lassi. In the open area between the two places almost every street light has bats circling around the light. One downside of Cephalonia is the mosquitoes, although Gus says they are not too bad early in the summer season.

Anyway, the first few days of the holiday were pretty tranquil and uneventful for Gus and Heather and they got themselves into a nice relaxed mood. They hired a car for three days ready for a leisurely trip around the island. But, as you will discover, this isn't quite how it turned out.

What we did in Kent

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

Our trip to Kent focused on three main places: Maidstone, Faversham and Canterbury, although we did stop for coffee in the Pantiles at Tunbridge Wells on our way on the first day and returned by way of Hastings.

Our first night was in Maidstone. Jenny told me that William Golding had taught at the Grammar School here, and that he had also met his future wife while working at the school. She does like to track the literary connections to the places we visit. We did a bit of shopping in the shopping mall and in the evening we went to see a performance of Miss Saigon by teenagers from the local Valley Park School at the Hazlitt Theatre. The kids did really well.

The next day we moved on to Faversham, a charming market town. Apparently Crispin (St Crispin of the famous Henry V speech) fled persecution in Gaul and lived and worked for a while in the town (another literary gem from Jenny). She told me that the town’s information leaflet also says that Shakespeare and his actors had performed in Faversham on several occasions.

Faversham also boasts the oldest brewery in the country, Shepherd Neame, and we were able to visit it during the afternoon, including tasting the various ales that are made there. Excellent!

Next day we were off to Canterbury. Of course we went to the cathedral and also various places connected with Chaucer and the Canterbury Tales. We also met up with a friend of mine who works at the University of Kent for a few drinks. We ruminated on the problems facing Greece, economic and political. Not a happy conversation, although my friend told me that tourism numbers are up this year.

On the way back we took the coastal route so we could pass through Hastings and Battle. I seem to be getting more familiar with British history and literature than most Greeks. I’m told that 1066 is a date that every schoolchild knows. Just like 1966 for every England football fan!

What we did in Dorset

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

We had a great week down in Dorset. The first couple of days we stayed in a B&B near Dorchester so that we could visit Thomas Hardy’s cottage at Higher Bockhampton. As you will see, paying homage to various authors was part of Jenny’s plan for the trip and Hardy is clearly the greatest of Dorset’s novelists, not to mention his poetry too, which Jenny says was neglected for too long. The National Trust now looks after the property which has a lovely cottage garden. We were fortunate in that on the day that we visited the sun was shining with a refreshing breeze in the air. We also visited the church in Stinsford where Hardy’s heart was buried (the rest of his body being in Westminster Abbey).

The next day we went into Dorchester itself for a bit of shopping and to get some food for a picnic. It was my choice for what to do and we started with a visit to Tolpuddle and the Martyrs’ Museum. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of nineteenth century agricultural workers who formed a Friendly Society which can be seen as a precursor of today’s Trade Unions. They were arrested and convicted of swearing a secret oath and transported to Australia as punishment. Their crime was really in resisting cuts in agricultural wages which didn’t go down well with the powerful landlords of the time. However their treatment generated quite a bit of public support and they eventually were brought back to England. So the Tolpuddle Martyrs Museum is a place of pilgrimage for anyone with an interest in Trade Unions.

Before we moved further west we looked in on Poundbury, the new development on the edge of Dorchester that Prince Charles is behind. The town had a better feel to it than I expected and we had a very nice lunch in the Poet Laureate pub.

Next we moved on to Bridport and the Jurassic Coast. The area has recently been high in public consciousness due to the crumbling of some of the coastal paths, and the highly regarded TV series “Broadchurch”. The locals are clearly trying to cash in on the success of the series as you can now get a special leaflet showing you where to find the locations used in the series. By the way I have often wondered what the word Jurassic means. A web search shows that it comes from a French root Jurassique meaning “of the mountains”.

We went down to West Bay (there is a very nice fish and chip shop there). We walked along the beach under the huge towering cliffs. Stunning scenery. We also visited the Bridport museum which has some interesting exhibits from Roman times and on the more recent history of rope making in the town.

Our final port of call was Lyme Regis, associated of course with John Fowles and his novel “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” (which was made into a very successful movie starring Meryl Streep and Jeremy Irons). We had a walk along The Cobb imagining ourselves to be back in the nineteenth century. Jenny told me that Lyme Regis has links to many other authors, including Jane Austen (who set part of her novel Persuasion there). Other literary visitors have included Henry Fielding, G K Chesterton, J R R Tolkien, P G Wodehouse and Beatrix Potter.

On the beach there was a Punch and Judy show which was going down well with a large group of young children and their parents. That’s the way to do it!

So, all in all we had a very nice week down in Dorset. Then back home for the weekend before our second week away, this time in Kent. But that is another story.

Back from leave

Hello. My name is Kostas Economides and I am a lecturer in the Department of Economics at the University of the South of England (USE for short). Well, actually that is not true really as the names of individuals and institutions in this blog have been changed to protect the innocent - and the guilty!

Well here I am back at the university after two weeks leave. Jenny and I had a lovely week down in Dorset and then in the second week we went to Kent. I will tell you a bit more about that in a later blog post.

But there are other things to tell you about that I have found out since coming in this morning. First of all, two colleagues are leaving the department. Kevin Cooper, who I don't think I have mentioned in previous blog posts, has decided to retire at Christmas. He is only 62 but he has calculated that what he loses on his pension is probably worth it by getting hold of his lump sum early. That wasn't really a surprise as we all knew that he had been considering it. But I was a bit shocked to hear that Petros Petropoulos is leaving, and going back to Greece. He has got himself a position at the University of Crete which he is happy with. It also means that he will be nearer to his parents and his wife's parents who he has been worried about recently. So let's hope that the Dean will let us replace both of these leavers. I hope that Mike can make a good case to her.

The big story though concerns Gus and Heather and what happened during their holiday in Cephalonia. I have only heard a brief summary so far but it sounds like they had a pretty scary and frightening adventure. When I get the full details I will write about it. Fortunately everything turned out all right in the end, but it could have been very nasty indeed. I won't spoil it by giving away any of the story now, but once I have had a longer chat with Gus I will put it all together for you.

Anyway, there are emails and other things I have to catch up on so I will leave it there for today.